I am going to write about one of the most talented fishermen that I have ever seen in Maldives. This is about the legendary Mohamed Niyaz, perhaps multi-talented in the field of fishing, from catching small squirrelfish fish to landing aggressive GTs and yellowfin tuna. Beach fishing is a common method to catch reef fish across the Maldives. Northern jetty in Male’ is a great spot for reef fishing.
The spot is located at the fish market jetty area where the fore reef or the drop off is just few meters away from the jetty wall. This is an area where fish wastes are dumped attracting big red snappers, Giant Trevallies, dog tooth and various other kinds of reef fish. At dawn and dusk are the times you can land one of the most treasured reef fishes from here.
After early morning prayer, Niyaz would go to the jetty with fishing tackle and baits. He would unwind the telescopic ‘Pokee’ rod of around 14ft in length, a Japanese made powerful telescopic rod especially made for beach fishing. A slammer series reel would sit on the reel position. The reel is filled with monofilament line of around 60lb. A strong leader is attached at the end of the fishing line. A sinker is attached which freely moves at the end of the fishing line where the hook is attached. He would use fish heads, round scad (rinmas) bait that were cut in half and gut of fish.
After setting the rod, reel and the bait, he would cast the rod at a distance of around 100 to 150 feet. The bait is allowed to sink to the bottom. Once the bait sits at the bottom, he would wind the reel few meters to adjust the fishing line so that he would be able to observe the strike or gulping of the bait by the predator. Sometimes the bait is purposely pulled at the bottom, carefully towards a coral so that it would be anchored (vathi edoun in our dialect). It is also a technique that is used in, especially reef fishing to invite and attract fish inhabiting at the bottom.
Niyas has an unbeatable record of landing big catches including GTs and red snappers. When the snappers pull the bait, he would just slack the fishing line to make sure that the bait is swallowed. Once he is sure that the predator had gulped the bait, he would jab the reel, pulling the line to rig the jaw or any organ inside the fish. This signature move will make sure that the predator is hooked up. Then the battle would begin.
The show displays the skill of an experienced and skilled fisherman – rod-bending adventure and the powerful aggressive runs of one of the most powerful fishes. Their sheer brute strength and stamina are tested. The way of running by some fish are different. But it is sensational. Red snappers are famous for their hard fighting spirit. Red Snappers dive deep when hooked up. They exert enormous pulls on the line. He would give the predator some free runs. After that he would reel in to bring the predator to the surface. He keeps a constant pressure and gradually reels in to bring the predator.
He has an indomitable record of catching big Red Snappers and big Giant Trevallies. He is also a skilled fisherman in the field of Popping for GT, Barracuda, Yellowfin tuna. To call from the deep, he can maneuver the heavy jigs from 100 to 400 meters with the desired rhythm and variations; pulling Promethichthys Prometheus (Katelhi fish) and big yellowfin tuna with astounding skill and physical strength. I will bring in detail about his fishing techniques and the tackles he uses in separate articles.
