ANGLING WORLD 魔魚釣界

LOST IN PAPUA

2012-01-20T23:38:00.001+08:00

Here is my adventure travel to Papua Irian Jaya,.. a virgin swampy wetland,... thanks for your patience and happy reading...... Please refer to : http://anglingworld.blogspot.com/search/label/Papua%20Irian%20Jaya

Peacock Bass Game Fishing

2011-12-24T12:38:00.064+08:00

After the first visit with Noni a week ago, with that anomalous good result..... Hoe wants me to go back again for some video clip shooting on the upcoming promotion.....

Today, I don't see any Toman around.... and the result for Peacock Bass was just so so..... (Not Good at all)

All skinny fellas.....

Well, luck came to Hoe.... a 50cm up whopper was landed with his top water popper....

Cheers! Good catch!...

And for me, I only managed to land one nearly 50cm up biggie.....

Thanks for entertaining me.....

It was not as good as last week's result, well as you know there are no guarantee catches in fishing.....
We call it a day before the heavy rain fell......

Peacock Bassing over the weekend

2011-12-14T11:33:00.000+08:00

Air Kuning Peacock Bass Game again after a longgg absence,...This time Noni and me head out there for some new lures testing......

The first peacock Bass from Noni......

The result of top water lure BAKKUSHIN PENCIL from Drunckrazy(酔狂) was astonishing.......

Air Kuning's Toman is no less a fighter than Ayer Ganda's........said Noni.

Wow! A second Toman for Noni...... You got the luck man!!

Beautiful colours it is.......

Poor result for me, only a small Haruan caught in that morning.......

What a lucky day,....plenty of 50cm up Peacock Bass.......

Plenty of bites through out the afternoon too......

A 50cm up again.... Yippee!!

Look at Peacock King and his crown......

Beautiful spot......

But only caught some small PB.....

A Toman again for Noni with the BAKKUSHIN PENCIL from Drunckrazy(酔狂).... Congrats!!

Wooo! Nice 50cm up again..... YES!!

Double whammy.....

Bye bye! See you next time....... Hope you get more bigger, he he he!!

Mongolia Quest 2011

2011-11-30T11:47:00.007+08:00

I am sorry for the late update recently (was a bit busy with my work),...... please bear with me for a little longer......soon will update a report of A Quest to Western Mongolia in search of a rare species call Altai Osman..... Please refer to : http://anglingworld.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-10-08T13:45:00%2B08:00&max-results=3

LOST IN PAPUA

2011-11-24T23:16:00.355+08:00

Papua Irian Jaya, a place I always dreamed of visiting one day...... Finally, here I was on November 2011 for my very virgin visit to this exotic land after so much was done on digging the info sinced 6 months prior to actually making my way there.....

Look at the local's market, checking out their freshwater fish available here..... Tilapia fish, Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus), Haruan the common snakehead.....

Even Wallaby Kangaroo meat is commonly sold here in the open market.....

It is just a bit like Northern Australia territory here where you can find the big termite nest every where...

A broken bridge that lead you to an unspoiled virgin wild fishing swampy wonderland which have not much touched by human hands......

The local community around the swamp......

This is the only type of boat (fully carved out from a tree trunk) in this wetland..... No other choices but to use this for fishing.... Scary!

Here we go.....

This swampy wetland is a savanna type of swamp forest with broad floating vegetation every where.......

The locals having a field time fishing.....

Oooops! What is this? A catfish!?.... Well, this was my first catch in this virgin land..... Ha Ha Ha!

Kew caught a same Catfish too.....

And, What is this fish!? Looks more like a Bass type fish..... can anyone identify this fish for me?

It is every where in this swamp and is easy to catch.....

My new Anaconda Rubber Jig from DRUNK CRAZY did the job too.....

Wooo! Plenty more... it's really abundant......

Close up on it's head.... Somebody please tell me it's name!!!

Again, another kind of unknown Garfish..... Please tell me what this fish's name is. Sorry for my ignorance....

It sure looks similar to a Garfish from the sea..... I am inclined to think that it might be the same species that migrated from the sea to this freshwater swamp........

Nice weather,... not so hot.....

Archer Fish (Toxotes jaculatrix) is here too....

Kenny asked why my fish so small, a Tarpon..... Ha Ha Ha!

Wow! Yes! A good looking Northern Saratoga.....

Big Haruan!!..... attacking from the surface....

The local Kangaroo hunter.....

Catches of the day from the local fisherman....

The local community.....

Oil extracting process of the white tree leaf......

Sharing my fishing experience through the camera lens with the locals.....

Beautiful scenery of the swamp forest......

Our 2hp engine.....he he he!

Floating vegetations across the swamp.....

Oh YES! A Golden Barramundi..... I can't believe it, the fish here take surface lure aggressively.....

Wooow! What a beautiful Barramundi.....

Look at it's beautiful shining golden armour.....

Oh YES! Another Barra......

Two thumbs up! Great catch! Cheers!!....

Kew and Kenny were so happy, they thoroughly enjoyed catching one or two freshwater Barramundi for themselves...

Wow! What a whopper for Kew......

Yes! A good size of 13.5kg Golden Barramundi was landed by Kew......

"Please retain the fish for my consumption tonight"..... reminded ever so often by the poor anxious boatman.......

Plenty of catches.....

Oh no.... lost a biggie.... seems like 3X Ownner Hook is not good enough......

Happy fishing everyone....

End of the day in Papua, beautiful sun set on my way home.... I wonder where else I should explore for my next adventure.......

Searching for new fishing ground....

2011-11-23T22:05:00.050+08:00

A good fishing ground is hardly found due to the over developments and growing fishing population recently,...... A friend took us to a natural pond near Kuantan for a try.....

There are no road to this natural pond.....

Very difficult to launch the boat, where the bushes are very densed......

Look at this pond, it's very beautiful and untouch.......

But, not many has taken to my lures....

Only the young Tomans entertained me that morning.....

But not for Masa, he had landed a good size Toman.....

