Saturday October 20, 2007
Catching megalops on fly
By ICHTUS
There is no better time to flyfish moonfish than during the full moon when the tide is high.
Some of my fishing buddies have been getting good results catching megalops on fly recently, and I wanted in on the action.
Megalops cyprinoides, for those who are unfamiliar, is the Ox-eye or Indo-Pacific tarpon. It is known locally as ikan bulan.
While their cousins in the Atlantic (Megalops atlanticus) can reach monster proportions, with some exceeding 100kg, our locals only grow to about 15kg, and even these are rare. To land a 2kg-3kg specimen is considered something of an achievement, and they only tend to average 0.5kg to 1kg on fly.
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Tarpons can be found near sluice-gates. |
As the tarpon is one of my favourite fish to catch using artificial flies, I had to pin down my fishing buddies on the best places to fish. Information on hot fishing spots are jealously guarded, so even after buying them many glasses of “tongue-looseners”, all I got was the “various canals and tributaries of the Klang and Langat Rivers” and the advice to go when the tides are at the highest.
So early one Monday morning, when everybody else was driving to work, I happily drove in the opposite direction. I had woken up early as the tide chart for Port Klang indicated the highest tide to be at 8am. Never mind that it was a drizzly and dreary morning made for lying in bed; I was anxious for the tarpons.
According to my sources, they are to be found at inlets, canals or “pintu air” around Port Klang. These “pintu air” are the sluices or water gates built to control the inflow and outflow of river water during tidal changes so as to prevent flooding in the surrounding, low-lying settlements.
It didn’t take me long to reach my first water gate. The water level was high, as expected, it being the 17th day of the Chinese lunar calendar. However, after observing for 10 minutes, I decided to try another place as there was no evidence of any tarpon.
Arriving at the next destination, five minutes’ drive away, my heart went into overdrive. There, in the clear water, were numerous ikan bulan coming up for air, leaving their tell-tale rings on the surface.
My six-weight rod, intermediate line with a special split tail fly in red and silver, was set up in record time. My first cast wasn’t the prettiest, but it travelled a respectable distance, landing amongst the playing tarpons.
I stripped the fly once, twice and the line tightened. I struck sideways and – Bam! – an angry tarpon took off. Two jumps and a few minutes later, a beautiful shiny, 14-inch tarpon was coaxed to the side, unhooked, photographed and released to fight another day.
That was great, I thought to myself. Another experience and achievement chalked up, another story to put on paper . . . satisfaction!
I stripped off enough line and sent the same fly into the middle of the inlet again: a fast strip, strip, strip . . . something silver followed but did not take the fly. So another cast was quickly made in anticipation.
A quick few strips of the line and bam again! Another tarpon on, line stripped from the reel, three quick jumps, and another photograph. But then it started to rain and, as it seemed to be getting heavier by the minute, I decided to pack up and get to my Jeep. By the time I got in, it was pouring, and so that was the end of my fishing day.
It had lasted a full 40 minutes at best, but what 40 minutes they had been – intense and full of action, with two beautiful, 14-inch wild tarpons to show for it.
“I’ll be back,” I promised myself.
And thank you, megalops, for that morning. It was precious. You are still my favourite fish on fly.
Home for the ox-eye
The Indo-Pacific tarpon or ox-eye inhabits tropical coastal and brackish waters of the indo-pacific oceans. The adult can reach up to 1.5m in length and the greatest recorded weight is 18kg.Its appearance is like the Atlantic Tarpon, olive green on top and silver on the sides. The large mouth is turned upwards with the lower jaw containing an elongated bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer than the others and can reach almost to the tail.
It feeds on smaller fish and crustaceans and is capable of filling its swim bladder with air and absorbing oxygen from it.
The Indo-Pacific tarpon migrates between the open sea and inland rivers but can only breed in the sea.
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