Singing pore with PB’s

Singing pore with PB’s well not really, this was my first real over seas fishing adventure.

Got into Singapore airport at 11.30pm and decided to sleep at the airport. Tomorrow afternoon I would be meeting the other guys for our trip to Rompin to mix it with Sails on fly. Well to say I got sleep at the airport would be an understatement. The pic on the advertisement inside the airport was misleading. A pic of what looked like a small room with a bed made up with a blanket, sheets and pillow was a lie. After paying to sleep (by the hr of course) I was taken to the room. A communal room with about 50 beds and people coming and going, people snoring and others were talking.

ARRRRRRRRRRR.

By 5am I had had enough, not sleep LOL. Red bulls are a wonderful thing

First impressions of the impoundment was WOW, got the camera out to get some pics and the lens fogged up straight away. It must have been 30deg and about 99% humidity the poor camera didn’t know what hit it. After about 15min the thing was able to take pic’s again.
In a hundred meter stretch I must have seen 10 No Fishing signs and there must have been 30 odd people fishing. Anglers out number the signs so it must be ok. Fished until midday and would have caught over 20 Peacock Bass. These are one of the best looking fish going around. The big black dot on the tail is the biggest stand out. They use it to confuse others as it looks like another eye. The 4wt was just the trick for these guys; they hit hard and put in a good account for themselves. Unsure what they taste like but the locals were keeping all the fish they caught and laughed at me each time I let one go.

Mini Toxic Poons

Indo-Pacific Tarpon, Oxeye Herring or Mini-Poons (Megalops cyprinoides) look a lot like their BIG brother Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) but just down sized. These are a species that legends and dream are made from. Well the big brother anyway. Tarpon have been on my wish list for many years. Tarpon are purely for the sport fishers as they are not a table fish.
Little did I know that the backwater or should I say blackwater’s of Hong Kong have many of these little speedsters swimming around in them. They are also a sucker for a small well presented fly. Down sizing to a 4wt made each encounter fun and enjoyable. Flies such as Toads, X Toads, Bentbacks and small Clousers have been the most successful.

Tarpon are big performers and fight to the end. Jumps, short but fast bursts of speed and more jumps add to the excitement of these Mini Poon’s. Can't say the same for the environment they were caught in, Slaughter house outlet, China's border and just a toxic waste dump but that another story.

Rompin Sails

No need for words as the photos say it all. Over 100 sails raised in two days, unsure how many shots and heaps landed. Theres a short vid at the end to have a look at.