During The Fishing

Alright, you're all set, you have brought everything, and selected a paypond. You pay at the entrance and walk in. Your first instinct is to cast your bait and wait, but hold on, there are a few things to complete before you even think about casting your bait out.

• Decide on a place to cast from

Many payponds have shades built for anglers to shield them from either the sun or rain. Your task is to choose a good one, whether it's close to the weighing station if the pond wants to weigh every catch to keep track of their fishes' health, or its easier to cast from, without the presence of overhanging branches or power lines. 

• Set up your rig before casting

Take some time to set up your rod and rig. It's advisable to add a snap-clip to your main line so that you can replace your rigs quickly for a bait change. Check your knots again, after all you wouldn't want your line to break loose or snap while you have a fish on. When you cast, make sure it's as close to the middle of the pond as possible. This is because most ponds are the deepest in the middle, and that's where the fishes usually dwell. Make sure every time you reset, i.e.: replacing bait or rig and cast back into the pond again, it is as close to the previous spot you casted earlier. The reason behind this is that, your bait will fall on the bottom on the pond from the previous cast and chances are, fishes are already feeding on the fallen bait. So casting on the same spot ensures that fishes will stay in the same spot till they hook up.

• Find other forms of entertainment while waiting

Payponds usually don't allow the use of plastic lures, so those casting and retrieving actions you see on pro bass fishing don't apply here in Malaysia. So it's usually a game of bait-n-wait. Find some entertainment during the wait, such as preparing your bait for the next cast, reading a book, or surfing the Internet. It is recommended you wait at least 15 minutes before a bait change, and good baits when properly hooked can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. So don't reel in and check every few minutes, chances are, the fishes don't even smell it yet! So leave it in the water and let nature do its work.

In short, what you need the most in a trip is patience. Though it may sound like a cliche, but it's the most important aspect in any form of fishing. Make sure you practice every individual skill from time to time: your knots, casting skills and reeling skills all play an important role in ensuring you don't go home empty handed. Lastly, don't be shy to seek advice from any fellow angler you meet at the paypond. They are more than happy to teach you a few tricks and give you some form of advice.