Jenius

It would be pretty cliche of me to start off yet another post with something on the lines of "it has been awhile bla bla bla..." so let's not do that today.

If you're reading this, chances are you would have already visited my online store at https://www.dabomb.sg/

"DABOMB Singapore aims to provide quality entertainment through quality products. 

DABOMB.SG will not tell you that we try to keep things affordable or that we're doing this as fellow anglers.
We hope our products would speak these intentions clearly."

Yes, I do know the above sounds as though I am throwing shade at a few establishments and I would like to highlight that if the shoe fits... :D

Jokes aside, the current products are mostly offshore staple items - jigs, assist hooks and sinking minnows. Although I am a firm believer of creativity and innovation, I would also have to acknowledge that certain time-tested items will most definitely remain top choices for anglers. As such, these are the items which I have chosen to wager my resources on and will do as much as I can to keep costs low.

In recent years, there has been an influx of innovative products that are crazy brilliant. In our shores, we have experienced waves of trends that have intrigued our minds and pockets. Ajing lures, big hyper realistic soft lures, dual-function top water lures. Don't get me wrong, I do not in any way think that these are inferior products. In my books, they are top notch in pushing the innovation and design of the way we fish - a beautiful testament to our progress. However, I do feel that the way these products are pushed and marketed more often than not instills a skewed perception of fishing to newer anglers.

Young anglers who bought those exorbitantly-priced lures and are afraid to cast them, new anglers who believe that a certain lure will be more effective because of its country of origin, fresh anglers poisoned to think that only a certain style of fishing is effective. I've met them all and I sometimes find it saddening that these perceptions persist to nurture inflexible minds (even though these anglers would still outfish me any day hahaha).

And this is the reason why I wanted to establish DABOMB Singapore https://www.dabomb.sg/ as a gateway platform for newer anglers. I do hope that someday DABOMB Singapore would be the source for newer anglers to get cheap shit that work so that they would be able to fish with greater freedom, fish with less fear of loss and hopefully as a result, develop a deeper understanding of the art and greater appreciation for its simplicity.

I do hope that i would be able to sustain this venture (this first week has been shit LOL). 

Alright its 3.30am, hope y'all have a great life.

Cheers! :D

What an interesting week this past week has been.

My personal knowledge about superheroes goes as far as my understanding of politics which is roughly around the same as the number of miles I have ran this year, approximately zero. 

To appreciate the following, you should already have watched Wonder Women (2017), Gone Girl (2014) or at least have wiki-ed the lot. No seriously, go.

So this past week, the little red dot made international news with a small famiLEE matter of sorts. I won't go into the grisly details as I'd only come up with flawed arguments and perspective on the whole issue. There are, however, various similar cross-references which came to mind as I pondered on the various factors given the construct of the events.

Wonder Woman was honestly a sub-par movie which had its few moments to me. The action sequence was pleasing and no doubt Gal Gadot made it all that much better. It did irked me that most modern day films had to have a love element which seemed forced like the emergence of all the "Instagram-worthy" foods at the Geylang Bazaar. Script writers and food creators alike should really chill on the love and food coloring respectively. The love aspect in Wonder Woman was evidently less excruciating to watch than the one in Salazar's Revenge but that's just comparing 2 different kinds of fecal material.

A friend of my recommended Gone Girl as an alternative love movie and man, if you haven't already watched the film, please do. What intrigued me about this story was not just the main characters and their dynamics but more importantly how they manipulated society and the mass media to gain traction for their individual causes. Fascinating was it to see how group-think and fed information could alter the final outcome of schemes.

Pardon the haphazardness of my writing. Okay, so what really spurred me on to pen down my thoughts was a post on a "tall tree basking in the golden hour". The groupie syndrome in the comment section of that post was for me akin to idolizing Wonder Woman as a figure of empowerment for women. Of course I won't take that away from little girls but if you look deeper, Diana was more god than human and for that same reason is why I would not put Superman as the male equivalent of said figure. Gods just do not fully understand the fears of normal men. If you asked me, I'd put Black Widow above Diana as a candidate for empowering women (at least she was  not made from clay). Just FYI, I'd put Bruce Wayne as the male counterpart (RIP Adam West). If you really need a female figure to look up to, try Amazing Amy. Amazing Amy was remarkable in her understanding of people and various subjects (heard she's more amazing in the book though).

