The majestic peacock bass

Peacock bass has become a permanent species in malaysia especially in the perak and selangor region.this foreign species was originally from the amazon basin and was brought to malaysia as an aquarium fish.it was then release into the abandon mining pond that are scattered all over perak and selangor.my recent peacock bass hunting trip has proven that this species is permanent and wont be gone any time soon.

air kuning perak was chosen for this trip because it was the first place that peacock bass was discovered in malaysia.the population there are staggering.1 in every five cast was a strike though the fish got loose.i think its because the peacock bass has a very thin lip and the hook was easily shaken off by the fish.

overall the trip was a success. the peacock bass at air kuning are still the the main species populating the mining pond.no other fish was caught except a haruan.i dont know if there is any other species in that particular pond except peacock bass n haruan. 

popper power

during my semester holiday, i went out to test the effectiveness of different kinds of hard body lure.among the lures i choose for this test are the usual diving plugs such as crankbait, minnow, viberating plug popper and banana baits. i went to different ponds and river to conduct this test. what i found out is that top water lure are among the most effective to entice fish that is not very active at that particular moment  especially in cold water condition.it has the ability to attract fish from deep water and also fish that is hiding in dens weed and grass. the disturbance on the surface of the water cause by top water lure are able to trigger the fish predatory instinct.

topwater lure,popper banana bait and propeller plugs 

at first i use the diving and subsurface plug such as minnow and crankbait. though there are fish that pursue these bait but they did not strike.after hours of trying and still not a strike from a fish. even the well known

Rapala x-rap was unable to trigger a strike..i wonder why.

minnow (RAPALA X-RAP)

crankbait

then i move on to surface plug.the propeller frog was the first topwater lure i use.it was effective and trigger lots of strike..but mostly the fish was not hooked.the splashes that the propeller in front of the lure made quiet a noise and alerted the fish of its presence.the only draw back is that the hooks are pointed upward and is located at the back of the lure.if the fish strike from the front or bottom, it will likely to miss the hook resulting a missed  strike and no hookups.only the fish that strike from the back has some chances to get hooked.

propeller frog bait

bujuk (channa lucius) caught on propeller frog

the first fish pf the day.

though the propeller frog could land the fish, the miss strike rate is high therefore its not the best lure. the propeller splashing on the water surface which create noise that attract the fish is proven to be effective but the overall design of the lure make it hard to hook the fish.

the next lure on the list is the surface pencil bait.it has a profile of a minnow bait but without the lip.there are lots of way to present this bait but among the most effective is the walk-the-dog. this method attract the fish by imitating injured fish that swim zig-zag on the water surface. the temptation for an easy prey is unresistable for fish.

pencil bait is also known as banana bait.

the pencil bait does not have a propeller and the only sound it makes is from the ball-bearing that is built inside of the lure.on windy condition, its hard for the fish to spot the lure because there is lots of disturbance on the water surface.it work best on still water although there are strike on water surface that is not still.i manage to land two peacockbass with this lure but unfortunately there is no photo to elaborate more.the hook is expose and it is easier for the fish to get hooked.the miss-strike rate is low but the frequency of a strike is also low.  

Popper on the other hand is a much more effective lure.its ability to attract predator in hiding is astonishing.the popper can be present in a number of way depending on the surrounding condition.it can be skittered with fast and pause retrieve to attract active predator or very slow popping method.the wide concave mouth design of the lure allows the lure to create a popping sound as the lure is jerked and pulls air under the surface.the sound and disturbance on the water surface will draw the attention of predatory fish lurking in deep water.

in warm water condition when the fish are active,a fast skitter retrieve with a few pause will create a disturbance on the water surface mimicking injured bait fish.this will entice the fish instinct to strike the lure.

in cold water condition where the fish is less active,a slow jerking retrieve works best. slightly jerking the lure making it dive produces a low bass BLOP sound which travel deep into weeds to call out fishes in hiding.

