Desaru Trip with Capt Zam Jb

This trip with Zam was planned in the off season while i was still sorting out my schedule for 2016. For those who don't know, i have been friends with Zam from the time he started out as Capt Badol's deckie. A humble guy who worked really hard to put a smile on his customers face. He was always excited to see new gear or talk about the latest fishing trends. He was a fast learner and in a short period of time he became the Skipper who drove Capt Badol's boat.

Fast forward to today, Zam is the top gun in Desaru. He has his own boat now and he is still as hardworking as he was back in the day. His consistency in putting anglers onto the fish has garnered him quite a following from the angling community in Singapore. His slots are taken up as soon as he opens them up for booking. (Which is why he kindly allowed me to pick my date with him way in advance. :P )

We met up pretty early on the day of the trip. Zam just finished a night trip with some Malaysian anglers and went for a quick shower before we set off. Our objective was to try to get some fish on slow pitch jigging. I won't go into the specific details of the trip. We were fishing in depths of between 30 to 50 meters and using 180-250g ATC Venom Slow Jigs.(These were still in the prototype stage during this trip. But they will be available in the market in a couple of weeks.) I will list the tackle we used at the end of the post.

Spanish Mackerel on the Zerek Cavalla

We landed 4 sizable fish on slow jigs while Lemuel also managed to get a Spanish Mackerel on the Zerek Cavalla. The highlight of the trip for me was losing a big grouper within the first 30 minutes as my Decoy split ring opened up under heavy drag pressure. Zam was by my side as i hooked onto it and initially thought that i got cut off before we saw the solid ring as i reeled up. He smiled as i mumbled a string of expletives in exasperation and told me that it was still early and not to be disheartened because he had been cut off by several big fish in the same spot a couple of days ago. He told me to use a bigger jig (250g) and to keep trying as i swapped out my split rings. Things took a turn for the better after that. :)

So happy i didn't realize the fish was peeing on me.

Lucky Guy. First time Slow Pitch Jigging. First Catch.

It was nice to hang out with Zam and fish. It has been a tough few weeks for him. Despite all that, he was all smiles throughout the day. I look forward to fishing with him again.  He told me that his new boat will be ready soon. For booking info, please click here. For those who don't drive, please look up J&J Transportation or Drive Angels for hassle free 2 way transportation. If you require any other information, leave a comment and i will get back to you the soonest i can.

No Quantity but we'll settle for Quality!

Tackle Used

Rods: ATC Vulcan PE 2.5, Evergreen Poseidon 603-5, Yamaga Galahad Slow 63/3,

Reels: Shimano Ocea Jigger 1500HG, 1501HG, 2000HG

Jigs: ATC Venom, Xesta Slow Flap, Shout Cradle, Ocea Stinger Butterfly (180g - 300g)

Casting Outfit: Zerek Temptress PE2-3 (Casting) Shimano Twinpower 6000HG, Zerek Cavalla

Ok Food Pictures are Next!!!!

Hong Kong Steam. 

Sambal Prawns and Seafood Tom Yam Soup

Assorted Vegetable Dishes

Deep Fried Grouper with Spicy Sauce

The Aftermath