PEACOCK BASS HAVEN IN KUALA LUMPUR

PEACOCK BASS HAVEN IN KUALA LUMPUR – 15 JULY 2018

Peacock Bass was on my target list and another recommend from Fishyology was Prima Fishing with a local guide, Fahmi. After contacting Fahmi, who was extremely helpful and explained everything, the trip was set for a Sunday morning. Puchong Prima has been a Peacock Bass Haven in Kuala Lumpur. Situated close to KL, making it accessible for anglers around KL to come down and try to catch one of the most sought after game fish in Malaysia.

My self and another chap, Tom, from the UK working out here set off bright and breezy through the blissful light Sunday morning traffic. Arriving in good time, we met Fahmi at 0830 and set the boat up for the days fishing. The weather was fine and was promising to deliver perfect conditions.

Puchong Prima, morning view from launch point

It was not long before we were well under way and casting our first lines. Tom had borrowed a rod from Fahmi and I was using a 6’ spinning rod with a retro “Mitchel” reel from the 80’s – cool little reel. We had been given all the end tackle and baits so all we had to do was cast into the highlighted areas. I must point out at this point, that although I am no ‘Bob Nudd’ (UK icon angler) Tom was a real novice. He was good entertainment for his casting efforts which either landed right in front of him in the water or on the bank of the lake. If he was having a really bad cast, poor Fahmi was left to untangle the “Birds Nest” on the reel. To that end he was then known as ‘Tangle Tom’! But credit where credit is due, tangle Tom was the first to catch and it was the target species.

1-0 to Tom, first Peacock Bass of the day

Not to be out done, I doubled my efforts and bang!!! I was hooked into something. Hoping it was the Bass, I reeled in and to my surprise, a baby Giant Snake Head was attached to my hook. A bonus really as this was also a species on my list!

We changed spots many times, always close to the shore and rock debris out crops, which is the favored territory of the Bass. It was also the best areas for Tangle Tom to apply his amazing casting skills and land his cast on the lake side or hook into some obstruction on the bottom and snap his rig!! The dry spell lasted a couple of hours, with cast after cast producing nothing but tangles, snapped rigs and much frustration. We were now heading to the far reaches of the lake and I am sure Fahmi had been saving this spot for last.

My first cast went in and just short of bringing the line up from the bottom after the retrieve, I felt it….the Knock then the take. It shot off and I hooked into the fish as I struck the rod. Reeling in I could feel a nice fight which was pretty good for the smallish second Bass to be landed! I was in and really pleased that I had now hit my target species!

2-1 to me, this time a much more respectable size!

Tom was not far behind me with in a few minutes and had landed his second Bass of the day!

Things were ‘hotting’ up here and again within a few more minutes and at the end of my retrieve I felt the knock then the take. This time the rod went over with a good pull from the fish and the excitement was brilliant as I played the much larger unseen fish. I quickly reeled in another Bass and quite a catch it was too! Weighing in at 2lb it was a cracking specimen of the Bass and I was delighted. Tom was frantically casting and retrieving to get another fish but it was not long before I was into my third Bass!

Things went quite so time to move on. The next spot presented another Bass for me which dropped off the hook as I was getting the net into the water. The memory of the big gapping mouth looking up at me will not leave me for a long time…….The one that got away. Tom was still producing some great tangles and snapping his terminal tackle but no more fish. We moved back up the lake for the final spot but again no further fish were produced.