Wednesday, March 09, 2011
My First Offshore Trip
Hi everyone, i was told my Alywin to put up an introductory post in hopes of "poisoning" people to try offshore. So here goes; I went to an offshore trip about 7weeks days ago and it was awesome. It was my first time, i didnt know what to bring , what to do. Luckily, MR Win loaned me his super old school fibreglass rod. Dont get me wrong, i meant it in a good way.
The rod although old, was as good as any other rods except for its cosmetic looks . Old rugged , seemed like it went through good times with MR WIN. It felt like it was PE5 rod or something, i was quite taken aback when he passed me that rod. I thought to myself : "Singapore local offshore need PE5 rod meh?" . You see, there are many people whom have many fishing opinions and i was influenced by people whom use PE3 Rods on local shores saying that there are no biggies here. Along with my super old reel, the SHV500 Grand Wave 40lbs braided, i paired it up with the trusty old rod. It looks like it made a super hardcore combination.
My trip to offshore was with this boatman by the name of MR Ching . (not sure if it was spelt that way.) But he was quite a fussy old man, whom declares nothing but heavy duty fishing equipment on his boat. I have to admit i was quite skeptical when i heard about his declaration. "Nevermind"; i thought to myself, just go with it since i am the newbie here.
We went to the areas of Tuas to get Sotong first, the way to catch sotong looked easy. Just hang the lights over to the side of the boat and wait for the sotong to float up and use the net to scoop it up. It wasnt until i had the taste of scooping those sotong up myself, they were very fast and u have to aim at their heads because of the way they propel -Explaining how the sotong moves . We had about 50 plus sotong before heading out to the main fishing spots; Ammo lock and loaded.
I wasnt sure where they went because it was all dark and all i could see was the industrial area. I would think it was around south side of singapore. I noticed the familiar surroundings of St John and sister island. That was the spot where we were at. I was told to use a size 4 - 5 hook and double hook the sotong . I have never used such a huge hook before, was shocked too. I didnt prepare big weights, so i tied 2 sized 6 down. It sure took a long time before it hit the bottom, hahaha, was surprised at that too.
Waited for about 15mins , and suddenly a strong and firm pull and it was hooked ! I didnt know what it was , but it felt the best . The fight was strong and good, i didnt know what to do. *mind blanks off for a moment* then i keep setting hook for 2 times before i confirm know i sure eat (bao jia) . I tried to thumb the spool but line was still peeling very fast, then i increased the drag. The line was still peeling, it was then time to start pumping and reeling the fish in before it goes too far away. The process of pumping and reeling was fun and hilarious, i could hear many background voices telling me to do what and not too. Seriously, all that didnt get into me, i was in a world of my own, i could feel the endorphins kicking in and all i could think of was getting the fish up. The fight lasted about 12mins, i was so worried the line would snap or hook will give way. The tension on the 40lbs braided line was an eye opening , i never knew that my line could be pulled to that extreme. I did the same thing, pumping and reeling , the fish gave the last pull with all its might for a moment i thought i was gonna lose it . The fish finally gave in and i pull it up. It looked like a huge plastic bag when it hit the surface, i couldnt make up what it was . A closer look, it was a huge stingray !! i was delighted and darn , that was my first offshore trip and my first stingray hook up. It certainly was a memorable one.
When i reach back shore, first thing was to sms MR Win and get him to sell me the rod. But damn, he dont want. Saying it was made in Japan and got sentimental values. Ughhh.. damn... Now i am saving up for a PE3 offshore rod, something to go hand in hand with my 2020 Ryoga.
Benjamin Chua (: