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Post by motocafe on Sept 10, 2009 7:45:57 GMT 8
Fish-0, Flyer-2Home team got thumped again, kekeke. ;D ;D Boy D caught his 3rd Song He using the versatile BOC fly on 5wt. Boy G wrestled this nice Pacu into submission using the same fly on 3wt.
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Post by motocafe on Sept 12, 2009 15:11:19 GMT 8
The Day of the Big CatsAhh, all good things must come to an end and so 1 week of school holidays drew to a close with a fantastic day at FW3 on Friday. The big cats were on the prowl for flies and rejected all manner of baits, fish, chicken liver, etc. Surprisingly, the flyers outfished the baiters again. ;D Boy D had the 1st hookup on the BOC fly. The runs perpetrated by the fish confirmed that the fish at the end of the line was a big cat. He fought the fish for a good 10 minutes before the hook pulled out. The day started out ominously for me when I had 2 hookups but lost both fishes when the tippet broke. I lost a red woolly bugger and a BOC fly. Superstitiously, I changed to a new leader. With this new leader, I tried a new fly which I had just tied the day before - Chinchilla rabbit zonker with Black hackle. Perhaps this should be named the CB fly. ;D The sky was darkening with clouds so I thought a grey-coloured fly would work better. A few cast and some slow strips was amply rewarded with a sudden jerk on the line. The fish took off like a sprinter off the blocks. The pull was so strong it pulled up the slack line in a whirl that almost tangled on the reel. Instinctively, I moved to unravel the loose tangle. The fish went on a tear that took out almost all of the fly line. Then just as suddenly, it turned. I stripped the line furiously, and barely managed to maintain line tension. I knew then that I had a big cat on the line. With meters of line floating on the water, I then had to reel just as furiously to put it back on the reel. Then the big cat would tear off... and reverse again... time after time. I was relieved that I was using my 5wt. The big cat would have punished me on my 3wt. And so we slugged it out. Every time I brought the leader into the rod guides, the fish would just hover a meter below the surface and would not budge. Thirty minutes or so had gone by, my kids were watching and waiting anxiously at the side. To put an end to the stalemate, I dragged the rod sideways and walked along the edge of the pond. Slowly but surely, I managed to drag the big cat to the corner of the pond. The handler was standing by. When the tail came into view, the handler expertly grabbed it and it was landed. Not the biggest but quite a decent size fella and it gave a good account of itself. A friend suggested that it was time for a coffee break and I thought that's a great idea. I set up a new BOC fly for my younger boy and let him fly fish for a while. I went up to the counter to have a cup of coffee. I took a sip of the coffee and casually looked across to see how my boy was doing. Shockingly, the rod was bend over and he was onto to a fish! Hurriedly, I rushed over. When I got there, boy G was straining under the load put on by the fish. I asked if he knew what fish it was. He was huffing and puffing and thought it could be another big cat! This time I decided not to interfere and let him fight his own fight. He said the fish was too strong. So, I instructed him to hold the rod upright and walk backwards, retrieve the line while walking forward again. This way, he would utilise his legs rather than his arms. With a bit of encouragement and coaching, he was able to subdue the cat in under 20 minutes. With 2 exhausting battles, my boy and I decided we needed a break and rested for half an hour. Not long after, my older boy lost another big cat after an exhausting battle of 20 minutes or more. So, we almost scored a hatrick of big cats. At about 11:30am, the sky opened up with a huge thunderstorm. We stopped fishing and went home with fond memories. ;D
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Post by motocafe on Sept 26, 2009 10:38:37 GMT 8
This morning, my BOC fly was not having the desired effect on the fish at FW3. So, I tried a white streamer and hooked up this medium sized CPC. Took almost 30 minutes to subdue this bugger. With the white fly demolished by the cat, I tied on a new fly, an Orange/White combo. This huge fat Pacu fell for it. Put up a spirited fight for another 30 minutes. Must have weighed at least 10 kg.
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Post by motocafe on Oct 1, 2009 19:53:45 GMT 8
Children's Day, also meant Fishing Day for my kids and I. Started the day's fishing with a nice catch of SongHe by Boy D. It was his 4th SongHe caught with fly. No photo taken as the fish sprang free just as it was close to being landed. Boy G landed a nice Kim Bak Lor on bait. After a good tussle with the fish, he wanted to take a break. So, I took up the chance to do some fly fishing and went over to a spot near the paddle wheel. Action was kinda slow. I changed flies repeatedly hoping to find one that appealed to the fish. Finally... success! A fly tied up just the night before did the trick - a streamer made with black hackle, chinchilla & natural brown rabbit zonkers. I thought it might looked like a small Tilapia. The take was slow. I saw my floating line drifting sideways. Instinctively, I stripped. A boil erupted and up sprang a KBL! Ahh, haven't caught one on fly for a long time. True to its species, it performed some spectacular acrobatics. It swam under the paddle wheel 3 times and 3 times I had to drag it out. Nicely hooked at the corner of its mouth, I took some pictures and released it back.
