March 26, 2009 - Cast your lines (by Sager Ahmad (NST Travel Times)
Deep-sea fishing is a big business and the rich waters off our coastline offer plenty of thrills. Sager Ahmad checks out our top five fishing spots.
Off the long stretch of shoreline on the East Coast, the South China Sea teems with all kinds of fish, says Mohd Kamal Ahmad, head of Berita Harian Joran Unit.
Mohd Kamal, who has been organising the international level fishing carnival for the past 10 years, says the top five deep-sea fishing spots are in Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Langkawi and Selangor to South Perak.
Anglers and organisers spend up to RM2 billion annually on fuel, gear, cigarettes, food, boat hire, bait, prizes and others. The “industry” is still growing, he adds.
Sports fishing has also spawned support industries ranging from shops selling fishing gear to fishermen who turn full-time boatmen as the latter brings a more regular and steady income compared with fishing.
Getting to the best fishing spots is not a problem and any fishing enthusiast will be able to tell you where you can hire boats or where to get your bait.
Terengganu
Terengganu is a favourite stop mainly because of the presence of rich spawning grounds in coral reefs, shipwrecks and oil rigs. The best lies within the 260 kms of shoreline between Besut and Kemaman. The best time to go fishing here is between April and October when the sea is calm.
The many fishing villages that dot the coastline are proof that fishing has been a source of livelihood for locals for a long, long time. They are found in Kuala Besut, Seberang Takir in Kuala Terengganu, Dungun and Kemaman.
Among the more common catch are tenggiri, gerong belang (striped trevalli), landuk (sweet lips), kerapu (garoupa), ikan merah (red snapper), belitong and pari (ray).
Pahang
The next top fishing spot stretches from Kuantan to Rompin with Merchong in the middle. Kuantan is close to Kemaman and the boats and method of fishing are similar. Fishing villages are also found in Pekan, Nenasi, Merchong and Kuala Rompin.
There are also many shipwrecks here that teem with fish, including two British Royal Navy ships sunk in 1941 by Japanese planes during World War II – the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse.
Pahang is now on the world map for billfish angling and it’s hosting the third Royal Pahang International Bill Fish Challenge this month. Some 150 international anglers are expected to take part in the hunt for blue marlin and sailfish (strictly catch-tag-and-release).
Billfish swim in large schools and follow the current around the world. The peak “season” for their appearance off the coast of Pahang is in August.
Johor
Further south, the waters off Mersing with its numerous island like Pulau Tenggol, Pulau Aur, Pulau Duyung, Pulau Besar and Pulau Sibu, is the third top fishing spot in the country. Yields includes high quality species like Tenggiri, parrot dish, wrasse, kerisi (threadfin) and gelama (jewfish). You can hire boats at many fishing villages at Endau, Mersing, Kuala Sedeli and Tajung Leman.
Langkawi
On the West Coast, Langkawi is the fourth top fishing spot in the country, with the richest spot between Langkawi and Pulau Batu Putih. West of Langkawi is the Andaman Sea. Here lucky anglers can land jenahak, ikan merah, tengiri, barracuda, aruan tasik (cobia), mayong (giant catfish), ikan tongkol (tuna) between December and August.
In the past, Joran had organised Langkawi- Koh Adang Challenge which attracted large numbers of anglers.
Selangor and South Perak
In Sabak Bernam, the fifth top fishing spot is from Sungai Besar to Pulau Sembilan where numerous wrecks offer rich spawing grounds.
The cluster of islands that make up Pulau Sembilan is a top fishing spot in the Strait of Malacca. Numerous fishing villages dot the Selangor and south Perak coastline including those in Sungai Besar and Bagan Datoh. Fish found here include jenahak, ikan tanda (spotted snapper), barracuda and rays.
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