LSR and Labrador Grouper hunting

I was to meet up with Andrew to get his GNH. The convenient place was to do so at LSR, my usual spot after D's swimming lessons. Given the last few fruitless trip, I was hoping to get something good today. But the last few times here, wasn't very productive. Seemed like the PBs all moved to another location after the boating activities started.

This morning, it was beginning to look to continue the trend. As usual, there were a couple of others fishing as well. To my right, was a man doing baiting. I rigged up my yellow middive and cast out. On cast 3, snagged! Argh. After all the effort to save it yesterday, I eventually had to lose it. The snag was quite a distance from the bank, and not possible to recover. Line snapped and that was the end of it. Disappointed, I re-rigged with my pink humbug. This lure, only got me a baby toman before.



Cast and cast again. But like nothing was happening. However, I finally saw some small PBs swimming near to the rocks here me. That was a good sign. Today was quite windy, and looked like rain. But the rain didn't come and it was actually quite breezy and nice. But cast with my BC was quite a challenge due to the wind. I got birdnest a few times, but nothing very serious.





Just when I was getting quite discouraged and reeling back my lure. About 2metres away, a PB came out of nowhere and gulped my lure. It looked stunned for awhile when it discovered it was not the good meal it was expecting. There was this comical moment when I looked at it and it looked at me. Recovering from the daze, I gave a slight jerk and had him hooked for good. When it realized that it was caught, it gave some fierce thrashing and tried to escape. But the hook up was solid, and I soon got him up on the ground. The guy next to me congratulated me on my catch. 5 minutes later, he got a PB too around the size of the one I got. :). Baiter was still zero. keke.



Andrew and Elyn came back and we had a good chat. P2 was as usual, his naughty self. He had had his hair cut and looked more mischievious than usual.

Since I had no ice, we left the place to pass the fish to A's friend. I had wanted to release it, but T wanted to have it. Well, not everyone got a chance to have PB for dinner.







The weather being so nice, we decided to head to Labrador for a picnic. We headed towards the left side of the Park, where you could see WTC from there. In fact, StarCruise past by on the way out. I had gotten the PowerBaits in MY, and wanted to try it out. I was advised to use the twister on a rock bund to get groupers. That sounded like a good idea, and I wanted to test it out. The rockiest place in my mind was Labrador Park. That place, was a challenge to fish if you were using a short rod.

Texas Rig


Grub with tail bitten off



My first cast was promising. I realized that I had to the presentation weedless, otherwise it would snag for sure. The rocks here, was pretty merciless. I had used the white grub, and when it came back, a small tiny fish fell off and landed on the rocky slope. I didn't have my camera with me as D used it to play games. I climbed over to pick it up and found it to be a tiny wrasse. Wow. I didn't want to leave it there to die and I took it and threw it back into the sea, where it came from.

Someone at the left end of the Park got a good size Grunter on his surf casting set. Not bad. At first, I thought he as pulling back seaweed as there wasn't a fight.

After a few cast, snagged. No choice changed another. Once the tail got bitten off. I alternated between the charteuse color (transparent lime green) and the white one. It seemed that the white one was more effective. But the lime green one was bigger and better suited my worm hooks. Still, the lime green one also had the tail bitten off. Hmm, like not bad, this gulp.

However, I lost more hooks and sinker than I cared to count. The tide was going down, and soon, the rocks were too exposed to do any more Grouper fishing. I packed and went home defeated. But it was a good first try, and I would be back for more.

Hooks bent after the fight. But the hooks were quite soft anyway.

Day Off Luring at LSR

It was back to LSR for a quick luring exercise. Today, I had to walk being a normal weekday. From Khatib MRT, it was quite a distance. I would put it at 1Km from the Jetty. Reaching there, the weather was nice and cool at around 4+pm. Water was murky, and I was hauling up lots of weeds. Tried out my 2 new river2sea lures, the yellow middive, and the yellow crankbait. Crankbait action was kind of weak, and didn't have any takers. The Middive also didn't work today. After 1/2 hour, no action at the Jetty. Only once saw a lethargic PB coming to sniff at my lure.

