My Shore Catches 10

My Biggest Wolf Herring (SaiToh)

Date; 10-03-2012    Time: 11.15am     Rod: Penn Slammer 10ft.     Reel: Shimano Torium 20      Line: 30lbs braided join with 50lbs mono      Rig: Cable Car 30lbs dupont mono      Bait: Live Herring (Tamban)

Went there around 9am. Tide was already mid way up...Current was strong...Setup two sets of tackle on bottom feeder with frozen tamban as bait. Then go jig for live bait....Only manage to caught few pieces....Quickly added two cable car rig on both rods. Continue to jig...but hardly have as the water get higher.

Around 11.15am....Dark cloud started to gather in the sky....I was washing up some item when I just happen to look into the water....Suddenly I saw a fish come up to the surface somewhere near my rod...It then make a U turn and headed for my live bait...Grab hold of it and run.....ZZZZZZZZ my reel alarm sounded....Everything just happen so fast.....I grab hold of my rod and strike....YES....It make a acrobatic jump on the water surface....WOW...WOLF Herring...

It headed out to deeper water....But I started to wind back....Haha...easily I got it to surface....I use my rod to lift it up....1.8kg is the weight...A personnal best for me on this fish species.

It arrived early this year

Date: 23-04-2012     Time: 8.45pm      Rod: Shoreangler Big Game 10.2ft      Reel: Shimano Torium 20      Line: 30lbs braided join with 50lbs mono leader      Rig: Long snood bottom feeder      Bait: Small Frozen cuttle fish

It already 6pm. From my house, I look at the sky on the northen side...It was full of black rain cloud....On the southern side at the jetty, the sky is clear...I was thinking...To go or not to go ? It also already too late to jig for fresh tamban.

Finnally I decided to go....I grab two small frozen cuttle fish from my freezer which I had caught few weeks ago and headed down. Reach there the tide was coming up. Current was smooth but water just alittle choppy as there is a surface wind blowing from the east. Looking from the jetty...I can see Changi, Pasir ris and Tampinese all the sky was very dark n had lightning striking. But lucky is the wind is coming from the east so it quite safe for now. I set up one set of tackle and cast out a cuttle fish as bait.

Few minute later, suddenly the wind change direction....A cold strong wind coming from the north....Ho..ho...I quickly wind back my rod, grab hold of everything and cycle out to the shade outside the jetty. Sited there a few minute and looking at the sky....Haha...the wind stop and those rain cloud starting to flying off...hehe....good...I cycle back and casted out the last cuttle fish. I then setup my squid net and lamp.

Around 8.45pm...I just manage to caught two pieces of squid and a small mantis prawn as I prepare to use it for my next bait change. Suddenly....I heard my reel alarm went off. It was just a short scream and stop. I rush over to my rod n the line already abit loose. I strike by running backward....YES...it is ON....The fish make a run...It pull out quite a distance of line and the rod is bend...Then it suddenly turn around....At one point I thought I had lost the fish...I quickly wind back the line then I notice it was swimming inward. By now...I know the fish is not so big but it is definitely not a stingray as by the way it behave. I ask another angler there Desmond to pull up my squid lamp. I told him it is either a kemajan or a cobia.

Few minute later after some struggle....I manage to bring the fish to the surface....Hoho....it is a kemajan....I ask another angler WEI MIN to prepare the gaff. By now...the fish is already along side the jetty. I steady the fish and ask WEI MIN to gaff. His first gaff just hook slightly on the side of the fish...It drop down while bringing it up....Hoho...once the fish hit the water...It make a deep dash...Luckily I was holding the rod well....I resurface it again and reposition it for him to try the second gaff.....Again it didn't gaff well and it drop down again....this time it was near a jetty pillar....The fish almost got away by cutting my line on the pillar. No choice....I had to resurface it again one more time...This time I ask WEI MIN to see properly before he gaff it. He manage to do it well and pull up the fish. I weigh it and it was 5kg. YES....I had added a Shovelnose on my this year list of catches. I had expected it to come on the second half of the year but seem it had arrived early.

Dog Shark

Date: 22-06-2012     Time: 9.15pm     Rod: Shoreangler Big Game 10.2ft      Reel: Shimano Torium 20     Line: 30lbs braided with 50lbs mono     Rig: Long snood bottom feeder      Bait: Frozen cuttlefish(frozen for a year)

Went down late...so can't jig for fresh bait fish. Just grab hold of three frozen cuttle fish which I had kept long ago. Two of which had been in the freezer for more than a year.

