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Post by Qwek on May 5, 2005 10:07:31 GMT 8
Hi Folks, As promised, I will post the logs for Team-Coho during their recent trip to Maldives. The trip was logged by NutzFactory, aka the Nutty Professor. hehe. DAY 1To most of this Coho team, it would be a much anticipated return to our fishing paradise. However, for a few of us, this would be a first. William (Team Guide), Michael (Owner of Coho Fishing Tackle), Gerard, Amin, Lee and I, have made this 2102 mile (3382 km) journey quite a few times. However, for Andy, Mah, Gan and Moses, it was to be their virgin fishing safari to the Maldives. Q: A coconut for anyone who can guess who is the Nutty Professor. ;D With a recent trip report bearing less than positive news of strong winds and a mediocre result, the team nonetheless carried high hopes of trading blows with some of the ‘Gangsters of the Surf’, the Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and a chance to spot and, hopefully, land a few ‘Ghosts of the Flats’, the Bonefish (Albula vulpes). Armed to the teeth and toting rod tubes bearing a brand name like ‘Bazooka’, it was no wonder we were greeted with apprehensive stares from the airport personnel. With no real incidents, we arrived slightly before midnight to our awaiting host, Mohammed, who promptly led us to a Dhoni, or a boat taxi, that would send us to our Safari Dhoni, the Mashibaru. Once aboard, the team went about arranging their gears and their quarters before settling down for the night. The sun rises early in this part of the world. 5.30 am to be precise. The crew, captained by Ibrahim, had the boat leaving the harbour even before the whole team had awoken. Roused from their slumber by the steady drone of the engine, one by one, the team members began preparing for what was to be a long 8 hour journey to our fishing ground, Lhaviani Atoll (Faadhippolhu Atoll). To be continued...
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Post by Qwek on May 9, 2005 0:02:14 GMT 8
The Nutty Professor back on line.... 2 trolling rods, one paired with an Accurate, the other, a Penn International 30, trailed a Halco and a Rapala CD18 respectively. With the lures out, the team began to set up the fly arsenal that included rods from Sage and Winston to reels from Ross and Abel. Ranging from 6-weight to 10-weight rods, there were enough rods to arm our team three times over. Over the din of jovial bantering came Ibrahim's voice: "On!" In a split second, everyone was at battle-stations at the stern of the boat. Both the Penn and the Accurate had line peeling in a blur. Gerard was on the "fighting chair" while Mah took the rod standing. It seemed like a double hook up. Gerard started pumping the fish in an attempt to gain line. The boat was slowed and both rods started to put line back on the spool. However, the two lines had intertwined together. With one rod kept in tension, the other rod was passed over and under to clear the twist. When both lines were separated, it soon became clear that it was Mah's Rod that had the fish. Wanting to return the rod back to its rightful owner, Mah handed it to Amin who proceeded to wind back the already rapidly tiring fish. A white dot began to grow as it got closer and soon the form a huge Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) materialized in the clear waters below us. It was a monstrosity of a fish, tipping the scales at over 20kg. Would this herald the beginning of a fantastic trip? No one dared to say but I believe that in everyone's heart, a little spark was starting to ignite a small fire that would burn harder and brighter as the days went by. It was arranged that we would have a short session on the island of Maaduvari. As Ibrahim found us a good spot to weigh anchor, the team got to work gearing up with eager anticipation. It was a scene much akin to a squad preparing for a mission, with the battle-hardened squad leaders going about their tasks with a certain nonchalant proficiency. While the new recruits fumbled with unfamiliar gear and displaying expressions of hope, apprehension and excitement. Mind you that these are not inexperienced fly-fishermen. But with the immense array of equipment and gear, we were spoilt for choice as to what was needed and what was good to have. Vests, Camelbak water packs, Stripping baskets, Boga-grips, rods and reels. We had to balance mobility with functionality. The small, green dinghy was powered by a 4hp Yamaha outboard. The first wave brought 4 to the beach with the other 4 coming in the second wave. As Michael was down with fever, William had volunteered to stay onboard to accompany him. MY Motorola Talkabout squawked and I heard Michael asking us to bring some fish back for dinner. Gerard, Mah and I, headed to the right of the island while the rest of the group either hung around the landing point or proceeded left. Maaduvari is a small island that you