9 KG GAROUPA FROM 15ft of WATER OFF PASIR RIS.
I looked up worriedly to the West...
... for that was where the storm was coming from. After all,
there were two girls on the boat together with Neng Siu, Jason (my brother) and
me, and it didn't seem wise to sit there waiting for the storm to hit.
Reluctantly, I reeled in my girlfriend's line, for she was already starting to
take cover beneath the boat's modest shelter. The day hadn't gone according to
plan... strangely, the current was dead for very long periods and the spots I
thought would produce fish didn't even produce a bite.
Now,
as the storm drew nearer and we started to feel the first few drops of rain on
our faces, Murphy's law decided that it was time for the current to pick up. By
that time, the boat had started to swing with the ever-strengthening wind and
not the current, but Neng Siu began pulling up small Tanda.
Although
I knew it was a good sign, as many past encounters with Tanda schools had
resulted in one or two monster fish such as Barras and Garoupas, I decided that
the chance was not worth taking so I picked up my own rod, which had been lying
motionless in the rod stand for at least half an hour, and started reeling in
the slack. Stuck!!!
"What
a time to get stuck!!!", I thought to myself. The storm was almost on top
of us and I was the only one left with the line in the water while my brother
was about to raise the anchor.
So
I tugged hard at the line in order to snap it. My 12 lb line was pretty new so
it managed to put up with quite a lot of tugging and guitar-string plucking. I
couldn't waste anymore time so I gave it a really hard tug this time. But
something tugged back... strongly.
I
managed to shout, "Big fish!" while trying to untangle the line from
my hands but I got slightly 'burnt' by the line anyway. Grabbing the rod just
as the drag started to scream, what came to my mind was "Stingray".
But somehow, the full scream never came. Instead, there was a low groan from
the reel as the fish moved off slowly but purposefully into deeper water.
By
then, the rain had started to pour and the wind was pushing the boat strongly
against the frail anchor. Nevertheless, all of us were oblivious to the raging
elements and standing in the rain, wondering when the fish would turn.
We
waited for what seemed like ages as the fish took line as though it was a
machine, grinding away slowly but surely. I looked down at my spool and gained
some confidence from the fact that the fish, due to it's slowness, had only
pulled out about half a spool of 12 lb line. We all knew that there was no real
cause for worry unless I could see the back of my spool.
Finally,
while I was still pondering about the 'mechanical' pulling motion of the fish,
it turned, not because I made it turn, but it turned on it's own decision. It
was the fish's big mistake. I started gathering the slack as the fish swam
towards me. By the time it realized it was swimming in the wrong direction, it
was quite near the boat and I tried for about 5 minutes to get a glimpse of the
fish. But everytime it got closer, it somehow had the strength, or weight, to
stay out of sight.
It
was just a matter of time before the fish would rear its head, we guessed, and
we were right. I thought I had snagged a log while fighting the fish as I saw a
huge brown object surface near where my line met the water. Then the brown
object started moving its tail and I gasped as I realized that it was a
Garoupa... a monstrous Garoupa.
Then,
as swift as the lightning that flashed above us, my brother stretched out and
netted the fish in one swoop. Bringing the fish onto the boat and gazing into
its huge eyes, my brother let out a scream of victory. I decided, "Why
not?" and let out a yell too. Neng Siu and his girlfriend, however, seemed
taken aback by our screaming in the rain, or maybe it was because of the fish?
Anyway,
we made it back safely to the boatel and it was still pouring so I had to dump
the fish into the boot of my car and take photographs of it in my kitchen.
Since my brother was more decently dressed than me, as all my clothes were
soaked, it's his photo that I've decided to put up for you guys to see.
So
whoever said that there are no huge fish in Singapore ?
... well, then there's the GT story too, but I guess I'll leave that for
another day.
