My First Peacock Bass at Lower Peirce Reservoir

Lower Peirce Reservoir is a relatively new spot for me and imagine my excitement when this critter was hauled out of the depths, more so because that's my new $40 Shimano rod and spinner lure I was using. For me, it's a baptism of sorts to ensure that I land something with my rods and lures. It's an initiation ceremony, I guess.

And now it's my turn ...

This is my very first catch at Lower Peirce Reservoir on a new spinner - just next to the mouth of the peacock bass. We had been luring all morning and had packed and were ready to leave for Lower Seletar Reservoir when I decided to do a few more casts. It was released back into the waters after this picture was taken and I can tell you that this denizen heaved a sigh of relief when it found itself in familiar surroundings. Without batting an eyelid, it took off into deeper waters to live another day. Well, I'll be back at LPR when you weigh 2.5 kg, then. Bye ...

We had two but the others had none

This peacock bass took Wei Hao's white fly as he was reeling it in. PBs are taken in by flies and they chase them on a quick retrieve. We were fortunate because two were landed while other anglers stared blankly at their triple hooks wondering what went wrong.

My PB, my rod and reel

You just can't help but notice that Wei Hao is grinning from ear to ear, lying next to his 2-week-old Shimano Bassteria bait-caster, a low-profile Seahawk reel and his second landing of a peacock bass at Lower Peirce Reservoir on 5 Dec 2008. He had just switched to a white fly with a small weight, after casting the better part of two hours with various lures, including a popper when he first started. His luck went with the fly and the PB was landed within minutes. When I suggested he lie on the grass with his rod and catch, he was taken aback because he had never seen an angler pose in this manner. However, the good-natured Wei Hao relented and I believe he is going to love this picture, not to mention the catch which was released.

Behold, The Artist!

The stunning, natural colours of the setting sun at Sungei Rengit were arresting enough for me to stop my car by the roadside and fire off a couple of quick shots to capture God's artistic handwork. Every sunset is different and this must surely be the most memorable for me. Every minute, the intensity of colours changed as darkness filtered in. I had no more than five or eight minutes to think of composition, evaluative mode, white balance, ISO and other technicalities before shooting. Thank God, I was at the right place at the right time.

Dusk

As daylight gradually fades and the insidious darkness fills the skies, the iridescent colours of nature play out their last symphony in a myriad collage of beauty for those who have the eyes to behold.

Foul-Hooked

This close-up picture shows how a peacock bass is foul-hooked just outside and below its lower mandible. Usually, PBs are hooked either on its upper or lower mandible as they snap at the lure. Most of the time, the rear triple hook ends up in its mouth though at times, both triple hooks are taken.

Unhooking a Peacock Bass

This PB was foul-hooked - the triple hook lodged at the gills rather than the lips. The caliper-type device at the top of the picture is known as a boga. It is used to lift and weigh the fish; in addition, it comes handy with a measuring tape which serves a useful purpose in establishing its length. The long-nose curved pliers is used to unhook the fish.

The Equipment

This peacock bass was landed with a 6-foot Shimano Bassteria rod on 15-pound mono-line and a low-profile bait casting reel. The lure with two triple hooks is still attached to its mouth. This denizen of the Lower Peirce Reservoir was caught and released on 2 Dec 2008.

Peacock Bass

This was the first PB landed on 24 Nov 2008 at Lower Seletar Reservoir and released back into the water. Most of the anglers at LSR practise catch-n-release (CNR) mainly because luring is a recreational sport; besides, I'm told the Chinese and Malays don't eat PBs because of its 'muddy' taste' - it being a fresh-water species. However, several China foreign workers fish regularly here using baits, though this is illegal in our reservoirs. They rake in small and medium-sized ones and cart them home to eat.

One For The Road

Guess you didn't know I'm into fishing as well! This 1.2kg peacock bass was landed at the Lower Seletar Reservoir with a lure on my 6-foot Shimano Bassteria rod, a low-profile Daiwa multiplier reel and 15 pound mono-line. This was the first of three PBs that I ripped from the waters on 24 Nov 2008. The first one, weighing 1kg, was released while this one was given to a Chinese father and son team who was fishing nearby. I had earlier landed a plate-sized PB which was given to three China youths who had a luckless day angling.

Guess some people have all the luck, right?