can fish round in about 45 mins. The leeward side of the island has vegetation right to the edge of the beach with pockets of flats with good backcast space. Treading lightly in the water with Mah about 20m ahead of me, I made blind casts into the brown coral patches with my new nameless fly, a recipe I had concocted on the boat while on the way here. With a very slow strip, I worked my fly back towards me, bouncing it over the corals beneath. With the leader hanging out and the fly still in the water, I turned to make my way after Mah. Just as the fly started to move, I felt the fly line tug at my fingers and my rod started to flex a little. I raised the rod and slowly pulled the line in and "Zzzzzziiiiiiiip" I guided the remaining fly line back to the rod and then let the reel take over. Palming lightly, I tried to turn the fish and managed to disorient it enough to make it swim back towards me. With less than 10m, the fish took one look at me and went ballistic, peeling line off my spool at a mind boggling speed. I was beginning to worry about my line getting cut off amidst the corals beneath so I applied as much pressure as I dared and once again turned fish shore-wards. Reeling in as fast as the fish was swimming in, I was soon to my leader again and I caught my first glimpse of my piscatorial adversary. A nice sized Long-nosed Emperor (Lethrinus olivaceus). Barely 15mins after making landfall, and I already had the fish for dinner. The only problem was how to lug the fish around. I had a small Camelbak backpack with hardly any space for anything else. So I lipped the fish with my Boga-grip and hung it off my belt. I had to be extra alert, in case, an over-famished shark tries cash in on a free lunch and my bum, of course. Mah, while watching my tussle with the emperor got a hit and started his own little skirmish. However, it was to be a short affair as he suddenly felt the line go limp. The fish had thrown the hook. About 5pm, we radioed the boat to pick us up and we made way for Kurendhoo, where we would be spending the night. Ibrahim, the captain and, Hussain and Wahab, the deckhands are natives of Kurendhoo while Susantha, the cook, is a Sri Lankan. There we would have dinner and have our freshwater topped up for the next day's excursion. On board, we had the first of many updates; Gerard had hooked a humongous Titan Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) on a crab pattern. Gan, scored a honeycomb grouper (Epinephelus merra) and a Banded Needlefish (Strongylura leiura) on a Crazy Charlie. William and Michael had been busy themselves, accounting for a few groupers and triggerfishes from bottom fishing. Exchanging fly rods for some light tackle trolling, William and Gan began trolling from the stern of the Mashibaru. Over at the bow of the boat, Mah and Gerard had a go at popping. On the approach to Kurendhoo's edge, Mah's popper was engulfed in a wild splash and line started to pull off the spool. Using only a light popping rod and a small popper, He had a real fight in his hand. Making his way gingerly to the stern while trying to maintain pressure on the fish, slowly but surely, he recovered line. Not giving in easily, the fish made a few more dashes back towards the coral heads. With slow and steady strokes, Mah finally coaxes a beautiful Green Jobfish (Aprion virescens) back to the waiting gaff. When we got going again, the trolling duo turned up the heat with a double hookup. Gan wrestled a nice Black Grouper while William easily bullied a Yellowledge Lyretail (Variola louti ) on board. Along the outer walls of Kurendhoo harbour, were reminders of the power of the recent tsunami. Although spared largely due the almost vertical nature of its geography, Maldives, nonetheless, felt her fury. The 2 concrete walls, that was the entrance to the harbour, were all but washed away. The outer wall had caved-in in a few areas and there was a deep undercut where the wall met the rocks. It was told to us that funding will be given to help rebuild the harbour walls. Guiding her gently through the harbour mouth, Ibrahim found Mashibaru her berth and brought her to a stop. The action didn�t end in the harbour. At sunset, baitfish congregation in the harbour was at its greatest. A blanket of brown beneath the water surface, it would suddenly come to life in a magical dance as predators rounded them up from below. What sounded like sizzling oil was actually baitfish in the millions jumping out of the water, trying to escape from the jaws of death. From above, this struggle of life and death seemed like a magnificently choreographed musical fountain, swaying right one moment and then, left the next. And so, with the last light fading into the horizon, the enthralling performance ended as the school made their way out of the harbour. This amazing scene was to repeat itself over the next couple of nights we were anchored here. End of Day 1, Good night folks.
