Hello everyone, i hope you are all safe and sound. It has been quite a while since i last posted an article on fishing of any kind. Well, so many things had happened especially the Covid-19 pandemic. I was unable to do any outdoor activities due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia. Well, after the government loosen the control on 10/06/20, i was able to restart my outdoor activities, albeit with care.
So, around early July 2020, i went back to Perlis to visit my in-laws for a few days. Of course, i took the opportunity to do some Peacock Bass fishing in the man-made Timah Tasoh Dam which is about 20 minutes drive from the village. Long time ago this fish was unheard of in the dam, but now due to some irresponsible act of a few, the dam is infested with Peacock Bass. They are regularly caught by the fishermen using nets, and anglers. Some treat them like pest due to not so popular taste and economic value, but for anglers they are God-send. Other than the Haruans, Tomans, Belida and maybe some Sebarau here, having another species willing to hit your lure so viciously is welcomed.
I went looking for the Peacock Bass on two occasions. The first day was a land base casting using various lures and soft plastics, but no strikes, no fish. I was told by the locals the bass were found in the deeper water or middle of the dam. The fish was active early in the morning and late in the evening, maybe due to the heat in the afternoon they moved to deeper water.
So, on the second trip, i decided to rent a boat with onboard engine to explore deeper water around the dam. The rental was quite cheap at RM40 for 6 hours complete with gas. This was the first time ever we took a boat around the dam, so it was trial and error as far as where the right spots to fish. There were quite a lot of fishing nets with floats left by the fishermen, so navigating the dam was quite challenging. There was an area near the outlet of the dam which was cordoned off, no fishing zone. We fished there for a while with no strikes before being told to leave.
At one spot, we got lucky and managed to get a few strikes using soft plastic with a red-head pattern and curly tail. The bass stroked quite close to the boat and gave a good fight for its size. We lost a few due to its acrobatic jumps.
The action died down when the day got hot. We did not bring any live shrimps to fish the deeper water. Next time, i think i should be on the water at dawn when the bass start to come out hunting for the baitfish in order to increase my catch.
I took the fish home just to see whether i would like the taste, since i had never tasted it before. Some people said it tastes like a chicken meat, some like it and some did not.
I grilled it with a bit of tumeric and salt. Well, in my opinion is that the meat was slightly tough but edible. Maybe it would taste better if i had steamed it ala Thai cooking style, or cooked it with chili paste. My suggestion is that if you do not like the taste, just do catch and release.
Until next time, happy fishing and be safe.
