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.

I had quickly drop my son off at his school before meeting Neoh and his friend, Daniel, at our rendezvous point along MRR2. They were already there when I arrived at 7.35am…I guess pilots are trained to be punctual. We wasted no time and headed off to Batu Dam immediately. 

Kenny called me a few minutes later to say that he was about 5 minutes away from Batu Dam. Chris was to meet us at 8.00am. Kenny was the first to arrive, followed by us and later Chris. By 8.00am we were ready to set off for our kayak fishing adventure for the day. It was Kenny’s, Neoh’s and Daniel’s first time kayak fishing at Batu Dam. Ironically, Chris, who is from South Africa, has been kayak fishing off Batu Dam more than any Malaysian, including me. That makes him the expert in this water. 

Launch point...see the rubbish left behind by irresponsible anglers.

Neoh and Daniel on their Boogeese X'plorer

Anyway, it was a beautiful morning. The sky was clear and sunny…and the air was refreshing. We headed to the westside of the lake which is not accessible to shore anglers. Our plan was to cover the whole length of the lake, about 2km…paddling and fishing all the way to our final stop at Sungai Pamah for our lunch break. Batu Dam has many fishing hotspots…coves, feeder creeks, drop-offs, side vegetations, underwater rock structure, and even an island. Some days you can see many rises and some days, dead silent! Some days they bite and some days they don’t! Why? Sorry, you gotta ask the fish. 

Kenny wading in knee-depth water next to a drop-off. See the color difference in the water.

Kenny and his toman caught at the drop-off.

A juvenile toman caught on surface lure.

My Malibu Mini-X is equipped with a depth sounder – fishfinder. The deepest part of the lake is about 60ft but mostly under 20ft. It is about 0.5km across and 2km at its widest. Yes, my sonar showed many fish, large and small ones, mostly 5ft and below and swimming in groups. What fish are they? Not a clue… and I plan to equip my Mini-X with an underwater video camera for this purpose. 

My cuppa and depthsounder-fishfinder

But this is what we spotted with our naked eyes at Sungai Pamah when we arrived for our lunchbreak — groups of palm-sized dark greyish body with reddish tail fish swimming in the crystal clear water. Looks like lampam, but they were not lampam. Later we learned from the locals they were Mata Merah (red-eyed). I did some research on the internet and learned they were also known as Kelabau. Mata Merah or Kelabau is an indigenous fish and found in most rivers with crystal clear water. It grows up to 11 inches and feeds mostly on algae…i.e., it is a “vegetarian”. So, lures, keli, cacing or crickets are of no use for this species. According to the orang asli, oilpalm seeds will do the trick. Like Terubok, the Kelabau is bony (the reason why they are not popular with restaurants) but the meat is “sweet”. Also, this fish is seasonal…which explains why we have not seen them in our previous trips. 

Paddling down Sungai Pamah...we could see many fishes in the crystal clear water.

Mata Merah or Kelabau

While I have been to Batu Dam numerous times, I have never grown tired of it. Each trip brings as much excitement and refreshment to me as the previous ones. However, it saddens me to see the rubbish left behind by irresponsible anglers and the indiscriminate netting in the lake. When will these people learn! 

Total tally for the day: 11 tomans (all under 1kg); 5 anglers (all using lures) and 4 kayaks.

February 25, 2010 (by Eco-Sports Unlimited).  Named after the fearless seafarers and explorers of the Malay archipelago, the Bugis people of Southeast Asia. So feared, they were called the Bogeyman by the colonial West. The Boogeese X’plorer is fast and stable. Its unique round keel with slight rocker hull design provides exceptional tracking and maneuverability. With a 34″ wide body and flared bow, you can be assured of a stable and dry ride.

The Boogeese Has Arrived

Ideal for general recreation and fishing. Seats 2 adults and 1 child.  Available in white & blue and red & yellow mix. Price RM2400. Buy Now! or call 019-3122181 for a demo.

FEATURES: Self-Bailing, Molded Seats and Foot-brace, Scupper Hole Plugs, 2 Round Hatches, Bow and Stern Bungee Cords, Side Carry Handles, Bow and Stern Carry Handles, Drain Plug, Attachment Eyelets, Optional Seats and Flushmount Rodholders.