There was a big splash when taking Masa's bait, resulting in line snapped..... After that, it was all too queit...... There were not much action over that afternoon, and we left for home soon after lunch.........

Peacock Game

2011-11-06T14:41:00.001+08:00

This was some Peacock action from Hoe and a friend who went up to Air Kuning for a short trip last week...... Condition of Peacock Bass differ from time to time and very much depends on rain situation......

A bit of raining helps on the catch......

Nice one bro!!..... Congrats!!

Nice catch!!.....

A trip to Guangzhou

2011-10-19T12:16:00.070+08:00

Each time during Canton trade Fair, Guangzhou's hotels were always fully booked..... This was an unexpected business trip that I did not prepared earlier but I was so lucky to get a room for my stay there.....

The most favorable things for me is the food in Guangzhou, which is never disappointing me so far.....

The famous phrase in Cantonese "吃在广州!", means eat in Guangzhou for it's most standout chinese cuisine of all......

A friend from Guangzhou purposely took me for a try at a fishing pond near by......

Lucky strike!!..... Thanks to my friends that brought me there.....

Street food in China......

Well, I will never miss this....This was a good season to have some special steamboat..... Yum Yum!!

Fishing in Malaysia....

2011-10-16T15:05:00.001+08:00

The tempting Toman fishing in Malaysia has brought back Mengsen for his second visit....

At Ayer Ganda, it is not only the fish is big,..... even snakes are big too. Look at this huge Python Snake that was shot by the locals a day ago......

Well, fishing Toman for a beginner is not an easy task, you will need a lot of practice..... The first encounter will either end up with a trophy fish or a fish like this..... Ha Ha Ha!

We are happy the Tomans welcomed us warmly after that.......

A 15-year old Mengsen is really addicted to this so called Toman Game Fishing,.... and he will not give up until he catches his dream monster Toman.......

Well, he caught some Tomans but he still have a long way to go.....

Oooops! Sorry mate, this fella love my lure instead of his...... He He He!!

Beautiful isn't it!?.....

After Ayer Ganda, Hoe took them to Air Kuning for a day of Peacock Bass fishing....... The Peacock

was not so big, but it did amused our guest by its sheer quantity....

GT Popping & Jigging @ Tukun Perak

2011-10-08T13:45:00.070+08:00

A group of anglers from Hong Kong has come for GT popping and jigging at Tukun Perak,.... Due to mis-calculation of the tide, they only managed to catch the small ones..... Let's see what they caught.......

Fever all night long........

During the first light, a school of Yellowfin Tuna joined the party......

It is not just all about fishing, everyone did enjoyed themselves.......happily.

A Quest to Western Mongolia II

2011-09-12T11:31:00.514+08:00

After the catching of Altai Osman, we headed back to the direction where we came from..... The White Lake or locally known as Terkhin Tsagaan Nuur....

We cut through trails of volcanogenic land scape......

This small hill was one of the erupted volcano crater....

Finally, the White Lake... This freshwater lake was formed by the volcanic eruptions of Khorgiin Togoo

and some other volcanoes many many years ago..... And is surrounded by a few mountainous ranges.....

The beautiful surroundings of the lake....

Flora around this area....

Not every nomadic family goes about their daily chores all by horses.... sometimes using a bike is more efficient... unless they are short of time which is very uncommon to the locals, who usually takes at least two hours of their own sweet time for lunch..... Life is really slow here.....

horse riding....

My horse seems to have a mind of its own.... Oh no I don't want to go there.... TURN! TURN!

Our guest house by the lake.....

A sudden hail storm down pour......

After the hail storm stopped,...the Pike in the lake started to take a bite on the lures....

But, it doesn't continue after Simon and Kenny caught their first Pike here..... Well, they are the luckiest ones,.... and it turns out they are the only two persons that caught the fish from this White Lake.....

Cheers! Toasting for a better catch on our next spot.....

Heading to our next destination.... Chuluut River

Chuluut River - A beautiful river run through basaltic canyons platform created by magma from volcanoes... This amazing deep gorges and snaking canyon continue to run for at least 100km on.....

Beautiful river indeed......

Look at the amazing deep gorgeous canyons.....

My Lenok! Perfect catch..... Yes!

A closed up of it's colourful scale....

Hoe hooked up a Taimen....

Wow! Lovely!....

Congrats to Hoe.... Cheers!

Beautiful coloured scales....

Oh Yes! One for Siu Keong too,... It was a dream come true for catching this monster fish - Taimen.... He had been pestering me to bring him here some time ago, finally...... Congratulations Man!

Ha Ha Ha! A consolation prize for Kew..... Well done!!

What about me?... Nothing, nil, zipped..... I did hook up a biggie but the hook gave up on me. Sorry! No picture from me.... Sighhhh. A beautiful dusk comforted me......Sighhh.

Well, there is no promise of a catch in fishing..... The Chuluut River result was awfully bad compared to my previous trips here.... Later, we found out from the locals that a year ago there was a gold mine set up at the upper part of the river resulting in a deluge of pollution..... The affected angry locals staged a major protest and the goverment decided to shut down the operation. But the damage has been done and it will take a long time for the river to recover....... What a sad story.... Another good fishing spot gone from this world.... Even though the catch wasn't that fruitful, our hearts stay united and cheerful, and appreciate what this river had to offer..... thanks to my fishing buddies....

Ogii Lake - Our final destination..... This small lake is very shallow with approximately 40% of the lake

not deeper than 3 meters.... Panaromic view of the lake surroundings......

Due to the shallow bank of the lake, I had to wade in further into the lake to cast my lures a little bit deeper. Though the sun is blazing hot but the water was freezing cold....

Wow! Yes! My first Mongolian Perch.... What a beauty!

YES!

Finally, a Pike was landed.....

Yape! Another Pike for me....

Stunning evening sky after some action at the lake.....

Everyone was very hard working the next morning......

Nice Perch for Kenny.....

Woooo! The three stooges with their catch.... ha ha ha!

Yes! A biggie for Danny..... Cheers!