Moved to the boating area, cast and cast. Again, pulling in lots of weeds. Saw a man using live catfish for Tomans at the boat jetty. PBs all not around. Where the hell they gone to? 6pm, gave up, packed and go.

Had been fishless for the last 3 consecutive sessions. :(

Luring at Reservoir, part III

Weeds! Irritant...but fishes are there bacause of it


Good old humbug was wasted spectaculary this morning with a sudden strike this morning at LSR. I just reached the place, and Andrew and Elyn joined me shortly after. I got a call from them, wanting to join me at a Park to bring Pynn Pynn for a stroll. After setting up my trusty Yellow humbug, cast, cast, cast. And on the third cast, retrieved back till 10 metres from the bank, a "smallie/biggie?" came out of nowhere, took a hit, made a noisy splash, and took off with my humbug. My leader broke and lure went heaven and was never seen again. Argh! But I was careless and to be blamed as I was using quite a thin leader (4lbs), and realized that I had forgotten to loosen my drag.

But that morning, the action was good. Water was quite clear and still. From the bank, we could see a few PB "sniffing" and following the lure. A and E went quite surprised too. But after that incident, I switched to a white Middive. But it might have been the wrong color for that moment, caused after that, all quieten down. I let Andrew had a go, but his didn't quite have any peace as PP started wailing and crying.

Rod came back to me. I did a switcheroo to the Gold X-rap. This lure was meant for Sebarau, but nevertheless, gave it a shot. Cast for about 20 mins, nothing. But all of a sudden, a good take, and rod connected and a fish was at the other end of the line. But from the feel, not that big. Fish surfaced in a while, and it was another PB. Kind of smaller than last week's one, but still a good take. At least it proved that this Gold lure was quite effective.



We took some pics, PP with it as well and released the fellow unharmed. A was quite expert in handling the fish, and released it quite professionally. For me, I would have just tossed the fellow in. :P Search for bigger PB to be continued. Hoping to get a 2kg one this year :))

New sign advising the public not to release animals into the reservoir








BREAKING NEWS: - Man drown in LSR in Kayaking incident. No wonder on the way back, saw policemen running about. :o

Scene of LSR around that time

Luring at Reservoir, Part II

Since I had my yellow humbug, I had been trying and trying to get something. It should be a good lure from what I read, but somehow, nothing from it so far. This morning, as usual, D got swimming. The morning turned out quite hot, and I wasn't quite in the mood for luring. But after some breakfast, I thought to do a quick one at LSR.

The last week weed clearing seemed to have made the place quite littered with floating weeds. Casting out my lure, 7 out of 10 times, I would be hauling back the lure entrapped with weeds. This would have minimised the chance as the lure would lose all action after stumbling on to weeds. So, whole morning, cast and cast, but nothing positive. However, I spied 2 times small PB following my lure, and once, a quite a big PB checking out the lure. In my haste to re-cast, I had gotten char bee hoon a few times. Must really remind myself not to be too kan cheong. Quite sickening to miss the chance due to bird nest.

A and D arrived at the park with their packed lunch. Around 12+pm, I walked back to where they were sitting and almost wanted to pack. But seeing that A was doing her cross-stitch, D was reading her comic, I carried on for another 15 mins or so at the new spot.

I tried to vary my speed. Seemed that when I retrieved fast, the lure would be running quite fast for any fish to catch it. I slowed it a little and adjusted until the action was quite ok. But somehow, today, the lure didn't seem good. It might be due to the dead knot that I used to tie it to the leader.



