U5 is finally over for 2007. I always like coming to a U-series tournament every year. It is like a big homecoming event for the best freshwater casting anglers from Malaysia and Singapore.
When the cars start arriving at Clearwater Sanctuary (CWS) on 20th October it was actually a sight for me to welcome the anglers, as they are proudly dressed in their best team uniform. How many Malaysian fishing tournaments do you know where the anglers actually present themselves at their very best to demonstrate an exemplary decorum to non-anglers? They do it here at the U-series!
Everyone had a big smile on the face when I shook their hands. Like what Lucky Samurai said in his MFN posting, “it’s like a big family reunion”. In short, it is because everyone seemed to be comfortable with one another, albeit the typical Malaysian shyness before we warmed up to each another.
We had a total of 28 teams that actually arrived for the start of the event. Some teams actually arrived the day before in preparation and also to take a good rest before U5 begins. U5, after all, besides being a tournament can also be considered a social event for some – a family reunion of anglers - a national homecoming of sort.
Pure Fishing Malaysia gave away Berkley Gulp and Powerbait for each team, while TCE Sports gave away their 90 Daiwa caps to early bird anglers. Not to mention, CWS provided an extra long sleeve fishing t-shirt for every angler, which came in helpful in the late afternoon.
It is also good to see corporate teams coming to the plate to show support for this event. They include Team LKG Lucky Craft headed by Lansi Latok; Team Abu Garcia Gangsta and Hu Kah headed by Oakinn and Marlin respetively, which is backed by Pure Fishing; and last by not least Team Bassday headed by Mejor Ismail which is backed by Sea Tackle.
Day one fishing started at 2.00PM, on a hot and humid weather. We were fishing at the West Lake for the first time. About thirteen boats left for the lake to look for lubuks while the rest explored around the golfing around. But then ka-boom, at 3.30PM a fierce thunderstorm hits CWS. It was a reprieve from the scorching weather. The anglers rushed back to the car park. Many were soaking wet but in good spirit. In another way, the rain was also a warm ice breaker on that sudden chilly afternoon. People got to mingle around in the rain and started to talk to one another. Some cold water on a sizzling body is refreshing. As Kurauking puts it, “it makes me feel like a kid again.”
The storm begins to sizzle out close to 4.30PM and since we are supposed to end at 7.00PM, we sounded the horn to continue again after consulting with CWS that it is safe to proceed. But slowly within minutes after everyone is out on the course and lake , the weather began to change again. The drizzle suddenly picks up and the downpour continues, albeit without any lightning now. I called CWS again to verify whether will they sound their air horn to stop but they gave the green light to proceed. This time it was pure rain and a lot of it!
And it was chilling cold when you are all wet with the wind howling down on your soaked clothes! By 6.00PM the anglers from the golf course started to trickle in. It was getting cold, really cold! But the 13 boaters kept hanging on; continue to seek out the Peacock Bass hideouts without stopping. Alas, they too succumbed to the pouring and began to call to port one-by-one like airplanes landing. 6.30PM we sounded the horn to end it early as it was pouring cats and dogs. A full thirty minutes before 7PM.
The rain, although was an annoyance to some, can also be considered an added element of a challenge. In a typical fishing scenario, the weather can change without notice. The hot afternoon followed by the heavy downpour created a yin yang condition that forces a good angler to adapt. And some experienced angler actually managed to adapt their fishing style to suit this varying condition quickly and still bring in fish. Basically, they worked hard in this all-weather condition. Lesson learned from this is that an angler must be prepared adapt to fish in treacherous conditions (some were prepared with the cheap disposable ponchos that helped them to fish longer in the rain).
After a much needed hot shower we all headed for a quick dinner at the ballroom, followed by a generous lucky draw sponsored this year with items from TCE Sports Sdn Bhd, Clearwater Sanctuary Resort, JD Artac, JT Fishing Bazaar, Kedai Pancing Akapiman and Tacklebox. Gifts were presented by MFN Akapiman’s brother, Kurauking, Uncle Thomas (man, that Thomas Stoker hurts my armpit) and Peggy from Phong Lee Tackleshop, Ipoh.
