Our boat:
Underway:
The captain (actually 2nd in command):
The kitchen (with Calvin in the background):
Suppy for 3 days:
Crossing the main lake:
These boats are harvesting submerged timber:
Nearing the fishing ground:
Our destination is actually in the national preserve of Malaysia:
Our final destination is the headwater of a major river that flows into the lake (the boat in the backgound is our base camp):
To give you an idea how remote this place is, we actually saw two elephants, a mother and cub by the bank:
Now to the fishing; first the bait we used were consisted of small baitfish for a species of catfish (pict later):
small catfish for Toman (name of a fish species):
and small frogs for snakehead, our main target in this trip:
And now the fishing; the catfish and clownfish fishing is mostly a bottomfishing proposition on the two smaller boat which equipped with a 15 hp outboard.
Unfortunately, the only clownfish we hooked, a 5-6 lb fish, came unbottoned. We did catch many catfish. They are very dfferent from those we catch here in th US and are good eating.
We also caught many Toman but the size of those fish, averaging 3 lbs, were not they once were a few years ago. Lack of regulation may have something to do with it.
This is how we rig the frogs for snakehead. Note that the hook is embedded in the frog for a snag free presentation. This is very important as snakehead fishing is strictly a top water fishing and you cast into thick cover of mostly grassbeads with only 1 to 2 foot of water.
A snakehead
Catch for day one:
Catch for day two:
This is a bonus fish. Its called "ikan Hantu" or ghost fish. They are one of the best eating fish. The fish in this picture weights about 1.5 kilo or 3.5 lbs and will cost more than $150 Malaysian ringit or the equivalent of $45 US dollars.
The final reward for our efforts: the catfish
and the ghost fish
The best part of the trip is to share 3 uninterrupted days with my Son, Calvin, and my brother, Sam, on activity we enjoy the most - fishing. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
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