Pond fishing for monster catfish is a good leisure activity during free time. It's relaxing where you are basically use bait and wait for them to bite, eating banana under the shade and watch other anglers around the pond landing up their catches. Contrary to our main game now,popping for Giant Trevally in open sea with wave and strong wind casting those big lures over and over again the whole day while standing trying to balance your body on the rocking boat. Of course the rewards are not the same.
Sebarau or Hampala Barb is a fresh water fish that is popular amongst sport anglers.
They inhabit the clear water upper river with a mix of strong rapid and deep bottom area.
They like to hunt near the fast moving water or ambush its prey from under the dead tree branches submerged in the river. But sometime you can witness the more aggressive ones chasing the small fish up to the edge of the water by the river bank.
The bigger ones somehow inhabit the deeper area of the water and harder to lure.
They are popular for sport fishing in tropical water for their speed and power once hooked. The area they are dwelling also full of obstacles like dead trees and big rocks which normally become their escape tactic set up that get the fishing line tangle or snap. The species that reach the weight of 3 kg are normally present big challenge as their power and endurance can put the line and hooks to test.
Normally the pride and ego of the anglers lead them to use the lightest set up they can and this normally lead to their defeat to this river predator.
This fish is omnivore, their diets consist of wild fruits,insects and smaller fish. So lures that imitate a prey in distress or injured normally get their attention,or anything shiny and rattling like spoon or spinners work well on them.
They are very sensitive and easily spooked,especially the bigger and wiser ones. They may make a U-turn once they see the anglers or the lure action doesn't seems real or 'alive'.
So a slight murky water after a light rain is the best time to hunt them. Some believe that the bronze colour spoon works best during this water condition. But during very clear water condition,a fast retrieve technic normally give the fish slightest chance to notice your presence.
Sebarau can grow up to 70cm(2.3ft) long,with half that size are more common, but there was a report of a catch of 18kg in Ulu Baleh River,Sarawak,the Borneo part of Malaysia. In Sarawak they are called Adong,and its close cousin,Juak,is the one with the three vertical stripes(palang).
The flesh of this fish is pretty tasty but require extra attention to the amount of the wise/tiny bone,which make Sebarau less popular compare to its cousins,Semah and Empurau.
Sport anglers normally catch them for the trill and release them after a couple of photos for memory.
But this has come as a blessing since this has spared them from the high demand of the market,which in contrast to the rare and pricy Semah and Empurau.
The first fishing trip of the year. The weather was good during the day, just a little bit of strong wind during the night,but did not last long or creating big wave.
Only one strike during the jigging session in the evening but the sharp tooth Mackerel cut the mono leader. Once changed to wire leader,they seem to shy away. First fish landed during the bottom fishing at night was a sea catfish...and most of the fish later were the same species. Only one coral shark landed ,the rest snap the line. And a bonus barracuda later on. The jigging and casting session in the next morning near the Satang Island bear no result so we headed back home to the land. Not the best trip ever but somehow we manage to have fun and enjoy being in the middle of the sea again after about seven months! Till next trip!!...
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