KayaKims

by: Abel Yeo

after fishing for several years it was time to take the next logical step and try out kayak fishing to gain a new skill and to increase our catch rate!

to start off,we've invested in inflatable kayaks because they are the most sensible thing to get for someone who lives in a HDB flat.

the kayaks featured here are both from "Advanced Elements" series; Air Fusion and Lagoon 1.

why the sudden interest?because beach casting is generally a LIE!

to start off we've ventured to Pasir Ris waters to scout for good fishing locations. we've only been landing reasonable fishes but nothing big or exclusive yet as we're only using dead prawn meat for now.each time testing out the type of fishes that are caught in particular areas. Of course we'll be starting to micro jig and madai jig as soon as we familiarize ourselves with managing a kayak while fishing.

do take a look at our recent catches.

the most common fish caught offshore pasir ris is of course marine catfishes and eeltail catfishes!Pasir ris is never short of these even when plenty are being hooked up and kept,there seems to be a sustainable amount of them regardless.these catfish put up a pretty decent fight and struggle!it's always easy to identify a catfish on the line as they tend to "wobble" and swim from side to side.they tend to grow up to at least 1kg or more so if they are too small do release them as they don't exactly have the biggest fillets after filleting them.

 These fishes are more common just under the blue barrels where the're is structure,there is definitely these small fishes which tend to lurk around just bellow.the striped perch and tripod fish arent commonly caught if you cast from the beach so thats a new species that we've only uncovered in Pasir Ris.

Toadfish are very common all over Singapore. however the bigger ones tend to be found in deeper waters.they dont put up a fight and are generally lazy fish that just looks plain ugly. if you're considering to try them do note that they have a slightly muddy flavour as they are afterall bottom feeders. Dont be fooled by their appearances,they are extremely hardy fish and can survive out of water for a very long time so dont try sticking your fingers into their mouths even after you've brought them home,else you would be caught between their serrated teeth with extreme biting force.

Stingrays are definitely a prized catch however one must understand that they have the potential to grow much bigger.This is something many irresponsible anglers tend to forget and therefore they keep juvenile ones reducing the population of these poor creatures.stingrays often put up a good fight despite their size and tend  to suck to the bottom if you're not quick enough to reel them up. of course common sense tells you to keep away from their stings at it inflicts a painful sting when you get stabbed by the barb.But in the event that you do get stung by mistake do not panick as it is non venomous or toxic as many believe.

Breams are always a good catch and most that can swallow size 1 or 2 hooks are usually of reasonable size. they, like many "silver" and "scaley" fish tend to swim down when being hooked so do loosen your drag after you cast to ensure that a surprise strike will not catch you off guard.

Swamp eels and Moray eels are common in Pasir Ris. though they are quite an irritating thing to catch, they do put up a good struggle and swim down when hooked. However it is difficult to remove the hook when an eels takes the bait.The eel is most of the time gut hooked or it'll produce a gel like substance that will set on your rigs that produce a rather fowl smell. Most of the time, rigs cannot be saved unless the eel doesnt coil round the rig or it has not swallowed the bait completely.

other random photos of where we ventured to

thats all we've documented for 2 days out at sea and stay tuned for more action and catches!who knows?maybe videos the next round? Why are we called fishing kims?keep an eye out for an upcoming post that contains all of our KIM bak Lor catches (or also known as barramundi)