Goodbye website hello blog

Sadly, Pacnet is shutting down its webhosting service, so my website and archives have to look for a new home. Looks like Blogger is the next step. I'll be doing the migration these few days.

Wall of Fame- memorable catches and good friends

Bryan's 6 kilo Golden Trevally video

Early 2012- Madai madness and Timun Schools

27 May 2012 update Managed to get some pics from facebook onto my pc, so I decided to do a quick upload just for fun. Been fishing a lot lately, found new and interesting techniques too, and bigger, better fish around our waters have been appearing.  

My Favourite fish, Ubin Snapper, are still around

  Just went on a short Ubin trip yesterday to see how far my new engine can take me, and landed a few nice fish for dinner along the way. Guess Ubin is still productive. Landed Barra, Snapper and Garoupa.  

This Garoupa almost got away, but my Spheros muscled him out of the snags.    

Kings madaied  this 5 kilo beauty on 25 May 2012. Solid fish and solid fight.  

Bryan landed an interesting Sagai on madai.  

My catch of that day was a 2 kilo Parrot. I'm not complaining.  

My new Optimax 250 just for fun.   Ok, rather busy lately, so I'm just going to plonk in some selected pictures by the month.   First, it's 2012 April.   April 2012 was an interesting month. Learnt how to madai effectively and landed many good fish. Big Garoupas around the 2-3kg mark were normal.  

A healthy Golden Snapper with a Bryan Photobomb

A happy girl with her beautiful catch. Can you spot me?

 Big Garoupa day... very fun

Ian caught this while almost falling asleep. Bryan is still hopeful.

Back at the boatel early.

Her first fish on Madai

My $13 Young Angler's Rod does it again with a 3kg Parrot.

Been landing very nice fish on my Young Angler's rod, specially designed for the kind of fishing I'm doing these days. Who needs an expensive rod when a solid fibre rod can do a better job?  

My retro-blue solid fibre rod delivers the goods time after time.

Even this 5kg Garoupa was no match for my new Young Angler's Rod

Bryan hits a beauty in 10m of water.

Ok now for the pics in 2012 Jan, Feb and March... just a few random pics. There was a brief run of BIG Spanish Flag Snapper (Timun).  

Scarlet Breasted Maori Wrasse are still around

A sneak peek into my ice box. I bought a chest freezer for my house just because of this Snapper run.  

Found a nice spot for BIG Spanish Flag Snapper

When these fish start coming in, prepare lots of bait, and many ice boxes.

Ubin is still productive. Tahlia seems happy.

Pat and Ray with a small Flathead.

February had some relaxing Ubin trips with friends and Garoupas too, while a catfish sting left a scar on my left hand.

Typical Southern Islands Catch. Looks like the Spanish Flag Snapper are growing bigger.

Kings fights a 5kg Snapper video

2011 Log - Gao Tun!!! Conrad's Fishing Facebook Group

Not many blog posts for 2011 because I send most of my pics direct by phone to Facebook. Check out Conrad's Fishing Group if you're interested.   During the Dec hols, the kids came along for some fishing fun at Ubin, where the waters are calmer.  

Isaac with his first wild Barramundi. Nice size too. So easy to catch at Ubin.

The ever reliable Ubin Barramundi will always be fun for the kids.

In the cabin the kids take shelter from a brief downpour.

A nice Golden Snapper came to thrill the kids. Being a strong fighter, everyone was amazed by its power.

 They had fun in wet weather conditions.

This beautiful Mangrove Jack came to join in the fun.

She fought this Grunter which put up a really good fight.

 

Of course the Northeast Monsoon brought in the Trevally schools. Too many disgusting Chermin, but at least they put up a good fight. The Sagais were the real target. Erwin, Chng and Hokkien Pro joined me at the Southern Islands   2011 Septemper, October and November were excellent too.  

The big Sagai like these started coming in around November.  

We got a few, when conditions were right.  

