Finally Drought Is Over

Based on the last captures or basically the last blog I had, that was how long I've been on a fishing drought! Last week was the most devastating drought with super clear water and hardly any baitfish activities, I knew I would be in for donuts. But the donuts were continuous, with hardly any bites at all! Looked through the pressure readings and true enough, super high pressure with little fluctuations made sure that theory was right. I was then basically waiting for the pressure to either drop drastically or wait till two weeks later and go back to my sure-fire spot. Ok, the tides were in favour of 'sure-fire' spot this week and I knew I had to break this bloody drought!

Went on Tues and the tide wasn't fantastic. High was a mere 1.44m at around 4pm. Nonetheless, began hammering the exact spot with the Stradic. The stradic was out last week for the drought and I thought maybe it's jinxed? Anyway, thought it would reverse the fortune on Tues. This was not to be, as I'm really pissed with the 3lb fireline! Kept getting wind knots non stop and I swear this was gonna be its last outing (new toy coming, hehe). With so much time wasted on untangling that shitty line, it was soon outgoing tide and quickly changed to this new rig which was the bloodworm wriggler with a 1/32 size 6 jighead squeezed into the sp to imitate a 'hidden weight system'. Frankly, it was a failed visualisation. The hidden weight was snugged in nicely but the swimming action was crapola. No takers so a change in weight was made. Used the modded berkley head and casted very near to the snag. Just as the lure was coming back next to the structure, there was a take and zzzzzz.... to the structure. Oh no, not again! This time round, it snagged me but I could still feel that it was struggling in the water. But I could feel the line rubbing non stop and within seconds, PIAK! Fish ran away with my painstakingly modded jighead.. TAMADE! I GOT SMOKED AGAIN! That was it, no more bream bites. All I could manage on Stradic once again was a winter flathead.

Finally got a chance to use my 'hao-lian' ruler (brag is haolian right?). The flattie was freezing cold man, I wonder how these fishes can survive!

Wed I went back again. Tide is increasing and a little better going at 1.5m. Roughly reached there earlier than Tues and the pressure was fluctuating, hopefully was a good sign. This time, I brought kix out. Was damn quiet in the beginning, and I was trying out some Squidgys I bought at BigW for $2 (haha). After about an hour, I knew I had to try the snag now seeing that the water was quite high. Then, as I was nearer to it, the baitfish seemed to come on alive, good sign! Tried again with the 'hidden weight' squidgy and jig it vertically along the structure back to myself. Finally, the bream drought was over. Kix was on tight drag and basically did the same ol' skull dragging. Not much struggle from this 'tournament undersize' bream (shit, bought this ruler just to make me get irritated on 'fork' lengths).

Hmm.. hidden weight not bad actually.. Seemed very well hooked leh. After the release, it was chaos time. The mini shrimps were jumping and it was feeding time! I knew I had to get a bit further out and so changed the jighead. 1st cast with the mod head and had a funny bite, striked lah! Ok, connected liao.. No fight leh! This thing was heavy but came in easy. Within seconds I could see shape and it was a big whiting. Seeing that their mouth is hard to lip grip, I had no choice but to harrowingly lift it up. It was my pb whiting...

... with a lousy 0.5cm better! Yup, 38.5cm is my current pb, up from the previous 38. Sianz.. well, a pb is still a pb. Damn it, I kept wasting time taking photos nowadays, and bloody hell the camera took another fall from the bag and got more scratches! Wah lao eh.. I think the camera will not be able to make it in future when I keep abusing it like that. The feeding frenzy was still on and I made a few more casts. This time round no more bite, just a take and go attitude, I LIKE! Good size bream don't usually muck around, especially when they want to feed. This one went off on a short run and that was it, probably because of my tight drag. Didn't lip grip as well and this one came in as 'tournament legal'. Hao-lian ruler.. u beauty!

All the fishes are icy cold man, just makes you feel like in winter to still catch fish is truly unbelievable! I've been meaning to take videos of myself while in action and so thought maybe still can get them while they are in the frenzy? Basket.. waste time trying to balance the camera on the bag and by the time I can cast, the surface commotion had disappeared!

This is the first "BLAIRWITCH" video I took, muahahahahahaha!!!!

(Actually the vid was damn long, but no point kept showing same casts, but one cast actually flew the lure onto tree branch, kekeke...)

It was getting really dark now, and I thought just give it a few more go. Changed to hardbodies and tried using my night-time confidence lure, the LuckyCraft Tango. Few casts at the same spot and suddenly there was a take and next thing is zzzzzzz..... GONE! Wah.. spewing man! Brought up and check, treble was bent! 4th time Owner trebles had let me down! They count themselves lucky I had no choice cos' there's no other brands that make size 12 trebles.. SIANZ!!! Whichever that bastard that crushed the treble must have been a monster.

Persist for a while more with no takers on the Rapid. Changed to my night-time confidence sp which was a used Gulp grub that got the flattie the day before. Bashed till almost the end of the waterway and saw some surface commotion which was surprising for an almost low water level. Cast cast cast and soon got a take with a super lousy fight. Up came a just legal whiting at 28.

Then, bream number 3 climbed on board. This fish did one run during mid-fight and suddenly came in like a 'heavy' weight. I thought I've scored big but it was fin wrapped around my leader, no wonder it was plastic-bag feeling.

Noticed this bream had dorsal fin damage, but still, another 'tournament legal'. I missed the competitive spirit I've had with GTK, when we were going hard-out on flatties on our past landbase escapades. Now no one to do this shit with me. Maybe in future when we fished for peacocks, loser has to treat Geylang frog porridge... yum... lol.

Ronald