It has been ages since I last went fishing and actually caught something that can be brought home for dinner.
Today, I decided to go out from KK town area and go to a place I know, a nice secluded place where at least 7 out of the last 10 trips allowed me to bring home one or two table size fish and normally earned me an approving look from my better half.

Make that 8 out of 11 trips now. Nothing really to shout about in term of the size of the fish but it was fun to catch them. I arrived there about 2.30pm and the tide is about 1 meter and slowly rising, the red line on the chart is the time I fished.

The first fish I caught is a family of the trevally. The local call them ikan cermin (mirror fish) basically because of the very reflective surface of the fish. I thought the fish is called a threadfin trevally because of the long thin threadlike fin when they are small.

The one I caught is still smallish I suppose but it is a nice dish just for two people. The thing about my place is they totally do not have size limit. Typically I release any fish smaller than 1 hand, unless gut hooked then it's pointless to release because they probably die. Self-imposed limit influenced by watching Rex Hunt fishing series. Caught and release 3 small groupers and one emperor fish slightly smaller than a hand (longish mouth with reddish fins/tail). It was a nice run for a small fish. Hit the live prawn bait mid water and straight away run with the line. I used a 20 lb flourocarbon leader and a 10lb line. A bit overkill but that was my rig when I last use them in Perth so hmm didnt bother changing them.

The other fish that I caught is just before I was about to go back, using my last bait. At first I thought it was another grouper just a bit bigger as it immediately try to run towards the corals but then it turn out to be a black color snapper. Well actually I am not sure if that is the actual name of the fish but it is black and looks like a snapper hence black color snapper, maybe I should call it thicked lip black snapper. I caught it few times before, mangrove area and they have very thick and soft lips, no teeth at all a little like bream. Very yummy sweet flesh as well.

Hmmm here is a picture of the two fishes next to each other, as you can see the trevally is slightly bigger. Tonight we will eat the snapper first. The trevally, hmmm lots of people say is nice but I don't really fancy it much. The flesh is a bit tasteless to me, the black snapper is a lot nicer and sweeter. Probably we just don't know how to cook it, we just normally steam the fish and put ginger and soy sauce.

Okay as you can see, our steamed fish does not really look very appetizing, it does not have the typically restaurant look with nicely placed herbs dressing BUT it does taste good, the fish itself being fresh (still alive when i reached home) and the taste of it is excellent enough to compensate for our lack of skills in cooking :)

The skin especially has a very smooth taste to it, it taste a little like steamed coral trout skin but sweeter and smoother. The flesh is sweeeeeet, I just love this yummy fish.. just look at the fat and thick sweet lips, mmmmmm..