Do you usually spend your weekends lazing around while you binge-watch Netflix series? With the year-end holidays coming up, it is time to burn off as many calories as you can before you stuff yourself with turkeys and chocolates!

If you are thinking of picking up a new sport or hobby, we have just the perfect activity for you. Kayak fishing is something easy for everyone to pick up, whether you are physically fit or someone who doesn’t exercise as much.

Thank You SGFishingRigz

I was able to try Kayak Fishing as I was invited by SGFishingRigz. Thank you SGFishingRigz for planning this trip and making it so memorable! Continue reading to find out more about my Kayak Fishing Tour with SGFishingRigz.

Meeting Point For Kayak Fishing

The start off point for Kayak Fishing is located at Pasir Ris Park, right next to Kokomo Beach Club. If you are taking public transport, bus 403 stops right infront of Pasir Ris Park. The nearest carpark located to Kokomo Beach would be carpark E if you are driving or taking a grab.

Dominic (AKA Dom) As Our Trained Professional Fishing Guide

There will also be trained professional fishing guides to bring you around to explore fishing hotspots out in the sea. Don’t worry if you are totally clueless about fishing, rods and baits will be provided for you. Personally, I also do not have any fishing experience, but I managed to catch 2 fishes with the help of my fishing guide.

Safety Briefing Before The Start Of A New Adventure

First things first, safety should be everyone’s priority. Since it was my first time using a leg paddle Kayak, Dom explained how to operate the kayak, how to use a fishing rod and told us to tie our fishing rods to the boat in case it falls off.

It was assuring to know that Dom is first aid trained and he even gave us clear instructions on what to do in case of an emergency. He even reminded us to apply sunblock, stay covered and always hydrate ourselves.

Don’t be like me as I came in shorts and T-shirt… Definitely learned my lesson and will come in UV sun protection sleeves the next time around.

What Is Provided When You Sign Up For Kayak Fishing And What You Should Bring

Some of the items that will be provided for you are a fishing rod, prawn baits and obviously the Kayak. A cooler box will also be provided for you to store the fishes that you have caught to ensure freshness.

Some things you should bring along would be sunblock, 3 to 4 litres of water, 2 to 3 plastic bags if you want to bring fishes home and a dry bag to keep your personal belongings. I would definitely advice you to wear UV protection sleeves and a hat to avoid getting sunburn.

Out Into The Sea, We Go!

It felt like an hour hearing Dom giving the safety briefing because we were all so excited to hop on and blast off into the sea. But in reality, it probably only took 20 minutes and it was important to listen attentively to the safety briefing otherwise we wouldn’t know what to do either.

We quickly hopped onto our kayaks and followed Dom’s lead. I was quite surprised to see how smooth and sturdy the kayak was on the water although the currents were quite strong. After 10 minutes, we could see many kelongs out in the sea. After living in Singapore for so many years, I didn’t know that there were kelongs in Singapore and it is located so close to Paris Ris Park!

Pulau Ubin West - 20 Minutes Out Into The Sea

We continued our journey for another 15 to 20 minutes before arriving at this kelong that is painted red. When we were approaching the kelong, we noticed that there 2 ferocious dogs barking at us. Dom then told us how to cast our baits into the water and patiently wait for fishes to take our baits.

While we were waiting, we managed to spot a huge jellyfish that was swimming very close to the surface of the water! So, beware when you are out in the sea and do not put your legs into the water as it can be very dangerous. The last thing you want is for a jellyfish to sting you.

I had to take the fresh prawn and place it on the fishing hook with the guide of my kayak partner who has more experience in fishing than me. I cast the bait into the sea and after a minute or two, I could feel fishes nibbling on it. A tip for beginner anglers out there, you have to be patient and wait till you feel a strong tuck before trying to reel in.

That is when you know the fish has been hooked on. I was the first person to catch a fish in less than an hour out in the sea, it was a Blackspot Tuskfish. I was thrilled to be the first to catch a fish as all my friends were all experienced anglers. Beginner’s luck, I guess.

Further Down Pulau Ubin West -  Stingrays And More Fishes Were Caught

We continued fishing for another 30 minutes but to no avail. That’s when we decided that we should kayak to another fishing hotspot that was 15 minutes away. We were told to look out for this particular kelong that looks like it has many spikes around it but it just turns out to be wood.

This was when the fun begins as we decided to use a different kind of bait. We managed to catch a Whitespotted Whipray of a pretty decent size using mussels as our bait. The stingray actually gave a good fight as it was very strong and it was quite difficult to reel it up.

We also managed to catch a Scat Fish, Majora and Bluespot Stingray when we were on our way to eat lunch at a nearby kelong. In total we managed to catch 5 different fishes just from our morning adventure.

Lunch @ Smith Marine Restaurant Where They Helped Us Cooked Our Catch

Smith Marine is the first floating seafood restaurant in Singapore which is located around the coastal waters of Pulau Ubin. The exterior of the kelong looked very modern and upon docking at the kelong you could see huge groupers and red snappers that the kelong have.

The interior of the restaurant looks very rustic and old school, it gives the vibes of seafood restaurants that you can find in Batam. The restaurant helped us to cook the fishes that we caught and we also ordered Seafood Hor Fun and Chicken Fried Rice to share.

We were all so hungry that we devoured our meal very quickly, but the fishes that we caught were all very delicious and fresh. The meat of the fishes very juicy even though it was deep-fried and drenched in some savoury black sauce. The stingrays were mildly spicy but it was quite huge and meaty, you could taste the juiciness of the meat with very bite of it.

Overall, the meal was flavoursome and scrumptious, just nice to share between 8 people. It was quite satisfying to be able to enjoy such tasty seafood after spending the entire morning kayaking and fishing. The restaurant charged us around $60 for the 5 fishes that we caught which is pretty reasonable compared to other seafood restaurants.

We still had some time to kill before we head off, so we decided to play a game or two at the billiard and futsal table. It also helped us recharge our energy before heading back into the sea again.

Trying Our Luck To Catch Mangrove Jack At The Mangrove Swamp @ Pulau Ubin

We had a long journey under the scorching hot sun from Smith Marine Seafood Restaurant to the Mangrove Swamp as it took about 30 minutes to get there. We persevered on as we were all excited to head toward the Mangrove Swamp as we all knew it is a hotspot to catch Mangrove Jack.

However, after trying our luck around the area and at the Mangrove Swamp itself, we only managed to catch a tiny fish. Maybe it was not our lucky day as we heard many people managed to catch lots of Mangrove Jacks around the area.

Overall Experience – Thrilling, Breezy & Easy Especially For Beginners

I would say that I am not one who is very sporty or spontaneous, but Kayak Fishing really changed my mind. Initially, I thought that Kayak Fishing would be very tedious and I would not be able to manage to even get to Smith Marine Restaurant.

After trying it out, I would say that it is not as bad as I thought it would be. Since we took multiple breaks in between by stopping around kelongs to fish, it also meant that you could rest your legs. Sign up for Kayak Fishing with SGFishingRigz here!

Kokomo Beach Club

Address: 131 Pasir Ris Road, Carkpark E, Pasir Ris Town Park, Singapore 519148

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 9:00am - 5:30pm

Contact Info: 6238 8072 | Kokomo Beach Club Website

Smith Marine Seafood Restaurant

Address: 9XW6+VJP, Singapore 000000

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10:00am - 7:00pm

Contact Info: 9792 7609 | Smith Marine Website