Snakehead Weekend

Sunday 28 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! Fish target for the weekend was Snakeheads; Caught one yesterday and two this morning. As usual, the hunt was accompanied by my cousin Tyco (Duo Fishing). We went to the spot-W looking for Snakeheads and there weren't many of 'em around. Maybe it was because of the scorching hot weather or the level of the water was quite low. I was able to catch 3 Snakeheads though at spot-W using my Halco Sorcerer and this time my hook was replaced by a single hook instead of the treble. In this way, the fish wouldn't get hurt as much. TK was using a spinner-bait and only managed to lose a few. I told him that there is another location that not many people knows about and so we went there instead. I called this area "Spot-Unknown" and as soon as we got there, TK caught 2 Snakeheads in one minute. (Spinner-bait really did the job!) As the sun was blazing unbearably and directly above our heads, we decided to call it a day. We went home and had mantis prawns and cockles for lunch sponsored by Mr. Dimebagz. It was DELICIOUSO ... Haha!!


Yesterday's catch, a Snakehead less than 300g


Love using Halco on Snakeheads


Approximately around 300g Snakehead


Second Snakehead of the day


Owner single hooks on Halco

NOTE: Fish caught was "Catch & Release" and thanks to Alai for the 'Owner' brand hooks. (^_^)

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Man Utd vs Liverpool "Snakehead Battle"

Monday 22 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! Today's Sunday fishing was accompanied by my cousin, Tyco (Duo Fishing) and the target fish was Snakehead. Tonight, there will be a big match between Liverpool and Man Utd so we decided to go head to head against each other since Tyco is a Man Utd fan and I'm a Liverpool fan. We went to spot-W to search for Snakeheads and as we got there I threw the first cast to mark the kick off for the battle between me and Tyco. Tyco used a frog buzz bait lure and the Snakeheads went nuts on this lure. At first I was using my Rapala Skitter Pop but since there were no response to the lure, I didn't hesitate to change it so I went for a mini Halco. While I was rigging, Tyco already scored the first Snakehead. When I finished rigging my Halco, I cast it and it wasn't long that I received a thug but the fish suddenly managed to escape. Tyco then struck the second Snakehead weighing in 500g. So I was 2-0 down and that didn't stop me to go on. Half and hour later, Tyco struck the third Snakehead and he was really on fire!! At one point, I managed to hooked a mysterious fish but it somehow got away. The fish was in white color same as the ones Walid (KB-ians Anglers) encountered. 20mins later, I finally scored my first Snakehead followed by a second, 8 mins later. The score was 3-2 and I was about to catch up until he scores another one to wrap up the first half with 4-2. During half time, we went home for lunch and the second half resumed at 5pm. Unfortunately for me, I didn't score and Tyco added two more Snakeheads to finish the full time. Man Utd 6, Liverpool 2. Hopefully the score between Man Utd vs Liverpool tonight won't replicate our results 'cause I would hate to see that happen. Haha!


  Juvenile Snakehead swallowed my Halco lure


 Second Snakehead weighed around 300g


 Snakehead using Halco Sorcerer


A huge Snakehead managed to bent my hook

NOTE: I hooked up so many and lost at the same time. Still not sure what the white colored fish was. It couldn't be a Tarpon cause I would know how a Tarpon would react to a hook up and the fish remains unknown ...

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What are you doing here Barra?

Thursday 18 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! Early this morning, I went to the spot where I caught a Jack yesterday. At first, I was using my trusted Halco Sorcerer but unfortunately the fish wasn't interested. So I took out my Rapala Skitter Pop from my bag and rigged a Rapala knot to my 30lbs fluorocarbon leader. I was still looking for that Ladyfish, wanting to feel its powerful fight against my 15lbs Berkley Fireline braided line. Instead of Ladyfish, the Tarpons were curious and nudging my Skitter Pop. As I was popping gently, a fish took my lure viciously. Instantly I knew it was not a Tarpon 'cause it felt different. So I reeled it in and I was shocked to see a 500g Barra. Took my grip and clipped it to its mouth and asked the Barra, "What are you doing here? ... Happy to see you tho' ... haha!!" After taking some pictures, I released it and hopefully will catch it again someday.

  500g Barramundi using Rapala Skitter Pop


 What a beautiful Barra!


A Tarpon was also caught


NOTE: Both Barra and Tarpon was "Catch & Release" and Walid, ... jangan marah, haha!!