But this has got to be my best fish of 2011, a muscle bound Giant Garoupa that showed up in Ubin amidst a Garoupa festival. A true fighter, it put my light gear to the test and almost straightened my hook. I had to jam my drag on the Spheros in order to pull this one out of the snags.  

  Ubin Lao Di Fang keeps producing these wonderful Garoupas. Everyone enjoys catching fish like these, right?   2011 April - Predicting the end of personal websites    Looks like the end of websites like this is near. In 1999, I formed this website. Then around 2004, personal websites started giving way to blogs and this ended up more like a blog. Now of course, there's facebook, which makes it so easy for me to upload pics and even videos, even when I'm not even home after a fishing trip yet.   So that's where my fishing pics have disappeared to, if that's what you're wondering... FACEBOOK. So until the next big thing on the Internet happens, facebook is where u'll see my fishing updates from now on.   Thanks for following this site for so long, I have received lots of email over the 12 years of this sites existence. It will probably exist as an archive until dear old Pacific Internet folds, cos that's where this site has been hosted ever since 1999.   Take care everyone, it's been a fun 12 years, but I guess age catches up with everyone, and I have to move along with technology. See you on my facebook group (which I'm actually still trying to figure out, haha!) Some recent pics on my fb Conrad's Fishing Group   Erwyn's last trip before he flies off to the US of A. 13 Aug 2011 landed 7 nice garoupas and 8 Snappers.   Here's one I caught, and below that the Anchor with the Angchor.  

Another Lao Di Fang Garoupa

Biggies like these are still around

Caught some nice little Anchor like these.. oops, I meant Angchor. Oh well, both are good.

  Good Feeling is still producing the Barramundi.

Last week everyone on board landed at least one nice Barra, and I topped it off with a biggie Barramundi.

 

Whenever I need to relax, I go to Ubin, park at my Barra spot, and catch beauties like these.

 Landed plenty of good fish in 2011, together with some Mangrove Jacks, Snappers and Kurau, and of course - the mighty Barramundi! Here are twins I landed when everyone was busy catching their own Barramundi.

Aug to Oct - feasting continues, jigging begins

Albertus and his international friends join us for some Ubin fun. B & N are firm regulars now.

On August 20, 2011, we had a change of crew when Albertus and gang joined us at Ubin. Nadine was the champ with a big Garoupa. We all caught some nice fish. Then the traditional meal at Great Atlantis continued.

Nadine can't wait to tuck into her big Garoupa cooked two styles here. This time  Teochew steamed tail portion and the head portion was done Photophores style. Unbeatable!

The happy girl with the fat Garoupa taken off an old double wreck at Pasir Ris.

29 Aug 2011. We landed good fish again and this time it's Kings who can't wait to try out the Wild Caught Steamed Snapper.

3 Sep 2011 was productive too. Lao Di Fang keeps on producing these 2-4 kg Garoupas. 

3 Sep 2011. Here we are back at the boatel With Erwyn gone, Erwin has come to replace him, haha.

Erwin with his 'FBrother' Hokkien Pro

On 17 Sep 2011, Quasimodo joined in the fun. It bit and burst Karen's line, I told her I'd catch it for her, let down my HK Hook and landed Quasi (furthest right) with Karen's hook still in its mouth. Typical Lao Di Fang action.

2011 Oct. Southern Islands. Something took Bryan's metal jig. He had been jigging the whole day. Now he was going to be rewarded. 

An intro to metal jigging for Bryan. His first Garoupa on metal jig at the Southern Islands. Looks like its gonna be the next big thing.

Goodbye Erwyn - special video

2011 Aug 13, Erwyn's last trip before flying off to the States for studies. We'll miss him, and I know he misses us.

So after a hectic few months of fishing, feasting and having tonnes of fun, Erwyn has to go off to the States for his studies. Good luck buddy, and study hard. Come fish with us again when you come back.

2011 Aug, Dexter helps with the Teochew Steamed Garoupa. Farewell meal.