Fishing Adventure of NorthernHardcoreFisherman

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Malaysia Fishing Trip: Fishing Expedition 2012 Pt 2, Cherating and Chendor | FishingAdvNHF

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I was right on the weather forecast as the rain kept going through out the whole night, which gave me a very nice sleep too in my car. I woke up at 6:47am as it's still drizzling I lazying inside my car and was so reluctant to get up. It took me around thirty minutes to persuade myself to get out from my car and I told myself that I shouldn't waste time here.

The Chendor Reast Area

Forcing myself out from my warm car seat and went for brushing up, the time was around 7:30am. It was freezing cold outside when I stepped out from my car but at the same time the cold air helps to chase away all the sleeping bugs.

The place I was at is called Bandar Baru Chendor, it is located in the state of Pahang and is a stone throw away from the famous Cherating Beach, which is also where the famous Club Med is located.

Made myself a cup of "Renggit White Coffee" and had some bread which I bought from Johor Bahru for breakfast.

While taking my breakfast I browsed through the old map which I bought in 2004 during my family holiday trip, with that map I was able to travel across most parts of the West Malaysia. That 2004 trip is the longest drive I ever recorded, it covered around three thousands kilometer from the southern part of West Malaysia, which is Johor Bahru to Alor Setar in Perlis, the furthest north and cutting through the Peninsular I entered the eastern part where I visited Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, I ended the round trip at Johor Bahru after eleven days.

With the help from the map and the Nokia map on my Nokia C6, I found a spot which looked potential and it is not very far away from where I was. So my first destination was decided and it was the Chendor Beach.

On the above map you can see the marking and that is where I will be heading to. Noted that there is no decent path to access the spot.

I figured that I would not be able to get any food once I am in the spot, although I still have some bread left but I decided to have a second breakfast at this Malay eating house. Ordered the Mee Kuah (Soupy Noodles) and a piece of Fried Chicken for side dish.

The meal was delicious and the chicken was tender fresh, but it was cooked with too much of salt and soy sauce added. I needed two glasses of the Ice Lemonade to neutralize my taste bud. As my mother-in-law always quoted; She live near to the seaside, whenever the dishes she cooked were too salty. Which was very true as this eating house is very near to the seaside.

According to the map the spot is located next to this Chendor Beach Recreation Park. So after the salty breakfast I drove to this place to find my way into the spot.

It was a cool morning here at the Chendor beach as you can see the water droplet on the lively tree branches, the evidence of the overnight downpour was still visible. Although the rain had stopped but the rain cloud seems like wasn't ready to leave this area yet.

I drove around the park but I couldn't find any path that could lead me into the spot, based on the GPS guided Nokia map pointed out that I was right beside it. I decided to come out from my car and explored the place on foot.

The first expedition was cut short as I saw a huge bee hive hanging on a tree, a battalion of bees were spotted guarding their fortress and as I was not sure if I could handle the attack, I decided to retreat back to my car.

The second expedition looked promising as I found a small lane beside the beach and it seems like it is linked to the spot.

I followed the trail into this place, it was quite empty on the first glance and the trees looked organized. As I walked in further I was convinced that this place was once a recreation park which was built by the local government. Just like many other places in Malaysia where I had visited, abandoned projects could be easily spotted. For this place it was either lack of maintenance or it might have been abandoned as well.

This Attap looks alike tree was spotted inside here, anyone know what is it?

The expedition ended at this point here as you can see that thick bushes were blocking my way, as I wasn't prepared for this I had to called it off from here. I should have brought along my long machete to bash through this thick bushes.

It was around 9:30am. The rain cloud started to fade away slowly. Warm sunlight began to beam down to this part of the Earth and the temperature was climbing upward silently. I was inside this place enjoying this peaceful and relaxing moment that Mother Nature can offer. Breezes from the South China Sea stroked the trees branches gently, creating a constant rhythm of branches swinging back and forth. The overnight shower had moistened the soil here and earthworms were sneaking out from their holes due to the lack of oxygen. Immediately, they were preyed on by the hungry birds that had been waiting patiently since early morning. Happy songs could be heard from the birds after they were fed. Greedily, I sniffed the fresh morning air. It is hard to find such fresh air where I am living as most of the time I have to suffer from the polluted air caused by the rapidly growing modern world.

