Ah Eng Boat

This was the second trip for me on this boat. If you had been fishing around, you would find that Ah Eng boat is kinda special. It is a very spacious boat and fishing here is very comfortable with plenty of space for everyone. 8 persons on a boat would be just nice. For this trip, it would be Patrick, Chew, ZW and I and then we met up with Bernard and friend Jon, and fishing veterans, Ah Hwee and Ah Fat. (who for some reasons, is not fat at all)

We boarded the boat under the Penjuru flyover


Unfortunately the coffee shop with the favorite scallop noodle shop had closed down. I was so looking forward to it. After a quick breakfast at Ayer Rajah market, we top up on some fishing stuff from the tackle-shop; like $2 per piece weights; and proceeded along to the boating pickup point.

Once out at sea, we started fishing at the first spot. The sea was rather deep but the current was manageable. I had setup 2 tackles, my Jigwrex PE2-4 and my lighter tackle, blackrose. ZW did likewise and we alternate between the 2 rods depending on the current. ZW was using his recently purchased set and during the trip; TLD15 and a rather pricey Expert Graphite Ares which he found it very much to his liking.

While I was taking his photo and holding my rod under my arm, I also got a take. Another T-Boon


First fishes were by us. ZW and I scored a double hookup of T-Boons (Spanish Flag Snapper). After that, the rest started getting fishes like Kaci, more T-Boons and the regular groupers. However, after the first T-Boon, ZW was quite fishless for the rest of the day. Despite the advise by others, I stuck mainly to my light blackrose. Due to that, I scored mainly small fishes. I think I might have caught the most fishes, but all smallies. My score was:

2 T-Boon, 2 aramugum (small grouper), 1 KBL (small), 1 wrasse (small mouth and yet attack my prawn!), I had also plenty of sangkot, some of which started out promising.

Patrick with his first, a nice Kaci(Sweetlips)

For this trip, I thought it very strange that I kept feeling small bites and sudden takes, but when I struck, it was usually empty. We rationalised this to the bottom being full of corals or weeds that gave us plenty of "false" alarms as if the fishes were biting. Therefore, the fishing was very confusing. We didn't know if it was fishes or just coral bottom. After a while, I didn't quite enjoy the fishing as it was mainly a hit and run affair whether to get the fishes or not.

The morning started rather hot, but it kind of cooled down in the afternoon. Luckily we were quite well covered up and didn't suffer too much from the burning sun. I was trying out my seahawk hat, which worked rather well.

But the star of the trip was from a simple man, John who was Bernard's friend. John wasn't a very technical fishingman, and we could tell from his gear. While the rest were all using expensive stuff like Saltiga, Accurate, Jigging Master, Expert Graphite, Calstar etc...he was just using a Surecatch rod and a cheap combo of an overhead. His first catch was good, a nice Kaci to my envy. Around 3pm in the afternoon, he hooked on something very big. We could all see him struggling to lift the fellow up. When it surfaced, we all gasped at the fish. It was a prize catch of a 2kg Coral Trout. It was not every Sunday that one could see such a nice fish. From the market, this fish could be sold for around $32 per kg. It was indeed his lucky day, and we could see him smiling away and feeling satisfied. Bernard was feeling rather unhappy as his seemingly less experienced friend was getting all the good catches. He turned out to have a duck egg this trip.

After that, the fishing all quieten down. Chew was the last to score a nice leatherjacket which he mistook for a puffer. Everyone told him that it was a chicken fish and good to eat. After that, he probably felt happier. Around 4.30pm the boat headed back and stop at one or two more places for us to try our luck a few more times. We reached back to the land at around 5+pm.

This trip, a mixed bag of catches. Good trip for some, and not so good for the others. But seeing the coral trout, one can only hope that it would soon be their turn to get something that good. It literally took John 40 years to get that. Fishing is certainly a life-long adventure.

If you see people wearing this, you are in the midst of experts.

ZW using his virgin rod set


Petrol station in the sea


ZW got his first fish, a T-Boon


Decent table size


This special T-joint knot. Very useful to spread the line out from the sinker

The deckhand Tonni teaching us how to do it

Nice grouper (not sure from who)

Another grouper from "Ah Fat"


Woot. My KBL. It had taken me 4 years to land a true blue wild KBL


Pose pose with it


Chew got a surprise visit from a Sotong who was trying to attack a "aramugum" that he caught on the way up. It squirt at him on the surface to all of our surprise. Tonni got it up using net

Another small catch by me

A nice T-Boon by "Ah Fat"


Chew's grouper


Something BIG


Wah. Man of the trip showing a V sign

Beautiful closeup pose of the Man and the Beast

This is the way to gang-hook the prawn with 2 hooks

Chew rare catch of a leatherjacket

Believe me, these people all got "Performance" gears

People fishing under the bridge

On the way out, a drowned mouse sighted in a pail

Ah Eng Boat

A sudden SMS from last week saw me joining a good fishing buddy Pat for a trip in Ah Eng Boat. Ah Eng operates from West Coast and the fishing would be around Tuas area. This would be a first for me to fish in this area.

