TENGGOL ISLAND, TERENGGANU

Tenggol Island, Terengganu – 16 APR 2016

Dungun waters, a new SW territory to explore. Our Reelyologist, Mahfudz had quite lot of fun during the last trip and driven by that I think I’ll give it a go. Located approximately 370km in the east coast, I ganged up with Din, Maui, Scott and Ridhwan for this trip. We traveled along Karak and LPT expressway right till Kuala Dungun exit.

Recommended jig size between 40-80 grams, we had our light jigging gears ready for the trip. But this time around, I have chosen my trusty baitcasting setup to as my light jigging gear. The next morning, we met Pak Derahman (the boatman) and his son Azmil(the deckie) at the jetty. It is located behind Dungun main fish market just 15 minutes away from the homestay. We load up and head out to the middle of the sea. I noticed it is a bit hazy and according to Azmil, it has been hazy for the past 2 weeks. We head out almost an hour to the middle of the sea and reach the first spot close by to the Tenggol Island.

We load up and head out to the middle of the sea. I noticed it is abit hazy and according to Azmil, it has been hazy for the past 2 weeks. We head out almost an hour to the middle of the sea and reach the first spot close by to the Tenggol Island. Finally our light jigging session of Tenggol Island begins. As usual, we will be drifting around at the same spot for a couple of rounds before moving on to the next spot. Sadly no bite over at the first spot and we move on to another spot near Tenggol island.

As soon as we start jigging at the second spot, bite rate starts picking up. But mainly small sized Lizard fish, baby grouper and wrasse were caught and released back. At the second attempt, I caught a table sized coral trout. It had fallen for the Majorcraft Jigpara jig that is being twitched around the corals and rocks down below.

As there is no improvement on the catch size, we continue moving around Tenggol Island waters. I tried out the OCEA Colt Spinner jig from Shimano to see if the slow pitch jigging works. As soon as the second drop, the jig got snatched. Knowing it is a coral and rocky area, I reel in quickly not giving any chance for the fish to run. Lucky me, two fish caught with one jig.!~ And one of it is a good sized coral trout.!!~

In between location, Din and Ridhwan had a chance to hook on to a Cobia. Known for its “power-runs”, the ones we caught somehow is more passive compared to what we have expected. Apologies as there is no trophy picture for Cobia. All have been sent straight into the cooler to avoid any unwanted incident.

Coming towards the afternoon, we came across a school of coral sharks. It all started when Din hooked on to something rough but managed to bite off the line and escaped. Meanwhile I was dropping my jig and suddenly my line was peeled off faster than the usual drop. I set the hook and game on for me. Ridhwan hooked on one followed by the rest. Sharks are also known for its strong runs, relentless energy and a very sharp tooth. Sadly, after those electrifying runs the shark managed to bite off the line and make the great escape. Ridhwan manage to bring his shark by the boatside but it got super excited and manage to run away too. Boo Hooo..!!~

By end of the day, we drift around the spots that we have gone earlier today. It was a quite long moment of silence. The current seems to have stopped and the winds are getting stronger.  We continue jigging and Scott finally breaks the silence. A baby coral trout had fallen for Scott’s “Ironman” colored jig.

As the wind continues to pick-up, we decide to move closer to shore to an Unjam nearby. And since the bite rate since morning was not that good. I decided to use “Apollo” technique to catch various types of Scads. I team up with Pak Derahman on the “Apollo aka Sabiki” action and within minutes our bucket are full of Scads. While busy with “Apollo” session, suddenly Ridhwan is back in action. Some crazy runs the fish gave before going up to the surface. A Long Fin Trevally had took his jig and gone for one wild ride. After that one last action, we all decide to call it a day and head back to Kuala Dungun. It was a fairly good trip but non of the monster size Diamond Trevally or Long Fin Jacks that would have been a great showcase for the readers. We packed our stuff, had a big dinner with the rest of the team and soon we drive off to return to Kuala Lumpur.