I reluctantly walked away from this place as I still had unaccomplished mission on my schedule. Got back on to this narrow mud lane I continued to explore with the help from my Nokia C6.

Backed in the year of 2007 I did a exploring trip in Tanah Merah, Singapore, in that trip I had learned something when you couldn't find the way to get in or get out. (I will backdate and blog about that trip in the later stage)

The trick is that when you are lost in somewhere and it seems like you are returning to the same old place again and again, do not panic and keep calm. Stop your car if you are driving and get out from it, sit down or stroll around without thinking of how to find the way, lid a cigarette and enjoy the moment. After the pause restart your journey and I guaranteed you that you will be able to get to where you wanted. By the way it might not work if you can not calm yourself down.

Without loosing faith I eventually came upon this track and it is leading to the direction of that spot. Oh! For your information this part of the Earth wasn't shown on the Nokia map, lucky for me the GPS did track me and it did show where I was, which's just right at the edge of the mystery land.

I decided to explore the place on foot as I didn't want to take the risk of having my car stuck in this No Man's land. What was waiting behind that darkness was unknown, there might be another thick bushes which would hampered my exploring again or some wild animals could be ambushing there and waiting for me to walk into their trap.

No predators waiting for me here after I went through the darkness, the path is clear but with a pot hole full of rain water in it.

The thought of driving through that pot hole arose as I saw tire marks on the ground. But decided to skip that thought as it was really not worth of the risk.

As I walked further in I saw the opening. Sunlight could be seen and the sign excited me.

Yes! I made it! Passing through that opening I was welcomed by this vast and wide beach, I knew that I had found the spot.

This beach somehow is quite identical to the Air Papan Beach in Mersing, Johor. It stretches over an area of roughly ten football field and it's flat, from where I stood you can see that the shore line is quite a distance away.

There is a stretch of rocks over at the far left corner and based on the map that is the farthest point. Anglers prefer to cast their baits around this kind of area as fishes like to make the rock their home. I proceeded the marching towards that spot without any fishing gears, I wanted to find out more on the spot before I decide what to bring. This was due to the distance and I had to reached the spot on foot.

The sand was getting softer as I approached towards the shore line and it was forming a tall sand bar which was blocking my way. Although it was not very steep but I had a hard time climbing over it due to the softness of it, my feet sank around two inches into the soft sand and extra efforts was needed to pull out my slippers. This tall sand bar was most probably caused by the wave. During the North-Eastern Monsoon Season the East Coast here has to endure the strong wind and high wave, this force might have pushed the sand inward and formed the higher sand bar here.

Though it was tedious but I wasn't ready to give up and as I closed the gap towards the top, I could hear the roaring of the wave when it assaulted the beach.

Yes! I made it! This is the spot. But the weather was not that good, wind was strong and the sea looked choppy.

The sky was blanketed with rain cloud. Will it rain? At this point I could only pray for the strong wind to blow away those dark cloud.

This spot is an extension from the small hill at the edge of this beach and over the years sea sand slowly covered up most part of the cliff, a perfect breeding ground for fishes was formed.

I had walked around one kilometer to here and I wasn't sure if my car would be safe inside that jungle. But... why bother?

The sky brighten up as I explored the place. I became more excited when I found out that the wind was blowing out towards the open sea, this gave me a great opportunity to do the Kite Fishing. So after taking a few more selfies I returned back to my car for the Kite Fishing gears.

To be continue....

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Always Tight Line, Hardcore is the Spirit!

Malaysia Fishing Trip: Fishing Expedition 2012 Pt 1, The Journey Begin | FishingAdvNHF

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On the 14th March 2012, I set off for another Long Distance Excursion cum Fishing Trip after a year of resting, this was the second trip that I had made to the Terengganu, Check out the 2011 trip blog here.

This year I choose a different route compared to the 2011 trip, I en-routed the North-South Highway of Malaysia and cutting through via the East Coast Highway to reach there. Although the distance was much further but I could cut short the travelling time by going at a higher speed on the highway and I would be able to avoid being blocked by the snailing timber trucks or any other slow moving vehicles, it would be more enjoyable to drive on the more even and straighter roads as well.

