RIB Sea Trials

It has been quite a few years since my last sea trial as a test pilot for specialized fast craft. I was glad my services were once again being requested. This time it was for a very small RIB, ordered by an old client. Though it was all work and no play for the company representatives, it was just fun for me. I was like the kid with a new toy again and enjoying every minute of the time I spent at sea especially so since the petrol was paid for.

My Dream House

This verse in the bible has intrigued me for a long time. Ecc 10:19 "A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry, But money answers everything" Indeed having more than enough lets you live a very exciting and fullfilling life. There's none of the restrictions that lack & limitation brings. It also much easier to be a nicer person when you have more than enough. The pictures were taken at a friend's place. A private retreat, fronting the sea with its own marina. Fishing is plentiful just a stone's throw away. This is truly the kind of dream house, I've always wanted. Someday soon....... the reality will replace the dream.

GT Pond at 113 Neo Tiew Crest

We had such an enjoyable day fishing the GTs at a private pond at 113 Neo Tiew Crest. The four of us, Lawrence Goh, Andrew Oh, Jo Leng & I went there for the first time to catch the thrill of landing these prize fighters, without having to travel all the way to Phuket or the Maldives. The ones we caught, were about 5-6kgs in size; the largest at the pond being about 15kg. We were restricted to using soft lures whilst the owner, Edward chumed the fish to keep them in a tight group just past the little jetty on the far right of the pond. The idea was to cast into the GT group during the feeding frenzy and strike them before they spit out the lure. It took some practising before we started getting the hang of it and soon we were rewarded by multiple strikes till we each landed between 4-5 GTs each.

Endau Fishing Trip 5-8 May 2008

We went fishing off Endau 5-8 May. To keep everyone on their toes, we collected RM20 each, and had a bet, winner with the heaviest fish takes all. As luck would have it, the only lady who went for this Endau trip, Ms Agnas Liu, landed the winner. She put on a pretty impressive fight. At first I though her drag on the Abu multiplyier was too light untill we all caught a glimpse of this heavy-weight. Well done Agnas.

A Hefty Queenie off Pulau Hantu

( A 5kg Queenfish caught off Pulau Hantu)
As luck would have it, I landed a 5 kg queenie with the help of an old friend of mine, Stephen Lau onboard his Albacore 310HT. We had earlier fished about 100 pcs of selar & tamban off the Yellow buoys south of Jurong Island. They were the largest I had seen in Singapore. Some as big as the ones you would catch off the Unjungs at Tg Pinang. I was glad Queenie took the live tamban offering and gave such a spectacular aerial display, you would think, she was the blood cousin of the sailfish. As usual we divided the fish in half. For those who do not already know, the queenfish makes the most delicious fish & chips. There is none better, I assure you. The taboo about Queenie as a good eating fish is unfounded. The supposed finger markings on its body, are hardly the prints any human can make and it usually numbers more than the 4 fingers and a thimb. The Aussies have been savouring its succelent meat for decades. So next time you land a Queenie, head for the supermarket & compliment the catch with a large bag of frozen fries.

John Lee, a special breed of Angler

(Picture of John with a 3kg local grouper)
I recently had the pleasure to go fishing with John Lee, whom I met at the RSYC. John is happily "retired" and is a superb angler. He owns an Albacore 28' and charters it out for fun. What impressed me most about John is his knowledge of the peculiar eating habits of our local fish. He knows when they feed and is very skilled at anchoring the boat so precisely, he sends the bait right into their homes. It's no small wonder, John always catches the fish. Another remarkable feat is, he hardly travels far to the happy hunting grounds. Many are within visual distance of his base camp. Whatever will John catch next, when the season opens in mid March.