Popper was the most productive lure on this trip. no other lure produce more strike and more catches than the popper.it catches fish even when the fish are not active.

    

The Tokey Gecko

Gecko Business

          The recent rise in demand of Tokay Gecko has encouraged the harvesting of these lizards by poachers. What is so special about these Geckos that many people would pay millions of ringgit each? People would go for days in the rainforest looking to catch these elusive Tokay Gecko.

          In south-east Asia, gecko is the most recognizable species of lizard. They are able to adapt well to urban areas and secondary forests due to their hardiness, small-size and characteristics. Hence, geckos are a ubiquitous sight in the tropics of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Borneo and Indonesia, often found equally at home deep in the rainforest or on the balcony of a high-rise apartment. Most of Malaysia's gecko species possess special toe pads that enable them to cling to vertical and even horizontal surfaces. The Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko ) is one of the largest gecko species in the world. The name 'Tokay' comes from an onomatopoetic description of its loud call. It is easily identify by its blue colored skin with bright red spot. It is one of the largest species of gecko in the world. It could grow up to two foot in length and weight up to one and a half kilograms.

          In the late 1980’s the rising demand for exotic pet trade made the gecko a targeted species to be commercialize especially for the Tokay gecko species because they have beautiful bright colour and loud call. Back then, these geckoes are abundant and easily found even in the village hut. There are exploited in huge numbers until the wildlife organization started restricting and limiting the number of geckoes that can be caught in the wild for the pet trade. Other gecko species are also sold as pets and all of them are from the wild. Even now, geckoes are still popular exotic pets among teenagers and fanatic hobbyist. But most of the geckoes sold nowadays are captive breed specimens and are legally sold. 

          Only recently, some scientist believe that the liquid secreted by a mature tokay gecko could have medicinal properties and it is believe to be a possible cure for many chronic illness including acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Although this is still not proven, scientist are undergoing research on this topic and require a lot of Tokay gecko specimen for their research. The increasing demand for this species has made the price of the Tokay gecko high.

          Because only geckos’ specimens that reach 350 grams are able to secrete the valuable enzyme, most buyers only want to buy geckoes that have exceeded 350 grams. Smaller specimens are kept until they grow to such size. Most of them usually die before reaching the preferred weight due to stress and neglected by the owner.

          The price on each gecko is according to its weight. It is said that a single specimen can reach up to 3 million ringgit and as low as 20 000 ringgit depending on its weight. Due to the high price, poachers and even teenagers who live near the forest are willing to take the risk of hunting these geckos in the rainforest at night. And recent reports say that Indonesian poacher is trespassing into Malaysia to hunt for these expensive lizards. Indonesian poacher first enter Sabah and Sarawak illegally and later on in Johor and Pahang. These Malaysian state still have dens rainforest and the concentration of tokay gecko are still high.

          The hunt for tokay gecko that is uncontrolled has not gone unnoted by the authority.the deputy director of Perlindungan Hidupan Liar DanTaman Negara (perhilitan) Celes Coriano Razond said that the government and other authority are very much aware of the overexploitation of the tokay gecko. Before this, there is no law against hunting for these geckos because they are abundant and easy to find. The uncontrolled harvesting of these species would lead to the extinction of these geckos. Even now it is becoming rare and harder to find in the wild. The government is taking action by putting the Tokay gecko species in the endangered list and give full protection to these species to prevent it from extinction. It is also listed in the rehabilitation act where a person who is caught owning this species without special permit and license can be prosecuted in court under the wildlife protection act.

          As the price of tokay gecko continue to rise, more and more people would hunt these lizard for wealth and by doing so pushing the tokay gecko species even more closer to extinction. The new law introduces by the government against the hunting and trading of these species may offer a brighter future for the survival of these geckos. But the law will be effective only with the help of citizen and other organization to enforce the lay. This world can satisfy our needs but it cannot satisfy our greed. We must play our part to help preserve and prevent this species from extinction.