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Nu Rod's 1st Strike

Wednesday 17 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! My Berkley rod got busted in half last two days ago when Tyco and I were hunting for Snakeheads. I'm still trying to figure out how a Berkley rod can easily breaks when I gently threw a modified frog lure (made by Kwang of Deep Blue fishing). Maybe the lure was a little heavy but c'mon!! a Berkley rod?!! On that day itself, Tyco and I went to Tutong to get myself a new rod and I bought a 6 feet long Fenwick rod. So this morning, I had a go on the new rod and I must say, it felt kinda different maybe because I'm used to a 6'6'' rod. As I was casting using a Bakau soft plastic lure, I received a strong thug but unfortunately my 30lbs leader snapped suddenly. My suspicion was a Barracuda that cut my leader clean. So no luck this morning and feeling unsatisfied I decided to have another go at a different location later in the afternoon. This time my target was Tarpons and Ladyfish but to my surprise, I caught a 500g Mangrove Jack using a Halco Sorcerer. So the new rod is not that bad after all and hopefully I will get good results in the near future.

MJ using a Halco Sorcerer and my new Fenwick rod


Zoom in on the Jack


Another pic of the same Jack


 My "Busted" Berkley rod


NOTE: Jack was a "Catch and Release" and hopefully my broken Berkley rod can be fixed by Kwang of Deep Blue fishing.

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Happy to see a Jack

Thursday 11 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! Ever since the spot that I usually cast for Mangrove Jacks have been netted by some irresponsible and uneducated people, I seldom go there and the water condition hasn't been too promising lately. So I went there anyway to give it a shot. Today, I decided to go for a soft plastic lure and I successfully caught a Jack of less than 300g. It was nice to see an MJ again and since it was still a juvie, I released it to where it should be until it's big enough to catch. I managed take a few pics ... enjoy viewing it! (^_^)

Happy to see a Jack again

 Jack using a small pink soft plastic lure

NOTE: Nasi katok Seria was "delicioso" .

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Estuary Cod next to Area 51

Wednesday 10 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and hi again! As planned, we went to area 51 and this time Walid (KB-ians Anglers) is on "cheat" mode. He was using live prawn as bait and I still staying faithful with casting method. No catch on using my Rapala Skitter Pop with only one miss. So I used a Berkley Gulp minnow and caught an estuary Cod. Walid caught a juvenile GT, a Crevalle Jack, a Mangrove Jack and an estuary Cod. Rois (our paddle boy. Haha!) caught one estuary Cod so total catch for the day was 5. Still looking for that Barra in that area and it seems that they were not around when we're there. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, Walid lost a "BIG TARPON" maybe weighing around the range of 2kg. Haha!! So here are some pics ... enjoy. (^_^)

 My first and only catch of the day

 
A close up of my Berkley Gulp Minnow with a texas rig.

NOTE: Rahman just informed me that around 20 bamboo sticks are still assembled at W-spot. So bloody typical!

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Tarpon yet again

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Assalamualaikum and G'day! This morning, Walid (KB-ians Anglers) and I went to the W-spot and what makes it disappointing was that yesterday, there were people fishing using bamboo sticks in the area. The bamboos were lined up from end to end (maybe 10 or more bamboo sticks were used). And what made it funny was that Walid asked those people how many have they caught and they said around "one hundred" Snakeheads. Haha! I said you're a load of BULLSHIT!! (please excuse my language, hehe). So Walid introduced me to another spot where not many people know and the whereabouts. There I caught a decent size freshwater Tarpon and missed a few. Walid didn't catch anything but at least he caught 5 Snakeheads yesterday. I'm sure there are Snakeheads in the area but it seems a little shy. Next, Area 51 ... 

Freshwater Tarpon using Rapala Skitter Pop lure

 Freshwater Tarpon darker in color whereas its saltwater cousin is silver

NOTE: Tarpon was "Catch & Release" and again, chicken rice was yummy. Haha!! 

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Skitter Popped Tarpon

Tuesday 9 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! I went casting this morning, searching for Jacks. That was unsuccessful 'cause the water was crystal clear. I went to another spot to look for either Tarpon or Barra. But then again, no sign of 'em hitting my Rapala Skitter Pop. I had to moved again to my final pit stop targeting freshwater Tarpon or Snakehead and only a Tarpon was caught. After catching the first Tarpon, I decided to call it a day as it was almost noon and I had to buy chicken rice for lunch. Will try again later this afternoon, hehe ...

 
My favorite lure at the moment, Rapala Skitter Pop

 
 A freshwater Tarpon

NOTE: Tarpon was "Catch & Release" and chicken rice was delicious. Haha! 

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Yuri's 6th Birthday

Monday 8 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! I couldn't go fishing as my son, Yuri, turned 6 today. He was so excited about it ... mostly on the presents, balloons and of course, the cake. Every year me and my wife would think of what flavor for the cake ... what picture on the cake ... and what present to give for the kids. It changes every year and for the last couple of the year, they're able to tell us what they wanted already. Even though it was only Yuri's birthday but we have to get two presents to satisfy both kids. The things you do to keep those smiles on their faces. Anyway, menu was simple: fried noodles, fried rice with grilled bbq chicken and prawns. No games but a simple family gathering with plenty of food to go around.


