Three of us, Jian Huei, Ben and I left S’pore by the 2nd link(dared not try the Johor Baru Causeway because of the crawl thru immigration)friday 12th June at 8:30 p.m. via Kota Tinggi and Mersing and arrived at our destination the Rompin River Chalet 4 km north of Kuala Rompin. The journey took us almost 4 hours because we stopped at Mersing for food and drinks at a corner mamak restaurant. Food not great and unhygenic.
The Rompin River Chalet is a very convenient place for anglers and popular too. The jetty is right in front with the fishing boats moored ready for boarding. There’s a seafood restaurant run by the Chalet’s proprietor. The room we stayed in was clean, air-con, and heater shower in the ensuite bathroom.
By the time we cleaned up and got our rigs ready, it was 3 a.m. before we turned in.
After a short nap of 3 1/2hrs, it was time to get ready for the day at sea. The 13th June morning promised a great day with bright sun shine and indeed it was!
We waited for Johnson and Andy to arrive at the Chalet. They started form S;pore by superbikes each at 4 a.m. and the five of us then had a quick breakfast of fried bee hoon, soft-boiled eggs, bread and coffee. By 8:30 a.m.we were on board the speed boat piloted by Ah Fei.
This boat is really really fast! Very soon, we were pulling up the baitfishes of selar and kembung. For this, we used light tackles, apollo.
Ah Fei quickly looked out at the horizon for the gulls and schools of fishes for possible sails. Two lines from Accurate reels with 80 lb leader and no. 5 round hook and live bait of kembung were floated out with a balloon attached.
At around 11a.m. the screeching sound of the multiplier was the beginning of our 2 days of sailfishing at Kuala Rompin. On the 13th June saturday, our boat, with Ah Fei’s expertise, brought in 4 sails with this order: 1st-Johnson(newbie); 2nd-me; 3rd-Jian Huei(my number one son); 4th- Andy. The 2nd and 3rd were a historic father-and-son double hook-ups. Ben had his turn but unfortunately lost the fish after 5 min of play.
Before we headed for shore, Ah Fei asked whether we wanted some cuttlefish for dinner - wow! this guy knew his way around this part of the sea! Indeed, we quickly changed our hooks to sotong jigs. Soon we stopped at one spot and we got 5 big cuttlefish. We were quite satisfied with our outing and returned to the Chalet by 6p.m. It’s that convenient. We just got off the boat and walked straight to our rooms in a minute!
Dinner was at the seafood restaurant by the river at the Chalet. It was simple with fresh fish and cuttlefish fried and steamed.
It’s been a tiring day for us all.
The 14th June Sunday was also a great day with perfect weather. Andy and Johnson did not join us. Instead Mok made the fourth person for the day. Our plan was morning for sails and afternoon for bottomfishing.
It was a repeat of the previous day - baitfishing to fill the bait-well and Ah Fei setting out the lines for the sails.
Around 11a.m. the sceeching Accurate sent Ah Fei running for the rod and set the hook beautifully for Ben to take over the play. He’s experienced and he knew how to keep the pressure on with the sail breaking water and danced on the surface before submitting meekly.
I had with me a Daiwa Saltist TH30 which my son Jian Wen got for me from Orlando as a Father’s Day present. I felt I had to try it out, so I got Ah fei to rig it up for the next sail. I was not disappointed. The next sail took the bait with the line from the Daiwa Saltist. Ah fei quickly set the hook and I took over. This was my second sail in 2 days! The Daiwa Saltist was fast and powerful! The sail hadn’t a chance! I brought it in to a photo finish in about 6 mins!
The next sail was brought in by Mok who is a very seasoned angler. We had 3 sails for the 2nd day. A total of 7 in 2 days.
After this, we settled down, had lunch of packed beehoon and plenty of water and soft drinks. We were startled by the appearance of a few cobias swimming around our boat. We quickly rigged up some live baits and let the lines down and hoped one of us would have a strike. I was lucky. My first cobia was about 2 kg.!
Our bottom fishing was not productive even though Ah Fei tried hard by taking us to quite a few locations. So by around 530p.m. we decided to call it a day.
To sum it up, I must say that this first trip to Rompin for sails has been great. The sails are magnificent creatures and the practice of catch-and-release should maintain their population in the sea at Kuala Rompin. There are sails out there even in the month of June. It takes a good tekong like Ah fei to find them.
I have photos and video clips of the action and I will try to post them on this forum.
Ikan Tapah
