Fishing in Alor - Part 2

Fishing in Alor - Part 2

[Read Part 1 Here] Captain Ambon had travelled through the night to our next fishing location. Refreshed after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we commenced fishing. Edgar, Boyet, Matt and Lenny set off to do some popping with Martin, while the rest of us focused on jigging.

Purple Cod caught off the Flores Sea

After a couple of eventless hours of jigging, I switched to the Chasebaits Ultimate Squid. I had a solid Hit! As the fish tried to muscle it's way back down, i knew i had caught a grouper of some sort. After some huffing and puffing, up came a hefty Purple Cod! Check out the video on our Instagram.

Vibrant colours on this Coral Trout

Taking advantage of the slow current, Nigel switched to his Evergreen Poseidon Light Jerker and hooked up some Coral Trouts in quick succession. These were quickly dispatched after a quick photo and were sent to the kitchen to be processed for lunch.

Freshly caught coral trout from lunch

Lunch was absolutely delectable. Nigel's coral trouts were steamed to perfection. These two guys, Jack and Suhar really kept us well fed and craving for more with their culinary fare. Meal times were definitely throughly enjoyed the entire duration of the trip by all of us.

Boyet's GT

After lunch, 4 of the guys headed out to pop and the rest of us chilled out at the dining area. After an hour, we saw the tender coming back towards us in a hurry. Boyet had landed a nice GT! But they had forgotten their phones so they rushed back to grab a picture before reviving and the releasing fish.

Carlos in action with his Yamaga Blue Reef

Carlos did some casting on the mother boat and scored some rats while we sheltered from the wind nearby some islands. These areas are very remote and not accessible to local fishermen. The fish are very aggressive towards stickbaits and poppers if you manage to get their attention.

Rats were pretty common in some areas

There was plenty of action from a small school of juvenile giant trevally and blue fin trevally, so some of the others also started casting. These were great fun on PE3-4 light casting outfits. They are not very fussy any eat anything from medium poppers to sinking minnows like the Jackson Pintails.

Spacious Upper Deck

The Komodo Shalom unlike the other boats in Alor, has a spacious upper deck which you can also pop from if you wanted. This was my go to place to watch the sun rise and set. I also spent a lot of time here star gazing at night. To bad i didn't have a DSLR camera with me to shoot the stars! 

So addictive!

I took a nap in the late afternoon so that i could fish late into the night as the current was much more conducive for jigging, just before dawn. After a yummy late night supper of fried bananas covered in cheese and chocolate, the rest headed to bed, while Dyran and i stayed up chatting with the crew.

Perhaps the smallest ruby snapper of the trip!

Martin came up to the dining area at around 4am for his cup of coffee and we began fishing shortly after. I hit a small Ruby to start, while Dyran hooked onto something much bigger. After a quick photo taken by Jack it was back to jigging. The fish were hitting the jigs hard!

Dyran's Ruby

Dyran's fish took him to the front of the boat before he finally managed to subdue it and bring it up to the surface to be landed. By this time i had landed a couple of smaller fish and Jacobus and Jack were helping us unhook the fish, while Martin grabbed Edgar's Ripple Fisher rod and fished along with us.

My giant goldfish

I quit taking pictures after my third catch. Fish were strewn all over the side of the boat. Jacobus had earlier told us that the feeding window was short and lasted for only about an hour or so. The bite was on and I was having fun so much fun that it didn't matter that my Shout Shortel jig lost all it's paint!

Dyran's 2nd biggie

Dyran's reel screamed for a second time as he hooked onto another biggie. This one was landed without much incident. Carlos showed up on the deck awhile later, woken up by the commotion of the frenzy and went down to wake the others, but i guess they couldn't get out of their comfy beds!

Full Time Score!

Dyran and i landed a total of 14 fishes in about 60 minutes. Martin had caught another 3 which are not pictured as they had already put them into the fish storage tank at the bow. We were knackered! Our arms were aching from cranking the fish up a 100 meters but the satisfaction was undeniable.