  
Yuri's 6th Birthday


 
Of course, the cake ... that somehow looks like a bear vampire



   
Me and the barbie

 
 Rahman, busy on the job


 This is what Dimebagz, Tyco, Rahman and I do when not fishing. Haha!


 My brother 'Dimebagz', my sister 'Lydia' and my nieces 
busy eating away in the kitchen

 
Chicken and shrimps on a barbie


 The birthday boy in red and the jealous little brother in blue ... 
and my gorgeous wife in the middle


 The presents opening moment ...


But they all play together in the end

NB: Casting sessions will resume sometime soon ... hehe

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Rapala Skitter Pop test on Snakehead

Sunday 7 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! We were hunting Snakeheads yesterday afternoon at Spot-W, testing the Rapala Skitter Pop lure. Tyco (Duo-Fishing), Rahman and Walid (KB-ians Anglers) accompanied me in the hunt and Rahman was the first one to reach there followed by Walid. Finally we got there around 5pm, Rahman told us that he had 5 misses and not long after that Tyco cast his frog buzz bait lure and caught the first Snakehead. Around half and hour later, I caught the second Snakehead of the day using only my Rapala Skitter Pop lure. (This lure is just fantastic when hunting for Barras, Tarpons or juvenile GTs and what I like about it ... is the "bloink" sound it makes when popping). Rahman was a little unfortunate that day and Walid also missed a few and I know he couldn't care less because he is thinking of going to Danau searching for the elusive Barra one of these days. So I hope he catches one and comes home with good news.

 
Snakehead less than 300g using Rapala Skitter Pop


  
Tyco sneaked from behind wanting his appearance noticed in my blog. Haha!


  This is an earlier catch and picture was taken on the 21st of Feb.
Snakehead using frog buzz bait lure

NOTE: All fish were "Catch and Release" and to Rahman, keep trying and never give up


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Hungry Juvenile Marble Goby

Saturday 6 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day. I meant to post this last Tuesday but somehow I forgot. Haha! I caught this small juvenile Marble Goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata) last Tuesday morning using my Eupro lure. Locally known as Tutu, Betutu or Ketutu. It is also highly regarded as a good eating fish and very pricy in restaurants. Soon Hock (another of its common name) is a slow moving fish that likes to sit at the bottom of quiet streams, canals and lakes. When looking for food, it would normally rest at a spot waiting for any fish or prawn to swim pass by. Here in Brunei, it's not easy to find an adult size Marble Goby. And if you do, I suggest you sell it to the Chinese as they are crazy about this fish. If you're lucky, some would buy off you at a very high price but if you were to sell it to restaurants, they would only take it $15 per kilo. To strike a large Marble Goby, I consider it as lucky 'cause fish like this are hard to find in our fresh water system.

 
Marble Goby using Eupro lure

 
 Alien looking yet majestic

 
 This one looks a little like a Snakehead

NOTE: Fish caught was "Catch and Release". I'm hoping to catch a bigger size in the future. hehe ... 
 

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Juvenile GT @ Area 51

Tuesday 2 March 2010 0 comments

Assalamualaikum and G'day! I tried to upload my updated pictures last night but was unable to do so. Yesterday Walid (KB-ians Anglers) and I went casting at "Area 51" (It's a restricted area). We had to go deep in search for big Barras and Jacks but unfortunately we were unable to locate them. (How Walid wished that he had a fish finder. Haha!) All we caught was a juvenile GT, a Crevalle Jack, an estuary Cod and a spotted Grouper. My actual target was estuary Cod or Grouper but instead I caught both young GT and Crevalle Jack (almost in the same species with GT but it has a slight yellow color) whereas Walid using his famous "Berkley Gulp Alive" prawn, caught both estuary Cod and spotted Grouper. I must say the Berkley prawn works much better compare to the Prawnstar due to the scent the Berkley prawn releases. Unlike Prawnstar, it does not have any scent and it only rely on the flicking tail action. Walid was a little disappointed 'cause Area 51 is known for feisty Tarpon and to him, 4 catch in the area was considered "poor". I'm not complaining, as I felt blessed that we were able to catch something rather than nothing. Hopefully, in the near future we can have another go at Area 51.

 
Juvenile GT using Rapala Skitter Pop

 

I couldn't decide which picture to post 'cause I like 'em both. Hehe ...

 

Crevalle Jack using Prawnstar Shrimp lure

NOTE: Go to KB-ians Anglers website to read and see Walid's side of story and pictures. And whatever pulled my Prawnstar, I refused to believe that it was a Barra. Haha!!
   

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