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Post by alberto on May 9, 2005 12:19:53 GMT 8
More!! More!!! More!!!!
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Post by Qwek on May 9, 2005 13:56:29 GMT 8
More!! More!!! More!!!! Comin' comin' comin'
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Post by Mattseah on May 15, 2005 14:55:25 GMT 8
thats it guys... with such beutiful pics and narrantion.. i've made up my mind.. im joining you guys for the 2007 trip.. just 1 year and 11 months to go happy fishing guys
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Post by Qwek on May 15, 2005 22:29:31 GMT 8
Day 2:Sleeping on the top deck, the roaring of the engine brought me back from dreamland. One by one we rolled our mattresses, pillows and blankets into one giant swiss-roll and proceeded to descend back into our cabins to put away our stuff. Everyone was bright and chirpy, even Michael, who was still nursing his sore throat and cough. Coffee, tea and milo was served with sausages, omelettes and baked beans. There was also a choice of toast bread or our very own Gardenia. While we tucked ourselves into a very hearty breakfast, Ibrahim plotted a course due west to Maavaafushi. An hour later, we were all ready for our first full day of fishing. 5 of us eagerly boarded the dinghy and headed to shore. When we got to shore, Moses exclaimed: "Who took my Rod?!" Everyone checked and found that we each had our own. Michael went to have a look at Moses's rod and discovered Moses had taken his 9wt Winston XTR. This had us all bowling over in laughter. When we had composed ourselves, the first wave went in separate directions. Walking with Gerard, we spread out to cover more water and soon enough we were on to something. Combing the flats to the left of the island, Gerard spotted a school of mullets. From experience, there was a possibility of bonefish following behind mullet schools. Through polarized glasses, Gerard scanned intensely and made out some dark forms behind the school. "Bonefish following the mullets", Gerard yelled and let go a cast. I was still trying to locate the school which was hard to spot in the glistening water surface. Even with my glasses on, the glare was still preventing me from seeing the fish. "Fish on!" cried Gerard, as the purring of his reel grew louder, drowning his voice. It was like music to our ears. The individual clicks of the Abel Super 6 mixed into a single continuous melody. The bonefish had seen his crab and turned from the school and in a flash, sucked it into its down-turned mouth. Feeling the crunching of the crab, Gerard pulled the line tight and the silver torpedo launched itself towards the open waters, effectively setting the hook itself. The rod bucked but the 33lbs bite tippet held and the tug of war raged with each side gaining and losing line a few times. Winding my line up, I prepared to help Gerard with the photo session. Each time he put line back on the spool, in the blink on an eye, with line streaking through the water, his adversary had him into his backing again. Wearing the fish out, Gerard finally had the leader within reach. A nice 2 lbs bonefish. A few quick snaps above and underwater and the fish was released safely. Then, came a call of nature and I had to scramble to find secluded spot to dump my load. Returning to the beach, there ahead of my by the shoreline were 3 long shadows. Quickly, stripping the belly out of rod, I took a few slow steps forward as far as I could without spooking the fish. With 2 backcast, I let fly the size 2 crab to the side of the school. With a �plop�, the crab landed 2 feet to the right. Too close, I thought. Thankfully, not only did the fish not get spooked, one of the three turned towards my crab. One short strip and the fish turned tail and ran. The line ran through the loop made by my thumb and index finger and slapped onto the blank. "Whrrrrrrrr�" the handle of the reel, lost in blur. The first run took me into my backing. Seeing the line cut through the water throwing up a mini rooster tail like a F1 powerboat, I was sure it was a bonefish. My first bone! Or so I thought. A 20lbs bite tippet seemed overkill when fishing for peacock bass back home but here I was not sure if it was going to be enough to keep my fish on for long. Applying just enough pressure to turn the fish but not pop the tippet, I worked the fish towards me but it would be another two more runs before I�d get to see the fish up close. And close it was. They look so much alike and