Kayak Fishing Off Pasir Ris Beach

Oh goody! The boy in me could finally try out real kayak fishing in Singapore as a friend kindly agreed to let me have a try out in his Kayak! Kayak fishing is consistently picking up pace in Singapore and so far, the authorities look to be very relaxed and supportive of the small community of Kayak fishing anglers in Singapore.

I hopped into my friend's native watercraft Kayak at Pasir Ris beach as Boatman Shawn (who also bought his own kayak) led me out on a special experience. As we "launched" (a term used for getting our kayaks into the water from the beach) from the beach, we saw other kayakers taking to the water - some of which are stored at Pasir Ris beach watercross itself. Great to see local businesses support the community! Now, the term "launch" may seem a little heavy but I can assure you, it is no mean feat to "launch"... well except my friend lent me his kayak wheels too and off we go!

There's nothing like Kayak fishing is there? You're the captain of your own craft and you take all credit for your good luck or mishaps! Well except that for this trip, Shawn was the one "bringing me fishing", and he should be the one getting all credit (bad or good)!

Here's a short goPro video to give you the all action kayak fishing


Boatman Shawn brought me to the ever popular Pulau Ubin which was a regular haunt for the kayak fishing community in Singapore. Pulau Ubin was a heaven since the brackish waters were rather sheltered from winds and the numerous kelongs around the island meant kayakers could take cover should there be rain or lightning. Popular spots around Pulau Ubin include Ketam Channel, Outward Bound Pulau Ubin, Punggol Dam, Lorong Halus and Pasir Ris in general (especially the blue barrels).

I think the number one issue with Kayak fishing that you will feel would be the low centre of gravity and the speed on which you seem to be travelling on! It was kind of weird not being able to move much of your body as you paddle away and as you paddle away, you don't want to stop! Hence, small adjustments to the rudder will go a long way in making sure you get to your intended spots as fast as possible. Of course, the ever impatient and excited me took some time to get used to this ha ha ha... but we soon broke out to the real stuff after some paddling and getting used to....

Down to the real good stuff - you, your craft, the water and the fish

Boatman Shawn...

Trolling on the Kayak was a dream come true as you could monitor your lure in real time as you paddle towards or parallel to obstacles. You must keep your Kayak in a fairly straight route to be doing this as going too far to one side will make your lure travel sideways and it's easier to get it stuck onto side obstacles. Eventually, I gave up as I focused on fishing a deep drop off that I knew contained some good fish. Shawn soon came up right beside me and we kept each other occupied as we talked up the events of the trip so far - numerous Baktaos aka Cuttlefish were taking the bait. We continued talking about the fishes landed around this spot and just then, my rod soon did the customary crazy bend and the Morethan Branzino 3000 sang! That was the first time I saw it sang and as the fish ran, my Kayak actually got dragged around by it! Shawn also contributed by doing his usual "Hee Hee Hee"... as he fiddled around with his camera.

The fish was giving me little chance of getting line back and I exclaimed to Shawn that this might be a huge KBL... I could feel the weight of the beast underwater and knew this was quite a heavy fish. It was giving a few headshakes underwater but had yet took to open air. And well actually.... after awhile, it was getting a little unimpressive. After those few violent opening minutes of being dragged around, the fish was beginning to falter....

And.... then.... the rather anti climax ending to the whole episode greeted us... albeit with a splash but....

Shawn: "OMG AH SENG SIA!!!!! KNN AH SENG SIA!!!KNN!!!...

Well, here are the photos...of this future fish and chips...

Well, what did you expect? A 7kg KBL on my first trip?!

As the tide died, so did our fishing but we drifted around some more and missed a fish here and there before we called it the day... Mostly Shawn's little adventure.... with little fish...

Small tiger. Good sign that they're breeding!

Smallish ACK...

Shawn again....

Well, that's all folks, I hope my adventure was exciting for you (as it was for me!). The next posts will show me doing up some good ole beer battered fish and chips from the Duri! Yes, you heard me right... I will show you how to now look at the catfish with the intention of bringing it back!

The Baktao....