Reach there the wind was very strong coming from the south. Sea look choppy. Low tide was about to end. Set up my tackle and my squid catching item. Casted out a almost dry up cuttle fish as bait.

Tide turn up and the current was strong. Squid was rare and after two hour only caught three pieces. Around 8.30pm, as the current was at full swing, I wind back my line....bait gone...decide to wait awhile for the current to slow down....so hang up the rod.

9.05pm...On seeing the current slowing down a little, I re-bait with the year long cuttle fish and casted out. Ten minute later....my reel alarm go screaming...hoho...rod tip bend...I strike....YES....fish on....Ha....not so big le....Afraid that due to the the big bait....the hook might not set properly...haha....I strike another time...

It didn't struggle much....Easily I wind in....it surface and I saw it was a dog shark...I lay down my rod and grab hold of my leader....I hand lift it up the jetty. It size should weigh around 2kg.

Fingermark Snapper

Date: 08-07-2012     Time:0100am     Rod: Penn Slammer 10.6ft      Reel: Shimano Torium 20      Line: 30lbs braided with 50lbs mono leader      Rig: Long snood bottom feeder      Bait: Tamban tip with squid(combine bait)

Toward that saturday evening had a heavy downpour....Only around 7pm that it stop. Headed down to the jetty. Tide has already turn up slowly.

Casted out my tackle with little hope as the water look cold. Follow by setting up my squid lamp to catch squid. Bait was quite lasting...so hardly need to change.

Very fast time past....Tide is midway up and the current pickup faster....Then great news coming in....LK had landed a barracuda around 1.8kg. Someone there offer to buy it at ten dollar. Deal done. An hour later Ah An also caught a smaller barracuda around 600g. Then old kassim caught a marine catfish few houdred gram. So another angler landed a 500g kaci...follow by Ah An again landed a small GT. Wow!!!!! tonight water fantastic....

12.30am....Ah POW my buddy packup. There is a leftover squid bait and he passed it to me. I tip it on my hook  with tamban bait during my next bait changing..

Around 1am...the current is turning direction....I wind back my bait and found it nicely intact.....I re-casted it down. Few minutes later....suddenly my reel alarm sounded....hohoho....I pickup and strike....YES....fish on....Well not big....I can just wind it back....When surface...haha...a nice fingermark snapper....To play safe on landing it...I call out to another angler there AH Wee to get my squid net to scoop it up. Yup....almost 500g...nice size...and a rare catch at jetty nowadays.

Dog Shark Again

Date: 15-07-2012      Time: 00.30am     Rod: Penn Slammer 10.6ft      Reel: Daiwa Saltist 40     Line: 30lbs braided with 50lbs mono leader.      Rig: Long snood bottom feeder      Bait: Fresh cuttle fish

It had been drizzling the whole saturday....Only clear around the evening...I headed down at around 5pm. Tide was running up.

First news coming in is LAI has just lost a fish due to line break. while I was setting up my tackle,,,,one of Ah HOR rod got a hookup...but he just went out to the toilet....haha....Ah HONG was the one who strike it....Yes fish on....when surface....YUP CHERMIN...Ah ANN gaff it up....

While I went out to get something and back....Ah HONG had landed a parrot fish about 500g with live prawn...WOW!!!...Lucky and rare catches...

Night fall....No squid at all....Ah POW join in....wind was quite strong....Now...tide turning down.....Around...10pm plus....manage to saw a small group of squid appear below my light....SCOOP it....yup five small one in total....

Ah POW hook one and casted out....Five minute later he saw his rod tip bend....Strike....yup on....fish swimming in....Surface....haha... a small leopard ray about 1kg....Release it back....

Downtide current was strong....00.30 hours...I wanted to change bait...wind back...heavy...must be rubbish....but it turn out to be a fish...surface....DOG SHARK....PC help to pull it up by hand...haha...near to 2kg.

Date: 01-January 2013   Time: 1300hrs    Rod: Shoreangler Big Game 10.2ft     Reel: Shimano Torium 20   Line: 30lbs braided join with 50lbs mono leader     Rig: Cable car    Bait: Live Tamban

Last night was the eve of the new year...but it rained heavily and non stop until early this morning. No choice. I had to abort my annual new  year eve fishing trip. Missed those red color flare fire from the ships parked at sea when the new year arrived plus the crowd that gathered at the end of the jetty to watch the fireworks from marina bay.

This morning I look at the tide table. The tide comes in at 0718hrs at 1.5m  and full at 3.1m 1258hrs noon follow by the downtide finishing at 1935hrs this evening. I decided to fish at 11am to 2pm which is two hours before and two hours after the high tide.