well, they fought so much alike that I�d thought I�d caught my bone. It turned out to be a double-barred Goatfish (Parupeneus bifasciatus). Out came the camera for the customary mug-shot but this fish was destined to be on our table. Sorry mate. Hanging around, I continued to scour the shallows for the tell-tale shadows of the bonefish on the bottom. The wind had died down leaving a mirror calm surface that was great for spotting fish but which also made them more easily spooked. The Michael called out to me: "Mel, 10 o�clock." Turning round, there, lying not more than 60 feet away from me, the distinctive torpedo shape of a huge bonefish. Not wanting to spook the fish, I made a couple of false casts and dropped the fly to the side of the fish. TI came up 10 feet short. The fish made no move to suggest it had been frightened. Another cast this time closer but ahead of the fish but still no response. Slowly, the fish cruised away. Was iit not feeding or was it my crab fly? Unconvinced, I continued to fish with the crab. Ahead of me down the length of the beach, the rest of the team had taken up stations about 40 � 50 feet apart. Next, came William�s hail:� Mel, bonefish coming towards you!� Looking to my right down the beach, I couldn�t see anything and then there it was, as if magically materializing from thin air, a long bluish shape. Somehow the slightly deeper water and the blue sky had given the mirror-like scales a bluish tint that made it easily seen at close distances. I made a quick cast when it was about 40 feet away and then waited for the crab to hit bottom. I gave it a quick, short strip to get the fish's attention and then slowly dragged the crab on the bottom. I saw it move over but it didn�t seem to have reached my fly when I felt the resistance. Just as I stripped to strike, the fish took off at the same instance. I was left with a broken piece of 20lbs tippet and one crac less. After picking on a few small Bluefin Trevallies, it was time to head back to Mashibaru for lunch. With all accounted for, Gerard was the only one still out fishing. Hailing him on the radio got no response. So we waited for him onboard. Amidst our chattering, the little outboard coughed to life and left to pick-up our straggling Gerard. A few minutes later, we heard shouting from afar and got up to see Gerard waving frantically, a colossal GT hanging from his Boga Grip. We jumped up and headed to the stern to greet him. I grabbed my video cam and proceeded to the top deck to film his �triumphant� return. With the dinghy alongside, we saw a hand pass the Boga-grip to Ibrahim who struggled to pull its load aboard. Next we saw a silvery gray body, that didn�t seem to end, slowly slide aboard the boat. It was huge. When Gerard handed the rod to Ibrahim while he pulled himself up, I heard what should amount to be the quote of the trip. "U caught this fish on THIS rod", a look of utter disbelieve on Ibrahim's face. Smiles broke out on everyone's face. The Boga-grip�s scale almost maxed out. 28 lbs!!! Gerard had spotted the fish cruising lazily along the flats. Changing from a crab to a 4-inch camo and bucktail white clouser, the grey giant turned the instant the fly hit the water and charged into it. There was no need to strike as the ferocity of the take and the subsequent take-off had the clouser firmly embedded in the top of its mouth just in front its fearsome crusher plates. With the grey hulk going off at top gear, all Gerard can do is hang on. Having just upgraded his reel with 250m of PE4 backing, Gerard was only too glad to let the "gangster of the reef" bulldoze its way around the relatively flat ground before him. Increasing the drag of his Abel Super 6 two clicks at a time, he started to turn the fish once he felt the fish unable to take line off his spool. The Winston Rod bent to its full flex, Gerard artfully used the butt power of the rod, coupled with the drag of his reel to muscle the monster back towards shore. Like a mismatch between a heavyweight champion against a flyweight boxer, the two opponents exchanged punches and dodged blows. The match lasted a full half hour before David overpowered Goliath. Being alone and having been tired out by the long-drawn battle, Gerard could only muster the energy to lip-grip and drag the fish to landing point. Getting Wahab to be the photographer, he posed with the fish for a few shots before hauling it aboard the dinghy to return to base. His hands were still shaking as he shared the story over lunch. To be continued...
