Gamefish & Aquatic Rehabilitation Society

Gamefish & Aquatic Rehabilitation Society

GARS got their registration approved a few weeks ago. One of the many projects they are undertaking is to educate people on fishing with artificials. Hard bodied lures or flies, it doesn’t matter, as long as the angler uses fishing methods that does not pollute the waters that we would be drinking and can keep the place clean.

That’s the President of GARS in the photo. Mr Tan Tien Yun.

Melvin and I did a trail run on the 8th of August 2009 with only one newbie, Mogan turning up at Woodlands MRT Station. We decided the place was suitable and safe for even newbies and children.

I got the approval from Qwek, the Chairman of Fly Fishing Club Singapore. The GARS committee decided we would conduct Fly Fishing and Fly Tying clinics on every Saturday at Springleaf. With some education, let us see if we can convince enough anglers to give up organic pollutant baits to non-polluting artificials. Afterall, we're all going to drink the water in this stream too.

GARS's Blog : http://fishrespectprotect.blogspot.com/

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124819532060&ref=nf


FFCS's Blog : http://flyfishingclubsingapore.blogspot.com/

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=60611232615


Look at the signboard. There is a “No Fishing” sign on it..


Today, it’s gone. Plastered over with a blank sticker.

I picked up Mogan from the Woodlands MRT Station.
The haze is back.




This is the first time I'm back since the bridge was closed for upgrading.




Nee Soon now have a concrete bridge. The wooden bridge is gone forever.


But the place is more accessible. Uncle Chui would love to come here again to fish for the climbing perch.
















The hydralia harvesters are still here.
They had been here for years now. Clearing the weed "free-of-charge" and make some money to feed the family.














Mogan caught nothing and was a bit disappointed.
So I brought him to Mandai Pond.
Again, he blanked.




Holiday on Monday. Went to Mandai to try out dry flies.
But caught this fella with a copper head Prince nymph.








Then back to recce with my polaroid glasses to find some productive spots for Mogan.




Caught a little Peacock Bass















This is the bridge over Lentor Avenue.


15th August 2009. We set up the fly tying table and are in business.




Even PH came to support our opening session.


I poison Peter the week before and he went to Coho to get his fly rod.
Uncle Wong teaching him the finer points of casting.


CY coaching Arthur. Also new to fly fishing.










That's Terry. Edward's friend from Canada.



















Peter is mesmerised by Melvin


See the "No Fishing" sign in the back ground.
That will soon be gone.








Skinny Tab cycled down to give support.












Even Desmond popped by.
Thanks Desmond.


And Mervin too.








































Bumblebee goby fries.








Mogan's poisoned deep by evil Melvin.

















Dah Dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Now you see it now you don't
We can fish now.............................
















Peter is really hooked on fly fishing.














TY


Bert








Shah


This branch was broken off.
The the whole broken off portion is steel growing green shoots and leaves.












Can you see the yabby.
Tried to take a macro shot of it but the camera battery died.
















Finally got the macro to work.






Patrick


































One day, we won't need them to clean after us anglers anymore.


Millions of dollar spent.
If they give half a percent of the cleaning budget to GARS to educate the anglers,
they possibly could cut the cleaning cost by half.
Maybe one day....................................

New Zealand River

New Zealand River Again

The missus woke me up with her shadowless kick, as usual. In our younger days, it was much more gentle. Anyway I was out of the house quickly. It was drizzling lightly. I took out the brand new Gortex rain coat from the fishing gear box. Haven’t had the chance to use it since the day my nephew, Ming, bought it for me.

The drizzle had eased up by the time I made the turn into the road leading to our destination. CY called. He and Uncle Wong had arrived and will wait for me at the usual rendezvous point. Normally I don’t fish at the River when it rains because of falling trees and branches. But the urge to fish was unbearable after a lengthy spell without the fishing fixes and the risk of a tree falling on me was delegated as a lesser danger than it was when I was fishing almost everyday.

The river wasn’t flowing. The best way to spend a raining Sunday morning is to sleep through it, like everybody else. The valve technician must be sleeping too. So the river will not flow today. The place was deserted except for 3 mentally compromised fly fishermen. Adi was down with rangerphobia and will not be joining us today. You guys gonna miss the star of my photoblog because he almost always catches something for me to post.

Uncle Wong and CY had rigged up their bamboo rods very quickly and started fishing. I was wearing the new Fishpond chest pack, bought yesterday from Coho, for the first time. The length of the strap made it more like a stomach pack on me. Any longer and it would definitely be a groin pack.

Uncle Wong and CY was hooking up Peacock Basses on every cast. I was shooting away left and right with my Canon Digital Ixus. Uncle Wong gave up his spot under the big tree for me. On my first cast, a ferocious Peacock Bass hit the fly with a force I had never felt for a long time. The LeoRod was bending double and the Peacock Bass decided it was an acrobat and did some spectacular aerial somersaults. I was hooking up a Peacock Bass on every cast.

CY was catching Peacock Basses on almost every cast with his new Mario Wojnicki 225FF4. He invited Uncle Wong to try out his new baby. “Like butter” Uncle Wong said. I took my turn to try out the Wojnicki. The rod was very light. I pulled out more fly line and did some false casts. It was throwing the 4 weight line very smoothly indeed. On the third cast, an Earth Eater grabbed the tadpole fly. A few quick shots by CY and me, as Uncle Wong hurried us to release the Earth Eater gently back into the water. These beauties can't last very long out of the waters, and we can't last very long in here due to the rangerphobia bug floating around recently.

Breakfast at Ah Hoe’s


Earth Eater.

The new Fishpond Stomach Pack




CY's new Wojnicki. The name was hard to pronounce, but the rod cast the fly line smooth as silk.








Fishpond bags are the most wonderful friend for a fly fisherman.