It turned out to be a big mistake. Although I managed to drive faster with my car's speedometer topping 190kmh at one stage, it is a fact that I am a human being and I need some rest on a long exhausting drive. In the end I only managed to gain a mere 30 minutes faster than the previous trip but I traveled some 150km more in distance! However, I had the chance to visit the Lentang Forest Recreation Park at the center of Malaysia.

My journey began at five o'clock in the morning from my home in Singapore. After some shopping and filled up the fuel tank at a petrol station, I entered the North-South Malaysia Highway and drove all the way to Malacca, made a short break at the Ayer Keroh Overhead-Bridge Rest Area and continued the journey towards Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

Passing through the busy capital I slid right towards the center of Malaysia. After numerous of highways and traffic jam I managed to get into the Karak Highway which would link to the East Coast Highway. At this point I started to realize how foolish it was to choose this route. Due to the distance and continuous drive, I got exhausted and needed more breaks to keep myself awake. The Metropolitan, Kuala Lumpur is full of vehicles where I was stuck at a few areas and it's tedious.

I struggled off from the Metropolitan and heading towards Kuantan via the Karak Highway, as I was exhausted I pulled over yet again at the Karak Rest Area to restore my energy.

While resting at the Karak Rest Area I found some hidden paradise beside it. There is a stream flowing down from the Titiwansa Mountains right beside this place, I climbed down to the lower ground and was fascinated by the view.

This is a place that you wouldn't get to visit everyday and it's especially true for me. I have been living in the concrete jungle of Singapore for the past twenty-four years, with almost every building built in similar shape and cramped into a tiny housing estate, this place gave me the kind of refreshment that none other could offer, not even the "Fisherman's Friend"

I mistakenly made a wrong turn while I was making the exit from the Karak Rest Area and I came upon this place, Lentang Hutan Lipur Recreation Park.

It is quite obvious that the temperature in the Lentang Forest Recreation Park is much lower. The park is surrounded with tall trees and various kind of tropical plants, the hot sun beam is minimized here thanks to the shelter provided by the trees. The stream that I encounter at the Karak Rest Area is being enlarged here, it flow rapidly from the peak of the Titiwansa Mountains towards the lower ground and this cold speedy mountain water helps to bring down the Celsius too. As I stepped out from my car the sharp pitch sound created by the desperate male Cicadas singing loudly in the attempt to attract the opposite gender was broadcast at every corner of the park, this is something you can never hear in the city.

Various kind of weird plants are found here and I almost leaned on to this tree that is full of long spikes, Ouch!

The Lentang Hutan Lipur Recration Park

After the much needed rest with a bonus refreshment treat from the Lentang Forest Recreation Park I continued my journey towards Temerloh. At this point of time the weather started to change, sky was colored grey and soon after it started to drizzle.

Had my first shower at the Temerloh Rest Area after almost twelve hours of driving and made myself a cup of "Renggit White Coffee". Yay!

The Renggit White Coffee

Hot Water in Flask

Adding Coffee Powder

Adding Hot Water

Stirring the mixture

Filtering with the Socks

Vuala!

The "Renggit White Coffee" didn't manage to keep me awake for long and I decided to have some rest here before I continued my journey. Two hours later at around evening time I restarted the journey towards Kuantan.

It was around 7:30pm and the rain became heavier. I reached Kuantan with my tired body and empty stomach, my energy level was extremely low and I needed some food! The food here is quite similar to what I used to have at Johor, you can easily find Nasi Goreng Ayam (Fried Rice with Chicken), Nasi Goreng Kampung (Fried Rice with Small Salted Fish) Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles) etc. I am not really a food lover and is not fussy with food, most of the time I prefer something which's high in energy that will last for the rest of the day.

Randomly I drove along the main road looking for any food stall and I saw this stall which I had my dinner here during the 2011 trip, I remembered the fried rice here was delicious. Without much hesitation I pulled over at the stall and ordered the same food, which's the Nasi Goreng Ayam (Fried Rice with Chicken) with some long beans and a bowl of soup.