Everyone was happily rewarded through out the morning.......

Well, some Pikes are kept for our meal..... Simply done and was a delicacy for every boddies....

Care to try an open snooker game under the sun?.... this is new!...

Our comfortable Mongolian Ger (Guest House).....

A glimpse inside...... beautiful decor....

Fishing resumed that everning with a rented boat.....

Not bad! Plenty of catches.......

Pike, Pike after Pike.....

Soon our journey ends..... Guess what are these round balls at the shore of the lake?....

The answer is horse dung after being rolled around with the tide..... ha ha!

What a wonderful 19 days trip it was for all of us..... Thanks for your patience and happy reading...... Bye!!

A Quest to Western Mongolia I

2011-09-11T09:23:00.469+08:00

A distance not less then 1,300 km away North West from Ulaanbaatar city,.......A single journey of 5 day's drive through a few stop overs at Terkhin Tsagaan Nuur, Telmen Nuur, Chuluut Gor and Ogii Nuur....into the deep interior of the Great Lakes Valley......

The Great Lakes Valley of Uvs province is the least visited Mogolian Aimags,... but it's geographical features of these areas are definitely worth exploring...... Uvs province is a high mountainous area which is the extension of the the Great Altai Mountain Range,..... and this is the territory of extreme hot and cold temperatures with an average altitude above 1,000 m above sea level........ The following are some gorgeous scenic photos of the trip......

The beautiful landscape of the West Mongolia.......

Desert trail.....

After a few days of traveling,.... finally we came to a humongous lake where this special freshwater species called Altai Osman thrives......

Beautiful coastal line of the lake.....

This less paid attention lake is actually a saltwater lake which is twice as salty as the ocean.... and the water visibility not greater than 10 m.....

Unbelievable!... With just 3 casts, this fish took my minnow straight away..... Wow! My first fish in the West......This is the one that I had dreamed of catching.... Large Mouth Altai Osman or Narrow-Headed Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus angusticephalus) from the Carp family.... and it may grow up to a meter long with over 10kg in weight.....YES! Awesome!!

By looking at my catches, everyone was eager to catch one themselves......

Yes!! Here you go, Siu Keong.....

Beautiful fish it is,....a Small Mouth Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus potanini).....

Wow! Look at the catches...... well done everyone!! Congrats to all of you......

Wow!!! A huge Large Mouth Altai Osman you caught there Danny..... Congrats!!

Close up of a Small Mouth Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus potanini).....

Plenty of catches.......

Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus potanini) - a sub species of the Carp family,..... with a long narrow body,...lustrous green and brownish grey body colour is a fish eating predator in this lake...... The fish will attack any lures without any hesitation....... Look at the catches, it's a FIESTA!

A full 2 and a half day fishing with astonishing results in the West of Mongolia........

Truly a sight to behold......

Look at the small fries in the water..... plenty of food for the Altai Osman......

During the summer season,..... this lake is a very good place for swimming and sunbathing too....

Sunbathing lizard.....

Our chef preparing us a local Mongolian BBQ......

Using a milk container as a pressure cooker to speed things up.......

A steamed-boiled fatty mutton with potatoes........

Emmmm.... Finger licking good!!.....

YES! A good size Large Mouth Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus angusticephalus)......... Good fight!

FIESTA all the way......

Another biggie..... Large Mouth Altai Osman......... Yeah!

Nice and cute Small Altai Osman (Oreoleuciscus humilis).........

Fishing here is amazing, home of the Altai's Sagas fish.... with the fascinating surroundings was just stunning...... and we all hoped to be back here some day.......

Back to the Majestic Mongolia 2011

2011-09-10T11:20:00.174+08:00

Year 2006 was my first trip to Mongolia since then I had fallen in love with this country,..... soon I was back there in summer 2008 and once more this year.....
Mongolia has seen tremendous development during these last few years. For me who loves to fish exotic freshwater species, if I don't go now - then when??? Just looking at the groceries and sundry shops goods, you will know what I mean..... Furthermore, the road from Ulaanbaator to Tsetseleg is no more just a dusty bumpy path but a well built 4-lane highway spartially - unbelievable!!......
This year I came back for another exotic rare species quest at the Far West of Mongolia,.... which took me 5 days drive from Ulaanbaator.... Below are some pictures from my 19 days sojourn.......

A beautiful restaurant in the middle of no where.....

Time to have a breather...... Once out of town, they only serve milk-tea "Suutei Tsai".... Tea with milk and salt added,... sometimes with some extra butter.

Simple Mongolian lunch,... Pan fried pastry with mutton, Noodles with mutton, soup with mutton, and speghetti with mutton,..... everything also with mutton.

A fascinating performance by an old folk during a night stay in Kharhorin.......

More photos during the trip...... Kharakhorum, located at the crossroads of the ancient silk road.... Chinggis Khaan's fabled city and the surroundings.....The first buddhist monastery, Erdene Zuu Monastery....

Saw this Penis Rock on the hill,... It's hardddd!

A long journey of a few thousand kilometers crammed in a tight jalopy is not an easy and comfortable way to travel for most people...... We crossed half of the Mongolian landscape during our quest. Though the travelling was rough, slow and lengthy, it provided us with great opportunity to understand indepth the people's culture and way of life........... It also presented us the opportunity to take in the vast track of beautiful landscape sceneries. Cameras were clicking all the way during the whole journey......

True Mongolian faces.....

Camping along the journey.....

Talking about food,... we have got a couple of good cooks to prepare for us through out the whole journey........

It's all looking good and tasty,.... Our breakfasts......

Lunches.....

Dinners.....

We even tried some local snacks,.... Pine nut.....

Some berries.....

This happens always,.... almost every trip that I travelled to Mongolia..... Vehicle break down and repair in the middle of no where, it seems like part and parcel of their life here......

Sometimes even getting stucked in the river...... HELP! HELP!

......What a coincidence!? Half of the way to the West of Mongolia, in the middle of no where, I met my old friend Molgi again from my first trip in year 2006..... We were so happy that we had a chance to meet again..... I have been trying to locate him since my first trip but he had left the company soon after my trip in 2006...... This is better than striking the lottery!! YES!