After the dinner euphoria died down we all adjourned to our cosy chalet for a nice deserving sleep after battling in Day One under both hot and then stormy condition. Of course, almost everyone stayed up late to catch up with friends across the country swapping tales and rummaging through each others tackle box.
Day two started with a hearty buffet breakfast at 6.00AM for many. Fishing started promptly at 7.00AM with a fine cool weather, courtesy of the prolonged rain that stopped in the wee hours of the morning.
Everyone was in a jovial mood as they went to take their position. In fact, this made marshaling a breeze in a way. To marshal friends is not an easy take for Joey, Janet and I as we had to step on the line between friends and competitors. Fortunately, many made it easy and accepted our decision without much protest. This demonstrates their forgiving spirit in making things easier for the organiser.
With the better weather, more fish were caught and it was like a seesaw battle in many cases as hundreds of Peacock Bass were landed. In fact, I observed that anglers are more prepared and serious this year for the U5. That can be attributed to more than the estimated 500 Peacock Bass we caught in two days!
The second day of fishing was supposed to end at 11.30AM but with the sun rising and the weather getting warmer, many anglers began to trickle in around 11.00AM. Most of the boaters stayed until the end of session. U5 was finally ending….
We had to rush to tally the results of the fish collected and it was a lot! And it was quite a pressure for them to get it all done as quickly as possible so that we can all leave after lunch.
The results for the U5 is as follows:
As you can see the different in points between the 1st team (PAW) and 2nd team (LKG) was miniscule – 7 points difference! It was an exciting and tightly fought race between both. I remembered each team angler came in, weighed the fish in front of Janet and then rush back in to continue fishing. Basically they went all out! And as a marshal and spectator, it was exhilarating to see them both working so hard! With such a tight score line, any both team could have been the champion! Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to re-count the fish as they have been released into the holding tank. Both were equally good! So now I think the next U6 will be an exciting battle ground to see how far both teams can now go…or will a new team upset them?
Every U-series we also recognised anglers who demonstrate gentlemanly conduct and sporting behaviour while fishing. This year, we recognised 4 anglers from two teams: Jackpot and Yeap (from Team LKG PBG), and Lucky Samurai and Dr. Shafie (from Team Water Gorillas). When I sounded the stop-fishing horn at 4.30PM on Day 1 to end fishing due to the storm, these anglers who were on the boat fighting the fish decided to release their catch even though they don’t have to. The could have quietly kept their catch for points but not! And it was witnessed from afar by other boaters who informed me later. MFN is proud to share the water with such fine sportsmen-like anglers. This is what the U-series is all about and the exemplary attitude shown by attending anglers is something the fishing community should be proud of.
As much as I had to say everything is perfect, it is not and I do need to improve on some shortcomings. This, especially so during the counting of the fish. For U6, we will change to a new format which will instead count the weight of your fish instead of the QUANTITY. It is hell managing so many fish! We need to simplify the whole process and also to look at extending the fishing time. If possible, we may fish the whole of Saturday and we leave the morning half of Sunday to let the laggards chase back their scores. I am quite excited on planning for the upcoming U6 judging from the fishing prowess displayed by everyone this round.
Overall, I enjoyed hosting and planning for this event. And we would not have been successful until today without everyone’s support; from the anglers to the corporate sponsors. I am exhausted but pleased, not satisfied yet, because I know more could have been done to make things better.
In the end, everyone walked out of U5, in my eyes, as winners, for the event and the country – there were no losers. As MFN forumer Fishnut framed it nicely, “as long as we’re moving towards the right direction of sportsfishing, I think we’re alright.” So far, I think we are…
* Team Spinboyz - U1 2004 * Team MalPro - U2 2004 * Team Lucky Craft Happy Hookers - U3 2005 * Marshall - U4 2006 *</font id=“size1”>
“We (MFN forumers) are a few but together we are many. We are many among the millions of anglers yet to have their voices heard” - Majulah sukan memancing untuk negara
MBC '07-Team Kaki Bangku 
[:D]
