Wednesday 20 June 2012
My father taught me how to fish....
It was in the year 1970, I was 8 years old. Father was in the navy and he was the Royal Malaysian Navy Liaison Officer in Penang. We stayed in the quarters provided in the perimeter of KD Sri Pinang at The Esplanade. The bungalow was literally built in the sea opposite Fort Cornwallis. In the morning i see dolphins swimming in the sea not far off from our home. Ships sailed pass miles distance away towards Penang Harbour, approaching from Mukah Head. Gunung Jerai can be clearly seen. The RMAF airplanes taking off and land at their airbase in Butterworth were not missed.......I would follow father to fish whenever possible. There's abundance of fish in the sea near the base. Fish like Garoupa, 'jenahak', 'siakap batu', small green 'ikan todak' (loads of them, by the buckets when in season), crabs and many more. Kedah pier is beside the base and many people came to fish, never going home empty handed.......my fishing rod was a long thin bamboo which makes good fishing rods. Father taught me how to tie the fish hook and weights, He often took me along to buy worms at Weld Quay. There were many shops selling fishing items along the road. The shops were managed by the local chinese. The last time I was in Penang, the shops still exist. The worms are mixed with sawdust and it has a distinct smell. A smell that is emitted when the worms are mixed in soaked sawdust. The smell of sawdust more prominent. Passing by the shops during my last visit to Penang, brought to my sense that familiar smell.....Strange that I did not get squeamish when holding the worms when 'fixing" them to the hook. Guess I am a natural. Fishing was easy and fun. The first fish I caught was a ' siakap batu' about the size of a dinner plate. Imagine the excitement of an 8 year old landing her first fish. Jumping, hopping and screaming with joy. I graduated to catching garoupas, crabs and sometimes pulling in rubbish from the sea! 1971 father was transfered to Woodlands, Singapore. And my next fishing adventures were when we moved to Labuan, Sabah. Those were great times, fishing. Fishing on boats out in the sea. During those fishing trips, father and me had some of our great moments.
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The idea is there...the style forthcoming...
ReplyDeleteI hate worms. But I like the idea of sitting by the pond, river or sea waiting for the tuck at the end of the line. Never was an angler. Still am not. Growing up, I find the sport cruel but the idea of angling is still a tempting one. But don't ask me if I ever caught anything. As I said, never was an angler and still am not. But wow, to have caught a plate-sized siakap in your very first attempt - that was cause for celebration! You must have many fond memories of your time with your father going fishing. Great post. Tell us about your adventures in Woodlands. I have some fond memories of Woodlands too, but of a different kind. Not tackling fish. Being young and naughty then, we were trying to tackle beautiful Singaporean Malay girls! Haha
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