how to fish for toman at ttdi

Discover Yourself at www.temenggor.com Tasik Temenggor Discovery Island (TTDI) is the No. 1 Eco Island Lake Lodge in Malaysia!

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How To Fish For Snakehead or ‘Toman’ I’d like to share my experience on how you can catch a snakehead or ‘Toman’ as we Malaysians call them. Before I go any further, allow me to share a bit about myself. First and foremost I am not a fishing person or a ‘kaki pancing’. Prior to my first visit to Tasik Temenggor Discovery Island (TTDI), I have never gone fishing my entire life let alone hold a fishing rod. At first glance to me fishing is a boring activity as most of the time it requires you to just wait until the fish bites the bait. Well that was before my first fishing experience at TTDI back in December 2006. Our friend that brought us to TTDI was adamant that we tried to fish for Toman. He told us that fishing for Toman is different and it is more thrilling as we do not wait around but we go and hunt them. After a lot of persuasion, off we went Toman hunting! To catch a Toman you need the right bait. For the Toman in TTDI the best bait would be live catfish (‘keli’). You hook up the live keli on your hook and it must be hooked properly so that when you cast the keli would not slip away. At TTDI you are lucky because our trained people know the best way to do this. Let them do it for you. I still remember that day. We were in one of the lagoons and waiting for signs of the Toman. The Toman fish will need to go up the surface as they require oxygen. Every time they pop up on the surface they will make a bubble on the surface. That is what we need to look for. When you see the bubble, you have 3 to 5 seconds to cast your bait towards the bubble. The first time I went fishing for Toman that was exactly what Idid. Guess what? I got a bite and we pulled up a 3 kg plus sized Toman. It was huge and frankly speaking everybody on the boat got scared when we tried to pull it up. It was big and powerful that the moment we reached for it, it bit off the fishing line and escaped! What an experience! Since than we have returned to TTDI a few more times to go Toman hunting. In fact we even have our own fishing rods. Even my wife caught a few Tomans!


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So here are a few things that will be helpful for you if you plan to go Toman hunting at TTDI.

1. Make sure you have the right fishing rod for Toman. You can ask the place you buy your fishing rods and make sure that it is suitable for Tomans.

2. The bait that you use is catfish or ‘keli’ which you can get at the Gerik wet market at a very cheap price. Get the small size ones. Make sure they are alive!

3. You can fish for Tomans around the island especially at the back of the A-Hut chalet areas. Please ensure that you inform our team that you want to fish for Toman so that they can help you out. Please take note that we only allow catch and release as we are preserving the place.

4. The best way to go Toman hunting is to take up our fishing packages whereby you go out to Toman spots around the lake with a boat and a guide. For these fishing packages you need to book in advance when you book your TTDI package.

5. Once you have your bait fixed now you just need to wait for the Toman air bubbles.

6. The moment you see the bubble you need to cast the bait towards the bubble. You only have a window of 5 to 8 seconds to do this. The objective is so that the Toman will be able to detect the live ‘keli’ which your bait and go for it.

7. Keep on casting as you see the bubbles. 8. When you feel a bite, let it go first. If you see your rod bending down,

than you know that a Toman has gotten the bait. 9. Now what you need to is to reel the Toman in. You need to be patient as

you need to tire the fish first. They have a lot of energy. Make sure you position yourself well on the boat. Don’t be surprised if you are pulled over board. It can happen!

10. We have had people who lost their fishing rods. 11. Once you manage to get the Toman up, take a good picture with you and

your catch and than release it back. We want to preserve the place for others and for future generations to enjoy.

12. Last but not least enjoy and have fun!


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The following are some picture gallery of people Toman hunting. You could be the next one. Enjoy! No Picture Description 1

This lady caught a Toman with virtually her first attempt at fishing!

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Using our fishing package you will be brought to locations that are known to have Tomans.

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Even the whole family can come with you and experience Toman hunting together! Just make sure the kids stay quite so that they don’t scare away the fish.



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4

A Toman caught!

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This young man caught one and he is pretty happy with himself. We can guarantee you, regardless of the size once you get one you’ll be hooked! The experience of fighting the toman is worth the patience.

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The Toman is brought up on to the boat. Luckily it is just a small one.

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Fighting and reeling the Toman in. Trust us; the Toman will fight you to the end. The big ones are really strong. We even have incidents whereby the fishing rods are taken out and literally thrown into the water!


how to fish for toman at ttdi

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