Indo-Pacific Tarpon or "Ikan Bulan" in Malay, a type of predatory fish found mainly in brackish water throughout South East Asia may not be popular among anglers in Malaysia compared to the snake head family or Siakap (Sea Bass/Baramundi). I believe this is due to 3 main reasons;
1. It's not popular as food as it is too bony, if you are going to eat bony fish might as well go for the better option like "Terubok" or "Parang" fish.
2. It's not popular among Malaysian anglers for it's size. The species calling Malaysian waters home does not grow up to the sizes of their North American cousins.
3. You normally have a very limited window of time to catch them. You either start your cast early in the morning or late in the evening as they would normally becomes passive as the temperature rises.
Despite of all the above, it still has a fan base among casters preferring light rods and reels. Fishing them can be a lot of fun especially when they do their acrobatic leaps. Although considered as small in size, their strong runs and acrobatic leaps more than made up to the fun factor.
For those who are staying in the Klang Valley, the nearest location if you're looking for this sneaky little fish is in Sungai Lang in Sabak Bernam.
A trip was set up by a good friend during the last week of Ramadan. We were suppose to depart at 4 am, all 4 of us. Since I was the only 1 in the trip that has yet to have a tarpon license, I was a little excited by the prospect of finally landing one that I find it difficult to sleep.
I paid the price of being overly excited when I woke up and realized that it's already 5 am and the group has departed a good 40 minutes earlier.
Although I had been left behind, it actually gave me the opportunity ride and fish...so after a quick meal (Sahur), I jumped on my Yamaha FZ150i and off I go in pursuit of Sungai Lang's tarpon...
Cruising at a steady speed of 120 km/h, it took me about one and a half hour to reach Sungai Lang where my freinds had just arrived about 15 minutes earlier and only just started casting at a promising spot overlooking a row of food stalls.
As I was about to finish setting up my rod and reel, the rain decided to pay us a visit...and my wait to land a tarpon continue for another hour or so.
As soon as the rain starting to die down, I wasted little time in pursuing my first tarpon only for the rain to make a return, this time it had company in thunder and lightning. Holding a fishing rod in a thunderstorm is a perfect recipe for disaster so I did the wise thing of running as fast as I can to find cover...
It was almost two hours later when the rain and it's companion finally subside and the sun starts to shine. I made the most of what little time left there is to fulfill my objective of the day.
Armed with my trusted Okuma Nemesis 4-10 lbs rod, Toman Peacock 15 reel and a Storm Fluterstick, I made several cast under a tree branch that finally results in a strike and a solid hook up of my first tarpon....yeeehaaa...
I've finally got my tarpon license...just in the nick of time...
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