Refreshing dip and "fulfilling" lunch.

Most of us had brought our hammocks except for Ray who brought his sleeping cot, and our bushmaster, Keong, who “made” his own sleeping cot, table, bench and whathaveyou. While relaxing in the water, I spotted two trees across the creek from each other and in a blink! it brought back the pictures I have seen at the Eagles Nest Outfitters website where campers strapped their hammocks across the water. Yeah, a perfect spot for my hammock.  

A house with a natural pool and spa...

...a postcard-perfect view from my hammock.

Ray's quarter...a sleep cot and flysheet.

Kenny's quarter...he has a flysheet that can cover a family of ten.

Our bushmaster, living up to his title, chose the bushiest spot for his quarter.

Our firemaster, Richard, whose fire I "borrowed" to cook my bamboo rice.

Later, Ray and I decided to continue with our kayak fishing. I realised then hikers made good company as we did not have to worry about leaving our stuff behind. Usually, when we have all kayakers in the group, the campsite would be left empty when we go fishing…but thanks to the hikers, we didn’t have to worry this time. While fishing, we met Jim and his son who just paddled in in their canoe. We directed them to the campsite and continue fishing afterthat. After an hour or so, we decided to head back to the campsite as the fish were not biting.  

Shortly after I started to my “bushcrafting” session, crafting a pot, a bowl, a mug, a ladle and a pair of chopsticks before preparing dinner. I cooked my rice in my bamboo pot on Richard’s open fire stove. Yeah, cooking on an open fire beats cooking on a gas stove anytime. Dinner was simple – rice, kimchi and sardine …washed down with a can of Guinness Stout. 

Dinner under the Brunton light.

After dinner, we sat down together and chatted. Ray and I had planned to go night fishing but were too tired and decided we should fish early next morning instead. Jim had made some delicious bannock for supper…and we continue chatting and drinking for the rest of the night. 

Top left: Ray, Keong, Stanley and Richard. Bottom left: Jim, Bryant (...I think), Kenny and yours truly.

It was beautiful moonlit night. The moon was almost full (a day after Chap Goh Meh) and I could see the water flowing underneath me. I was tempted to get up and remove the tarp above me (so that I could watch the beautiful sky and listen to the therapeutic sounds of flowing water) but laziness gets the better of me. 

I got up at first light. Within minutes I was on my way paddling to Toman Bay. The Underwater Kinetics Vizion headlamp I was wearing lit up the whole place. I could see the bottom of the creek and even spotted a few fishes as I paddled through. As soon as I reached Toman Bay, I could feel the calm and quietness around me. I could see mist floating gently above the water. What a magnificent sight! Truth be told, this is what I came for. Fishing is just a bonus. And, I got my bonus…4 tomans in half an hour. 

Ray joined me about 20 minutes later. 

After my fourth catch I decided to go back to the campsite and have some breakfast. I brought back 2 larger tomans and release the other two.  Our firemaster, Richard, had already got his fire started. He said he would smoke them….what a great idea, I thought. Never had a smoke toman before. As it turned out, it was smoking delicious. Everyone got a pinch-size to eat.

While the fish was smoking, I fired up my China-made multi-fuel stove to boil some water for my 3-in-1 coffee. I had wanted to use petrol for the stove and thought I could fill up the stove canister when I go to the gas station to fill up my truck. Wait a minute! my truck uses diesel. I can’t buy such as small quantity of petrol, can I? So, I end up using diesel for my multifuel stove. Avoid using diesel if you do not want a black pot. As for the stove, it works great. It can fire like a rocket booster – great for stir frying. Yes, I had my coffee in under 2 minutes but with a black pot.

Avoid diesel if you do not want a black pot.

By 11am we had already packed and ready to go home. I must say the trip has been very eventful…house with natural pool and spa, bamboo rice on an open fire, beautiful moonlit night, sounds of flowing water, calm and quiet morning in the lake, gentle mist over the water, and most of all, it was the great company that made this trip the perfect getaway.

Gerald K.

February 19 2011. It was right after the Chinese New Year celebration that we decided to revisit our perfect getaway place, the Empangan Batu or Batu Dam. There were two groups. One group, comprised of kayakers and the other, comprised of hikers. We were to meet at the Riverstone Eco Resort at 8.30am for some briefing before setting out on our adventure.    