...... This was taken during my first try to Mongolia,... one for the memory....

...... more pictures.... beautiful scenes

Will continue the journey to the Western Mongolia, Uvs province....... towards the high Altai mountain range where the great lakes are........

Challenges for a Young Angler

2011-08-08T18:45:00.110+08:00

A 15 year-old young angler from China had come for a Peacock and Toman challenge..... Hoe was his

host during his stay in Malaysia..... Well, talk about Peacock Bass.... No matter how hot and popular this fishing ground is, we still love to go back to Air Kuning.... co'z we know some good spots for the game.....he he he!!

Mengsen is a beginner fishing Peacock Bass,.... but he surely knows how to lure them. Not bad for a start.....

Wow! This one is considered a GOOD size...... Congrats!!

After a two days fishing for Peacock Bass they decided to go for Toman fishing...... Toman (Giant Snakehead) fishing is a unique game fishing where you have to locate the toman first by spotting it gulping air from the water surface and then you start casting as fast as you can...... and as accurate as you can to where the fish surfaced and let the fish notice your lure before it go deep...... It is quite fustrating that you wouldn't know when and where the Toman will surface and you have to be hundred percent allert and on standby...... Well, a beginner aways get his luck.......

Greedy Fat Toman

2011-08-01T09:48:00.040+08:00

No matter how fat this creature grow,.... The greedy fat Toman will still take my lures...... well, same theory as human doctrine - Nothing is ever enough...... Sigh.........

Today the pencil popper from Nories did a very good job...... I wonder how this lunatic plastic lure could look like a yummy thing to this creature..... ????!!

Family Outing

2011-07-25T10:50:00.189+08:00

This was a family outing since our last activities together...... This time we had planned to go to Kenyir Lake for a 3D2N relaxing family gathering......

This time we had rented a boathouse for the whole family to spend a weekend together..... This boathouse was newly build about 3 months ago, it has 8 guest room on the second level which can accommodate 16 adults and 16 children...... And it has a plat form about 18' X 18' for some activity like dining, playing and fishing too.....

And of cause with some small boat to travel around the lake or maybe some fishing activity as well, if my wife allowed...... Hee Hee!

Beautiful scenery around the lake.....

My youngest brother Wai Hon is an avid Rock Climber, and he can not resist the tempting rocks that stood at the lake....... and start to show off of his skill....

Look so easy....

Less than 5 minutes and he was at the top....... Like a spider!!!

Having fun with the children at the small river......

I am so happy to see my two princess were spending a most enjoyably weekend with the family together.....

Lastly we visited an elephant conservation centre.....

Monster Fish in China - Yellow Cheek!!

2011-06-24T23:35:00.015+08:00

It's been a year since my 1st encounter with the monster fish - Yellow Cheek Carp in Shanghai area. I'm now back for a 2nd challenge....... It is supposed to be a very warm weather during this season of the year BUT I don't know why when I come here, the weather is always against me. And the weather forcast says it is going to rain for the rest of the week......Sighhhh....

In this trip, besides myself, 2 fly fishermen came for the challenge too....

Chris - our guest all the way from USA, has made a Record of catching the first Chinese Yellow Cheek Carp ever landed by fly.... Congrats!

And a Skygazer too.....

Our host - Lin Fong, also caught himself a decent size Skygazer........

Gong Lei wasn't to be out done - By catching a giant Seabass as well...... Wooo Cheers bud!!

And for me, I have my first Yellow Cheek landed with Nories Laydown Minnow......

Yippeeee!!!....

The water where monster fish live.....

My second fish,.... also caught with the same lure.......

Yes! A nice size.....

And my third one was caught with the Daiwa 130mm Seabass Hunter III lure...... Can't believe it. It actually swallowed the whole 130mm lure...... Woooh!!!

Look at this 8.5kg fat monster Yellow Cheek Carp...... Beautiful!!

Gong Lei was also trying his luck at the same area......

....... with a good reward of a big Skygazer....... You are lucky one!!

Beautiful fish it was......

After some actions in a day,..... we also heavily stuffed ourself with many delicacies......

What a feast to behold....... I still drool when I posting the photos......

We have to thank our host for this sumptuous meal during our visit...... Especially to our bud - Gong Lei,.... Cheers to you, Man!!

The next day, back to the same place for more action........

Wooow! Gong Lei has caught a biggie with a top water pencil popper lure......

Woow! Look at the teeth mark,.... aggressive bite!!

Cheers to you, bud!!

Beautiful fish......

Suddenly, Dennis hooked up a monster with his wobbling fly...... immediatelly the line was burning his hand, and the monster was dashing out to the main canal. You can see how hard Dennis is fighting from his expression.......

Finally, after a few minutes fighting, Dennis has landed his first Yellow Cheek with fly...... Congrats!! And we believe it may just be the biggest Yellow Cheek Carp ever caught with Fly Fishing yet.......
After that, I was also rewarded with a Yellow Cheek too.....

Thanks & Bye!! I will try to pay you a visit next time...... I think it might not be happy to see me though..... Caught a small Seabass with a Rapala X-Rap Deep.......Nice!!.....

Heading back to town after much satisfaction.......Time for a gooooood meal again......

Placing our orders......

My favourite yellow wine......

You can tell it will be a good long night........ with all this wonderful food and wine..... Yummy!!

It was a magnificent fishing trip for everyone...... Cheers!!

On the last day, I had a little bit time before my flight..... So, Gong Lei took me to another place to try my luck.... Unbelievable! I managed to catch another two more Yellow Cheek before going home.....A photo taken on the way to the airport through the Yangtze River Tunnel...... Like a sci-fi movie - beaming home instantly without long suffer plane ride.....

AnglingWorld T-Shirt 2011 Design

2011-06-21T12:53:00.006+08:00

Newly designed T-Shirt for year 2011...... Sorry! I know it's a bit late, co'z I was very busy in the early of the year.......
A black colour based T-Shirt with 2 colours print..... White colour base with 3 colours print.....

