Anglers close off Hari Raya in style

Unusual sight: Anglers dressed to the nines at the Penang Ultra Light Syawal Fishing Gathering that was held at the Esplanade. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Over 100 anglers, mostly dressed in baju melayu complete with the traditional Malay headgear, met up to fish together to celebrate the month of Syawal.

They came from as far as Selangor and Johor for the Penang Ultra Light Syawal Fishing Gathering held at the Esplanade here.

Their traditional garb including the tengkolok (headgear) and samping (waist cloth) drew the attention of tourists who were seen recording the fishing session.

Yesterday was the 26th day of Syawal, coinciding with the approach of the new moon which gave the anglers good tidal conditions with the highest tide level at 2.7m.

The 30th and last day of Syawal falls on Thursday, which is when Hari Raya celebrations come to an end.

Event coordinator Rospaizal Ismail said even their non-Malay angling pals chose to wear baju melayu to join in the fun of creating a spectacle.

“We did it yearly before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is our first Hari Raya fishing gathering after the pandemic ended,” he added.

To add an element of competition, several local fishing tackle manufacturers sponsored prizes.

Besides lucky draws, bonus prizes were prepared for those who caught the largest grouper (kerapu), queenfish (talang), giant trevally (jemuduk), African pompano (ebek), golden snapper (jenahak), barracuda (alu-alu), javelin grunter (gerut-gerut) and stingray (pari).

A special prize was prepared for catching the largest ladyfish (bandang).

There was also a prize for the best-dressed angler.

“The fish here are not as big as those in deeper waters, but they tend to be plentiful on days with good tides.

“The clear waters off the Esplanade is good for anglers to spend a day casting without the need for a boat,” said Rospaizal.

Going ultra light is considered a finesse sport fishing method using slender rods and small reels with a fishing line that has a breaking strength of 1.8kg to 3.6kg.

In contrast, anglers at sea might use a line with a breaking strength of 14kg to 36kg or more.

Instead of bait, they cast artificial lures like micro jigs – small, brightly-painted metal pieces shaped like small fish – or soft plastics shaped like shrimp, worms or minnows.

After casting, the anglers retrieve the lures in various ways such as by twitching to mimic the movements of fleeing prey to trigger bites from predatory fish.