A 2nd Generation Orang Laut From Kampung Padang Terbakar.

Abah was always fishing either on shore or on his Sampan trips regularly.  

Uncle Ismail. He's a hardcore fisho thus a regular of my dad's every fishing outings.Their team of four rides their Vespa motorcycles to Tanjung Penjuru for baits and then to Tuas reclaimed land for fishing.

Uncle Wahab. He's former orang laut from Pulau Sekeng, A prominent figure by the sampan docks in West Coast Park in the 80's n early 90's. He was part of the gang too. Not in picture was Uncle Iskandar. He had this unique style of loping his bait right front of the Tuas reclaimed wavebreakers. His regular catches were mostly over the 3kg n above sizes of the Ungah Emas or Golden Snapper.

My Dad 80'S Fishing

Marina cointainer port or Tuas reclaimed land were his favourite spots. Most of the fishes he brought home were mostly around the 2 to 3kg range on shore and by the 3 to 5kg range when on a sampan boat fishing. He never bothered to take pictures.The top cold shelve fridge would be full of fresh fish. 

My dad's Ungah Emas or the Golden Snapper. 

The fish was still in its golden colour. The length of the fish covered the whole length of our local malay Berita Harian newspaper.

From one of his sampan excursions, while fishing off Pulau Salu. His Shogun rod paired wt Daiwa Black Diamond 7000 spinning reel bended doubled. Using only 20lb berkley tournament mono line that had such a very thin diameter than the berkley big game mono. After a hard 45mins tug of war, the fish rose up by side of the sampan. It was a 7'ft Kemejan or Shovelnose Ray. Its size was almost the entire length of the 9'ft sampan. There were also two giant Cobias by the sides of the Kemejan. My dad released the Kemejan safely, Uncle Wahab then managed to caught one of the cobias by slowly releasing his bait midwater. To this day, i've sworn to break my dad's record but hopefully on shore based fishing one fine day.

I had to force him to take a pictures with some of his catches. During that time, i was poisoned into fishing and was so eager to learn the traditions and the old ways of handline sampan fishing. I was then drafted into his sampan boat fishing trips on a twice weekly basis.

I was also introduced to shore fishing. The year was 1983 and i have been to some of the fishing heavens in Singapore. Marina Ctr, East, South, Tuas Reclaimed land and most famously was Tanjung Penjuru. It was the shoreline where iam strictly taught, by mixing the bread and belachan combination thus sprinkle enticing the watwat worms, then pulling them out by using my fingers. At that time, the hottest spot for snappers or unga emas and tanda were at the Marina South facing Keppel Container Port. My dad was always fishing with his best fishing buddy, Mr Ali, a former professional bodybuilder or with his younger brother Osman.