Grey colour base with 2 colours print.......

Monster Tarpon Hunt in Costa Rica

2011-06-08T11:23:00.016+08:00

My trophy fish MONSTER TARPON from Costa Rica.....This is the short preview to my up coming DVD release........

A Trip to Sungai Keniyam

2011-06-03T10:27:00.004+08:00

It's been a year plus since my last visit to the Pahang National Park..... This time we have 6 persons who wanted to do some camping and fishing.......

We took off early after registering our details with the National Park authority.......

After a long 2-hour boat ride from the main Tembeling River,.... finally we are at the Keniyam River, but to reach our camp site is another 2 hour's boat ride......and it much depends on the river condition.......

There is an Orang Asli village in the mid-point of this river,..... and this two females are in the midst of drying clothes by the river side.......

The journey up river........... encountering many obstacles along the way..........

Some scenes along the way...............

Finally, arriving at our destination.........

A very rare Malaysian fresh water specie......

The KELAH....... this specie dominate the upper river sections and is only found in unpoluted prestine river condition. It is widely hunted for its tasty flesh and is becoming very rare indeed.........

Our camp site.........

Some put up mosquito nettings over canvass beds.....

.... and some of us just simply sleep bare like this......

Our make shift kitchen...... A swarm of flying termites attracted by the light after several days of rainfall........

To past time, we did some night fishing.....

...... for some Catfish.

Though we did catch the Catfish but the result was just so so..........

After the sun shone brightly, swarms of butterfly started to gather and salt-lick by the river banks..........

Fishing infront of the camp site.....

More Kelahs..........

A nice Sebarau to boot.........

Scouring for good fishing spots........

A Ikan Kawan........

Some calm and still scenes........

Anybody knows what fish this is ???

Our boatman caught some Kelah.....

Prepare for lunch.....

Enticing indeed...........

DELICIOUS!!!

More catches............

Chilling out..........

Luckily the heavy rain came only when we were about to leave....... Had it rain earlier, it would have spoilt our fishing trip.....

The group of 6..... (Noticed the river choked up in the background after the down pour??? Phew.....! Lucky us!)

Back to civilisation, we brought some of our catches to this restaurant in Jerantut.......

The lady proprietor preparing us a dish using the flower buds of some palm trees......

Delicious.........

Tasty morsels......

Yummy yummy......

What a trip it was.... As the famous saying goes (by Arnold Swarzenegger), "I'll be back...."

Toman Fishing

2011-05-25T13:53:00.000+08:00

A group of 4 Macao friends has yet again come to Air Ganda for Toman Fishing.......

As usual, the Toman fishing game began in the early morning..... depart from the jetty toward the heart of the Air Ganda Lake; which takes approximately 35 min by boat......

The fishing spot.......

Our guide, Hoe, led the game by catching a few small Tomans.....

Not bad for our friend Fei Chai,.... and this was his new personal record a 5kg plus Toman.....

Some small fella......

Wonderful weather....but not much luck for them......Small one again.......

Catching an afternoon nap under the shade.......

They found some interesting beetles which had fallen into the lake..... Looks like some Xylotrupes gideon tanahmelayu......

Toman fever............ Congrats to everyone "Happy Catching"!!!

Wonderful catches,........

A magnificent sunset bade us goodbye.......

Cameron Highland Outing

2011-05-01T21:36:00.002+08:00

After a long while, I decided to bring my wife and 2 princesses for an excursion to Cameron Highlands again....

We saw a little native girl fishing around the river near the water fall........

Oh.... A dwarf snakehead which is commonly found in tributaries......

My kids are having fun at one of the Aborigines (Orang Asli) village......

At the Red Tea plantation........

A walk up to the mossy forest on Brinchang Mountain.....

Happy outing...... My eldest munching on her favourite must have sweet corn.....

The mossy forest of Brinchang mountain.....

Too exhausted..............

Mommy and the youngest outshining the sunflowers at a farm...........

Flowers at the farm.......Orang Asli peddling harvest produce from the forest..........Some beetles procured from this trip.........A Stag Beetle
A couple of Flower Beetles.......

Monster Tarpon Hunt in Costa Rica II

2011-04-26T11:05:00.005+08:00

The 3rd morning - before the wind blew strongly, we already set off to the open sea looking for the school of Tarpons.......

After we located the group of Tarpon, still the Jack Cravelle took the bait first. I think the Jacks are opportunist and they are the faster swimmer........Another strike........Again - a Jack Cravelle..........A bigger Jack for me too.......Hee Hee Hee........Finally, I hooked-up a biggie........TARPON! After about a 20 minute fight, luckily the lure was still intact........ Look at what the monster Tarpon did to my lure............ YES! YES! Finally, I caught my trophy fish with my Saltiga SG Dogfight 76 Rod couple with Catalina 4500H Daiwa Reel and Rapala Super Shad Rap lure after a few unsuccessful hooked-ups......

This fish was estimated to weigh 80 - 90kg, claimed the guide.......After that, we were successful to hook-up a few more Tarpons but unfortunately not able to land them....... Even though we could not land the fish, it provided us a lot of excitement and thrill..... You can find out from the lures below.......Today as usual, the wind started to blow strongly after 3pm and we could not locate any sight of Tarpons......... So, we called it a day early to get a better rest for the next day (To fish this monster fish, it really hurt my back a lot)..............

Sunset setting at the lodge.......

Enjoying my Imperial Beer of Costa Rica........

A traditional American style sumptuous dinner........ Emmmm! The dessert was fabulous......

The last day........

Today, we decided to go for freshwater fishing 30km up river to the lagoon in search of Rainbow Bass (Guapote) and Machaca..........

We go from one lagoon to another to search for a better fishing spot........

Some locals fishing group.......

After a few tries, in various freshwater lagoon, I finally managed to land a Machaca fish......
These Machacas are flashy acrobatic fish that can reach up to 9lbs, and are more prone to strike a faster moving lure..........