From left: Keong, Ray, Gerald (that's me), Richard, Kenny and Stanley. Also, Jim and his son (not in pic) joined later.

As soon as our group photo was taken, the hiking group started hitting the trail with heavy gear on their backs and, Ray and me, the only two kayakers, drove another 100m to the launch site. Earlier during the briefing, we had agreed to rendezvous at Eagle’s Landing, our campsite location, at noon. It was only half past nine, so we had plenty of time…  

At the launch site. See the rubbish...damn anglers!

Kayaks loaded and all set to go...

We decided we would stop at a few of the many coves and make a few quick casts before heading for Toman Bay. There were few surface activities, so we decided we should head direct to Toman Bay. As the name suggests, there are more tomans here then anywhereelse in the lake. But, because of fishing pressure, their numbers here are dwindling too. While there is no access for cars to this part of the lake, motorcycles can make their way here through the plantations.

As they say, time flies when you have fun…it was almost noon when we arrived at Toman Bay. We could see more activities… and quickly combed the area, hoping to land at least one toman for lunch. But luck was not with us, and by 12.30pm, we decided to paddle upstream of Sungai Pamah to the campsite. The hiking team was already there when we arrived at the campsite.

Ray stopping at one of the many coves for a quick cast.

Ray...all smiles when we finally arrived at the campsite. It was his first trip to this part of Batu Dam.

…to be continued.

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. 

I often wondered (after watching many extreme fishing shows) about how it would be like to ‘ride’ a sail on a kayak. Well, after last weekend (on the 21st August to be exact), both Howard and me had our wishes came true. 

We left the Rompin jetty around 8am after a quick breakfast on a speedboat piloted by Sky Chong. When we arrived at our first stop, there were at least 13 other boats anchored and busy jigging for live baits (locally known as tambans). After our baitwell was almost full, we set out to target the Sails. 

On board our "Mothership"

First stop, jigging for tamban or baitfish

We soon arrived at our location and immediately drifted some live tambans. I got onto my kayak and paddled out 30 metres from our speedboat and did some drifting and light trolling while paddling around the area. The waves was about a half metre high and the Stealth-12 handled it beautifully. It ‘cuts’ through the waves with ease. 

Awhile later I could see some sails almost 10 feet away from my kayak and casted towards it, and then, I had a hook-on. We used circle hooks, so I just let the Sail literally ’sail’ away while it set the hook itself. 

It just ‘pulled’ away, with me on the kayak. Man, the feeling was ecstatic! The Sail was going left and then right but I was able to control the kayak with my Thomas Stroker rod in hand. It almost felt like a ’steer’ of sorts. A motorised kayak, so to speak. 

The author sailing away on a sailfish-powered kayak

The sailfish pulled the author and his kayak for some 50 meters before tiring out...

Be careful with the bill...

This went on for about 50 metres or so (could be more, I guess) till it tired out and I was able to reel it back towards me. Got it onto my lap for some picture-taking and safely released it to fight another day. 

Next, it was Howard’s turn, he too had the ride of his life. The Sail brought him around our boat, till it tired itself out, and Howard skillfully handled the Sail for some picture-taking and released safely. 

Howard landing his catch.

Howard and his sailfish

Catch-n-Release

All-in-all, it was really good fun to fight the Sailfish on a kayak and being on the water with perfect hot weather and good friends made the trip even more memorable. 

Only thing is, I forgot about Arnold’s (another kayak fisher buddy, also known as LOTM to most Malaysian fishing forumers) advice on putting on spf50 sunblock. In the midst of fighting the Sails, one can be forgiven for overlooking this part of the trip but I have to pay for it now, as my skin is peeling. 

Words can only describe up to a certain extent, the feeling we had that day with the Sails on kayak. I would strongly suggest that you get your kayaks and go out yourselves to get that ‘feeling’ of being pulled around by the fast and strong Sailfish. Do remember to be careful of the bill, as it can be rather dangerous when pulling it up onto the kayak. Make sure the Sail is calm before you do so. 

Now, we got to plan for our next trip…

According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), “Peat swamp forests are an important component of the world’s wetlands – the dynamic link between land and water, a transition zone where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun combine to produce a unique ecosystem of hydrology, soils and vegetation. Peat swamp forests provide a variety of benefits in the form of forestry and fisheries products, energy, flood mitigation, water supply and groundwater recharge.” 