So the plan was set and we met up and had breakfast at their regular haunt before boarding the boat. For one thing, the dry mee pok here was superb. (unfortunately, I didn't take a pic of it). First time in my life to eat mee pok with Scallop!

After the sumptuous meal, we headed for the Jetty. For one, the way to the Jetty seemed somewhat spooky, having to park at a deserted place, and to trample past an untidy field. But lo and behold, the river appeared before us, and that was where to board onto Ah Eng Boat.

First time fishing got to transfer boat


Ah Eng comfortable boat


Weird looking building here. Right out of a page in a fantasy comic book


Moving out


Eric checking on the boat


At first glance, the tiny boat that was used to ferry us gave me a shock. For a moment, Eric and I thought that the we were to squeeze into the tiny boat for the day's fishing. But it soon became clear that the smaller boat was to ferry us about 10m to another bigger boat.

Boat with a bedding area


Big spacious boat


Nice looking Toilet


Now, the bigger boat was indeed BIG. It was the largest boat that I have ever been on for boat fishing. All the amenities were cool indeed. Got toilet, kitchen and a bedding area. There were ample space for all of us to do our fishing. In fact, 8 of us seemed some what under capacity for the boat size. But I was told that 11 pax (incl the boatman and deckie) was the max.

White Ninja from the Zu Mountain


The weather today was rather kind. It only got a little hot in the afternoon. But I did my Ninja impersonation to protect from the Sun. After a whole day of it in Kusu, I am beginning to look like lobster.

After some refueling, we were headed out to the deep waters of Tuas. Before coming here, Pat instructed that we need to bring a heavier tackle and big weights. The current here would be strong, and the water deep. I took along my Jigwrex and paired it with my Freams. With a heavier weight, I was hoping not to have a repeat of the situation on the last Ah Fong's trip.

Sophiscated Bait Well


Eric with a tough fighting fish on the other end


Chermin!


Ah Eng is the one behind


Eric powerful catch #2


Eric was first with a good fight and up came a Chermin. In fact, that was the only chermin on the trip. In the morning, the fishing was slow. I got some smallies that I didn't even bother to snap pictures. Eric hit on another good fish before noon, and landed a 2+kg grouper. That was huge and would certainly make a good meal.

Jeremy with T-Boon


Ocea Jigger. A reel I want!


Sailing round the world


Bernard with Grouper


Pat with a lagi big Grouper


Perfect day for Kel-Kar-Ying


The others soon start catching some other fishes. One by one, most of them broke their zero.

Ofmer Sable vs Shimano Jigwrex.


Nice Kaci


Beads on the prawns


Giant Prawn!


Pat 2nd Grouper


I was fumbling on my Jigwrex. With the stiffer rod, I couldn't quite place the vibrations that I am getting was due to fish, or rocks or jumping prawns. I did quite a number false strikes, and quite often upon reeling up, I find the prawn missing. All this is very frustrating for me. I also hit some rocks, and lost 3 big sinkers.

Pat did well for this trip too and landed 2 huge groupers in the range of 2+kg after a slow start in the morning. Pat also bursted a rather big catch. Eric and I too had some moments with some huge monsters that couldn't be heaved up to the surface.

I was trying hard the whole afternoon and managed to land a reasonable sized T-Boon (A yellow striped snapper). But my lines were entangled with Eric's and as we took time to unravel our lines, the fish somehow got off the hook. However with the depressurisation, the fish was floating in the water and getting away from us. I try to cast out my weight at it but couldn't find the target. Soon, it drifted out of sight. There went my proper contribution.

Big rain came


Fishing in the rain


Around 4.15pm or so, it started to rain very suddenly. The downpour was so quick and furious that we didn't have time to find proper shelter and most of us got drenched to the skin. I had it particularly bad as my shoes were fully soak making my feet very cold. After that, I didn't have the mood to fish anymore. Furthermore, I thought the fishing window was till 5pm.

But when the rain stopped, all promptly went back to fishing in hope of scoring a last minute catch. Bernard did well in this aspect and landed an around kg grouper. the rest didn't score anything else significant.

Total Catch


Eric beaming at the catches


We reached shore at around 6pm ending a rather good day fishing. Total catch was rather impressive with 12 or so catches. Although I didn't do well for this trip with my "cursed" jigwrex, it was good to see my buddies enjoying the good fishing. Most certainly, I should be seeing Eric going for more boat trips :)