Spinning Fly for Temensis @ Lower Pierce Reservoir

13 January 2016

I decided to go Temensis hunting at my favorite fishing spot. This is the legal fishing ground at Singapore’s Lower Peirce Reservoir. Although this fishing ground is heavily fished, the easy accessibility and beautiful scenery makes it my go-to place whenever I wanted some short casting and hunting practice. In this session, the effective luring method is Spinning Fly.

Today's water level was considered high as can be seen in the following picture. 

Based on my past experience, the water level in the reservoir can help in forecasting rain in the next few days. When the water is high, as in the above picture, there will be no rain in the next few days. If the water level is low, then there will be rain in the next few days. This is quite an interesting observation. 

My guess is that the water authority in Singapore used the reservoir as a sort of flood prevention. When rain is expected, the authority will drain the reservoir so that when the rain comes, the water from the upper reach of the reservoir will be stored behind the reservoir’s dam. No excess water will be allowed to flow beyond the reservoir’s dam to the lower reach. This will prevent flooding in the lower reach. When no rain is expected, water will be stored in the reservoir for future used and therefore the water level will be high. I hope that my guess is correct.

The high water level also helps me in my Temensis hunting. When the water is higher, the bigger Temensis can come nearer to the shore to feed. In this case, I do not need to cast very far out to search for them. Also the smaller Temensis like to hide among the rock to ambush any small unsuspecting fishes that swam by. Using this knowledge, I can cast my lure and run them over the rocks to catch them.

I started the session with a bunch of rubber lures. There were no takes by the bigger Temensis but smaller Temensis can be seen chasing after the lures.

Since the bigger Temensis were not there or they were not interested, I decided to downsize my lure to target the smaller Temensis. 

I changed my tactic to Spinning Fly. The flies used in my rig are home-made. The following picture shows one of my homemade flies. 

Black and White Raffia Fly

The fly is tied using commonly available material like sewing thread, raffia strings and glitzzy tinsel strings. A size 8 baitholder hook is used in the fly. For adhesive, I used a clear nail polish. Initially I had concerned on the durability of the nail polish as adhesive. But after using it for a long time, I can safely say that the nail polish can withstand countless whacking by the Peacock Bass. This is one good alternative to the epoxy glue or the super glue.

I targeted the smaller Temensis by running the weighted fly at mid water over the rocks. I initially started with a Black and White fly, followed by a Green and Yellow fly. Those guys do not seem interested. I only got a response when I used a Green and White fly. I managed to get 4 of those guys during the session. One of them is one of smallest fish I ever caught on Spinning Fly. Although they are small, they made up from their lack of size with their fighting spirit. They are loads of fun on light setup. Since they can be caught quite easily using weighted fly, they are a good target for the beginner lure angler. Catching them can give the beginner confidence in the ability of lure to catch fish.

The First of the Fantastic Four.

The Smallest in this session. One of a pack that attack the Fly.

Big Brother of the Fantastic Four. Nice Marking of a Juvenile Cichla Temensis.

The Last. Rocketed out of a Rock Crevice to grab the Fly.

Catching small Peacock Bass or Temensis using Spin Fly is fun and relatively easy. Make it part of your lure fishing learning process. This will help boost your confidence and sharpen your luring skill. Go when the water level is high and you will be rewarded.

Thanks you for Reading and Tight Lines.

Cichla Temensis at Pierce Reservoir Legal Fishing Area

When: 1 September 2015

Where: Legal Fishing ground @ Lower Pierce Reservoir

Weather: Bright and Sunny

Water Condition: The water is crystal clear. The water level is high covering the rock at the water edge.

Rod: Xpuyu Elite Cast XEC631 8-15lb single piece rod.

Reel: Shimano Curado 201I baitcaster reel

Line: Unknown 12lb Monofilament Line

Leader: 15lb Dupont Monofilament Line

Method: Orange Rubber Swim Shad

Strike Zone: Cast far towards the centre of the reservior

Victim aka The Fish: Peacock Bass Temensis Hybrid

 

There was a small amount of free time before an afternoon appointment. So I decided to do a spot of casting and lure running practice at the legal fishing ground of Singapore’s Lower Pierce Reservoir. 

I like to come here to practise lure casting because of its easy accessibility. This time I wanted to practise bottom jumping with a Storm swim shad compatible lure.

It was a very hot day. The sun is shining very fiercely onto the water. With this condition, it will be a miracle if a fish bite. But anyway I am here to practice lure casting with my baitcaster setup.

My baitcaster setup consists of the Shimano Curado 201I baitcaster reel loaded with 20lb monofilament line and the Xpuyu Elite Cast XEC631 8-15lb single piece rod.

During one of the retrieve, I felt something stopping my lure on its track. Oh no, I thought, I must have hit a snag. But when I tug harder, the lure seems to come loose and started to tug back. I quickly strike and fish on. 

During the fight, I constantly reminded myself to keep the rod tip low to the water. This is in case the fish at the end of the line is a Peacock Bass. Keeping the rod tip low will reduce the tendency of a Peacock Bass from jumping out of the water. Jumping Peacock Basses are very good at spitting the lure out of its mouth.

After a good tug of war, the fish was brought nearer to be identified. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a good size Cichla Temensis. It was indeed a rare catch.

On closer inspection, it looked like a Peacock Bass which have some Temensis marking just behind the eye. Maybe it is a Peacock Bass-Temensis Hybrid.

The fish was released unharmed after the photography session.

Please practise catch and released. This will sustained fish stock for future generations.

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines.