Bad Tanjung Pinang Elly Kelong Trip

Excitement lasted for the whole morning. Instead of working, I am on msn with momok and sms with TT & the rest. Finally, our wishes came true. Elly can take us for a 3 days 2 nights trip instead of the original 2 days 1 night trip.

Faster forward to 20-Aug-2008, I met TT & Sticko at Beach Road for tea drinking session and to collect my reels from Sticko. Sticko was helping me service my reel. 9pm we all set off for home, to do last min packing for the TP trip that is happeneing the next day.

21-Aug-2008, everyone arrived by 730am at TMFT except Momok and his brother. Reason -they forgot something. By 8am, we have gotten our ticket and preparing to check in the ice boxes and luggages.

"Falcon 3 to Tanjong Pinang ready for boarding at Berth 3." announced the system. And we happily boarded the ferry, not knowing what is prepared at TP for us. Non of us were prepared for that to happen.

Momok checking the ice boxes and rod tubes.

We didn't really enjoyed the bak kut teh from the previous trip and we didn't want to try the nasi padang. So we went to Ocean Bay Resort for lunch. The lunch was super super yummy.

For S$80, we had scallops, Tofu soup, deep fried breaded squid, stir bok coy, shrimp roll, streamed fish, rice, watermeon and free flow of coconut water. We ordered the bandung, HUGE MISTAKE. Another simple yet super nice drink was added to our must-drink-when-at-TP list. I had 2 glasses of bandung but still not enough.

This was my 3rd time eating at Ocean Bay. I just want to go back there again and again and again and again. Their service - 5 stars. Their kelong - nice. Their food - out of this world. The fishing - good.

Ok, lunch time is over and i poisoned Momok deep deep for him to bring his girlfriend to ocean bay. After I ordered 2 boxes of layer cake (lapis) for collection on sat and off we go to Elly's kelong. 3mins later, we arrived at Elly Kelong. YES!!! 3 mins later.. Both kelongs are next to each other. While the kelong workers were busy unloading our stuff, we went to the chendol store. Otak store is not ready yet so we ordered 400 otaks for collection on Sat afternoon on our way back.

We boarded the boat, with the same captain, the same deckies and the same wonderful cook.

I like his maggie goreng and he knows that I like his maggie goreng alot.

Fishing time. For some funny reason, i felt sea sick as soon as the boat set sail. So i faster pop 2 sea sick pills and some of the guys also complain about having the same feeling. They also started poping the sea sick pills.

There wont be alot of pictures taken during our fishing trip because usually we will get so excited until we forget to take pictures.

So the story goes like this.........

After a short distance, we stopped to jig for small fishes. TT managed to jig afew seklahs up. Not alot of seklahs but Momok managed to take one and used it as bait. And he got himself a baby cobia. No time to take pics and very soon deckie took the baby and filleted it for bait..wao! cobia as bait!

Very soon we were on our way to the first fishing spot...squid was few and very few..they were not surfacing due to choppy waters...so we used dead squid at first until the deckie managed to jig up a giant chemak with TT's squid rod...

so we used cut chemak and landed a few bulats. Momok got a bulat that he fought for 30mins. Suddenly my rod bend, line ran and reel sang, i quickly took my rod and strike. WAH!!! Fish on fish on. Happy until dont know like that. But don't know what happened my fish gone. SAD AH!!!!!!!!

I sad already so i went to the bunk to sleep. Don't want fish already. So sad. Give fish bully. Saw Sticko and Momok's cousin sleeping in their bed bunk also.

Woke up at don't know what time, the guys will fishing and got a few fishes. Everyone is happy, but i not happy. Still sad bcos give fish bully. Then saw Sticko walking out of cabin. WA. Wake up already lor. All i know was he finally decided to stop sleeping and do fishing instead. But i fall asleep while looking at him. I am tired lah. So my spy told me that Sticko took a chemak ear as bait then drop his line. 5 mins later, he got a strong pull. He like this like that and bring up his 20kgs stringray in less than 5 mins. I heard TT shouting and screaming "better wake Momok up.." and i opened my eyes and saw the big stringray. He happy already lor. Took picture and guess what!! HE HEADED BACK TO THE 

BUNK TO SLEEP AGAIN.

