Angler describes landing RM1,237 fish below Penang Bridge like 'playing tug of war with a cow'

GEORGE TOWN: It took just five minutes of waiting before something very heavy bent angler Mohd Abidin Abd Rani's fishing rod into a "C".

Mohd Abidin, 44, was fishing on one of the piers below Penang Bridge on Wednesday (Feb 2) night and landed a 27.5kg grouper, which earned him a pleasing RM1,237 after he sold it to a fishmonger.

But it was not pure luck for Mohd Abidin, who went prepared to land a whopper.

"My main line was a 300lb braided line. My leader was steel wire," said the car mechanic.

Braided fishing lines are especially strong and many are made from the same material as the threads used in bulletproof vests.

For bait, he used a live tamban (white sardine), also hooked up from below Penang Bridge, and waited only five minutes for the grouper to bite.

For the first 15 minutes after the fish took the bait, Mohd Abidin said he felt like he was "playing tug of war with a cow".

"A big grouper will first try to rush into rocks or other underground formations when hooked. It is really important to stop the fish right from the beginning or the line will snap when it gets snagged on something underwater," he said.

With that done, he could then control the fish easily, but there was another problem.

"It was low tide and the water was far below the pier. We scooped the fish with a landing net but it was too heavy to lift up.

"In the end, I called a boatman who came over and landed the fish on his boat," Mohd Abidin said.

It was almost midnight by the time the fish was secured, but with the help of four buddies, Mohd Abidin had no problems getting hold of a fishmonger who offered to buy it at once RM45 per kg.

Besides having the right gear for the right fish, Mohd Abidin credited his largest ever catch to the counsel of fellow angler Anuar Ismail, who was so experienced fishing under Penang Bridge that they call him "Tok Guru Jambatan" (master of the bridge).

The waters around Penang were known to be home to specimen size (at least 50% of the record) groupers.

In July 2018, a fisherman brought a 200kg grouper to Cecil Street market and sold it for RM10,865.50.

Previous sizes recorded by The Star ranged from 150kg to 170kg.