Look at its razor sharp teeth,....... Your shock leader must use at least 20lb......

YES! Another Machaca.......

Plenty of this Machaca when I fish along the main Rio Colorado.........Thanks to the boss - Mr. Dan for his superb hospitality and services at the Rio Colorado Lodge (www.riocoloradolodge.com/ or www.fishinginternational.com/)......... It has been a wonderful trip for us all indeed.......

Fly back to San Jose,...... Look at the newly built Stadium down there. It was a gift from the China Government. I wonder what unique friendship lies between the Costa Rica and China???

It was Easter Week around the corner and the Costa Ricans celebrate in a big way by gathering at the seaside and beach........ The streets are almost deserted and feels like a Ghost Town.......

The best part was there were no traffic snarls........

The final day in Costa Rica, we decided to take a day trip to visit the local volcano and coffee farms.......

Some beautiful scenes along the way............

Stopped for lunch...........

A beautiful waitress in the local restaurant....... What a lovely smile.

Paths to the volcano on top of the mountain......

BOTOS LAGOON - A logoon form on an extinct volcano filled by rainwater many many eons ago.......

This is the main Crater called POAS VOLCANO. It claims to be the biggest crater in Central America. The altitude is 2,574M but the water temperature averages 40 degree Celsius.....

Chao! My story ends here....for now.

Monster Tarpon Hunt in Costa Rica I

2011-04-26T10:28:00.034+08:00

After the Amazon trip to Ecuador in early 2010, this is my 2nd time to Holland again.......
Transiting at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport........... Since time was on our side, we decided to pay the renown Keukenhof Garden a visit........A beautiful shade of white cherry blossom...........

The many types of flowers on display............. More exotic assortments...........

Beautiful tulips abound.......... Holland's national handicraft - CLOGS.........

A symbolic architecture of Holland - the WINDMILL.........

After a 9 hour long haul flight, we finally touched down at San Jose.........

Checking in at the local hotel in San Jose..........

Next morning, we chartered a Cessna to fly us to the Rio Colorado Fishing Lodge bordering Nicaragua............

A view of the Cessna cockpit.......

This my 1st experience flying in such a small plane.........Worry!Flying by a semi-active volcano.......

A wonderful scene of the sun ray engulfing the earth......

Touching down safely.........

We are finally here at the Rio Colorado Fishing Lodge...........

To fish the monster Tarpons, I have to change all my original hooks on the lures to a stronger ONWER'S hook for better result.......

For the shock leader, at least 100lb and above......... Anything lesser will easily snapped...........

The hunt begins............

Tarpon species are found in both salt and freshwater habitats usually ascending rivers to access freshwater marshes........ They are able to survive in brackish water, waters of varying pH, as well as habitats with low dissolved O2 content due to their swim bladders which they use primarily to breathe with............

After trying for quite a while at the inner part of the river and still no sight of the Tarpons, our guide suggested that we head for the open waters...........

Finally, after some time, we caught our 1st fish........... Ha Ha Ha........A small barracuda!Action came after we manage to locate a school of Tarpon in the open waters........ The action was intensive. I got many hits but it was from the following powerful predatory Jack Cravelles rather than the Tarpons. This Jacks are faster swimmers and they keep on taking up my lure 1st......

Up comes a Jack Cravelle also known as the Common Jack.................

After many tries, I finally hooked a Tarpon...........

The acrobatic jump of the monster Tarpon was tremendous...............

Setting hook was no easy feat at all as the Tarpon's mouth is very hard all around. I had to be patient and let the lure sunk in deep into the mouth by delaying the hook swiping move......and successfully...............

Yes!!! What a beauty......

Finally I managed to land this Tarpon with my reliable Bass Tackle, Daiwa reel Ryoga 2020L and Daiwa Black Label Rod BL7112XHRB............ Great!!!

My wonderful DAIWA fishing gear...........Yes! Francis also hooked up a Tarpon too......I see! It's a faul hook..... No wonder he fight like hell for a long time......Ha Ha Ha!!!

Here's Francis with his trophy Tarpon......... Congratulations man!!

A close up shot..............

Hard and silver shining armour..........

Hard and bony mouth...........

Look at it's eye..... Trying to say something? "Release me please!".........

Lounging by the bar and..........

....... pool table while waiting for our dinner to be served.........

The next day morning, we set off again for the open waters........

Oh no! Jack again....... Yes! Hoe is in action..............

Yes! It's a Tarpon.......

Congrats!!..............

After the Tarpon attacks, no lure is left in its original state anymore..............

The waters of the Rio Colorado River is heavily infested with crocs. Care for a swim here.....???

The neighborhood scene...........The only one and biggest Convenient Store here.......

Relaxing after a long day out fishing............. Cheers!!

What a beautiful sunset half way across the world...........

Guests to Heavenly Gate

2011-04-13T10:09:00.003+08:00

Although Heavenly Gate is an easy place for catching Toman and Haruan, but for a beginner, it usually take some time to learn and tackle the fish...... Mr. Nishida and Mr. Garan had came here for a 2-day's fishing..... Eventhough the catches were not as many as we used to get, it was a very happy trip for the two beginners........
Way to go for our guests........ Congratulations to both of them!!

Toman is a fearsome predatory fish. It used to damage the bass fishing lure from Japan...... A gruesome end to the bait fish too....... Scary monster indeed!!

Japan Trip

2011-03-30T21:34:00.027+08:00

It was a pre-planned business trip to Japan during this Spring season. Flight tickets were all booked ahead in early 2011. Nobody had expected the 311 natural calamity to hit Sendai , North of Japan in March. Luckily for us, the place we were going to is located more than 1000km away down South West which was not affected by radiation or power (electricity) cuts which up until now is still on-going mostly in Northern Japan. My heart goes all out to the people of Japan and hope that the situation will improve soon....... Though Northern Japan was in a state of devastation and sadness still but life elsewhere was pretty much going on as usual....... After completing out business training at our HQ in Wakayama, my staffs and I had time to do some sight seeing. As visiting Tokyo was out of the question at that time, we decided to spent time around Osaka. We visited a tourist spot called Dodonbori (like our own Bukit Bintang area). Here we window-shopped and feasted to our hearts, delights....... This is a good place for tasting raw crab meat. YES! - you heard right....eating raw crab meat.....

