'Sebarau'land

Photos by Jeffroman

Gee... didn't realize it has been THAT long since my last post.

So I heard about this dam in Kelantan called Pergau some months back in early November. As usual, Jeffroman 'poison's me with a SMS.

"When are you back?? There's this place INFESTED with Sebarau!"

I figured by the time I head back for the holidays during New Year's eve, the fish would have already been wiped out.

And before I knew it, the Pergau spot was appearing in blogs, Facebook photo galleries, magazines and such. Reports came in fast and furious - arguably one of the better Sebarau luring spots up north of peninsular Malaysia. Too bad if the fish aren't there when I head up, I guess... but that's the only time I can make it. No earlier.

December end came...

And one early morning saw Jeffroman and myself driving up to the highland immersed in clouds.

We were finally at Pergau.

Cold morning mist. Brrrr!!

We 'checked in' to our chalet on the water. It was quite a comfortable place - with well thought of amenities such as a gas stove, mattresses, a squat toilet ensuite, carpeted floor, clothe hangers, racks and topped with even cutlery, dishes, pots, pans (ADVICE: bring your own as these can be quite filthy. Jeff & I even brought our own sleeping arrangements for fear of bedbugs inherited from goodness knows who previously slept on the mattress!).

After dropping all our supplies & stuff, we jumped onto the 12ft craft powered by a Suzuki 5HP outboard - off we went!! Woohoo! Sebarau, here we come!

We checked out all the likely spots: fallen trunks, snags, bamboo leaves jutting into the water, but the fish were just not there. Strangely enough during our 2 day stay, baitfish were hardly seen! What on earth do these fish feed on? Jeff had earlier advised (as advised to him by our Longkang Gang pirate, "Lannun": forget all you know about typical Sebarau fishing, they are not your 'usual' Sebbies.

Okayyyyy....

Don't underestimate coves such as these

Debbie the Sebbie surfaces!

My first lure of choice was the Luhr Jensen Krocodile. Ironically, I asked Jeff while driving up to Pergau...

D1: Bro, are there crocodiles in the lake?

J: Yes!

D1: Huh?! Serious?! So high up in the mountains??

D1: Yeah! When you cast out that Krocodile spoon of yours, that will be THE crocodile in the lake!

D1: *Not amused look*

Nevertheless it was THE lure I used that morning. And boy was it HAPPENING! First few casts and letting the spoon sink down near a tree stump produced an instant thump on the drop! Hookup! The Sureset hook did its namesake. SURE SET ah! A moment later, Debbie the Sebbie was landed and duly released after photos.

Close up of the Krocodile Rainbow Trout & Debbie the Sebbie

Jeffroman was also teasing fish after fish with spoons. They were not monsters, but nevertheless beautiful fish; good fun on light tackle. Somehow the minnows that usually worked did not produce that day.

Except for ...... *drum roll* RAPALA FLAT RAP!!

Jeff & myself were casting at a half submerged island. He had just landed and released a baby Sebarau when we cast together at the tip of the island where some clump of grass were. The water swirled and the line went taut! Shortly after, the beauty emerged and I proudly showed my molars again (Hmm.... Colgate should sign me up for an endorsement!)

Rapala Flat Rap ROCKS!

Released to fight another day

Of course that was not the only lure that RAWKed that day. Towards the evening, Jeffroman had a few takes on the ol' faithful Rapala X-Rap. He didn't even have to crank it - the fish whacked the lure outright when the lure landed!

Scenic rapids of Sungai Pergau

Isn't God's creation marvelous?

Like a scene from a Chinese painting

We didn't even fish really hard. Jeff & I both took it easy; we ate a lot, snacked a lot, laughed a lot and relaxed a lot on Day 1. We merely enjoyed the scenery and fresh air. Of course, fishing was a bonus!

Nightfall descended and we retired early for the day, in anticipation for an early appointment with Debbie the Sebbie.

Oh, and did I mention it was FRIGGIN' cold at night?!?!?!

To be continued...