Speaking of books, the saga this past week as with all issues with any tint of local politics always brings back history lessons taught by a science relief teacher when I was 8 or 9. A man of big stature with a wizened look hovered over us with first hand accounts of tales from the past. He talked of events which would be deemed brutal and immoral in present day. Events that could have been easily covered up with propaganda and "new syllabuses" in the books planted in schools. Such tales could easily rip holes in the fabric of society but it is this same fabric that has been painstakingly woven for generations that we now draw comfort from. All in all, taking things for face value just would not be wise.

Again it's been a long while since I've written anything. Well this won't be a long post anyhow.

So I met a friend who I got acquainted with through the marvels of technology and he's visiting Singapore soon and I decided to compile this quick list of shops to head since he too is into fishing. This might not be the most thorough list of shops and I may have missed out on a few shops in the vicinity so do forgive me. The shops listed are shops which I personally have ventured to before (except for TTC as of the date this is written) and any which I have missed out would probably be because I have not personally been there before.

Each of this shop has it's own set of unique attributes that make them very special in their own individual way and I'll try to cover them all at best I can. Let's go.

Anglers Outfitters

This shop isn't a shop which I am super familiar with as I've only discovered it recently. (I know, what a noob right?) Tucked away close to the corner of the building, this shop has a wide range of AOF jigging reels displayed at its windows. I chanced upon this shop whilst searching for 2000 tackle and also found another tackle shop whose name I can't quite recall adjacent to it. This shop has an interesting range of lures that I have not yet encountered in other shops including some Salza brand ajing/mebaru rubbers which I bought on pure impulse on my first visit. They also stock some Super Fireline range of braided lines and I returned to the shop to have one of my reels spooled with the 4lbs Fireline Crystal at what I would deem a very reasonable price. 

Address:

BLK 13, NORTH BRIDGE ROAD, #01-3968, 189856

Phone number: 6294 7567

2000 Tackle

This was a shop I used to visit when it was still located at Pasir Ris next to the pay ponds. Ive only scanned through its inventory once and was very tempted to get a few things but my wallet refused to compromise. There was a huge range of Daiwa lures including the Emeraldas range of egi lures but what I really wanted to get were the Cultiva soft lures they had which I have not seen brought in by other shops so far. 

Address:

13 North Bridge Road #01-3986 Singapore 190013 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 190013

Phone number: 6789 2000

Tan Thong Cheong (TTC)

Okay, I'm not one to comment about this establishment but I have heard great and wonderful things about it. This shop should be able to cater to all your Shimano needs. I'll be heading there in the coming week and may or may not update this section depending on my mood.

Address:

Blk 1 Maude Road, #01-30, 200001

Phone number: 6297 3536

OJ Tackle

This shop is hidden in at the corner of the Textile Centre it resides in. They carry quite a sufficient range of rods and reels including various Shimano and Daiwa reels. They also have quite a range of Zman lures which I was fortunate enough to buy on a certain day when all other shops in the vicinity were closed (silly me shopping on such a day) as the shop owner was in doing some stock take.

Address:

200 Jalan Sultan, Textile centre #01-10 199018

Phone number: 8374 4904

JDM Tackle

If you're into jigging or deep sea luring then this shop would suit your needs. They do also carry quite a number of clothing and accessories to allow one to dress the part. The thing which caught my eye, however, was the lower priced Varivas fluorocarbon leader they carried (packed in a more compact packaging at that!). This shop however leans towards bigger jigs and big GT-catching poppers so freshwater anglers might shy away but the competitively priced Varivas FC would be a real hooking point (for me at least).

Address:

766 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 198734

Phone number:  6341 5333

Kaiser Pro

If you're coming from the Bugis MRT direction, chances are you would pass by this shop. I have a very vague recollection of what this shop sells but I do recall quite a number of beautiful rods. There were also quite a huge range of soft frog lures which pushed my hand closer to my wallet. They also have quite a variety of SPRO brand lures.

Address: 

390 Victoria St, Singapore 188061

Phone number: 6396 6232

Joe Fishing Tackle

If there is a one-stop shop for anglers in the area, this has to be it. With every thing from baits to lure to rods and reels, this is by far one of the most well-covered shops in terms of type of fishing. While some shops choose to specialize in a certain area, at Joe's, you probably can get almost anything you require for any type of fishing. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a megastore for fishing but more like a condensed all-needs-covered convenience store. The really neat thing I like about this shop is that because there is a huge variety of brands and products, this is a perfect store to for somebody who has a certain budget or is just starting out.