Crab Sashimi, Cawanmushi, Grill Crab feet...........The famous ferries wheel located right smack in the heart of Namba (the yellow oval rim with the red cubicles surrounding it)...... At dusk, standing on this bridge and looking straight ahead, you will experience the most amazing sun set scene ever. The sun sets exactly right between the two rows of building flanking the river - it's just amazing......

The night scene is fantastic too. Every where you turn, you will be greeted with numerous 'hot-spot' to satisfy your every whims and fantasies........

One of the numerous Takoyaki outlets. Takoyaki is a flour base ball filled up with a sweet black sauce and a piece of octopus cut....... The sauce some what taste like our cahr-siew-pau.....

All we did and can do was eat and eat and eat (plus some beer here and there)........ 5 meals per day........Raw chicken liver...... Kushiage (Fried Vegetable and Seafood)...... Wanna try some Kagoshima raw chicken drumstick and breast meat??..... Before I left, I went down to meet a friend in Ise for a short fishing trip......

The weather on that day was damn cold (0 degrees C) and the wind was gusting strongly........

But we did tried for a while...... but it was too cold for us Malaysians to continue........ So, only our Japanese friends caught some fish.....

Japanese Mackerel.....

Japanese Amber Jack (Buri)...... We had Matsusakagyu feast for our dinner that nigt.......Look at the snowy texture of the Wagyu beef cut........ Ooohhhh! What a delicacy............ Eat and eat........and eat!

Drink and drink...... and drink........

Again...... eat, eat, eat.......

Thanks to our friends' hospitality......

Back to hotel....... Japanese bath hall......... The last night in Japan......

Went to a decent Teppanyaki restaurant in Osaka........A abalone BBQ..... and Beef BBQ (Yamagatagyu)......... Yummy!

Thanks to the friends and all the delicacy during our stay in JAPAN.......

And I hope and pray that Japan will overcome the crisis very soon.......

Heavenly Gate - Haruan Game

2011-03-17T20:25:00.006+08:00

All these while we usually do land base casting. After being there frequently, the biggies got smart overtime....... So, this time we chose to go out on a boat............ and these are our catches below for the morning session......... Big Haruans.... one after another were caught effortlessly............... Yeah!!

Hoe even caught himself a 6kg Toman............Look at the fella grinning with a smirk on his face...........

What a fearsome predatory fish this is....

Care to put your hand in here???

Smirking again................

Takeshi and Kazu also did well.............

Where are you - Emperor Snakehead?

2011-03-06T23:23:00.007+08:00

Emperor Snakehead also called TOMAN BUNGA locally, is a rare snakehead specie in Malaysia...... Last weekend, a friend of mine brought me for a try......To fish this rare beauty, first you must enter their domain - specifically low land swamp and river......

To enter, you must be equipped with a good 4x4 vehicle........

Look what happens if you don't..........

STUCK!!! Luckily, this time one of the vehicles was equipped with a winch.......

After over coming a few obstacles, we finally reached our destination........

A beautiful swampy river site.............

Every year after Chinese New Year period, the weather of Peninsular Malaysia is getting drier and by this time only, you are able to enter the swampy area of this place for fishing......... Look at the dried up area below......... From this picture, you can imagine that the water level was 2M high during wet season............

To tackle this Emperor Snakehead, you have to wait until the water level is low whereby the fish are concentrated in the remaining deep pool of the swamp.......

Beautiful black water......

It is even inhabited with beautiful aquatic Tiger Barb which is commonly sold in aquarium shops.....

After a day of fishing, out of twelve anglers, only one fella was rewarded with a catch, it turned out to be a young Toman only......... What a poor result it was. We know the fish is there BUT why can't we get it?????.......AAAAARGH!!!

We'll be back for revenge another day.........

Wild Tiger Sighted

2011-03-01T00:09:00.009+08:00

All these years, while fishing in the jungles,........ I had come acrossed several times sighting wild Tiger foot prints and......... during one such time I believe a Tiger was stalking me from behind at a very close range....... Below are some photos that I took in year 2002, 2005 and 2007.......... Scary, huh!!But untill now, nothing beats this....... A trip back from Royal Belum fishing by two friends - Masabou and Alex had the rare occasion of spotting a wild Tiger swimming across the lake of Temenggor, and these are his precious photos caught during the trip. I can't believe it, there are only about 200 Tigers left in our Jungles and this guy gets to see one......What a 'lucky' guy! !
LUCKY meaning they were on the boat when they spotted this Tiger,.....I can't imagine what would have happened if they were on the grounds............ Woooooo! Scary! Scary!.........

Wow! Wild Tiger! Awesome!!.......

Toman Game at Heavenly Gate

2011-02-24T11:26:00.009+08:00

What a good day for some fishing activity........ Heavenly Gate! A famous place for Snakehead hunting........ here we comes again for some action..... After a few minutes of casting......... OMG! I've landed the "biggest" TOMAN I've ever caught before......Ha Ha Ha!! .
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Some young fellow hit on my surface pencil bait........

Easy game....... cheating the young fellow........

Takeshi and I decided to row a boat for a better result........

Takeshi landed three Haruan with his deep cranking shap....... Cool looking fellow!!

While Takeshi is doing the deep cranking, I was bottom knocking with a jig head + 6" soft worm...... Suddently, a strong bite took my worm...... at first I thought the Haruan took my worm but when I see my 20lb Steez rod bent like hell,.... this must be a big Haruan over 5kg.......

But, it turn out to be a big fat Toman.......

Wooow! What a fatty!............

Look at it's scale....... beautiful colour.........