So, when an sms came inviting me to explore the peat swamp forest of Batang Berjuntai – Tanjung Karang, I hesitated for a moment. Snakes, mosquitos and leeches? Not a place that I’d like to spend my Sunday at. But, the lure of exploring Nature at its best and landing the elusive Bujuk (channa lucius, a member of the snakehead family) was… simply overwhelming. 

Peat swamp and Bujuk? How could I let this opportunity passed me by?

We rendezvoused for breakfast at Ijok as planned. After a hearty breakfast (bak kut teh…), we headed west towards Tanjung Karang. We went off-road some 20 minutes later into an oil-palm plantation. Surprisingly, the laterite road in the plantation was well maintained. We soon came to an irrigation canal. The other side of the canal stood the ubiquitous peat swamp forest. From a distant, a peat swamp forest looks like any tropical rainforest for the untrained eyes.

Parking at the fringe of the peat swamp forest

We drove pass the canal before stopping at the fringe (of the forest). But, the river was nowhere in sight. I went over to Tee and asked where the river was. “Just a few meters away behind the bushes!”, Tee said. “Wow! How clever Nature hides and protects itself from the predatory Man.”, I thought.

Overhead, the sky looked gloomy. It had rained the past few days and I was certain it was going to rain again. The dark clouds did not deter us a tiny bit. We pushed ahead and started unloading. Instead of carrying our kayaks, we decided to drag them over the tall weeds to the water. The thought of snakes and leeches hidden in the weeds was enough to give me the uneasy feeling. As we walked, the ground got softer and wetter. I learned later that leeches could not survive the acidic water of peat swamp forest.

The hidden water...can't be seen even if are a few meters away.

Nature's tea...

As soon as we hit the water, I noticed right away the water was tea-like in colour. As we paddled further, I realised the peat swamp was shady and cool, unlike the ex-mining lakes or dams we were used to. In certain parts, the foliage was so thick it almost covered the sky.

There were many small rises but the bujuks were not biting. Tee reasoned that the rise in the water level (due to the rain in the past few days) has flooded the surrounding areas and the bujuks would have moved out to the flooded areas in search of food. After many more attempts, we decided to bring out our light tackle and target the small rises. Soon enough we started landing one after another these tiny beautiful fishes. I brought home a few for the aquarium.

Looks like patung...and nice enough for the aquarium.

As expected, it started to drizzle, but not for long. The thick foliage of the forest actually provided us some cover from the rain.    

Tee, our leader and guide, had told us if we were lucky we might spot wild boars, tapirs and even panthers. We spotted wild boar and tapir mud pools and footprints along the sides, but no wild boar, tapir or panther. I believed we made so much noise the animals would have noticed our arrival…including the bujuks and snakes.

The thick foliage provides cover from rain and sun.

A wild boar mud pool

Our paddling journey was occasonally interrupted by fallen branches. If the fallen branches were small, we would just chopped them with our parangs. But, if the branches were large, Tee, an experienced tracker, would clear the side so that we could walk “around” the fallen branches. Alternatively, we could go “over” the fallen branches…only if we had lesser load with us. 

Tee clearing the side so we could walk 'around' the fallen branches.

This is a journey few would take. But, the peat swamp forest is Nature at its best and the bujuk would have been a great ‘bonus’.

Our mixed group of 7 comprised of experienced trackers, anglers, kayakers, canoeists, hunters and 4×4 enthusiasts. Tee (our group leader), Ng, Lim, Jeremy, Steven, Johnny and myself with 3 4X4s, 4 kayaks and 1 canoe. 

Gerald K.

WAVES nearly two feet high. Thunder shook the water and clapped my eardrums. Lightning whiting everything, blinding me.

I didn’t take my own advice and let myself be caught in the very teeth of a lightning storm in the middle of Lake Kenneth yesterday.

I found out first hand that when lightning strikes near enough, it is AUDIBLE. The sound of the crackling bolt is very similar to that of a matchstick being snapped in two.

Launching from Peacock Point with the first rays of the sun, the day started quite well. Other than a pleasant brace of peacock bass and toman landed, I even managed to land a table size sebarau on a 14gm Duel Shallow Stick (fire green colour). That was a real surprise; rare in Lake Kenneth. By 5pm, I was trying to get the haruan to strike in Arnold’s Nook.

This Google Earth map will probably not be very clear here. Which is fine, since it is meant to be exclusive to our gang of kayak fishers. But for illustration purposes, I was paddling from the far left to the far right on the main lake.