The rain didn't stop and it looks like it's going to rain forever. I left the stall and drove off to search for a place to spend the rest of the night. I came upon this Chendor Rest Area and had my shower here, with the rain drops kept falling on to the roof top of my car I slowly but surely fading into the la la land...

The Chendor Rest Area

To be continue....

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Always Tight Line, Hardcore is the Spirit!

Malaysia Fishing Trip: 12kg Stingray caught at Batu Layar Beach, Desaru | FishingAdvNHF

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Batu Layar Beach is located at South-Eastern Coast of the Johor state in West Malaysia, it's around 15km away from the famous tourist place Desaru. A great fishing spot that produced many good catches and it is easier and faster to reach thanks to the new Senai-Desaru Highway.

The New Route via Senai-Desaru Highway

The Old Route via Kota Tinggi

In the past travelers who wished to visit Desaru or Pengerang they needed to en-routed the Jalan Kota Tinggi, the distance and the time consumed had stopped some, that included me as I didn't really pay much attention onto this spot in the past. When I learned about the new highway had been completed in 2011, I decided to find out how fast I could reach Desaru using this new highway. The Senai-Desaru Highway reduced the distance by a mere fourteen kilometer. However, the traveling time could be shorten as the speed limit is higher than the Jalan Kota Tinggi at 110km/h and of cause, I wouldn't waste the opportunity not to do some fishing at Desaru.

Colin was equally excited when I mentioned my plan to him. So on the night of 24th April 2011 we left Singapore and began our exploration cum fishing trip to Desaru. Entrance to the highway is at Ulu Tiram and the distance towards the Penawar is 51km, it is also where the highway ended. Fifteen minutes was all I needed on the highway as I was traveling slightly over the speed limit. : ) I was very impressed by the amount of time saved, the traveling time is being shorten almost by half! Back then almost two hours was required and the old route is not as user friendly as this new highway.

At around 2:30am Colin and I reached Bandar Penawar, a small town beside Desaru. We headed straight towards Desaru but were stopped by security personnel, we were told that due to some robbery cases reported recently, visitors were not allowed to enter the beach during the night. I tried to negotiate with them and even offered to pay for the access but to no avail. When we were making our way out I told Colin that on my previous trip here I was told by the locals about this place called Batu Layar, the locals said that the spot is more productive than the Desaru. I didn't visit the place back then as I was advised not to do it during the night. I suggested to explore the Batu Layar and find out if it is really live up to its name.

Colin didn't object my suggestion as he too like to try out new spot. I followed the direction given by the locals and entered to this pitch dark road at the first roundabout, we were traveling southward on this old coastal road. Fifteen minutes later we saw a signboard written "Batu Layar Beach Resort", we went into the place but to find out it doesn't match the description I was briefed by the locals. We continued further on the path and eventually we found the beach.

The Spot

The spot we went is accessible through a small narrow mud lane, it was quite windy that night but we were not deterred by it. It matched the description from the locals, long and wide stretch of sandy beach facing the mighty South China Sea. It was around 4am and it was really dark here, with the help of our headlamps we set-up our gears and we were ready for some action.

Some frozen bait were brought and after we had done on the long surf casting fishing rods, we shifted our focus on hooking up the small fishes here for bait. Many years ago when I was fishing at the Air Papan Beach, Mersing, I was taught by an angler there on a "Stingray Killer" tactic. According to him Stingrays love the Whitting, a common specie that can be found at most of the seaside. When the Stingrays roam around the shallow water near to the shore, they are searching for Whitting. He told me to prepare another fishing rod and hunt for the Whitting, a Sabiki multi hooks rig would do a good job. For quick result tiny bait such as shredded prawn meat or sea worms could be added. Once the Whitting was hooked up, cut it into half and cast it out immediately. This tactic was proven as a 8kg Stingray was landed back in 2009 at Air Papan Beach, Mersing.

The Whitting

It was no different here as the Whitting was hooked up as soon as the Sabaki Multi Hooks Set was cast out, within half an hour we managed to gather around twenty pieces of Whitting for bait. We figured that it should be sufficient for both of us throughout the trip and decided to pause the action.

