By Jonathan Chang, Johor Baru, Malaysia

The author and his sailfish

August 21st 2010, ROMPIN.    My kayak fishing buddy, Howard, and I had planned this trip a couple of weeks in advance. Our target was the sailfish at Rompin on the eastcoast of Johor state, Malaysia.

I had bought the Malibu Stealth-12 from Eco-Sports in May this year and had only gone out kayak fishing twice. I was itching to go and test the Stealth-12 in the warm waters of Rompin, dubbed the billfishing capital of Southeast Asia. 

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Sunday May 9, 2010 - When we think of the peat swamp, the first thing that came to mind is, a waterlogged mushy place infested with mosquitos, snakes  and creepy crawlies. We think less of the benefits it brings to the environment. (more…)

Empangan Talang – Sunday, April 11, 2010 (by Gerald K).  I have not heard of Empangan Talang until a week ago when I received an sms from Tee inviting me to join him and his friends to explore the dam. “Hmmm…a new location!”, I thought to myself. I have been thinking of exploring a new location after my last trip to Empangan Batu and when the sms came, I jumped at the opportunity and immediately replied Tee’s sms. I quickly posted the event on facebook to see if anyone else would be interested. (more…)

Empangan Batu – Saturday, 3rd April 2010 (by Gerald K).  During my recent trip to Empangan Batu, I have encountered small groups of palm-sized fish while paddling along Sungai Pamah. I learned later from a local that they were Mata Merah (means red-eyed) and I started to google for more information about them. (more…)

March 23, 2010 – Empangan Batu, Selangor (by Gerald K).  Empangan Batu or Batu Dam is just a 20-minute drive from where I lived. It is one of four (Semenyih, Klang Gate, Batu and Pangsun) large dams within a short drive from KL. Only the Batu and Semenyih dams are accessible by road. If you need a quick getaway from the urban jungle, these dams are the closest to Nature you can get. Peaceful, beautiful and therapeutic…a perfect getaway for kayak anglers. (more…)

December 12, 2009 – Air Kuning, Perak (thestar online).  Nobody knows for sure how the Peacock Bass got here, but most fisher folk would concede that it has become a permanent resident. The Peacock Bass is a South American freshwater predator. To win a piscatorial argument, though, one needs to acknowledge that it is not actually a bass but a member of the cichlid family, much like the ubiquitous Tilapia.

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December 15, 2009 – Tronoh, Perak (by Gerald K).  The fishing was so good the first time, we decided to revisit this ex-mining lake in Tronoh which we named The Mayan City or simply, T1 . Tronoh, like most ex-mining towns in Malaysia are pockmarked with ex-mining lakes. T1 is one of the largest lakes in the area. This time we had five kayakers, Dr. Mah, Chris, Kenny, Arnold and myself.

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November 24, 2009 – Air Kuning, Kampar (by Gerald K).  Most avid freshwater anglers would have heard of Air Kuning but few have had the opportunity to venture and fish in these lakes. It is a well known fact that large specimen size Peacock Bass are to be found here. If you look at the size of the Air Kuning wetlands system, it is not difficult to believe that there are some monster-size PBs (and even tomans) lurking in some corners.

Good or bad, Air Kuning is not easily accessible by road. Yes, you need a 4WD to access some of these lakes.  But, that’s not all. You need a boat too, if you want to explore the many hotspots around the lakes and the river system. Air Kuning is definitely an ideal place for kayak anglers. (more…)

August 15, 2009 – Tasik Bera, Pahang (by Gerald K).  The eagerly awaited moment finally drew closer. I loaded my kayaks onto my pickup the evening before and went through my checklist one last time before going to bed.  

Day 1:  At 5:30 am, Chris and his son, CJ arrived at my house. It was still dark. CJ was busy playing his PSP he had just gotten for his birthday. We quickly transferred the stuff from Chris’ car to my pickup. By 6.00am we were on our way to pick up Ah Wah at the Petronas station on MRR2. Ah Wah was already there waiting for us when we arrived. (more…)

July 29, 2009 – Gopeng, Perak (by Gerald K).   After our memorable kayak fishing trip to Tronoh Mines, Mah and I were toying with the idea of exploring new kayak fishing sites at least once a month. Hardly two weeks later, Mah called me and said he remembered another ex-mining lake he had once fished in. The lake was in Kota Bahru (Perak, not Kelantan) and about 20km from Tronoh Mines. He recalled he had caught PBs and Mayans in this lake. (more…)