FISHING AT PELABUHAN RATU

Fishing At Pelabuhan Ratu with Popping, Jigging and Trolling Technique

It has been along time I didn’t post some articles on my Blog. Actually there are a lot of things that I want to share here such as traveling to Jogjakarta, Central Java. In Jogja, we visited Borobudur temple which is the largest Buddhist temple from 9th century; Prambanan temple which is the most beautiful Hindust temple, including tour to Dieng Plateau. However, I didn’t have enough time recently. This time I would like to post my tour to Pelabuhan Ratu first. Borobudur, Prambanan, and Dieng Plateau may be next.

Our destination this time is Pelabuhan Ratu. Pelabuhan Ratu is located in Sukabumi, West Java. It needs about 3 hours from Jakarta to reach Sukabumi city and it takes about 1 hour from Sukabumi city to Pelabuhan Ratu Beach.

Well, after took the dawn prayer, I drove my car to Serang city to pick up colleagues. Due to some cases, we left Serang at about 21.00 pm and straightly drove to BSD city Tangerang. We met with other group there at about 22.30 pm, so we went to Sukabumi city in two cars. Without any further, we continued our journey to Sukabumi through JORR toll continued to JAGORAWI toll. Fortunately the road was very clear and there is no traffic jam. According to my friend said that actually the JAGORAWI toll always full with vehicles, although the route to Sukabumi is not far enough but it is need more time to reach because there usually traffic jam along the road to Sukabumi.

With the speed almost touched 140km/hour, the INNOVA could get Sukabumi at about 01.30 am. We, then, slept over at a friend’s house in Cipanengah, Sukabumi. But before that, I dropped my wife and the girls in her relative who also live in Sukabumi.

At 04.00 o’clock in the morning, we all got up and took a bath. After took morning-prayer and eat a little breakfast, we went to Pelabuhan Ratu beach. We arrived there at about 5 o’clock in the morning. We didn’t have enough time to look around the beach since the boat has been waited. So, we straightly went up on the boat and the boat sailed across the ocean waves.

The waves was very terrible, I could stand up, my stomach felt not right. I started to feel dizzy and queasy until I want to vomit. It is not only me who felt like this, several of my friend also felt this condition.

We rented this boatfor one day. It costs take 3.5 million IDR (about 350 USD). Since we were in seven so each should pay 500,000 IDR (50 USD). The fishing tools had been provided by the boat crews. There were several fishing rods specifics

for fishing the big fish. Along the way to the destination, we took a look at the photo album. One of the photo showed a western fisherman caught blue marine fish. It length was about 4 meters and it took 6 hours just to catch the fish. Wow...it must be very tiring.

Arrive at destination point at the ocean, we started fishing. Then we realized that fishing here was a different time with what we usually do. Here, we should chase after the fishes. Wherever the fishes go then we should chase them. It was really frustrating to chase the fished along day. Until noon, we couldn’t catch any fishes at all. We started to think that probably the fish bait which made from rubber were not interesting for the fishes, so we tried to use tuna fish as a food for the fishes we wanted to catch. Still we didn’t get the fishes; we just got the little fishes. It was more even frustrating since we saw the big fishes swim across our eyes.

I just know that this kind of fishing technique. People say that this technique is called 'popping', 'jigging' and 'trolling'. It is used in the sea that have 400 meters above in depth and it is effective to catch such kind of fish like 'Tenggiri' or mackerel.

Then after the noon, our fishing rod hooked on something bigger. We pulled the fishing line and that’s it! We got a big Tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) fish! Great! Sugoii ne! Our first fish we got!

Actually there was story behind the first fish we got. I didn’t believe at all in the myth, but I didn’t know how could be. At the noon the boat crew was hungry, and he tried to find some food on our supplies, then he found that we brought some boiled-eggs. He was surprised and said that why we could get any fishes at all since there were some eggs near us. He then explained that when fishing here, it is forbidden to bring any kind of egg. That the rule! So, he ate almost the eggs we had. Unbelievable and Unthinkable that after the eggs gone, we caught the Tenggiri fish. Kangararenai yo! Well, I believe that’s just a myth.

Until the dawn, we got some fishes but most of them were ‘Lemadang’ fishes, only one mackerel. Hmm…I wonder whether how to cook this fishes. The ‘Lemadang’ fish actually is very beautiful fish. Its color in the water is blue, then when the first time touch the air (after we lifted it) the color becomes green than turn to black after some time out of the sea water.

The sky was almost dark when we decided to come back to the bay. It was very dramatic view of the sea. Felt the breeze touched the skin, the sound of sea waves, dark sky, the sound of the motor boat that knocked the sea water. It is one of the perfect creatures of GOD the most glorious the most merciful.

Far away, we could see the land, the coatal, as if it approached us. Minutes by minutes the land became bigger, and there we were, touched the coast. At the coast, there were many boats have been docked. One the most luxurious boat is also at anchor there. It belongs to a boss of company in Indonesia. Well, it is really luxurious boat,

with the sofa inside,shower, the fishing chair. The crew said the boat cost touches 4 billions IDR. Wow...no wonder...sugoii ne.Wondering when we could be able to sail with the boat...just dreaming!

Arrived at friend’s house again, took a bath and had dinner. Dinner was very delicious, although it was just only rice and ‘cue’ (Sukabumi’s special dished, kind of salted fish), including sambal

(kind of sauce containing chili pepper). At 22.00, we left Sukabumi, of course picked up my wife and children first.

With also speed almost above 40km/hours, we arrived in Cilegon at 02.30 am. It took a long time because we stopped by at BSD city at Mr. Irwan’s house to divide the fishes. Cilegon – Sukabumi back and forth, INNOVA needed about 70 liters gasoline. Well, actually, we needed 2 times to fill up the gasoline.