I have always had a penchant for jungle rivers. There’s something about clear water flowing over boulders and sunken logs that evoke a feeling that I’m truly home. Maybe it’s memories of my childhood, fishing the overgrown little Sungai Korok in Kangar. I would spend whole days by the waterside casually fishing for haruan and puyu, watching the wildlife go by.
And so it was that I’m forever triggered when some friend or associate mentions some far-off river that I have not fished before. The immediate urge is to drop everything and pile my fishing tackle into the Ford Ranger.
Hanapiah knew this weakness of mine, and when he mentioned his planned trip to Sungai Sat in Pahang, he knew I would say yes. This river is a whole six hours’ boating from the basecamp of Kuala Tahan, and is seldom visited by even local anglers.
To cut a long story short, Hanapiah never did make the trip. I ended up taking over the reins. Six friends made the long drive from KL to the basecamp. On the next morning, we took two longboats up the Tembeling, fully laden with camping and fishing equipment.
Three hours later, we reached Kuala Sat. The river mouth was small, promising shallow rapids and riffles upstream. It would take another three hours to reach our predetermined campsite, often disembarking and pulling the heavy boats up the shallow stretches.
The river is typical of the Taman Negara streams; clear water flowing among huge sunken logs and rocky beds. Overhead the neram trees created a monstrous tunnel of foliage, making the river seem dark and foreboding.
We made camp in the gathering dusk. I noted that the elephant dung strewn on the sandbank had grown full mushrooms. This might signify trouble: the goliaths may be on their return leg. I was unfortunately proven right: for the next two nights, the beasts were trying to cross the river. We had to have a large campfire going all night and occasionally burn some firecrackers to ward them off!
For the fishing, we broke up into three pairs – it’s never safe to fish alone in a jungle river. Izzudin and I opted to trek upstream.
We found an old track on the left hand bank, followed it for half an hour, occasionally peering down to the river to select a choice pool. But a small rivulet coming out from the jungle caught our attention. Just a few yards in, we found a small swampy pond amongst the huge hardwoods. On a hunch, I put on a small Mini Whacker spinnerbait. My first cast was taken by a frisky haruan that fought all the way to the bank.
No, it wasn’t a haruan, but a mega haruan palas! This Channa species with grey flanks and bluish fins is a rarity, and to catch one of almost a kilogram is a truly memorable occasion. And our joy didn’t end there, for we were catching a fish at almost every cast!
Well, we took lots of photos and released each fish with care, then set off for our original agenda – catching some kelah or tengas from the deep river pools.
We had to cross the river several times before we came to a magnificent bend of the river with a dark, deep channel on the far side. A clean sandbank lay below our feet, studded with footprints of barking deer and a large tapir.
We cast our baits of oil palm kernel and earthworms and waited for the fish. It didn’t take long. A tengas took my worm bait and streaked across the stream. Minutes later, it came to the sandbank, a spent force.
We were catching one tengas after another, around the kilo mark. Then the bites stopped, as if the river had cottoned on to our intrusion. The river at the time was quite murky due to the rains, but was clearing up fast. We decided to change to the oil palm baits, and like clockwork, we started catching fish again.
A change of venue was needed, but we had gone too far away from camp. We had to go back if we were to reach camp by nightfall.
This time, we decided to wade all the way back, as much as we can. Halfway down the river, we came across a pretty pool that we had missed while trekking the jungle. The stream made this bend and threw itself at a huge log stretched across the river. Downstream of this woody “dam”, a huge brushpile hugged the steep bank. I could almost smell the kelah and tengas here!
I offered Izzudin first choice of fishing spot. He made his big mistake of the day, and opted for the upstream swim. Later, he had the dubious honour of having FIVE fish break his line among the rocks there!
I gingerly tip-toed to the spot below the log and set up my spot. My tackle was basic enough – a light spinning rod with 8-lb. mainline; a small hook on a 20-lb. fluorocarbon leader, with soft oil palm kernel as bait.
Twenty minutes into the session, my old Daiwa Gold Strike rod bent down to a savage take. It was just as well that I had it in hand all the while, for it would have flown into the river. The fish headed for the brushpile, as expected. Some side-strain stopped it just in time. It then streaked off downstream, stripping yards of line from the reel. The fish stopped, eventually, for the river had become too shallow over there. It was then that I knew this fellow was mine. When it changed course upstream, I reeled in quickly and guided it towards the near bank. Several minutes of tug-of-war followed, in snag-free water. Finally, I hauled it up the sandbank.
It was a beautifully red 1.5-kg. kelah with thick lips and median lobe (this was the Tor tambroides species). Izzudin, who by this time had ambled over, marveled at the fish – this was his first encounter with a wild kelah. He jokingly chastised me for letting him fish the upstream pool. I gently reminded him that I had already given him first choice. The rest is up to the gods!
We took photos of the fish and released it, none the worse for harm. It was getting late, so we packed up and went back to camp.
It was a happy camp, that night, save for the trouble with the elephants. Everyone had caught enough fish to sport wide grins.
Even on the next and final day, we still managed good sport on the river, although we couldn’t better that red kelah. Between us, we had caught some 70 fish, mostly tengas of around a kilogram. That alone made the trip a very memorable one.
SUNGAI SAT : HOW TO GET THERE
Sungai Sat is part of the Taman Negara at Kuala Tahan, Pahang. You can drive directly to the village via Mentakab. The basecamp is on the opposite bank, reachable by a service boat. Book a room for the night, either at the well-appointed resort in the camp, or in the village (there are lots of chalets there).
Book your boat at the basecamp office. You need to start early in the morning, to reach Sungai Sat in late afternoon.
WHAT TO BRING
There are absolutely no amenities in Sungai Sat. Bring your own camping gear and food. The wooden longboats have ample capacity, but it’s best to trim down on your gear, bringing just enough to last your stay. Dome tents are light and safe. Extra tarpaulin sheets serve as “kitchens” and ground sheets. Keep food items safe in cooler boxes or those plastic bullet boxes.
It’s humid in the jungle, and you will be sweat-drenched in no time. Wear light long-sleeved shirts and pants, preferably those quick-drying ones. Good trekking boots or the “rubber tapper” plastic shoes are recommended for jungle trekking or fording the river.
TACKLE TIPS
The tengas and kelah of Sungai Sat are not big. It is best to use light to medium tackle, using monofilament lines of 8 to 12-lb. test. For bait fishing, bring small barrel sinkers, small swivels, and short-shanked, suicide hooks in sizes 10 up to 2. The best hooks are black or gunmetal grey. My favourites are Gamakatsu Octopus and Owner Suicide Cutting Point.
Short leaders of about 20 – 25 cm., preferably of the “invisible” type like fluorocarbon or Daiwa Crystal Clear, will not spook the kelah. Use 15 to 20-lb test, depending on the conditions.
Spinning rods should be about 2.1 to 2.4-m. long, have a soft tip but sturdy butt section. Examples are Berkley Series One, Team Daiwa and Fenwick HMG. Small reliable reels like Shimano Biomaster 2500, Daiwa Kix 3000 and Penn Slammer 360 are good choices.
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