Breaking Dawn

It was about to break dawn, both Colin and I sat down on the beach and waiting for the magnificent sunrise at this eastern coast of West Malaysia. The skyline gradually brighten up which signaled the beginning of the new day, this breath taking moment always gives some inspiration and motivation. While we embracing the warmth from the Sun we restarted our activities after the break.

Sunrise at Batu Layar Beach

Bait was replaced with freshly caught Whitting every twenty minutes and Colin picked up his shorter rod and began to hunt for Whitting. I decided to change my rig onto the Apollo style Double Hook set and hook line was shorten to one feet, hook size was remained at size 0/3.

The Converted Pioneer 13 Footer Multiplier Surf Casting Fishing Rod

Busy Man

Waiting for Action

Long and Wide Beach

As the day gets brighter the temperature went higher too, our action were slowed down and Colin started to loose faith on his rig setting.

Preparing the Secret Weapon

I began to feel tired as I was working for the whole day before I came here. I decided to stroll around this spot and it was then I found out that beside having beautiful beach, this place has more natural beauties which were not visible during the dark night.

Selfie at Batu Layar Beach

Rocky Beach at the Far Left

Incoming Tide slowly Submerse those Rocks

Another Beach on the Left

The Tropical heat is unbearable even for the locals and we were wearing out faster than we could imagine. We hid ourselves under the shade of some large trees and we agreed to call it a day an hour later. The sea breeze cooled down my body temperature slightly and I slowly switched my sitting position into laying position. I found it difficult to maintain on the awaking mode and I could feel my eye lips were getting heavier too. The constant rhythm of the wave resembled Lullaby to my ears and I was slowly but surely fading into my la la land....

"Your fishing rod! It fall down!"

What?! My fishing rod fell down? The yelling from Colin was like a electric shock struck on me and I stood up immediately to search for my fishing rod.

Rod Holder Down

To my shocking, I couldn't see my fishing rod and the image of the fishing rod holder fallen was terrifying. Trail mark was spotted towards the sea and as I ran over I finally saw my fishing rod, it was being dragged on the beach and it was on it's way into the mighty South China Sea. The pace of my fishing rod was not very fast but as I was thirty feet away from my initial position, it outrun

me and I could see the first section of the fishing rod was already inside the sea.

Miraculously my fishing rod stopped while I was still ten feet away, the longer power handle which I replaced on my "Abu Garcia" saved the day. Not only it caused resistance as it was dragged on the beach, it jammed the movement of the fishing rod as the sand on the shore line is more solid.

The Fight is On!

I sprinted over and grabbed the fishing rod from the ground, when I lifted up the fishing rod immediately strong tug was felt. Without hesitation I whacked the fishing rod backward hard and strong to set in the hook, the creature over the other end panicked and dashed out vigorously. Man! She was strong!

Let It Run

By now I had found out why the fishing rod fell down and was being dragged away, the reel's drag tension was set to the maximum when I did the casting and I forgot to loosen it. The force over the end of my fishing line was so muscular that I needed to loosen the drag tension quickly to prevent this 18lbs fishing line from bursting. Almost instantly the spool of the "Abu Garcia" spun like a Gasing (Top), the fishing line was stripped off and within minutes the diameter of the winding lines was reduced significantly.

Recover Some Ground

"Abu Garcia" is a very good surf casting reel as it is light and easy to maintain. I am using the model 6600 C4 which is a birthday gift from my sister. The reel was modified with Mono Mag Braking System for better control, Tournament Brass Bullet and Rocket Bearing for smoother casting and the chassis was modified onto Open Cage or CT Cage to minimize resistance, Fishing line Guide and Clicker was removed as well. But it is quite weak on it's drag system and that is the area that I didn't pay much attention. I always thought that it should be capable of handling the monster fish found on the seaside, I never expect something as strong as a Blue Fin Tuna to be hooked up.

Although the creature that I hooked up was not into the category of Blue Fin Tuna but she is definitely the strongest that the "Abu Garcia" had faced. The Star drag tension was loosen by one and a half round, fishing line was stripped non stop. I had no choice but to carefully increase the Star Drag tension, the fishing rod was lifted up high and firmly held at around eighty degree. I needed to ensure the fishing line was tight so that the pressure could be applied onto that creature.

