Wednesday 1 July 2009
Alu alu / Lingkuh are well known gamefish in Brunei Darussalam
The Ariidae family of sea catfish consists of about 80 species, widely distributed around the world in warm coastal waters & estuaries, as well as in the tropics & in freshwater
When caught! a sea catfish should be handled carefully because the dorsal & pectoral fins have sharp spines that can inflict painful wounds
Barracuda belong to the Sphyraenidae family, which contains about 20 species. They are fierce predators that feed voraciously on small, schooling species & they are attracted to their quarry by sight rather than smell, they tend to concentrate on bright, silvery colored prey
Jaws of barracuda are powerful, equipped with large canine teeth that seize & grip its victim, the very small sharp teeth that can cut it to ribbons
schooling time in action for barracuda too
There are 7 nature of them:
1. Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)
This is one of the largest barracuda, growing to a length of 6 ft 6 in (2 m) & a weight of 106 lb (48 kg) or more. Important gamefish & pits up a hard fight when hooked, making extremely fast runs & often leaping from the water, but it has little stamina & soon tires. Some individuals are found close inshore, where they may be taken on light tackle fished from the shore or a boat, but larger fish usually stay in deeper water & are fished for by trolling with medium-heavy tackle
2. Pacific Barracuda (Sphyraena argentea)
It's also known as California barracuda, has a distinctive black stripe along its lateral line & grows to about 18 lb (8.2 kg). The Mexican barracuda (Sphyraena ensis) is similar but has dark bars along its side. Other barracuda of Indo-Pacific region include the shortfin barracuda (Sphyraena novae-hollandiae), the golden barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda) & the striped barracuda (Sphyraena obtustata)
3. Guaguanche (Sphyraena guachancho)
Like other barracuda, the guaguanche has a slender, cigar-shaped body, two widely separated dorsal fins & a protruding lower-jaw; it is identifiable by the yellow strip along its lateral line. Grows to the length of about 2 ft (60 cm)
4. Hardhead Catfish (Arius felis)
It's also called the sea catfish, is common in coastal & brackish waters. Has four barbels on its chin & two on its upper jaw, & can reach a weight of 12 lb (5.4 kg). Several related species are found in the coastal waters, rivers & lakes including the blue catfish or salmon catfish (Arius felis)
5. Gafftopsail Catfish (Bagre marinus)
This catfish is recognizable by its greatly elongated dorsal spine, its twin chin barbels & the long flattened barbels at each corner of its mouth. Weight is around 5 lb 8 oz (2.5 kg). Bottom feeders, taking a variety of small prey including crab & commonly caught from piers & jetties
6. Northern Sennets (Sphyraena borealis) & 7. Southern Sennets (Sphyraena picudilla)
Both are almost identical & may in fact be a single species. These little barracuda have the same overall coloration & both grow to about 18 in (45 cm), but the southern sennet has fewer scales on its lateral line & has larger eyes
Northern sennet
Southern sennet
mac, 4 kg, drop off brunei darussalam bay
wafiy, 2.5 kg, serasa watercourse
sam, 4.5 kg, lumut beach belait district
azri, 3 kg, lumut beach belait district
haslin, 4 kg, drop off brunei darussalam sea
man, 4 kg, jerudong park medical centre
kazmirl, 4kg, brunei handicraft & training centre quayside
hj zam, 4 kg, ujung batu muara
khairul, 4 kg, tungku beach
swat daiwa team, 7 kg, pelumpong island
scoanglerz, 8kg, brunei darusalam sea
lee sof, 11 kg, tutong sea
popperazzi, 16 kg, belait zone
kelvin, 17 kg, muara bay
lenchong, 19 kg, belait sea
azimCF, 5 kg, muara marine
Techniques
Catfish - caught by bottom fishing from the shore or piers
Barracuda - trolling, spinning from boat or from the shore 
Tackle
Catfish - 11 or 12 ft medium-action rod, spinning reel, 7 to 15 lb mono line, size 4 to 6:0 hook.
Barracuda - to troll: 12 to 30 lb class boat rod with a baitcaster reel, 12 to 30 lb nylon line with wire leader, size 4 to 8:0 hook & a bananna-shaped trolling weight to spin: medium spinning rod with a spinning reel, 12 to 30 lb, nylon line with wire, hook size 4 to 8:0 
Bait
Cut fish & livebaits such as sandworms, bright - flashy spinners, wooden plugs, strips of fish, whole fish such as sardines, anchovies & queenfish 
Tips
Powerful first run followed by shorter runs near the surface
High flying jumper in shallow water
Little stamina soon exhausted
They focus on sight i.e. bright & silvery objects instead of smell-instinct
Barracuda are often found in shallow water, where their natural curiosity leads them to follow and sometimes attack swimmers!
Barracuda is greedy predator! Bestowed as the President of 'The Bad Teeth Club'
credits: bruneifishing.com / gloomut-anglerz.blogspot.com / scoanglerz.blogspot.com / The New Encyclopedia of Fishing / South Coast Marine Co Ltd / various sources