Giant Snakehead Game Fishing

2011-02-15T22:24:00.013+08:00

On the last day fishing of our Chinese anglers here. Dennis and I decided to join them before they head back to KL........... Due to the lack of boatmans, I was forced to operate the boat myself......... Off we go!! Beautiful scenery around the Air Ganda dam..........

Landed a young mama Toman with Norie's Laydown Minnor................

The natives fishing for food at a small inlet.........

Look what I found, a baby quail just about to learn to fly........ It fell into the water and I managed to save it........More actions after lunch..........Woooo! What a strong fella.............

Cheers!!......

Nice blue colour scales on its body..........

Finished in the evening...............and head back to KL.

TOMAN fever for China Anglers

2011-02-14T11:16:00.006+08:00

A group of 4 anglers from China led by Gong Lei had come for a week of Toman fishing game at Air Ganda during the Chinese New Year vacation............ but unfortunately I can't go with them during this Chinese festival season....... My wife is going to kill me if I go........Sighhhh! These are some photos of them with their trophies.........

After a few trip to Air Ganda, Gong Lei now maybe considered the first China expert of Giant Snakehead fishing around the region....... as far as I know. And I hope he can achieve his satisfying record in the near future.......

Is this how the Chinese from the mainland kill time after lunch in a hot sunny day?...... What a group of wild guys....... He He He!!

Chinese New Year Vacation 2011

2011-02-12T22:02:00.012+08:00

During Chinese New Year vacation I brought my family for a break away up to the hilly terrains of Bukit Larut - Maxwell Hill....... This time around, we even needed the service of a tow-cart to carry all our belongings. YES, you have to pay extra for it........

Yippy! Newly surface road - made the trip that much more comfortable.........

My eldest and I enjoying the jeep ride. BUT the same can't be said for the rest of the family....... The narrow and winding road trip up the steep hill, especially the extremely tight 'U'-turns can be too much for some people..........

This is our bunker for two night on the hill........ Though not new but it sure is well kept and clean...........

It even has a fire place to enhance that rustic feel.......

Spacious Dining area.........

What enormous bedrooms it has - all 4 rooms of them.....

Mom and my youngest...........

Free and easy time - exploring the surroundings...........

Steamboat for the night, looks like it is going to be a sumptious meal...........

Hey, where's everybody gone to? Might as well dig in first...........

The crown dish of the night - broth cooked with all left overs chuck in the Japanese style........ DELICIOUS!! Night hunting begins, hope the beetles will be attracted to the lighted canvas tonight.......

Nope! Not much luck, just a few 'Zebra' bettles were caught...........

Teaching my little ones to appreciate the wonders of nature from young.......... and my eldest likes it thoroughly........

Some fauna chanced upon.........

More faunas.............

My eldest pretending to be a beetle........ Floras found on the hill here..............

Wonderful battery charging trip for the whole family indeed.........

Beetle as Pets

2011-02-08T22:24:00.002+08:00

A reporter from a local magazine for pet lovers has interviewed me again on the beetle issue...... and this is for the February edition........ A total of 5 pages article write up about collecting and keeping as pets,...... Eh!?? It wrote saying that I am an expert who providing the know how in collecting and keeping live beetles...... Since when did I become an expert on oncology??.......... He He He!

Eel Fishing

2011-01-30T22:26:00.009+08:00

"Let's go Eel fishing!"...... said Takeshi, What?! My last eel fishing was during my childhood time many many years ago..........

So, we went up to North Sekinchan for Eel fishing at paddy fields.........First we have to look for harvested paddy stalks,..... and for easy locating the eel nesting hole.......Some scenery shots at the paddy field.....

Our Eel fishing master Hoe, refreshing my mind on how to locate and lure the eel out from it's nesting hole.......After I have landed 3 Eels with a fresh cut chicken meat....... I even tried this half cut Berkley Gulp,........ and it was not too bad at all.........

Here is another Eel hole....... You just need to shake the lure a little bit at it's opening...... and wait.......

The Eel can't resist the tempting shake at it's front door and decided to take a bite........

You see! Here's how you catch an Eel....... He He Heh!!

Oh! Master Hoe......... landed another one..........

By noon, we had caught more than 20 Eels.....and headed back home.....

Eel is a delicacy in South East Asia,...... we had it fried in Spicy Chinese Soya Source.......
And Japanese Tempura style....... and it was finger licking good indeed!!!......

A Short Day Fishing Around Pangkor Island

2011-01-18T11:25:00.012+08:00

With the misses all happily enjoying themselves by the poolside with the kids at Lumut Swiss Garden Resort........Early morning, awaiting for our fishing boat........As usual, the boatman is always late. With nothing else to do, we loitered and fingered with our next best companion - the i-Phone........Late for 30 minutes,........ our boatman finally came for us guys for a day fishing trip around the island smiling like nothing had happen........... Well, this always happens in Malaysia...... Sighhh!!

Everyone eagerly scrambled on board the 2x200Hp 4-stroke Yamaha Outboard Engine powered vessel which can easily hit a good speed of 40 knots on such a fine day.........

And off we went......

Seems like good weather ahead of us......

Enjoying the ride.......

We anchored at this spot suggested by the boatman.......

Some hours past by but nothing came out of the water...... The water is too chocky for a good catch here due to the the heavy rain fall a day before. We decided to move to more clean waters.......

....And YES, Dennis' first hit - a 700g whopper easily.

.... And the hits keep on coming.....

Everyone trying to out do each other........

Double STRIKE! Yippy!!!

And this is mine for dinner........ Heh heh heh!

......Can't wait for dinner tonight!

After a while of frenzy squid jigging, we headed off to another spot to try our luck........

Calm clean waters awaits us......

.....And this is the SPOT!

Luck continued for Dennis, again he had the first strike.......

Some of the catches for the day......My turn to get a small Queen Fish............. Yeah!

More catches................ And dinner that night was wonderful...... broiled baby octopuss and........... catches of the day ended up as mouth watering dishes.....

Deep fried small Queen Fish...... Ummmm...Yummy! Yummy!!.....and big sized claw mud crab dinner.........