Jungle Fishing for Peacock Bass

I got off the bus and paced towards the entrance of paradise... Adrenaline was already building up and the sky was the limit today, i thought.

Already, an Ang Mo fisher was fly fishing... The wind was still, the air stale but the water was inviting. It seemed forever to the first stream of sunlight although it the skies were void of any clouds. I waited for my companion so that we could make our way in together.

Once we were in the cover, we pushed in with fervor and purpose, knowing that on the other side of the banks were every angler's dream. Tributaries leading away from the main reservoir are always a hot spot for fish. Usually, fish would go in or out of the tributary to hunt. To fish at the mouth of the tributary is a cheat code to virtually any freshwater angler.

Making way in the forest will always be tough work for all anglers but the rewards that follow are immense.

On the way to the river mouth, we encountered a big school of big Toman Fry that were willing to entertain us. They did not shy away although we hooked many up. Instead, the clustered around us and we did not even need to cast. Another few months and these Toman fries would be on their way to maturity. A heartening respite indeed.... after all the battering the fishes have taken.

Seeing that there no Temenis or bigger Toman around this school, we moved on. The tributary opening was very still as the first rays of sunlight came into play with the clear amazon green waters. Mok casted his lure towards what i called hanging "beards" or rather overhanging roots.

The take that followed was almost instantaneous and Mok let out a gasp of shock. He tried to set the hook in but it would not go in! It's that cursed rod again... i wondered. His lure got out of the fish's hold and we were silent. We plied cast after cast at the same area but no... Whatever took his lure wasn't going to get fooled again.

Just then, the school of Toman Fry caught up with us and surged towards us but then i saw a big head coming underneath the school... It was a proud Temensis! More Temensis came into play while we watched in shock. The fishes were a metre away from us  and we were aghast. The fries were fighting their own battle with the Temensis! We casted our lures along the fishes and it resulted in many misses from the fledgling Tomans and Temensis alike. We did not hook up any yet but we continued trying... until i hooked up a fish!

This fish went all the way to the left and made a few great leaps. The glistening and intricate patterns on the fish pointed to... Temensis :)

And there you have it... a smiling angler and a confused fish!

The traveling bunch of fishes dissolved from view and dispersed while we bashed even deeper in today. It was around noon time when we decided we could go no further. Fallen logs and dead trees have blocked the way in to the next Tributary.

The spirit of exploration...

I even realised in my fight with the fish, I had managed to split my bottom....



Anglers will do anything and everything in order to find a good place they call paradise...

Whether they're confused, wading in water or crawling under logs, we will always bear the marks of what some people say... foolishness?

Till the next boof guys!