Tongkat Ali anyone?

Q. What is as hard as wood and as straight as a... ermm... wooden pole?

A. Tongkat Ali (Ali's walking stick)

Okok... I know I sound silly.

Tongkat Ali extract has been touted for years as a natural testosterone boosting herbal supplement. *Wink wink* However, it is not the trunk of the tree (which really looks like a long straight pole!) that is used - it's the roots.

Anyway, the reason this plant is making an appearance here today has something to do with the fact that I'm a coffee drinker. Whenever I go overseas (Eg. Permas Jaya tackle shops), I tend to look around for unique food and drink not available in Singapore. Thus, I would always cart home a couple of special brands of instant coffee.

The above are just 2 examples of well known brands of instant coffee manufactures, but with 'flavours' not found in Singapore. In addition to the 3 (coffee/creamer/sugar), you see ginseng, Tongkat Ali and even Misai Kucing (Cat's Whiskers) added.

These coffee do smell and taste different from the usual ones, but I have no idea if it is due to the herbs or other flavourings have actually been added?

No matter what, I don't feel any difference even after drinking these everyday. Maybe it's different for the guys? Hehehe...

Let me know yah? ;p

Cr - 28/08/09 PRPP

It's always a torture when anticipation doesn't lead to fulfillment right? So after the pathetic attempt on Tuesday evening, I could not resist checking out another pond. As our loyal readers would know, we are pretty much 'car-less' right now, so the obvious place to go was PRPP.

Actually the name has changed. But I'm used to the old name and everyone knows what I'm talking about, so let's just leave it at that ok?

It has been so long I've not done pond fishing on my own that my heartbeat was slightly elevated throughout. In fact, I behaved like a complete noob, and made an ass of myself. As I was the only female angler there, my unfortunate bloopers did not go noticed. :(

I had a take the moment I tossed my peeled prawn in. 'Woohoo!' I thought, and I haven't even paid the money! My drag was set pretty high and soon, a kilo plus Grouper appeared. Giddy with happiness and excitement, I decided to forgo the pliers and simply lift the fish up.

And... PLOP! It struggled, managed to shake off the hook, and fell right back into the pond. Sob... It didn't help when my 'audience' from the opposite of the pond gave a collective 'Aiyah!'

Ok, there's more, but I'm going to retain some shreds of dignity in front of my reader and shall just sum it up with a photo.

1 Gao He, 1 Ang Kuey & 2 Kim Chews

All the above fish were caught in the first 2 hours - about 5:30 to 7:30pm. With the last hour a very quiet one. Despite having to save up for the many overseas trip, I believe this pond is worth my time. So... I think I'll be back... :p

Cr - 25/08/09 Pasir Ris Farmway 3 Ed's Pro Pond

Actually I would hesitate to call this post a CR... because... we caught nothing!!!

Yes, We could not believe it but we had absolutely nothing to show for it after almost 5 hours of fishing ($50 for 5 hours). After the unfortunate accident which prevented us from fishing in Permas Jaya, we could not resist going to a pond. We arrived at Ed's Pro Pond around 730pm and witnessed 2 hits. One fish was landed and the other apparently threw the hook. Encouraged, we started fishing.

All was quiet till 8pm when some fish were released. Contrary to our expectations, which was that a few fish would usually be landed immediately, only 3 fish were landed - at 10 minutes interval!

The next and final fish we saw pulled out of the water was around 11pm. From 730pm to 12 midnight, there were about 8 to 10 anglers but only 4 fish caught! To be fair, we saw a few leaving with fish. Was it that the fish stopped biting and went on a fast when the sun set?

During the 4.5 hours, we used a variety of methods and baits. We used a float and also did bottom spinning. We used live prawns, live milkfish, peel prawns and even lures! What did we get in return? Zilch. Kosong.

The water condition seem ok. We saw fish - Sagais, Snappers and a Taiwan Ngor - swimming past in the clear water, but why didn't they bite?

Haiz... Maybe it has been too long since we have fished at a pond and we have lost our touch? Maybe we should continue to save up money for overseas trips then...

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Haiz... Haiz... Haiz...

Sorry for sighing and grumbling at the very beginning of this entry, let me explain why.

