Ho (third right), Lui (right) and the rest of the angler team displaying the huge Escolar fish they caught.
MIRI: Sports fishing is fast gaining popularity here with angling enthusiasts from Hong Kong and Sandakan reeling big catches during a recent fishing trip.
The anglers comprising seven from Hong Kong and three from Sandakan spent four nights on Miri’s famous fishing spot, Lucornia, and managed to catch an Escolar fish which weighed more than 50 kg.
“This is the biggest catch we have made so far, and I am glad our effort bore fruit,” Ho Vun Shin, team leader told The Borneo Post.
Ho who established Scorpion Tackle in Sandakan reiterated that Lucornia is among his favourite fishing destinations as the huge area has many species of fish that await discovery.
Lucornia coral reef located about 120 nautical miles from the Miri coast comprises North Lucornia Shoals, South Lucornia Shoals, Hayes Reef, Tripp Reef, Moody Reef, Seahorse Breakers, Hardie Reef and others.
Meanwhile, an angler from Hong Kong, Lui Pui Ming, shared his thoughts and experience from the trip.
“Hong Kong is a country that had overdeveloped. Despite its high-rise buildings, beautiful scenery and lots of other advantages that tourists desire, the locals on the other hand, prefer a much simpler life and Miri is the right place for this,” he told The Borneo Post.
“Miri has both modern development and a ‘fishing village’ atmosphere that I, personally love.
“Likewise, during the time on the waters, I found both peace and fun doing the activity I loved,” he said adding that a proper facility would be a bonus for anglers and the public.
“More facilities mean anglers and tourists would come back for more exploration,” he said.
Back in Hong Kong, Lui founded a website for deep sea fishing anglers to gather and share their stories.
When asked on the possible fallout of the MH370 incident, Ho and Lui gave similar responses, saying that their family members were concerned about them travelling here.
“In fact, three of our friends were supposed to come here but cancelled their plan, while others don’t seem to be affected at all,” Lui said adding that he travelled here using Malaysia Airlines.