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Post by motocafe on Oct 2, 2009 18:58:03 GMT 8
Song on flyAnother SongHe on fly. Caught on a streamer tied with Pink zonker, Cream marabou & Brown hackle. Don't ask me why it works but it does, kekeke. ;D
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Post by motocafe on Oct 10, 2009 8:05:04 GMT 8
The coveted MilkfishI sensed that fly fishers prized the Milkfish as a coveted catch. I hooked and lost one at the Fly Clinic some 4 months ago but I have not even smell one since. I made up a new fly with orange & yellow zonkers, yellow hackle and gold eyeballs. I was hoping this will imitate a goldfish. Eagerly, I tried it out at FW3 not knowing what fish it would fool or if any. Did a slow strip. No take. Varied my retrieval. A long slow strip followed by a twitch at the end. Aaahhh, felt a tap on the line. Cast out again and did the same retrieval. About 3 meters out, felt a tug on the line. Stripped! Ho sei liao, fish on! A splash here, a splash there... still not sure what fish. Then a forked tail showed. Aha, the coveted Milkfish! Knowing how easily they throw the hook by jumping around, I maintained tension religiously without any slack line. Brought it close and the fish handler napped its tail by the hand... the hook fell out at the same time. Wah, heng ahh. Not a big fella but sure put up a spirited fight. Took a picture and let it go Inspected my fly and found it in good condition. Hmm, maybe can catch another one?? Cast out and did the same retrieval. About the same distance out, a tug... Stripped. Bam, another fish on! Immediately, I knew I was on to a good fish. Splash here, splash there like a jumping bean. No doubt, it was a Milkfish again... a bigger one. Many times it dive under the water paddle and many times I had to drag it out. Many times I brought it in and it would zipped out again. Pound for pound, a better fighter than the Kim Bak Lor. This one fought like a Pitbull, fought me for every inch of line. Took at least 15 minutes before it surrenderred the fight. No wonder it is so highly prized as a catch.
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Post by motocafe on Nov 26, 2009 22:07:09 GMT 8
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Post by xxJiMboZxx on Nov 27, 2009 7:05:36 GMT 8
Hey, Hey! why you always catch all these big monsters never jiou me? You becareful hor! catching biggies on 3wt can land you in Institute of Mental Health! ;D ;D ;D
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Post by motocafe on Nov 27, 2009 9:12:17 GMT 8
Hey, Hey! why you always catch all these big monsters never jiou me? You becareful hor! catching biggies on 3wt can land you in Institute of Mental Health! ;D ;D ;D Boh Li Yu, Oei, sure or not? Let me know when you free lah. Me, I very free one since it's school holiday now. FW3 open 24/7 okay - no excuse not to go. I tell u ah, 20kg cat on a 3wt like trying to move a mountain. Already have IMH Express admission card, kekeke. ;D ;D ;D
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Post by motocafe on Dec 3, 2009 15:57:08 GMT 8
BarraBarra caught on 3wt with a white hackle, orange/white rabbit zonkers fly. Two other Barras were lost on this same fly, one threw the hook and the other kept it for good... grrrrr.
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Post by motocafe on Dec 9, 2009 8:57:30 GMT 8
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Post by ninetail on Dec 14, 2009 14:45:57 GMT 8
Nice catch uncle. Wish i was there to do some flying too.. Miss the place and the ppls... my hand itch alot nowadays, but there is no time for me to fly. it's suck being oversea.
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Post by motocafe on Dec 16, 2009 22:16:10 GMT 8
Nice catch uncle. Wish i was there to do some flying too.. Miss the place and the ppls... my hand itch alot nowadays, but there is no time for me to fly. it's suck being oversea. Hey ninetail, When you get back, we can fly at night. Had a very productive 2 hours of night flying on 14 Dec. Started at 1am, ended at 3am. Landed a Redtail, a CPC & a Patin. Lost another fish when my Gama hook BROKE!
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Post by motocafe on Jan 8, 2010 15:44:05 GMT 8
Lucky #13?After enduring a couple of sessions whereby I ended up with zero catch, my patience was amply rewarded with this fine catch - a handsome 20+kg CPC. My new TFO 4wt was given a thorough workout and proved more than capable. The big cat was landed in 30 minutes but it wasn't easy, I struggled to tame it at times. This cat was teased with a blue hackle & chinchilla zonker fly. It was the 13th big cat I had landed so far. Lucky #13? Hope so.
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Post by motocafe on Jan 11, 2010 10:09:03 GMT 8
10 Jan - CPC on flyHaving reorientated themselves back to their school routines, my boys D&G were ready for a timeout at FW3. Boy D drew 1st blood with a very decent sized KBL on a fish bait. This KBL was a bruiser, never jumping or surfacing and fought more like a CPC. D said his hands were numbed by the strain of the fight. A second KBL was also landed by Boy D on a fish bait as well. The bite rate tapered off after that. So, I picked up my 5wt fly rod & an orange/yellow zonker fly to tempt the fishes. Soon after, I had a good fish on and handed over the fight to G. As I readied the camera, the line came back limp. The hook had broken off and slime on the leader indicated that it was a CPC. Encouraged, I worked the fly a bit more and was rewarded with another take. The fish shot off like Speedy Gonzales, stripping off all the fly line and into the backing. Then I had to reel like mad to put the line back when it retreated. This was repeated time and again. I was working the fish near the paddle wheel when it flew off again on another blistering run. This time, it worked itself round the woodwork near the landing platform. I had to negotiate myself around the edge of the pond to reach the landing platform. I could still feel the fish at the end of the line but the line was stuck. Incredibly, I was able to coax the fish back out by pulling on the line. Once the CPC was cleared of the woodwork, I handed the fight over to G. He brought it home to the landing platform. Not a big fish but this juvenile CPC gave us a good fight. Sometimes, the juveniles are a better fight than the big cats. They are real feisty and will go on blistering runs again and again whereas the big cats will simply torture you with their mass. Great fun to catch these juveniles on fly.
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