This very morning, MFF had arranged with friends to try fish at one of the Permas Jaya pay pond and of course, shop for more tackle. Unfortunately, we crashed our car on the way.

Yes, you heard right. We crashed our car at the bend of a slip road linking 2 expressways. It rained heavily last night but the rain had stopped by the time we set off. The good weather gave us a false sense of security and we did not take the slipperiness of the still wet road into consideration. So, the car skidded in the middle of the bend with the front crashing into the metal railings on one side, followed by a 180 degrees spin to hit the opposite railing at the back.

We have every reason to be thankful. First and foremost, neither of us were hurt. We weren't going at very fast speed so though the cosmetic damage (from the car scraping the metal railings) was great, there was no damage to the chassis or the passengers. Very importantly too, there were no vehicles behind us so no others were involved in this accident. Thank goodness!

Well, as we were quoted mucho bucks for the repair, we decided to scrap the car straight away and get a new one. And herein come the other reason for all that sighing - we will have to give up certain plans to go fishing in the next couple of months.

Why, you ask? Well, Kia cars are apparently selling so well we will have to wait till October for the shipment. With that, our plans to drive up to Malaysia have just gone down the drain because - NO CAR. So there goes our September Sibu Kelong trip and October Pekan Sailfish trip.

Sob sob... :(

10 to 13 Aug BKK - Random Items of Interest

It was the 12th of Aug, after our day at Bungsamran. We were returning to our hotel by taxi, and we were grumbling as the taxi-driver had chosen to not to take the highway and the journey took much longer than we expected. Fortuitously, while weaving in and out of the city's roads, we noticed this 'hawker centre-like' with many stalls. As it was within walking distance of the hotel, we decided to bath and change before walking about 15 minutes there.

It was already around 9pm, so many stalls were closed. As we walked around the place to check out the few stalls that remained opened, we chanced upon a cart that had many types of insects displayed! The owner was actually having his dinner there, and we had to wait till he finished his dinner before he would serve us... so it was a good thing he was finishing already!

There were about 8 types of fried insects available for sale - ranging from ants to grasshoppers, locusts, larvae and worms. Each type costs either 20 of 30 baht for about 3 spoonfuls and are all eaten with a dash of sauce and sprinkling of spiced powder. Unfortunately, the stall owner spoke no English so he did not understand our question of what the condiments were. The entire transaction consisted mainly of excited pointing and jabbing on our part...

We then sat down to try the insects, which we hoped would go down well with beer. Well, all I can tell you is that most of them tasted rather similar - salty and crunchy!

I assure you that these look worse at close range...

We were slowly trying the insects and washing them down with beer when the second surprise of the day showed up. It was at first quite puzzling when we heard trumpeting sounds coming from outside the food centre, which we thought was from the noisy horn of a lousy driver. A few seconds later, there was a commotion behind and we turned to see 3 men leading an elephant around.

Yes, a real, live young elephant! One man sat astride on the elephant, one held small bags of sugarcane sticks to sell at 20 Baht, and the last man collected the money. We bought 2 bags and enjoyed the unusual experience of feeding an elephant. You only had to hold out the sticks of sugarcane in front of you. The elephant would immediately extend its trunk over to gently pluck it from your hands and pop it into its mouth. The bundles of sugarcane disappeared really fast!

We apologise for the badly taken photo, we were too stunned!

I guess we were more than happy in the end, that the cab driver did not take the highway!

CR - 11/8/09 BKK Bungsamran

Ok, I know we should have written this entry first before posting the video, but we were so excited about the video we couldn't wait! I'm sure our readers would understand right? :) Anyway, I am still going to write about BSR in case some of you want to know more...

Bungsamran 's morning fishing session is from 9am to 9pm. Thus, MFF arranged to meet the guide at the pond at 930am and took a cab there ourselves. We simply flagged down a cab outside our hotel and showed the driver the map to BSR. The trip from our hotel in Silom (beside Chong Nonsi BTS) took about 30 minutes and cost 250baht including toll for the highway. Remember to flag a moving cab! A stationary one parked outside a hotel is more likely to quote you an amount instead of going according to the meter, and you could get ripped off if you don't know the usual price for that distance.