I could see a storm system wreaking havoc on Kampar to the northeast. It was 16km away if I draw a straight line on the map. But since the wind was blowing from the south, I figured that the storm wouldn’t reach Lake Kenneth.

Then the wind went shivering cold.

Oh shit.

The first sign of a storm coming down on heads after a hot, hot day is always when the wind suddenly turns very cold.

I studied the sky and found another, slightly smaller storm system suddenly developing from the southwest. And the southern wind was blowing it hard to join up with the system terrorizing Kampar.

I knew things were gonna get bad. But I didn’t really worry at first. I took my sweet time paddling out of the Hideout. When I reached Toman Corner, I paused for a cigarette and let the southern wind carry me back to Peacock Point. By the time I finished my puff, I realised I had made a horrible mistake. I was now right between two clashing storms.

The wind suddenly changed direction, and blew hard from the west. I was still at least 1km away from Peacock Point and right in the centre of the lake. Even as I began to paddle hard, the water took the cue from the gusts. Waves nearly two feet tall crashed into my starboard side. My Boogeese rocked like crazy. No choice. Must angle the kayak to take the waves diagonally and reach Peacock Point on a triangular route.

The crashing waves sent volumes of water up deck. Water splashed into my face and sunglasses, obscuring my vision. But I didn’t dare to miss even one stroke of the paddle to clean my face or the wind and waves would push my bow and make me face the waves fully from the starboard again. The winds and waves were so strong that I only had to keep paddling port side most times to keep the kayak in the right direction.

As the fear rose, adrenalin flooded my bloodstream. And I felt gloriously alive! I really love adrenalin, man. I paddled ceaselessly, with a power I never knew I had. The precious hormone fueled my muscles, and I laughed and whooped and shrieked and screamed for none but the jealous gods to hear. Too bad I didn’t bring my camera along. Just a photo of the bow crashing into the two-foot waves, sending spray high up, would have been beautiful.

No storm photo. But here, the section of the lake in the background is where I was caught. I was way out there. This photo makes the lake look so placid, doesn't it? Photo by Howard, with thanks.

Then I officially became in trouble. It sounds just like a matchstick being snapped in two. Just a slight ‘tck-tck’. White filled my vision. Half a second later, the thunder clapped. It was so loud that I felt it in my chest cavity.

A few seconds later. It happened again. Tck-tck. White. Thunderclap.

The realization that I was attracting lightning brought a sickening feeling of horror. I was out on flat terrain. My stupid head was the highest point on the lake. My rod was graphite composite. My paddle was aluminum. My bloodstream was now nearly neat with adrenalin.

Old photo. Nearly in the centre of Lake Kenneth. Photo by Gerald, with thanks.

When I reached Peacock Point, in one smooth flow, I jumped out, ran forward, grabbed the Boogeese tow line, pulled the kayak up the beach and raced to squat beneath a rock ledge. Always find the lowest depression on the ground. Never hide under a tree.

But 10 seconds later, I raced back to the kayak to grab my tackle box and doubled back just as quickly to the rock ledge, all the time imagining that Zeus had his sniper scope aimed directly at me. Why did I do that? Because my cigarettes were in my tackle box! It might be great to die in Lake Kenneth, but if it’s gonna be like that, I wanna die with a cigarette between my teeth!

The rain never did hit Lake Kenneth. The hard wind blew the two storms together in a mad symphony of crashing thunder. I watched the western wind send the storm off from Kampar to the Teluk Intan area.

When I finally felt safe enough to stand up, the sky right above me was bright again.

Still intoxicated with adrenalin, I drove the 20km off road to reach home while singing to Bon Jovi at the top of my lungs.

Alive. Gloriously alive.

Why is SUP a hot trend?

Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Tasik Biru, Kundang, Selangor

Here are 10 reasons:

1. SUP is easy to learn

SUP boards are very stable and in calm water anyone will be able to stand up and paddle in no time.

2. SUP is for everyone

Any age can enjoy this sport. You can even take your dog for a ride.

3. SUP anywhere there is water

You can paddle board anywhere there is water…lakes, rivers and the coasts.

4. SUP is fun

SUP is a great way to get out on the water and is fun to do on your own or with a group. It is a great sport that the whole family can enjoy together. 

