Fishing Adventures in Asia and beyond

Rescuing a Whale Shark?

2010-04-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

Came across this post in the New Straits recently and decided to cut it out as it sounded kind of ridiculous to me! These experienced commercial fishermen claimed they were trying to rescue this Whale Shark found swimming on the surface of the sea.

I thought it would be common sense that if they try to tow such a giant fish back to shore in shallow and dirty water, they can be sure it will die a slow and very painful death.

There is no way the shark is going to survive being towed backwards for 12 nautical miles, backwards into shallow water and survive, not to mention that this whale shark was already half dead when it was found.

Or were these fishermen looking for a quick profit in Shark's Fin sale only to be caught by the media while docking and had to change their story? You decide! It sounds pretty ridiculous to me but for now, I will give them the benefit of the doubt!

The Peacock Bass

2009-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

The Peacock Bass has been the mainstay of local freshwater fishing for a long time now. This beautiful fish is not native to the region and most are not even sure how they got to our shore. However, I know I've been catching them for close to 15 years now... starting at Pierce Reservoir. Some enterprising local anglers have been catching them from one reservoir and moving them to another and now, you can find them at all the reservoirs. So far, I've seen the biggest ones caught at MacRitchie Reservoir.

Peacock Bass are a native of South and Central America and are most well known as a sport fish in the Amazon. There are quite a few different species of them and it seems quite a few are in local reservoirs.

Well a lot of them have grown to good sizes now and here are some pics of a few that's been caught in recent years. They'll continue to grow and if pictures of what I've seen of those in South America are anything to go by, there must be some huge lunkers lurking around n our local waters by now. I know of a few anglers who's lost huge fishes on lures and flies in the local reservoirs. Unfortunately, the fishes were not spotted though all the clues point to the huge and ferocious Peacock Bass as the culprit! The only other possible culprit is of course the Toman but then Toman's has a almost completely different characteristics, from the way they take the lure to the way they fight.

Peacock Bass could be a potential budding fishery for Singapore. They are aggressive and easy to catch and will lure many a youth to the fine sport of fishing. Fishing is also a great way to learn about caring for the environment. Most lure and fly anglers release their catch to fight another day and almost all clear up our tracks (litter) at the end of the day too.

Enjoy the Peacock Bass, because they are some of the most beautiful fishes you can catch in local fresh water!

The Giant Gurami - A great table fish!

2009-11-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

The Giant Gurami, sometimes also called the Kalui, is commonly found in freshwater lakes of SE Asia. Besides being a great game fish, it is also a great table fish… almost a “National fish of Indonesia” as you find them in almost any restaurant that serves fish. It is often deep fried and serve “standing”, and many people who don’t know the name of the fish or dish will refer to it as the “standing fish” dish.

The Gurami is a good fighting sport fish as well and come in a few guises. There’s the white Gurami, the spotted Gurami and the more common brown table species. More colorful versions are often kept in home aquariums as they are a beauty to behold as well.

The picture above shows a beautiful spotted orange gurami caught at Singapore’s Bedok Reservoir. This fish took a dry fly on a 3wt outfit. On such light outfit, these Gurami’s can be a handful to land. However, such a beauty is rarely caught.

Here is another more common white Gurami species which is also common in Aquariums. They are a majestic fish and rank among the most beautiful Aquarium species in Asia. Gurami of this size (about 1.5kg) are a perfect size for the table too. This one took a nymph presented on a 3wt fly rod.

Big Gurami’s like the one on the picture to the left often cruise alone in search of food and are easily spotted. However, due to their color, they are often mistaken as the more common red tilapia (which incidentally also makes a good table fish) and it often on closer observation that they can be identified as a Gurami. The giveaway sign is often their larger size, its thick lips and long thread like pelvic fins.

So there you go. The next time you see a moving large orangy shape moving in the water, don’t dismiss it as another Red Tilapia… take a closer look, you may be pleasantly surprised!