Unexpected Hunting success in Bali

The view before the Dive

A few days ago Eenk decided to try a new spot that he heard marvelous stories about it from the local villager. He heard tales about the good old days, when fish flourished and were abandoned on their doorsteps. Eenk will try anything even if the water is infested with crocodiles! Unfortunately I couldn't go because I had a bad flu; Bali weather has lately been very unforgiving to me and my family at home.

It didn't take Eenk too long to start with some action; how he described the day was hard to believe; the Visibility was 3-4 M and the depth 5-7 M. The fish were approaching him in a close distance, from every directions, and it didn't stop until the next hour.

Like usually barramundi do, they would approach you slowly and sometime you cannot tell the size if the fish is heading to you head to head. As soon as it turns you will be surprised by the size and make sure that you take a good shot at the fish.  You will also find barramundi hiding between rocks and not moving much. The smaller size barramundi will come in school and they don't waste time, so do not wait for the biggest one because they will disappear in a glimpse!

The hunt was successful with a long list of catch:

• Mangrove jack 5 3-4 kg size, 
• 1 Baramundi 6 kg and 
• 1 Grouper 7 kg, 
• Bream 10 1-2 kg size 
•  5 rabbit fish .5 -1.5 kg.

Arvid, Eenk and I wanted to try our luck and we went to the same location a week afterwards. The water visibility was the same and the fish scattered because it was high tide. However, we managed to bring back a 5 kg grouper, a 6 kg mangrove jack and big smiles on our faces back home!

5 KG steam soy sauce Grouper

South bali 6 dec 2012 " eenk sea turtle hero"

We start diving around 8 in the morning, water visibility was not good. No mackerel, no gt, or even barracuda anto favorite target. The boys manage to shoot local favorite fish unicorn fish, Gold-saddle rabbitfish and octopus.

Second spot visibility was excellent but no scribbled snapper or emperor. There was plenty of sweetlips close to but is not my cup of tea. I end up swimming with whitetip to have some enterteiment. Again the boys shoot local favorite ela ela, batfish, unicorn fish and sweetlips.

Third spot the water visibility was getting worse, i manage to see one scribbled snapper who swam away as soon as he see me diving down, anto amd eenk experience the same thing. There was few trevally but kept its distance. Anto end up with few rabbitfish.

The last dive we move back to the first spot and the visibility was terrible. I stop diving the boys kept going. No one shot anything but eenk manage to come back with nylon string, plastic, diaper, squid bait, hooks, rope , seaweed and small clams. We are all clueless why he brought back to the boat. He explain all that came from  50cm wide turtle tangled with all that. The front arm was heavily infected and almost came off. Judging from the looks of all the item, it looks like it has been on turtle for months. He explain that the turtle was able to use the arm to swim again but very slow.

Sadly in bali the local consider seaturtle meat as a delicacy. Balinese still used turtle for offering in certain ceremony and the meat are serve daily at ketewel, sanur and serangan island. Usually is serve as sate and lawar. The sea turtle are harvested from the wild around bali and neighbouring islands.

Everyone can save turtle like eenk eenk, by supporting seaturtle organization. Please support them and save more turtles..

http://www.baliseaturtle.org/

Friday the 13th – West Bali

Catch of the day = 3 Lobsters + 1 Rabbit Fish + 1 Trevally + 1 Grouper – 3 Mobile phone – 2 Wallets – 4 ATM cards – 2 Credit cards – 2 driving licenses – 1 ID - 2 Board shorts and - a lot of nerves!

Well that’s what we call statistics.. It all started with a drive down to the Bukit not too much traffic some good nasi bunkus on the way and an absent peter because of “higher influences”. 

Finally made our way down to the spot and once we swam beyond the reef we found out there was almost no visibility. And when I say no visibility I mean less than 3m sight with super murky green/yellow ish colored water. 

After swimming up and down the reef for what felt like an eternity Arvid managed to locate a cave full of Lobsters where he managed to shoot three decent sized ones.

As there was almost no visibility all we could do was just hide somewhere between the rocks and hope that some fish would cross our paths which towards the end luckily happened and made us at least catch a good dinner.

Walking back up the cliff and being all excited about getting back and cooking up what we just shot we had to make a super annoying discovery.. Some mother….er managed to open the car and steal everything we left behind! Being in Bali and believing that this island is one of the most spiritual places on earth we can just hope karma will get to whoever did this! And if karma decides to not get back to him then at least prostate cancer or something similar to that!