Simply print this out and show it to the cab driver!

(Source: www.bungsamran.com)

We would always choose to fish on the boardwalk instead of paying more for a bungalow. Total cost would then be: 1000baht - fishing licence for 1 rod, 1000baht - fishing guide and 200baht per set of bait ingredient. We only fished for about 7 hours till the 2nd set of bait run out, so if you are fishing for the full 12hrs, be prepared to buy 3 sets of bait.

The tables and benches along the boardwalk are actually numbered, but you can 'expand your territory' when it's off-peak.

View of the bungalows from the boardwalk.

The guide would actually help you to mix and form the bait, cast, set hook and finally net the fish - all except the fighting! However, wanting the full BSR experience, we tried our hands at everything. We were successful with all but the forming of the bait - it had to be just right - too compact meant the ball won't disintegrate in the water, and too loose meant it would disintegrate when you cast! In the end, we gave up and left that part to the guide... Haha...

Bread + coconut milk + bait powder + pond water = 1 big ball!

It would usually take 2 or 3 casts to chum the water and attract the fish over. After that, there would be a hit for almost every cast! Once the float sinks and the slack lines starts to move, you set the hook and it's fish on!

Avet SX + Abu Garcia Tournament 8ft

One thing to take note is that the wily fish would often try to dash under the boardwalk so that your line would be cut by the stilts. Be wary and ready to drag the fish away immediately when it goes in that direction.

Your arms would ache even more when trying to stop the fish from going under!

Unique fighting posture - sitting on one of the wooden stumps...

Bring a fishing gimbal belt to make the fighting easier.

Daiwa Freams J + Loomis & Franklin 9 ft

Daiwa Freams J + Shimano Caranx Pencil Instrument

Frankly, we prefer the photos of the fighting stance then these with the catch!

Remember to apply sunblock, or you'll end up like me...

Our favourite photo of the lot with a lovely C-shaped bend!

To sum up, we enjoyed ourselves very much. The eating, the shopping and above all, the fishing!

CR - BKK 09 Bungsamran & Boon Ma Video

Here's the video we've just completed. We love it and hope you will too, enjoy! :)

Alternatively, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_iYHNqGbw

for the higher quality 'big screen' version!

CR - 10/8/09 BKK Boon Ma Part II

It was MFF's first time going to Boon Ma, so we brought an assortment of about 20 lures including Duel, Maria, Rapala, Surecatch and Yozuri. We found out that when the fish were hungry, they took almost anything; but at the end of the day, it was still the 'branded' ones that attracted the most bites.

Can you identify the lure in this picture? Clue: It's 'cheap'! ;)

There was once when I was using a 'cheap' lure and could get no fish after 6 casts. The moment I changed to one of the 'Players of the Match', it was fish on! Thus, it would be good to bring a few better quality lures to use during lulls. A very good example was when the workers came in a truck to pour buckets of baby tilapias into the pond at 2:30pm - the 'cheap' lures were no fight for the real thing!

Most of my fish were caught using the red-head!

The reason why that 2 lures (refer to previous post for photo) deserve special mention was that they achieved a laudable performance of at least 50% bite rate. That was how the three of us managed to land a total of more than 30 fish (despite a 1-hour intermission due to extremely strong winds and heavy rain). We lost count very quickly and took only a few photos - the rest of the fish were released immediately after hook removal.

Close-up of the farm worker removing my red-head.

Now, since I've mentioned hook removal, I would like to advise anglers going to Boon Ma to change the treble hooks on their lures to good quality single hooks. When I was tired of using pliers to bend my opened treble hooks back into shape, I decided to change to singles. I was glad I did that - the number of hook-ups remained consistent, without me having to worry about hooks opening!

KBLs will jump and shake their heads to try dislodge the lures.

One other very important point is - do NOT use lures that are too small! As the KBLs feed by sucking/inhaling their food, using too-small lures will mean a very high chance of having a lure stuck deep inside the mouth of the fish. Not only is it more difficult to remove, there's also a higher possibility of the injured fish dying. Using bigger lures would significantly increase the chance of a hook up at the mouth.

Using lures of this size would also attract the attention of more fish.

