Natural Exotic Fish Fishing Pond

For a long time, confusion got the better of me when it came to this fishing pond. It is very much talked and written about, however, not being big fans of freshwater fishing initially, my husband and I acknowledge the giants most anglers speak of in this pond but we weren’t exactly lured.

It was our experience with Saujana D’Rimba and Hulu Langat Fishing Resort that inspired us to attempt the Natural Exotic Fish Fishing Pond (NEFFP) located in Rawang, Selangor.

Freshly bitten by the angling bug on Christmas day in Hulu Langat, we decided to check with our friend Noru if he had any plans on a cool Saturday afternoon. Noru had recently landed his personal record Mekong Catfish in NEFFP and to our delight, he suggested for a trip to the exotic pond.

We were preparing our gear whilst researching all we could on the pond to have a better idea of what we were getting ourselves into. Very quickly, the Amazon Red Tail Catfish, a common species in the pond, became our little aim to land for the day.

Noru kindly picked us up and off we went on the E1 expressway towards Rawang, Selangor. We discussed a lot more on options and possibilities of NEFFP, as assured by Noru, small catfish bought from the pond, cut into one inch pieces as bait will definitely land us the Amazon Red Tail.

A large and inspiring sign welcomed us at the gate as we entered, driving in, passing what looks like an abandoned spa. Arriving at the counter, we understood that only one rod per angler is allowed in, any extra rods will be kept in the front office and can be collected once the hours are over. Due to the year end season promotion, we were paying RM100 for 4-hours of Fishing.

There were small concrete tanks filled with live bait at the entrance, we stuck to the plan and went with cut Catfishes, prepared by a staff in the pond. Once our terminal tackle and rig was set up, we were handed a wrist band to put on, signifying our deposit paid for one rod to fish in the pond with. Noru guided us to a corner of the large pond to set base. Little huts made up of zinc and in them a plastic table and chairs to settle comfortably in. Shaded from the sun and rain, these huts are definitely welcomed in any pond. The privacy they provide is definitely a plus compared to shared shaded areas in most ponds.

Just as I was ready to cast, someone beside me hooked onto a fish casting an artificial bait , an Amazon Red Tail to be exact! The size that emerged from that fight surprised me, the species may not win by length but it’s girth is definitely one to be reckoned with. Almost like the Amazon Red tail went to the gym and deliberately missed all the leg days (or in fish term, tail days?) in a year.

Whilst Naweshad got started casting his soft plastic, Noru and I waited patiently with our dead bait. Naweshad was going through hits and misses almost continuously on the other side and we decided to move over. It wasn’t long before Noru joined in with the hits and misses, flipping the On and Off switch of adrenaline in all of us.

I switched between dead bait and a couple of lures I’ve been wanting to try out, no bites but with hours of fishing ahead, I was confident at least one of us will catch a fish. The skies opened up and Naweshad, being a rain or shine angler, kept on casting as Noru, his friend Izzudin and myself took shelter waiting for our dead baits to be taken. As we begin to drift into laziness from the rain, Noru’s rod had an abrupt take and in the downpour he fought on light tackle what turned out to be the first Red Tail Amazon Catfish of the day for us, one to admire up close and in awe.

We love it. We hope we don’t ever lose that feeling of being in awe of a fish, of discovering a new species and continuously discovering it as we go, learning and understanding. To a lot of anglers the Amazon Red Tail in this pond is a common sight, they flash a side smile, lift a brow and cast the next line giving no importance to the fish. We however try not to allow discontent to overwhelm us when catching common or similar species in a days fishing. Catching a fish, any species, any size, anywhere, bring us much joy.

Not long after release, Izzudin was on to a fish, it being his turn to reel from sharing the rod with Noru, the pulls were much stronger despite tightening the drag. Not wanting to lose the fish, Izzudin ran towards the restaurant, under the sheltered area, he manages to land the fish, what seemed like the biggest one of the day however we were not able to capture the moment. My devices were not waterproof at that time, unfortunately. Noru then had another take, a less prominent fight however sizeable a fish, up came a Tilapia, frankly the biggest I’ve seen up close!

The rain eased out a little and finally it was my turn on to a fish, with enough experience to gauge, I could tell it was a small albeit strong fish. True to the fight, a Sultan Fish emerges, seemingly less than a kilo however added into the list of fishes caught! Another satisfactory personal achievement.

The sun sets and we continued on, with more misses and inconsistent rain. Naweshad was able to experience a number of decent fights however all of which ended up with snapping line. Could his tackle be too light for the possible giants that he keeps hooking on to?

In the dark of the night, I finally got the opportunity to fight a strong fish, worthy of testing my new Shakespeare Bara rod’s ability to bend and hopefully not snap. What a fight it was, strong, heavy, a runner with the reel drag at it’s tightest for my Penn Fierce 2000, stripped out smooth like butter. A show of it’s tail coming out of the water… Voila, the Amazon Red Tail, landed! I did it!! The Amazon Red Tail Catfish in this pond, caught!

It looked bigger than me. Just an illusion of course. A quick photo before calling it a night. Unfortunately, on this trip, Naweshad did not manage to land any fishes however do not feel bad for him. Fishing in NEFFP happened twice more within the week, and my husband reigned supreme in species and size.

