This is going to be an extremely boring post for all... that is if anyone's following this blog at all.
Well, maybe except for Dizzy.
Here goes...
Fishing can be basically classified into 3 different categories...
1) Baiting
Done with dead or live baits usually chunks of kembong meat, sliced or full sotong, live catfish, dead or live prawns, sliced bananas, you get the idea. Hook bait, cast, park rod, find shelter under shade, wait.
And wait and wait and wait...
2) Netting
Either spreading a long net in the waters or using cast net. No baits.
Fishes will get entangled and trapped when they attempt to swim through the net.
3) Luring
Attaching plastic or wooden lures usually shaped like a bait fish with treble hooks attached to it's body at the end of the line. 'Blind casting' whereby casting is done randomly and repeatedly hoping for strikes.
'Spot casting' whereby polarised sunglasses is a must. Cast only when fish activity is sighted. Precision casting is needed.
Cast and reel back in. Repeat process.
When reeling in, the lure will produce sound, vibration and/or reflect sunlight creating flashes.
'Swims' like a tempting delicious injured bait fish.
I used to do baiting.
Until it started to get really boring...
Realised I spend more time sitting and waiting for bites rather than doing real fishing.
Now I only do baiting during offshore trips.
When I was introduced to freshwater luring by my friend, Ping, 2 years back, I was hooked...
Sold all my baiting gear and bought beginner luring ones.
Spent a couple of hours to master casting with a baitcasting reel.
Sold my beginner baitcasting reel/rod and upgraded to high-end ones.
Never looked back since...
Caught my fair share of record sized monsters with them.
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| These 2 monsters were caught near Punggol in brackish water condition. That's Ah Ping with his jealous smile. lol |
Many will be surprised at the size and ferocity of some freshwater predator species lurking in our reservoirs.
One fine example will be the Giant Snakehead featured in the pic below.
There was a period of time when I got so obsessed with them.
Ventured deep into jungles searching for ponds or rivers where they thrived.
Most of my gear were targeted at this particular species.
Still remembered one time when I sneaked into army's live firing area at Lim Chu Kang to hunt for these monsters while live firing exercise was taking place on a Saturday afternoon.
Can hear the loud booms and feel the ground trembling where mortars or tanks were having their target practice mere miles from where I was.
To be proficient at luring, many factors come into consideration not just the weather.
Water quality, type of vegetation in the water, time of day, angle of our shadow, position of the sun, temperature, type of riverbed, etc.
Now, I'm not saying that all favorable conditions must be met to ensure a day of bending rods and screaming reels.
What I'm saying is that different conditions require different technique, different type of lure, etc.
Not to mention the most important factor of all: LUCK.