Sunrise

After a cold shower and some traditional porridge that was made with my Purple Cod, we chilled out as the rest started waking up to get ready for fishing. Once the guys headed out to pop, the rest of us tried jigging for a bit but the bite was slow. I decided to get some sleep instead.

Rosy Jobfish Western Style

It was almost 2pm when i got up. There had been some catches on jigs but nothing significant. I followed my nose to the dining area where i saw some breaded fish. They were served with other yummy stuff they had whipped up for lunch. I have to  admit that i savoured every bite!

Double Hook Up!

We arrived at a new location in the early evening. Once the popping crew had departed, we started jigging. Ambon and Carlos hit a bunch of juvenile doggies while Dyran hit a rather large Bonito. Nigel and i didn't have much luck so we had a couple of beers and watched the sunset instead.

Blood Everywhere!

Later in the evening, i dropped a Chasebait Ultimate Squid and got cut off. So i switched to my trusty Shout Flash jig which had a broader profile. I hit a fish and lost it mid-fight so i just dropped the jig 20 meters and started jigging again. I got another hit and i managed to land a Puptooth Tuna!

I need to catch his grandma.

I hit another juvenile Dogtooth a couple of minutes later with the same jig. The bite kind of slowed down after that and some squid showed up. Carlos and Lenny tried to catch them but it wasn't easy. During dinner a small school of Bonitos showed up and a Marlin came boat side to investigate.

When fishing 100m or deeper, luminous jigs are definitely a must.

The current had picked up after dinner so we couldn't fish until the wee hours of the morning again. Dyran got the ball rolling with a Ruby Snapper on the Shout Stay jig. It's handy to keep a good UV torch in your tackle box as this really lights up luminous jigs easily. 

One for me on the Shout Stay jig too.

We tried to wake the others to join us during the window but they were busy sleeping. Eventually Carlos and Edgar emerged from the bunk and joined us for some non-stop Ruby action. We had formed a queue to fish. Drop the jig in the front and land the fish at the back. Zero Crossed Lines!

All catches on the Komodo Shalom are donated to an orphanage in Alor by the owner Budi Wi

We landed a total of 21 Ruby Snappers and 1 Rosy Jobfish (Edgar) in an hour. I was tired but it felt good to watch the sunrise, while fishing on my 36th birthday! It was definitely a new experience for me and i was happy to be onboard the Komodo Shalom with my friends and the wonderful crew!

I MISS THIS!

Having been awake since 2pm the day before, i had six cups of coffee by lunch time. I don't drink coffee so i was totally buzzing. Thanks to Lenny, Carlos and Dyran for brewing some black stuff for me. Lunch as always was a delightful spread that had most of us going for second servings!

Edgar's Blue Fin on a Sinking Minnow.

We were passing some islands with really good looking terrain. So Matt, Edgar and Carlos started popping from the top deck. They hit a small school of Blue Fin Trevally while the rest of us watched on from the dining area. It was amazing to see the iridescent hues of the fish in the crystal clear waters.

Lenny's Trophy

The final fish of the trip belonged to Lenny. After countless "Angel Rapers" & "Food From Heaven" casts for days, he finally got his reward. His Orion Flapper was smashed by this silver brute. With Boyet's guidance, the fish was landed much to the delight of everyone on board. Check out Lenny's reaction on our Instagram. (MUST WATCH!)

(From Left to Right) Back row: Edgar, Boyet, Matt, Isaiah, Dyran, Nigel
Front row: Carlos, Ambon, Lenny

It had been an awesome experience with these cool cats. We've already made plans for our next trip. Special Thanks to Budi Wi, Captain Ambon, Martin, Mike, Jacobus, Martinos, Jack, Suhar and Poyos for the great hospitality. Trip Dates for 2020 are already out. If you wish to join me on a trip to Alor, please drop me an email at isaiah@teamsaltheads.com for more information. 

Until The Next Fishing Adventure, Tight Lines!

Photos/Videos: Mike, Carlos, Isaiah

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