Squid were not alot but some how managed to get one or two to use as bait. TT got a good sized cudas. I don't know how long or how he fought with that cuda lah. I sleeping already.

All i know is that cudas tormenting TT the whole night until he changed to thru turn long shank 7/0 hooks and the cuda was hooked sweetly at the lip area....

By midnight everyone went to sleep already, except for TT and one of the deckie. TT managed to jig up 2 squids. So he took one and deckie took one. Deckie happily used justin's rod and for all we know, he got a goalkeeper bite as soon as his bait reaches the bottom. As all the deckies are very experience, they will up their catch within record breaking time but some how he was struggling with what is at the end of the line and the rod was like bending until like C already. Helpful TT went over to help and asked "bang, ikan big ah?". Then deckie said "big. maybe kemejan. powerful now still running". Passed the rod to TT and they both took turn to fight the fish but the fish just run and run and run. 20 mins later, both tired already so put rod down at rod holder, secured it but some how the fish still run so both just squat down and wait and wait. At this moment, accordingly to TT, i walked out of the sleeping bunk, took a can of winter melon drink, walk one round around the boat and went back to sleep again. And he kept calling out to me to come over to help but i don't remember anything lay.

Anyways, 20 mins later the fish stopped running and they quickly started pumping it up. It is never easy when you have a running fish at the other end. For 30mins, they only regain back around 10 meteres of line. But the fish just run abit, all their effort wasted. 1 hour later, both gave up. TT passed deckie his gloves as deckie was trying to regain line by hand instead of rod. Deckie's theroy "use hand faster than use "this" rod lah".. But sad thing happened (again), they regained around 10m of line again but eventually the leader burst at the hook. SAD LAH. WHAT A WASTE AGAIN.

The night proceeded with more barracudas and kacis. TT got the whole boat to himself.. We all sleeping. But don't know around what time, he also went to sleep liao. heeeheeee.

2nd day i dont know anything as i was sleeping. i only know vin brought up a 6kg stingray after 1 hour of fight.. And sticko finally woke up. He said he wanted to fish. And he will seriously fish for the next 12 hours. Ya, right. He went to bed again like after he finished his statement.

2nd evening was angkoli frenzy..i also dont know anything...

2nd evening onwards was duri fiesta... Justin also burst off a big ray here which goalkeepered his live squid and went screaming forward...but sad thing was the hook burst at the leader again...sigh

2nd nite i was in dreamland again... until the next morning. I woke up around 10am to want to keep my stuff, thinking we should be heading back soon. I saw TT, Momok, Sticko and Kent sleeping. Sticko followed me up.

Justin saw us and asked Sticko, "How much will so&so's set up cost??"

Me "expensive lor. at least S$1K, i think. Accurate reel and custom rod.."

Sticko "blah blah blah blah blah expensive blah blah blah about S$1.2-S$1.3K. you want buy ah??"

Justin "No. His set up dropped into the sea last night."

Me & Sticko "WHAT??!!!!! YOU KIDDING US RIGHT???" and we looked at Momok's cousin & Vin to confirm that Justin wasn't joking with us.

Sticko "virgin trip sia... sad ah"

We will lost of words. No mood to fish after that. I went to wake TT up. We were all very upset about so&so's lose. Actually we are still upset about his lose. WE ARE VERY SAD. Time to head back to Elly's kelong already. Everyone packed their stuff quietly. Quietly is not us but that day is QUIET one lor.

Finally arrived back at Elly's kelong already, and we finally had the courage to talk to so&so already. We were worried about so&so. We were scare to talk to him. We know he is still upset. But our dearest so&so did not let us down, he put on a brave face and continue to joke and chit chat with us. A few of us were talking (JOKINGLY) about replacing so&so with a new set. But for all we know, the few of us might actually replaced so&so with a new set. Actually, we are working on it already. After all, nothing can replace so&so as he is our darling dearest fishing friend.

Ok, I am sad again now and don't think I want to write any more already.