Just as I was quite disheartened at the prospect of going back with zero again, my line suddenly connected with a small PB. It struggled a little and made a jump. Line got slackened and I lost it! Argh....but that somehow encouraged me. I thought now that the trick was not to retrieve too fast. Make the lure more natural. So out the lure go and cast and cast....Just as I was like down to my last few attempts....I felt a strong take. But I wasn't too sure at that time. It might be another clumps of weeds. But on my retrieve, there was a postive reaction and the line spooled out a little for a couple of seconds. Wow, fish on! I tightened the drag and managed to lift up a wiry thrashing PB. Composing myself, I carefully got hold of the line and swung it up on the land. With a dull thud, the fish was landed. And what a beauty. This is the biggest PB to date that I have gotten. *big smile*.

Recce - LSR and Khatib Bongsu

Just usual, D had got swimming today. I did some luring in LSR with my new Rapala Gold X-Rap. As with the other x-raps, the action was good. This was the fresh water version. For a change, I attempted the left side of LSR, away from the Jetty. That was the edge to the country club, and was full of tall lalangs. Should be a good area. However, it might be due to the hot weather that I didn't get anything. But it was nice to see some birds dipping into the water for food. Might be small fishes there. There as an uncle casting out live catfishes for giant toman. But during the period I was there, didn't see him get any.

I was decked out in my light fishing gear and could move around with my rod with my backpack behind me. Seeing no action on the extreme left, I moved somewhere in the centre. However, also got nothing. But there was this about 3 feet carp just right in front of me. Few times, I saw it coming out of the water for big gulps of air. However, it was not possible to get carp on lure. My lure went by him with little interest. I thought it funny that this fellow wasn't quite afraid of me and hung around just under my feet for sometime.

The entrance to Khatib Bongsu


That afternoon, since I was around Yishun, I suddenly got this urge to explore the Khatib Bongsu that was in the papers recently. By now, it should have been closed to the public, but I thought of giving it a shot. By some shear luck, I managed to find the entrance. I hadn't been too sure whether it was Avenue 6 or not, but I drove around the area to look for any potential opening. Luck was with me and I spied the sign that said "fishing pond" in chinese. Well, well. Making a daff turn, I was enroute into Bongsu via a bumpy road.

The fishing pond signage


Scary video survelliance


There were a few cars that passed me on the way out. Seeing that they didn't quite shoo me off, I moved boldy onwards. However, about 5 minutes into the long road in, there it was, the official army "shoot on sight" signage. I was hesitent at that point. There was a guy on a bicycle following me on the way in. I stopped and asked him if it was alright to go in. He mumbled that it should be ok. Said there were people going in anyway.

Bumpy road


Shoot on sight!


Incoming red car


Finally, signs of human settlement


Trusting him, I drove in, risking to be shot at. A red car was on the way out, and mintues later, he was following me behind. Strange, were they army people or what? But he stopped at a clearing midway, and I was alone again. Another 10 minutes drive in, we finally came to the fishing pond that was the destination on the signage.

The fishing pond


2 wild children


The mangrove area


Flying heron dipping into the water


It was a nice and quaint village of sorts. There were a few household living here. However, the main business appeared to be the fishing pond. From there, we could see some people actually fishing. This must be the commercial fishing pond that I had read about in the forum. I hadn't thought of coming here before, as I didn't know that it was actually situated in a wild and quite untouched region in Singapore. Really, you could hardly see a scene like this anymore, unless you were in the army.

Hmm...nice humans


Another pose


We stayed around watching people fishing, but after 15 minutes, still no catches. A friendly dog appeared out of nowhere and was interested in the French fries that the children were having. We gave it some, and it was quite a friendly dog indeed.

Rain "Crab"


It rained a little and stopped abruptly. But no matter, as we were all cosy under some sort of fishing shelter. Seeing no actions from the angler there, we decided to make our way back to civilisation.

Quite a interesting place indeed. I thought of bringing the PFs there for a tour, but not sure if a convoy of vehicles in would surely have someone dispatch the army on us. Maybe, maybe...