All in all, we certainly enjoyed catching and fighting the barramundis, which were all around 7kg. The experience of seeing a fish jump up to snap on the poppers/surface cruisers was the icing on the cake!

Curved rods, singing reels and jumping fish - bliss!

CR - 10/8/09 BKK Boon Ma Part I

Two years ago when MFF went to Bangkok, Boon Ma was in the cards originally. Unfortunately, we planned to go Bungsamran first... So the next day when we woke up, the ache in our arms were enough to persuade us to walk in the direction of the Thai traditional massage spa instead of Boon Ma!

This time, we obviously had wised up. So on our first morning in Bangkok, we were eagerly waiting below our hotel for the transport to bring us to the barramundis. We were quoted 2000 Baht for return transport to Boon Ma, in addition to the 1000 Baht guide fees. As we thought that was very expensive, we asked for the address so that we could take a taxi there ourselves. Interestingly, despite repeated requests for the address of Boon Ma, the guide answered every one of our questions... except for that one. Hmm...

Well, with no way of telling taxi drivers how to drive there, we had no choice but to accept the 'package'. Luckily, Andrew, who chanced upon our website/blog and happened to be in Bangkok on business a few days before our trip, got in contact and asked if he could join us. We of course welcomed his addition to our group, as it meant someone to share the costs with! Hehe... (Just kidding, Andrew!)

Anyway, after an hour's ride, we arrived at the farm around 10am. After a quick word with someone who seemed to be the owner/manager, our guide brought us to a pond which was right in front of a small 'house' that had a toilet attached. Without further ado, we set up our rods, chose a lure, and set out to molest the fish in the pond. *cue - evil laughter*

House-like shelter in the middle of the rows of ponds.

The farm workers set this up when we moved to the pond beside.

Introducing... the players of the match!

Ok, I still have a lot to say but I don't like very long posts. So I shall continue tomorrow, yes? *cue - more evil laughter*

To be continued... ;p

Back From Bangkok!

Actually wanted to try write part of the BKK catch report... but could not overcome my inertia to do so. Even though the trip wasn't too tiring, the ZZZs seem intent on making me their prisoner. My brain has not shut down but it is definitely on standby mode, so I have no idea where to start... other than from the beginning, that is...

I'm just rambling on and on but not making much sense right? Sigh...

Okok, I shall just do this another day... hopefully tomorrow? Please forgive me and do come back in a day or two, alright?

Outside the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok, on National Day!

Meanwhile... Happy Belated National Day, Singapore!

Hello BKK!

Yes, this is just another announcement to whoever is out there quietly following this blog...

MFF will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow morning! Yeah!

Haha... Well, if you haven't already known from previous entries, we will be there to fish at Boon Ma and Bungsamram. We will try our best to update the CR and photos asap, hopefully by Thursday evening, so you know when to visit us again yah? :)

Pond Fishing in Permas Jaya?

Went over Permas Jaya, Malaysia (again!) to go tackle shopping. Usually, it's shop and eat then go home, but this time... There was time to check out a fishing pond!

Will all anglers go home happy? :p

Prices were definitely cheaper than Singapore! Weekdays - $35 and weekends - $40, for the standard 3 hours. With the exchange rate hovering around S$1 = RM2.4, it works out to be S$14.60 and S$16.70 respectively!

Well, it's actually not very fair to simply compare the prices without looking at the catch rate, but you must admit that the difference in price is very very significant! Of course, this is not inclusive of the costs involved in driving there lah...

Sheltered area for the rainy/sunny days.

Live prawns are sold there at RM0.80 per piece. A bit of quick calculation will tell you that S$10 will get you 30 prawns - only slightly cheaper than Singapore prices. However, anglers there were spotted using dead prawns with success, so... maybe you can save the money?

Keep net for the fish - we saw 2 to 3kg kim chews swimming inside!

No matter what, it is highly likely that we will go and try it out one day. If we do, you'll be the first know! :)

CR (Cook Report) that follows 1/8/09 CR

Feel so proud of myself that I just have to talk about what I did with the prawns caught last Saturday. I cooked the prawns in 2 different ways and they were all delicious! Really!

Remember the 'BEFORE'? Let's take a look first at the 'AFTER' photos...