After packing my lunch, I headed down...Reached around 11am. The current was already in a stand still as the downtide got a better current flow so it stop early. Setup my tackle and started  jigging for bait. But as the current had stop, I can't even get one. No choice but had to wait...Around 12.30pm, the current started to turn. One of my friends Mr. Poh manage to jig a live tamban. He passed it to me. I quickly cast out my tackle and lowered down the tamban on a cable car rig.

Within few minutes, my rod tip shook. I know it could be a Garfish taking the live bait. I didn't strike immediately. Instead I waited until the second time the rod tip bent down then I struck. The fish did a acrobatic jump on the water surface. It was a small todak(garfish). Within minutes I wound it in and lifted it up by the rod. The fish was given to an angler there.

I checked my cable car rig. The 30lbs dupont line is a bit rough due to the abrasion by the garfish teeth but has no visible cut. I  re- used the rig.  Mr. Poh passed me another live tamban. I lowered it down again.

Now the current is moving faster...My cable car rig was pulled lower down. About 15 minutes later while I was jigging for bait, suddenly there was a long and loud screaming from my reel alarm which can even be heard by people at the middle of the jetty.  I picked up the rod and struck! The fish just kept going. At this moment I don't know what fish I caught. It cannot be a garfish as it didn't have this type of power. Queen fish, maybe, but it didn't do any water surface jumping. After struggling, it turn to my right side and swam slightly inward. I kept winding back the line and manage to surface it near the jetty. It was a Queen fish. I asked a angler (Weimin) to get my gaff. He then held my rod and I gaffed it myself. I landed a Queen fish weighing weigh 2.6kg. I am happy for a new year day catch.

It came at the right time

Date: 26-01-2013     Time: 0905hrs      Rod: Shoreangler Big Game 10.2ft     Reel: Daiwa Saltist 40     Line: 30lbs braided join with 50lbs mono leader     Rig: Long Snood bottom feeder     Bait: Frozen Tamban

Chinese new year is just about two weeks away...I always prepare my sea food early as I don't like the last minute rush. Last week I went to a wet market trying to pick a nice size fresh grouper...I saw one...but when I ask the price, it was $34.00 per kilo...Haha...a bit too high for me...end up only buy the prawn.

This morning I went to the wet market again...The fishmonger saw me...The first thing he said is" eh...U want fish go jetty and fish la...why come here?" Haha..I laugh.."Boss...Jetty no gurantee got fish le...I better buy to play safe". I saw his store got tenggiri n some grouper...I ask the price...both same at $20.00 a kg. I order 2kg of tenggiri meat and pick the biggest grouper there although it don't look quiet fresh..Its about 800g and with the tenggiri meat total was $60.00.

After keeping it in my freezer, I pick a pack of five frozen tamban which I caught few days ago and headed down to the jetty. Reach there the water was rising but the current flow already stop. See some people jigging but end up no tamban. Setup my tackles and cast it out on bottom feeder rig with the frozen tamban as bait. After this I go look for live bait..As the current hasn't turn...no tamban can be found..

Suddenly I heard one of my friend calling me..He say my reel did screech twice...I look at my rod tip but no movement le...I walk back to my rod....then I saw a very slight tug...I pickup and strike....YES..it heavy at the end...Just feel alittle struggle at the end of the line...The feeling is either a grouper or a puffer...Haha...So while winding back slowly...I keep on guessing and praying...No puffer No my heart was talking...Very lucky when it surface..it turn out to be a grouper...I used the rod to lift it up....just nice...about a kg in weight...Thank you Sea Dragon King...It just come at the right time.

Wolf Herring

Date: 29-01-2013     Time: 1815hrs     Rod: Penn Power Stick 10ft     Reel: Shimano Torium 20     Line: 30lbs braided join with 50lbs mono leader     Rig: Cable Car      Bait: Live tamban

Arm with 5 pcs of frozen tamban, I headed there around 6pm. Downtide was about to end but still got some current flow. Casted out two sets of tackle with bottom feeder rig.

When to jig for live bait but no bite at all. It only after I went around trying at different spots that I manage to caught one. Quickly hookup on a cable car rig and slight down as still got day light.

After this I went around to jig again...Not long after I move off, one guy shouted for me...Saying my reel did screech and he saw a wolf herring jumping on the water surface. I went back but my rod got no action..Knowing the fish might sink downward...I waited...Only when I saw my rod tip move that I strike...YES...something at the end of the line..Winding back the line slowly...It surface up...Yup..a wolf herring ...I use my rod to lift it up...estimate around a kg. Haha...my only live tamban has change into a wolf herring...