After a super frustrating drive back from the Bukit through the thriving traffic of Bali we finally made it back home to prepare some lovely lobster pasta accompanied by a good bottle of Scotch.

And the moral of the story: As long as you have a good bottle of scotch and loads of lobster even the most frustrating day can turn into satisfaction.  

Most Expensive lobsters and fishies

Last weekend Luc and i went to my all time fave place to shoot in the south (bukit area), it's not a fantastic fishing ground yet some perseverance and patience always pays off in the end. We checked the forecast, and the tide difference was only 0.6 m swell height is 3 ft so we were pretty certain water is gonna be clear beautiful sunny blue sky, soon as we enter the water visibility turns out quite bad at around 4 meter at the most.

After around five hrs in the water with limited visibility i started to go inside every rocks checking any possibilities for big grouper, mangrove jack, scribble snapper, and finally good ol' lobsters.. Results were :  3 lobsters and a rabbit fish, luc followed with grouper and on the way in a trvally.

It wasn't bad at all to be honest its also good to know that the lobsters are still there, and i did spotted few big grouper over 8 kilos inside those rocks, but they're way to cheeky to hunt without a spotlight.

climbing up the rocks back into the car ready to grab our phone to take shots of our catch, we got the big surprise some F*&$!! had broken into the car and nick 3 cell phones 4atm cards, 2 credit cards, id and licenses, even towel and my boardshort!!!! it is the first time it happens after 5 yrs spearfishing at this empty beach, it was really annoying!!! but at least the lobsters and fish were great meals...

Lesson learnt: as uncle peter said w his post of fishing superstitious do not fish on friday its bad omen, it was Friday the 13th Anyway hahahah...!!

"Ikan Tawah" Rabbitfish

"Ikan Tawah" known in english as "rabbitfish", is one of the most favorite reef fish to eat of the Balinese. There are 2 kinds: One with a yellow spot next to the tail (Gold-saddle rabbitfish) which can grow up to 2kg, or the  white spotted rabbitfish  which can grow up to 300-400 grams. Don't let the size fool you. The small rabbit fish is very tasty when deep fried or grilled. If you manage to be around Sanur at the beach you will see several fishermen up, even up to 50 at a time fishing for rabbitfish.

To start learning spearfishing in Bali it is best to start with them. Some areas are harder than others because they keep a distance when the water is clear. Sometimes, you will have no problem being surrounded by a school of the yellowspot rabbit fish. but please note that they are very fast to react. You will find them close to reef, the bigger sized ones will  be seen in schools of 5- 10 fish or sometimes even 50-100. Most of the time you will see them in pairs. Their main diet is seaweed so you will find them everywhere around Bali. Great to eat! I highly recommend shooting one if you are in Bali.


TIPS:
1. If you see them with a group of other species of fish, then you should descend in front of them (with some distance), then wait for the fish to gather around you, as they will be curious, then you shoot them.
2. If you only see the rabbitfish, then you have to use the ambush tactic, where you need to find a good hiding spot around them, wait for their curiosity to bring them close, and shoot them when they are swimming towards you with their body slightly slanted away. When they react to your trigger, their instinct is to turn away and it leaves their body in perfect position for the shot. (This is a good tactic and should be applied for most reef fish in general.)

West Sunda Strait

GT

Dolphin Arvid was on tears watching them swim

Sea turtle make all of us happy

Sea Eagle, good sign of healthy envrionment

Wild Boar

Monitor Lizard

Python

Padang Padang 10 June 2011

Start spearfishing around 2 pm , water is cold, cloudly, swell was below 1 meter, and water visibility 5-10 meter. First shot was a rabbit fish, one of my favorite fish for the deep fried. Then found a rock full of lobster and got lazy a shot 1 kg lobster but the speartip didnt open so the lobster escape. after that  I miss a every shots. saw a small green turtle, beautiful, swim with for few minute. Arvid was doing very well shots few good size peacock rockcod. the biggest he shot was 1 kg coral cod. Then i finally shot a peacock rockcod it was hiding under a big rock. to get the grouper i have to go inside a small hole and only my fins was sticking out of the hole. very scary because i have no room to move around. luckly the grouper was dead because it was killed shot through the head. Overall it was nice and relaxing spearfishing. Pak sate only went in for 2 hour and he got few nice fish, snapper, trevally and rabbit fish.

4/28/2009 West bali

Water visibility was 5-8 meter. a lot of current, No snapper but manage to shot Golden trevally and some rabbit fish