5. SUP equals great workout

Paddling while maintaining your balance works all the core muscles in your body… legs, arms, torso and upper body. Stand Up Paddling builds strength, endurance, balance, and gives you a great cardio and core muscle workout…while having fun on the water and getting a tan.

6. SUP offers a new experience and perspective on water – the feeling of “walking on water” as you glide across the water on a paddle board is a new experience that has to be felt to be understood. A session on a paddle board can be therapeutic…it takes away the stress and relaxes the mind.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding gives you a great vantage point to see what’s in and above the water around you. It gives you a great perspective view of marine and coastal life as you stand above the water on your board whether for photography, fishing or simply, enjoying the Nature.

7. SUP is light and easy to maintain

No more backbreaking heavy equipment to carry. No engine failures to worry about. Just hose it down with water after use.

8. SUP is green

Paddle Boarding is simple, just a board and paddle. No motors and no noise. Paddle Boarding doesn’t harm the waterways or the environment, or disturb the peace.

9. SUP is many sports in one

If you like, you can surf the waves (from small waves just for fun to the biggest waves on the planet for some challenge) or join a race (SUP races are being held all around the world now) or tackle whitewater rapids (River Sup is growing and people are challenging themselves on river runs on their paddle boards) or go board fishing! (whether flyfishing for bonefish or simply fishing in a lake, board fishing is gaining popularity among anglers around the world).

10. SUP is affordable

You don’t have to mortgage your house to own a SUP. And, no more expensive maintenance and repairs.

Then it struck me that I have a meeting with Howard and Yong that weekend. As it turned out, the timing could not have been better. Howard and Yong agreed they would drive to KL on Saturday, spend the night, pick up Yong’s kayak early next morning, and head straight to Talang Dam. It was a perfect plan afterall and it was to be Yong’s maiden trip on his Malibu Stealth 12. 

Yong, the proud owner of the Malibu Stealth 12

Checking out Tee's kayak rack

Shortly before 0800hrs, we arrived at the Senawang toll exit. Tee and his friends (Ng and Lim) arrived 20 minutes later. The journey to Talang Dam from here would take another 45 minutes. Our journey took us through narrow winding country roads…littered with cow dungs, passing through rustic kampungs (villages) and beautiful countryside. 

Our convoy, 3 4WDs and 6 kayaks...stopped for breakfast and to pick up our day supplies.

Narrow winding country roads...watch out for the dungs!

We arrived at the launch site just before 1030hrs. The launch site is located at a small tributary river that flows into dam. We noticed right away the water level had gone down…exposing all its sides. Like always, we couldn’t wait to get underway. 

After paddling a short distance, it immediately dawned on me that Talang Dam was unlike any other bodies of water I have paddled in. It looked like a large winding river with many branches, jagged edges and islands. It has so many turns and corners, it is easy to lose your bearings if you do not constantly keep track of where you are. A tracking GPS would be very helpful…but none of us brought one. 

The launch site

Tee and his Hunter Green Stealth 12.

Lim trying out kayak fishing for the first time

Ng and the first catch of the day

Yong and his brand new Stealth 12

Me and my Boogeese X'plorer

Howard and his trophy catch

We paddled and fished for about 3 hours, constantly making a mental map of our track, before we spotted a good site for our rest stop. Here, we took shelter from the midday heat and have our lunch. Tee, a keen explorer, recced the place for a campsite for his next camping trip. Ng, a hardcore angler, did not join us for the break, continued fishing non-stop. 

Half an hour later, we were back in the water. It was already past 2pm and we decided not to paddle too far off and just fish around the ‘bay’ as we would have to make the return journey by 1500hrs. 

Tee (left), Yong (middle) and Lim taking shelter from the midday heat

A view from our rest stop.

The catch for the day...an 11-pounder Toman (Snakehead)

Heading back to the launch site

The night before the trip, I have googled for more information about Talang Dam. Other than it is the largest dam in Negeri Sembilan and that it supplies water to the general population of Seremban and Kuala Pilah, I found no other useful information. GoogleEarth, on the other hand revealed far more useful information. It showed many kampungs in the vicinity of the dam. Instantly I knew, like many other large bodies of water in Malaysia, the kampung folks would have depended on it for their daily lives and the dam would have been heavily fished. True enough as we discovered. 

As for me, the real trophy catch is the fresh air, tranquility and beauty the dam has to offer…fishing is a bonus.