Address:

331 Beach Rd, Singapore 199562

Phone number: 6392 3888

Lure Haven

This shop isn't for the weak-willed. A simple shop at first glance but once you reach the second floor, your life's decisions would be re-evaluated and you'd wish you had the bank account of somebody obnoxiously rich like Justin Bieber. A candy store for anglers await the brave. This shop is definitely a proper reflection of it's name.

Address:

10 Bussorah Street, 199488

Phone number: 6297 4898

Sabre Strokers

Halco products are on sale in this establishment alongside a few really nice lures and accessories. The specialty of this store, however, is in its wide range of rod-building accessories. Be it Fuji guides or thread wraps, this is the one place where you should be able to get all your custom rod components. 

Address:

35 Arab St, Singapore 199734

Phone number: 6396 0982

Zamzam/Victory

And yes, with all that tackle shop hopping activity, this would be definitely your place to head to for a quick refuel or to assess what poor buying decisions you have made thus far and how much money you have left. Known for their competitive business rivalry, these 2 shops are located side by side and sell almost identical food items. I would not help you decide on which of these 2 shops to head to but i'll definitely recommend the Murtabak (mutton) from either. 

Address:

Postal code 198677 or 198675 (so hard to remain neutral for this)

Alrighty, so that's all for a quick summarize of shops to head to in the area and once again I apologize if I missed out any information of any shops! That aside, do share this if you think it might aid a friend otherwise TIGHT LINES AND SMILEY FACE :D

My oh my, it has been quite a while since I wrote and man do I miss writing. Well, I have been pretty busy with YouTube videos off late and while more often than not (esepcially for my case) the videos show you that which has already happened, writing on the other hand truly captures the ideas which I would like to bring across. Anyway, this post primarily aims to put into perspective the type of fishing you can do on this little island to hopefully steer you in the right direction. You see, when I came into possession of my first fishing rod(s), they were bought without proper knowledge of the terms, idealogies and purposes and I ended up buying a lot of things I don't quite use anymore. So without futher delay, let me attempt to aid you in your quest for answers regarding the art that is angling. Sorry but this is going to be real wordy.

The Water

The first idea I would like you to comprehend is that water bodies are generally classified under 2 major groups - salt water (SW) and fresh water (FW). The former (saltwater) refers to water that contains high levels of salinity which more often than not includes water found in seas and oceans. This type of water is also know as sea water. In Singapore, this type of water is found at the perimeter on the shorelines, offshore (out in the open sea, on a vessel) and certain pay ponds. Fresh water on the other hand has lower salinity levels than salt water and is usually linked to the many canals, drains and reservoirs on the island. There is also an in-between group know as brackish water which is saltier than fresh water but less salty than sea water, like an eggplant that's having an identity crisis. So let's not make things confusing and stick to just SW and FW for now. This information is highly crucial as the fish that you will be targeting at this 2 different class of water vary quite a bit from one another. To make things simpler, if you see a "no fishing" sign put up by PUB in your vicinity, high chance that is a fresh water body and if you don't, it's salt water and of course, if you know a place that is a fresh water body that contains fish and does not have a signage, you probably didn't need to read this section. :D

The fish

Okay, this is another important section. This will further narrow down the type of fishing you should look into. There is an unsaid rule amongst anglers in Singapore to not take home their catch if it was caught from a fresh water body. This rule is further strengthened by the no poaching laws that surround said water bodies. The idea is that fresh water fish is only meant for sport fishing and since fish are not aplenty for the hoards of anglers on the island that are restricted to using artificial lures at such places, it is for the benefit of the community that catch and release be practiced. That said, a decision has to be made on whether you are aiming to catch a meal or not, selfies with your catch is optional either way. If you are aiming to catch a meal, generally you would be looking to fish at SW bodies that contain an array of species for your picking if you manage to get one to bite. I've added a quick list below to aid you in your target but of course the list is not limited to these species and I've actually left out a whole bunch to keep things simple.

If you noticed, the list contains quite a number of catfish. This is in honor of its resilience and ability to adapt in a variety of water bodies. I read somewhere that 70% of all water bodies all over the globe contain catfish and honestly I am not surprised at all. Do note that certain groups of fish can be found in both freshwater and saltwater like the barramundi (sea bass) for one and also gobies. I know, I know, things can get pretty confusing sometimes with these fish but it can't be helped as there are no black and white with these things unless its a zebra tilapia. :| bad joke. Technically, squids are not fish but they're tasty so I've put them into the list too.

