Candat Sotong

Candat Sotong-Fishing Squid - Part 1

Have you ever gone for fishing or catching squid by hand?

transparent squid

Well, as promised, tonight we are going to the sea for candat squid. Tonight it is perfect for candat because no moonlight in early night.

Do you know that squids are very much attracted to the lights? Do not candat squid under the full moonlight. You will hardly get a single of it.

dead captured squid

 So, we are going to the sea with my friend, Abu who owns a speed boat as our transport. Abu has installed a small movable generator powered by diesel on his boat, enough to light up 2 units of lamps to attract squid. Just check our list of things to be carried along...because we must be equipped with the following items:

a) a powerful torchlight,

b) the mata candat/candat twist some kind of artificial baits which look like a small squid but have many sharp hooks fixed around it and tied  together with long fishing string up to 50m or more. In the water, the hooks will appear like the tentacles of the cuttlefish when moved  up and down repeatedly.

mata candat

c) the baits, which can be made from some fresh meat of fishes of any kind. I choose the cheapest of them because squids do not choose the brand of the flesh. In some cases, baits are not required.

d) your own stuffs, foods, snacks, drinks and cigars, if you are smoking ( but I don't encourage smokers to join me because normally they can't last long after we have anchored the boat....they will easily get dizzy and

then vomit....)

For a starter, those things itemized hereof would be sufficed for candat sotong.

OK, let's start our adventure now. The tide is reasonably high, which means that Abu's speedboat may get out the Ibai River's estuary easily and safely. We are going out to the open sea for about 3km from the shore and try to anchor there. Remember, that the boat will move by itself in accordance with the sea waves, the moment we have anchored. Some people couldn't stand with this situation and can easily vomit. 

When you start vomit, you just can't stop it anymore...and it is very very painful. You can't do anything except vomit until you have nothing to vomit....You will become very tired, weak and soft....just like your  towel. Your first candat session will become a nightmare, and trust me....it will be your first and the last forever.  To avoid this from happening, you may take traveling pills about 1/2 hour before we depart. The pills might help you from vomiting.

If you are not vomiting, then the night will be the most beautiful and unforgettable adventure for you. The boat has anchored. Abu has started the small generator and the he turns on the lights for the lamps. Soon the lights will attract the cuttlefishes from the distance to gather underneath the boat. Just wait for 1/2 hour and get ready with your mata candat. Fix it with some fish meat as the bait. Be careful, the hook is quite sharp, don't hook your fingers and hurt them. But there are cases where people still vomit even after they took traveling pills.

Be patient now....just wait for the moment until Abu gives to us his signal to throw our mata candat....He just want to ensure that the place is suitable for candat.

In the meantime take a look around you...See, you are not the only one having activities of candat sotong tonight. There are plenty of fisherman doing the same thing like you. There will be a lot more people coming tonight. Sometimes hundreds of boats are available when they are having some sort of championship for candat sotong normally organized by the state's authority or the Tourism Board of Malaysia. You may join them next year if you come again. They will count and accept the longest and biggest squid for the cham.

To be continued.....