Wasabi Prawns

Prawn Wontons

Believe me, my photography skills may be nothing to shout about but my cooking skills definitely can pass muster!

Want to try my recipes out? Here they are...

Wasabi Prawns

• 10 medium sized freshwater prawns
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 eggwhite
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• Approximately 1 cup oil for frying

• 2 tbs mayonnaise
• 1 tsp condensed milk
• 2 tsp wasabi paste/powder
• 1 tsp lime/lemon juice

1. Shell and de-vein prawns. (I chose to leave the tails on as I think it's prettier!)
2. Add salt and mix evenly. Set aside.
3. Combine the mayo, condensed milk, wasabi, lime juice and mix evenly. Set aside.
4. Dip prawns in egg white then roll in cornflour to coat.
5. Fry in hot oil till golden brown.
6. Drizzle the wasabi mixture over the prawns and serve immediately. OR
7. Serve wasabi mixture separately in a saucer.

Prawn Wontons

• 10 medium sized freshwater prawns
• 5 water chestnuts
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbs chopped spring onion
• 1 tbs fish sauce OR 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chinese cooking wine (optional)
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 20 pcs wonton skin
• Approximately 1 cup oil for frying

1. Shell and de-vein prawns, chop roughly into small cubes.
2. Remove skin of water chestnuts and dice. (Note: Do not chop both above ingredients too fine, or the filling would have no crunch.)
3. Remove root part of spring onions and dice.
4. Marinate the prawn meat with the fish sauce/salt, pepper, sesame oil, wine and cornflour.
5. Add the garlic, spring onion and water chestnuts and mix evenly.
6. Scoop 1 tsp of filling and place in the middle of 1 pc of wonton skin. Brush the edges with a finger dipped in water, fold into a triangle and press to seal.
7. Fry in hot oil till wontons turn golden brown.
8. Serve immediately. (With Thai Sweet Chilli if desired!)

Let me know about your results if you decide to try my recipes!

CR - 1/8/09 Prawning at East Coast Park

Don't go East Coast Park often, so was surprised to hear about a prawn pond there. Curious about the new (to me!) place, I decided to check it out.

No fish, no lobster, but yes there are prawns.

This place is about 5 mins walk from Burger King, right beside the Futsal court. There are two ponds here - one saltwater and one freshwater. However, unlike Pasir Ris Farmway 3, the prices are different.

The counter staff readily told customers that freshwater prawns were easier to catch.

At the counter, I saw small bags of salt, firestarters, satay sticks and styrofoam plates - all free of charge for customers to bbq their catch! There were 2 pits in a corner, complete with a bag of charcoal too! Hmm... Must support this place...

Comfy looking cafe styled chairs, though I stood there all the way!

The size of the ponds are not very big and the water only about 1 metre deep. The freshwater pond is bigger and divided into 2 sections, each section can seat around 20 people. I had a rather favourable first impression due to the state of cleanliness. As the bait provided (chicken hearts) were already cut up into small pieces, the area is less likely to be dirtied or to attract ants.

You can hook your keep net, place your bait and park your rods here!

I eagerly started, only to get zero for the first 20 minutes! Arghh... I switched over to another area and the bites started immediately! (Note to self: NEVER prawn beside the pump, the water flow must be too fast for prawns to like hanging around that area.)

I was glad to see that most prawns caught, whether by other customers or myself, were medium sized. The baby sized ones were less common - making up about 30% and the big ones were rare - I only saw 1 caught during my 3 hours.

One unique point about this pond is that because of it's location that receives a high amount of human traffic, there were many patrons who were families and classmates out for a gathering. They are usually inexperienced and that was why flying prawns and shrieking girls were not uncommon there that day! :p

When the time was up I took my net to the counter area to 'dapao' my catch. A very friendly uncle (the boss?) offered to help me hold the plastic bag while I shook the prawns from the net. He also asked me if I wanted to know the weight of my catch and weighed them for me. Pretty good service!

Oh, did I forget to mention my total number of prawns? It was 19 prawns at 700g. Not fantastic, but remember "ren sheng di bu shou" ok! (Excuses, excuses again... Haha...)

BEFORE...

To be continued! :)