The pace of the run slowed down after a minute, sizing the opportunity I rapidly turned the power handle clockwise to recover some fishing line, while retrieving the fishing line I lowered the fishing rod but kept the line tension high. When my fishing rod reached around thirty degree I pumped the creature back by lifting back the fishing rod to around eighty degree. I managed to pulled the creature closer to the shore and I was both excited and puzzled.

"It surrender so easily? The run earlier was so scary and I thought I had loss it." I told Colin who was just beside me

"Maybe the initial sprint exhausted it." Colin replied, he was using his Iphone's camera to record the footage.

"Maybe.... What the...! It stuck!" I was not able to lift my fishing rod and the resistance resemble the snagged line. The creature had resorted to the survival tactic of buried itself onto the seabed.

"Confirm is the Stingray! Hold on to it, don't let the fishing line slacked." Colin got excited as this should be the largest Stingray we landed judging from it's run. He kept walking up to the shore line and I had to remind him to point the Iphone camera on me.

Five minutes of eagerly waiting and withholding later the Stingray loss it's cool and began to maneuver. I kept my calm and waited for the run, my fishing rod was held at the same position and the fishing line was tight.

"Eh? It is gone? Why I can't feel it?" I tried to lift the fishing rod to a higher point and found there was almost zero resistance from the other end.

"Hurry! Reel back! It might be making a U-turn." Colin was almost shouting at me.

I thought I had loss it

Never heard before a Stingray would make a U-turn back to the shore line, what was happening? Or the Stingray had broke free? I asked myself.

No! It didn't! It was still there and it was not making the U-turn either. The Stingray was shifting itself towards the right side slowly, not sure if it was the wave or itself had loss it's direction, the Stingray was getting closer to the shore as it trying to move away towards the right. That explained why the line was slacked and luckily the Stingray was swimming rightward, the loss of tension on the fishing line was unnoticed and maybe it was too afraid to make another run.

The depth here is quite shallow and when the Stingray was around twenty meter away from shore, this shallow water level made my job easier. You see, the shape of the Stingray is like a pancake. When it is swimming in the deeper part of the sea, we will have to fight against not only the weight of the fish but also the pressure from the sea water. As a result of this the wide and flat body make the Stingray extremely difficult to be pumped up compare to fishes that has slim and round body.

Another element that assisted me in the fight against this creature was the wave. As the Stingray gets closer to the shore line, surging wave caused by the sandbar at the seabed pushed the fish. The initial run and the struggle made the Stingray somehow weaker, with the combination of the shallow sea and the wave, I firmly stood on the wining ground on this battle.

More and more fishing line was retrieved, the fish was tired. The Shock leader began to surface which tells me that the fight was about to end, the length of my Shock Leader is almost twenty feet. Colin started to shift his focus on the sea and not long after, he yelled.

"It's here! I can see it! It's humongous!" Colin reported back to me from the front line.

"Darn! This is heavy!" I could feel the sourness on my both arms, the "Low Rider" reel seating is good for casting but tiring for fighting the fish. When I rebuilt this "Pioneer" thirteen footer surf casting fishing rod, I removed the fixed reel seat and replaced a pair of Coaster to have the adjustable reel seating position. Most of the time or should I said all the while I fixed the "Abu Garcia" at the "Low Rider" position, it is much more powerful on casting and I could achieve greater distance with it, this tactic is also practiced by many Tournament Surf Casters around the globe. I did construct a Extension to be used for fighting the fish but most of the time it was left at home.

She weighed 12kg

I hung on for another two minutes and the Stingray was landed. She was a beauty which weighed twelve kilogram. The fight lasted around thirty minutes which exhausted both the angler and the fish.

The Trophy

The Trail

One of the best moment in my fishing adventures throughout the years, it is dramatic but it is definitely memorable for the rest of my life. I went back to the spot several times but to find the place contaminated, black oil stain could be spotted on the surface and the beach, it stained my feet too when I fished there. It is a shame for such a great fishing spot to be destroyed, poor governance holds the biggest responsibility for the disaster. Recently I returned to the spot but was chased away by some military personnel, the place is now a restricted zone and it is occupied by the Royal Johor Military Force.