Okay, now that you roughly know what kind of fish you would prefer to land and the purpose of fishing, you can decide on which location is best for you.

BLATANT SELF-ADVERTISING HERE. This is a video showing some common fresh water catches.

Location

If you have decided on embarking on the freshwater path, it is safe to say you would be venturing to the many reservoirs on the island with a setup more suited for luring. Depending on your location, you would bring a slightly different rod. If you are heading to legal FW fishing area, a 6 to 7 foot rod in the light to ultralight range (3-10lbs) would suffice in most cases if you're aiming for the foreign-turned-local species that is the Peacock Bass. These are generally the easiest to land as compared to the other trophy fish - Tomans (aka the Giant Snakehead). If you're heading to the other types of fresh water areas, chances are you already know what to get or have friends that would point you in the right direction but generally you'd go for a slightly heavier setup (10-30lbs probably).

On the salty side, you would generally be travelling to the perimeters of the island. If you reside in the east side of the island then you would be fortunate enough to have Bedok Jetty close to you where casting far out would not be an issue meaning your rod length can go as short as you want or as long as you have to to compensate for any lack of....distance. If you are not so fortunate or would just like to do a little shore casting, venturing to the realms of surf casting should be considered. This art is generally done with a long rod around 10 feet and above to allow casts not easily achieved with shorter rods. 

Example of Surf Casting. Visit the SSCC page if you need help regarding Surf Casting. The guys in there are brilliant.

And if you truly are desperate for a catch and do not mind paying a sum, you could always hire a boat to take you offshore or head to one of the many pay ponds on the island. In both cases, a long rod isn't necessary and the weight range of the rods you would look for would vary depending on where you are headed to.

Baiting and Luring

These 2 techniques of fishing both have their pros and cons and have been the debate of anglers since the beginning of time. Personally, I enjoy both for different reasons but I can safely say that baiting is definitely easier. Baiting refers to using attractants such as pellets, food or live organisms to entice fish to take the hook whilst luring refers to the act of using an artificial bait known as a lure to trick a fish into getting hooked. To make it even simpler, if it tastes like paint, plastic, metal or soft synthetic rubber-like polymers, it probably is a lure. When it comes to baiting, you let the bait do the work but luring on the other hand has a learning curve regarding understanding what kind of lure would work for the species you are targeting and also the way the lure should be worked, moved or retrieved in order to entice a bite. A good analogy (credits to Oz Bangkok Hooker) would be luring is similar to a performance by a marionette whereby a good performance results in tricking a fish. Luring would definitely create a bigger hole in your pocket considering how expensive some lures are but the satisfaction of landing a fish on lure does often feel more like an actual achievement compared to baiting.

With this 2 types of fishing techniques understood, you can further decide how heavy your rod should be as luring typically requires many casts and a heavier rod would erect some discomfort in your arm after multiple casts whereas in baiting you usually make lesser casts and can afford a heavier rod. But of course, these 2 techniques are not exclusive to rods, you can bait or lure with any rod really.

Spinning VS Casting

All right this section is easy. Spinning4life. 

Yes yes, there are advantages of using a casting reel, conventional reel, or baitcasting (BC) reel. The learning curve is pretty steep and so are the prices. Sure, BC advocates would argue about the benefits of mastering using one but I would honestly not recommend it to any sane individual who has a faint interest in fishing. BC reels are nice to look at and let's just keep it at that (I KID I KID NO HATE NO HATE). If you are a beginner who is actually looking for information regarding your first setup, the easier choice would definitely be spinning but if you are really looking for a challenge then head over to the BC corner where backlash will punch you in the gut moments after you enter the arena.

In all seriousness, either setup will catch you fish if you use them right.

Conclusion

This guide is an oversimplified version on the choices you have on fishing rods and the decisions you need to make to narrow down to what you need. I did not go into reels as I believe the reel should fit the rod and the rod should fit the purpose. Hopefully in reading this you have a rough understanding on what kind of fish you are trying to land, where you are going to head to, the length of rod you require and the type of rod you would be looking at. Once you have gathered the answers to the header titles of each section, you should be able to waltz into any tackle shop to get a few recommendations on rods based on your specific needs and also your budget. If you require more assistance in getting a rod for your particular needs, there are avenues you could get answers from including Fishingkaki and Eat Sleep Fish on Facebook, both of which have strong communities of knowledgeable anglers with all sorts of expertise who are always willing to help.

Tight lines and smiley face :)

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