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MERSING, which is the take off point for P. Aur, Pemanggil, Tinggi and a
host of other islands there, uses the single J-hook method. A single strand wire
of about 6 to 8 inch is attached directly to the hook and the wire is tied to
the 5-fathom (deper) long 501b mono leader with an Albright knot. The hook
commonly used is a straight long shank of size 4/0 or 5/0. A needle-eye hook
would be best but alas, it has gone out of fashion in Malaysia and almost
impossible to find. So use one with the smallest eye you can lay your hands on. |
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To rig, slide the hook point through the mouth of the live
bait and out at the soft membrane to one side of the lower jaw. Pull the hook
through - hence the need for a small eye - and impale the hook through the lower
back portion of the bait. The gape of the hook must be wider than the width of
the bait with the point well exposed. (Fig. 1) This rig can be used for both
drifting and trolling. |
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MERCHONG prefers the use of the 2-hook rig with very
large - 6/0 - long shank hooks. These are connected together with single strand
wire. Another piece of wire about 45cm long is connected to the front hook with
a barrel twist and the other end formed into an eye by another barrel twist. The
60 to 80lb mono leader is then tied to the eye with a clinch knot. The bait is
then hooked through the shoulders with the front hook and the top rear section
with the trailing hook. (Fig. 2) |
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This rig is used mainly for trolling. I personally do not like
this rigging method as I find that too much metal is exposed; so on one trip, I
switched over to using the 'Mersing' method.
By all that is logical, I should be catching more fish with
the more 'refined' style. At the end of the day, Atan the boatman out fished me
3 to 1. Maybe the trolling speed do not allow the fish to see the metal. Maybe
logic do not apply in Merchong. The maybes may be plentiful but that is just
what makes fishing such an inexact science, which makes it an art form.
What I've learned is that local method and knowledge is still
the best. Listen to them. Do not be too smart, like I was. Of course this may
not always hold true. While fishing in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, the local villagers
have never trolled a lipped diver though there were a few for sale in K. Penyu
town.
The first reaction from them is that the 'tipu' bait cannot
possibly catch fish. The artificial lures did catch fish and now the villagers
are carving their own 'Rapalas' and catching fish trolling them with hand lines.
My personal line of action now is to put the local and imported knowledge to
make fishing more interesting and successful.
Please bear in mind that the same method may be used for trolling live bait as well and the
bridling method is still the best if marlin or sailfish is
the intended fish. For other fishes, we'll have a
look at how the locals do it.
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PEKAN, the royal town, gave me a real eye opener. Chan of
Pekan arranged for Major Ismail and me to be on board a nelayan boat that
specialise in hand lining for tenggiris. Believe it of not, they prefer the
small tambans of 6 to 10cm as live baits for tenggiris. The hook used is a
straight long shank of 1/0 size (4cm from eye to bend). A 22-gauge single strand
soft stainless steel wire is tied on to the hook with a barrel twist (no Haywire Twist) with the other end forming an eye with again a barrel twist. The length of the wire leader? Just 4 cm long. That gives a total of just 8 cm of metal against the razor teeth of the tenggiri. A mono leader of at least 10 fathoms with breaking strength of 301b (my estimate) is tied to the eye of the wire at one end and a senakau (buffalo horn spreader) at the other. |
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The live bait is hooked on in two different ways, depending
on the situation. When fishing with the boat kept in stationary position right
next to where they have seen the tenggiri, (they can, I can't) the small
baitfish is hooked at the lower rear, in front of the anal fin, right through
the stomach cavity. (Fig. 3).
This is then cast out and the bait swims away from the boat, pulling the
leader and sometimes even the spreader (no weights attached). It usually do not
last long in the water, certainly not more than a minute, before it is snatched
by a tenggiri. It may be a hook up, a stolen bait, a cut off bait with only the
hooked portion coming back or a cut off line.
On average, out of 10 casts, five return with half the bait,
one or two cut leaders and three or four tenggiris. Good averages, in my books.
I tried with my usual 25 to 30 cm wire leaders. Lost count of how many bites
they had before I had one. I believe I am not far off if I put the figure at 20
to 1.
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For trolling, the live bait is hooked very similar to the
method used in Mersing. The hook goes in the mouth and out through the gill
plate. It is then lightly hooked at the rear of the bait, with the hook on one
side and the point facing out (Fig. 4). An 8-ounce weight is clipped on to the
spreader and the boat moves at a good 5 knots. Again, some cut offs happen but
the number of bites and fish landed far out weigh the frequent retying necessary
because of cut offs.
There are obviously many more ways to rig live bait for
drifting and trolling, including using a treble hook for a stinger. The choice
is yours but do remember that the more hooks there are, you do not just have
more points to hook on to a fish but also more points to hook on to yourself or
someone close by.
For me, I have found that the Pekan nelayan method works best
for me except when I am after marlin or sailfish. For this, nothing beats the
use of the circle hook bridled to the bait. Good hook ups, holds well and least
harmful to the billfish ending with a successful tag & release.
For me, I have found that-the Pekan nelayan method works best
for me except when I am after marlin or sailfish. For this, nothing beats the
use of the circle hook bridled to the bait. Good hook ups, holds well and least
harmful to the billfish ending with a successful tag & release.
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