The second trip to NEFFP had with us Saran and first time fisherman Gerald from Zimbabwe. Purely for the Amazon Red Tail, Naweshad and I are confident with the cut catfish as bait to land one. On top of that, we had a little area in the pond where the Red Tails roam to cast on, that gave us even more confidence to bring our friends with us, assuring them, with the correct gear, any Red Tails can be caught.

Naweshad was showing Gerald the ropes, how to cast a line out and how to reel it back in. No matter what we share with first time anglers, only a fish fight would do them the best lesson they need to learn in fishing. Feeling it and knowing your capabilities and confidence in your gear against what is at the end of the line is always more helpful than anything anyone can share with you about Fishing.

Setting Gerald’s bait directly on the famous Red Tail spot we discovered on the first trip, we continued with our conversation when the tip of his rod was rudely pulled down, bending his rod alongside a screaming reel… Music to our ears! Setting the hook however is something Gerald needed to master, unfortunately, the first fish got off the hook faster than our adrenaline could peak. All that, within five minutes of casting.

Gerald, having felt the pain of losing his first fish is now pumped up to hook on to the next, casting at the very same spot, he waits patiently when Naweshad suddenly gets a hit whilst reeling in his soft plastic. The take sent us all rushing to his side to witness what could be at the end of the line.

A significantly different fighting pattern in the water, it was aggressive unlike the Amazon Red Tail, it was not speeding across the pond instead it was fighting hard against the pull from the rod. Quick and strong, this species was ripping Naweshad’s line out of its spool abruptly, downwards. Based on prior experience of his line snapping, Naweshad was very careful this time. Finally, emerging from the deep and fueling our excitement, the Asian Red Tail Catfish becomes Naweshad’s first fish landed in the NEFFP. What a species!

Worth all the snapping lines and perseverance, trust my husband to land a mighty exotic and unplanned species for the day by casting!

We took a quick photo, admired the fish and released it back safely.

Not long after, our first time angler, Gerald, hooks on to a fish. Hooked well and putting up a decent fight, we recognize the Amazon Red Tail that is making him work hard to reel in. Not everyone can say, their first fish was an Amazon Red Tail, that too, in Malaysia! Biceps put to work that no gym can offer, Gerald finally lands his first fish, a whopping 17.6 lbs of muscle, The Amazon Red Tail Catfish.

As his fish was lifted to the recovery pool that is available in NEFFP to be weighed, I heard someone calling out to me from the back. I turned and realized that Saran has my rod in his hand, and it was bending from a take! I ran as fast as my legs could take me, grab a hold of my fishing rod and calmed down rather quickly… It wasn’t a very large fish at the end of my line. Maybe another decent sized Sultan Fish?

Saran kept saying it was big, I merely beg to differ. That was until a strong and once more, abrupt pull had my rod bending mercilessly, lines warming up from the sudden acceleration, I scrambled to get my drag in order, finding for control.

It was a big one alright. Another Amazonian, i’m certain.

Out it comes looking mighty yet gentle, the ghillie kindly assisted us by hauling my fish into the same recovery pool. What do you know! Another 17.6 lbs! I could not be more delighted. Unfortunately, that was all the action on our second trip, we stayed on till’ late trying various bait selection that we brought with us however none was enticing any of the fishes. We get such days once in awhile however it isn’t as disappointing so as long as one person in the group catches fish. With more than one species landed, it was definitely a productive albeit slow day.

Our third visit to NEFFP had with us Saran once again accompanied by his Dad. An angler that has spent all his years fishing various methods, catching many fishes with a lot of stories and pointers to share, the Amazon Red Tail will be another first for him.

What a lucky day it was for the boys, I had no bites for the four hours however Saran and his father landed three Amazon Red Tail with Naweshad finally landing his first Amazon Red Tail, the biggest amongst us at 19.8 lbs AND a Sultan fish for the day, all after making a wise decision of switching to heavier gear.

To top it all off, amongst our group of friends, Saran currently holds the title of most fishes caught in a day in NEFFP and Naweshad of the most species as well as the biggest Amazon Red Tail between us friends, in the pond.

Three productive trips to NEFFP, we are confident that with the methods we practiced, you too could land yourself your first Amazon Red Tail if you haven’t.

Don’t know where to start? Let us help you out, as accurately as we know how.

To our understanding, the usual rate for Natural Exotic Fishing Pond is RM100 (SGD38 / USD28) for a 3-hour fishing session and a free canned drink. With a refundable deposit of RM50 and transport cost, a budget of RM200 should suffice. Going with directions and tips we have listed below, we are confident that you too could land your very first Amazon Red Tail in this pond rather easily. The journey from Malaysia’s very own KLCC Twin Towers to the pond should take around 35 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, as per directions shared below. If you’re a tourist in Malaysia and would like to give this pond a try, leave us a comment at the end of this entry with your email address and we would be glad to assist.

Fuel up that inspiration with the video of our trip, why not?

The following are directions to the Natural Exotic Fishing Pond

You could click on the Google Map below for directions to Jalan Batu Arang, therewith, the instructions above should suffice in assisting to locate the pond.