Virgin trip to Pandan Reservoir

It have been a long long time since I do freshwater luring, it not that I don't enjoy it, but some of the legal area is ridiculous to fish. When Pandan reservoir is first opened for fishing, I am so happy as I have long heard of rumors that there are huge peacock bass.

Many months ago, I make my way down to the Pandan reservoir with full intention to fish. But I just couldn't find the legal fishing spot, granted I didn't walk the entire compound, it is just to huge an area for me to walk around just to seek out where is the legal spot.

Luckily, a fellow fisho I knew in Facebook is making his way there today and invited me to join him for some freshwater fun, he gave me good instruction how to get there and viola, I managed to find the 'elusive' legal spot at Pandan reservoir, Hooray!!! It is a nice jetty with a pretty decently long platform to lure.


Being a virgin at the spot, so pick up a small minnow lure to try near the weeds and rocky shores, zero take. Let's change plan and use some small surface lures, still no action. Change plans again, this time instead of casting near the shore area, let's try the vast column of water in front of the jetty.

Next up let's try some 90mm minnow, bigger lures bigger fish maybe? Cast to different spots, water seems to be deeper then I expected not once did my minnow hit any rocks. Let's try a deeper diving lure, see if it touch bottom. After a few cast, the water depth is definitely deeper then I expected, think the lures I bring today none can touch bottom.

Open my small lure box, take a look what else can I use if I wanted to try the deeper waters. Can try spin-fly but the leads i have today are just too light, can't sink fast enough. Saw this old-school style spinner at one corner of my lure box, it is actually an re-run production of a 'toman killer lure'.  This is original model of this spinner bait is one of the early artificial lures that hit our shores and is known to hook up countless toman, is my re-run model going to work here?

Yes, it works! But it is a Peacock bass who took it, not some monster toman. Am I disappointed? Not for a moment, irregardless whatever fish is at the end of my line, I am still happy as for me, the joy of fishing is hooking a fish at the end of your line be it big or small.

By the time to leave because of the rain, this is the only fish I caught for the 3hrs I am there. I leave the fishing jetty with a happy heart, knowing full well that legal fishing spots is not always a barren ground as many would claim. This old school style spinner still can catch fishes even the designed decades ago.

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Rod - Daiwa Crossbeat 662LFS
Reel - Modified Shimano AX 1000FB
Line - Pioneer 6lb Braided with Surecatch 12lb leader
Lure - Abu Reflex