Land Log VIII - Bintan

Nirwana Resort at Bintan is one of the first few locations that I recce to conduct the Novice Angler Course. The selected location must have the following criteria:

1) Bait fish can be caught there.
2) Squid can be caught there.
3) There are some chances of catching a fish of reasonable size (>1kg).
4) Accommodation is available and comfortable.
5) Fishing area is well lit and safe.

Now let's see how many of the above does Nirwana Resort fulfill.

Early morning we took a long stroll from the resort to a jetty that is extended about 400m out into the sea.

The water condition looked good. As we approached the end of the jetty, we could see a huge mass of shadow underneath. At first I thought it was the clouds casting their shadows on the water surface but on closer look, they were bait fish! Millions of them!
(Item 1: Bait fish can be caught there. CHECKED)

The above is a specimen of the bait fish. However we did not know whether this is a good sign because if there were millions of them, does it mean it will take one millionth of a chance for a predator to take our baits?

Anyway we tried using them but there were no takes for the whole afternoon. So we called it a day and went back to the comfort of our room. The room was clean, air conditioning was cold, there was a mini fridge and the bed was simply... I felt like sleeping already even as I flashed back.
(Item 4: Accommodation is available and comfortable. CHECKED)

When night came, we went back to the jetty again to try our luck on squids. The jetty was guarded by a super huge K9. I think it was about the same height as me when it attempted to stand up and launched itself at me. Anyway I'm still alive now writing this blog, all thanks to the security guard that was trying very hard to calm the K9 down which by the way the dog's name is Maradona.
(Item 5: Fishing area is well lit and safe.)

We caught 3 and used 1 as bait. The squid bait was basically untouched throughout the whole night and we felt the bed calling for us again...
(Item 2: Squid can be caught there. CHECKED)

Next morning we went back very early even before the K9 ended his shift. This time it became much friendlier and that's when we knew that he was named after a great soccer player. We changed our fishing strategy. We brought the bait fish to where we felt the predators would be. After we caught our bait, we walked a distance away from the densely populated bait fish area and drop our lines down into the clear water. As I was just going to get some tackle from my bag, I heard the screaming sound from my reel! I turned my head and I could see that my rod was rocking violently and then pivoting on the handrail it was resting on. The next thing I know, it splashed into the water!

I was rooted to the ground when all these happened as they all happened too fast within a few seconds and my rod was gone. I rushed to the side of the handrail and watched my setup sank into the depths. The fish pulled the rod a couple of meters and it stopped. My setup had hit bottom and got stuck! I could still see a faded yellowish silhouette of my rod. Thinking that I may still have a chance to retrieve it back, I jumped into the sea, dived down towards the silhouette and yeah! I got back my setup back! The fish was gone though. Lesson learn, get a bright colour fishing rod so that you may still have the chance to see where it landed even if it sank into the sea. *just kidding
(Item 3: There are some chances of catching a fish of reasonable size (>1kg). CHECKED)

So it looks like this place fulfill all the aspects of a suitable fishing ground to conduct the Novice Angler's Course, BUT... everything here in this resort is so so expensive! I do not think this is sustainable. So let us look elsewhere...