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Post by alberto on May 16, 2005 10:35:12 GMT 8
Must start saving money for the trip ...Must start saving money for the trip ...Must start saving money for the trip Alberto
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Post by Darrell on May 23, 2005 23:03:33 GMT 8
Hi Qwek,
Lovely pics and layout, and congratulations to everyone on the great catch.
I would like to know if anyone here has fished the Maldives in the October to December period, to make an informed comparison of the quality and abundance of fish (particularly bonefish) at that time with the more popular time of March to May?
regards, Darrell
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Post by Qwek on May 24, 2005 8:09:49 GMT 8
Hello Darrell,
Great to "see" you again! Hope to see more of your adventure as well. The Maldives are taken the folks from Coho, and the write-up is by Melvin aka the Nutzfactory better known the Nutty Professor. The log and more pictures are still coming, watch out for them. Wish I was on that trip.
I will forward your enquiries to them regarding fishing at Maldives at year-end.
Cheers Qwek
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Post by Darrell on May 24, 2005 17:44:25 GMT 8
Hi Qwek
I dont want to spoil your quizz, but I am curious about the names of all the guys in the pic. I recognise Gerard and Amin and Michael Boey, but I'm not sure of the others, regrettably. A left-to-right naming would be much appreciated.
I really should speak to the guys at Coho regarding my question of seasons in the Maldives, perhaps I should call them one of these mornings.
many thanks, Darrell
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Post by Qwek on May 24, 2005 21:07:07 GMT 8
Hi Darrell,
Don't worry about the coconut, the Bear got tired of holding the nut. So he eat the whole thing husk and shell!
Ok, here's the line-up (from left to right):
Gerard, Lee, Andy, Amin, Mario, Kang, Michael, Moses, William, Mah and Melvin.
btw, saw a picture of you holding a very big bonefish at Nick's place on Sunday. Nice catch!
Cheers Qwek
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Post by Darrell on May 25, 2005 18:56:16 GMT 8
Hi Qwek Thanks for the Coho team names, much appreciated. I'm surprised you managed to see my pic in Nicks place. So many pics... almost wallpaper. Yep, we were following the footsteps that you guys have been treading for many years, we did a trip in Nov. 2004. Lots of cloud and rainy weather. I have been very concerned about the locals there, after the tsunami. Were any of the villagers killed? Ibrahim had 4 or 5 cute little children, I'd dread to think they might have been hurt: www.geocities.com/stronty2004/MashCrewKids.jpg[/img]rgds.
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Post by cobbler on Jul 20, 2005 15:02:55 GMT 8
Hi
Just wanted to check whether is a clear fly line really that important in saltwater fishing, does it really make a difference.
What brands are there of fly lines that are clear intermediate series and what are their price range like?
Hope you folks get what i am trying to say as i am still a newbie when it comes to waving the wand.
Thanks & Cheers
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Post by kelvin on Aug 8, 2005 20:25:12 GMT 8
Guys It looks like you had a great trip. It must have been awesome sightcasting to the Big GT in the shallows!!! What's the approximate cost of the trip per head ex-Singapore?? Have you guys thought about doing a trip to Xmas Island? Kelvin
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Post by Qwek on Aug 25, 2005 9:01:17 GMT 8
Hey Nutty,
Maybe you want to continue where i stopped. My photobucket getting full, and i can't post anymore pictures for you guy. Meanwhile, you may want to reply to cobbler and kelvin on the saltwater tackles used for the trip.
Cheers Qwek
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