The sweet rewards of fishing off Kuala Gula
Two fibreglass boats, eight anglers and live bait made up the recipe for a two-day trip around the fish cages and ambai structures off Kuala Gula, Perak.
The waters off Kuala Gula, Perak, once again drew a group of anglers seeking the "sweetness" of bottom fishing around the area's fish-rearing cages.
According to the writer, the abundance of reasonably priced boats for hire, homestays and nearby restaurants made the trip to the location a smooth one.
For this outing, the group chartered two 25x7ft fibreglass boats powered by 75-horsepower outboard engines. The first boat was skippered by Ayub with four participants, while the second was helmed by Mat Wan, also carrying four anglers.
They left the jetty early in the morning after dawn prayers and breakfast. The journey to the first fish cage took about 40 minutes — slightly longer than usual because of swells and light rain. The sea turned calm once they arrived.
Live bait the choice of the day
With both boats parked side by side next to the cage, everyone hurried to drop their baits: live prawns, mullet and octopus. Live bait was chosen so the group could compare results against the cut bait commonly used in the area.
Cut bait usually targets fish that have escaped from damaged cages, such as barramundi, red snapper, golden snapper and red fish, while live bait attracts wild species circling the cages.
The first catch was a threadfin salmon of about two kilogrammes, landed by Ijam on live mullet, followed by Lan with the same species on live prawn. Shah took a barramundi using a float rig, while Fatah landed a golden snapper. By 6.30pm, Epol closed out day one with two more threadfin salmon.
The ambai grounds
On the second day, the skipper suggested trying the ambai — rows of nibong timber poles standing on the sea surface that serve as shelter for predatory fish — before heading to the cages.
Leaving at 8am, the group was given an hour to try their luck, but the session stretched to three hours because the response from bottom dwellers, especially catfish and grunter, was so encouraging.
After the current changed, they returned to the same cage as the previous day. Fatah picked up a bonus when his bait was taken savagely and the fish wrapped his leader around the cage's anchor rope. Once coaxed and pumped up, it turned out to be a sizeable stingray — the closing act of the trip.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.