Indo-Pacific Tarpon or Ikan Bulan Caught at Woodland Jetty

Indo-Pacific Tarpon also know as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢 or Ikan Bulan Caught at Woodland Jetty

Indo-Pacific Tarpon [Megalops cyprinoides] also known as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢[chinese] or Ikan Bulan [malay] has large eyes and a long compact body. It has a deeply forked and powerful tail and large scales. It has a long trailing filament at the rear of it’s single dorsal fin. Indo-pacific Tarpon are found mainly in the rivers, lagoons, estuaries and mangrove swamps and along coast lines. As they are andromous fish they can be found quite far up the drain system in the brackish and freshwater. They can be often seen schooling in a group, rising to take air with dorsal fin and tail breaking the surface as they dive down. Then they leave a bubble trail, expelling the air taken in. Tarpon often school in this manner in the current of the deep or next to the snags of the estuary river, especially when the current is flowing. When this behaviour is observed, they are normally in a feeding mood. Young tarpons will not miss some chances of feeding on small fish as well as shrimp, crab and other small crustaceans.

Indo-Pacific Tarpon [Megalops cyprinoides] also known as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢[chinese] or Ikan Bulan [malay] are usually caught weighing 0.5kg to 3.5kg. Tarpon are very bony and considered to be poor eating but they do put up a fight far beyond their size. They often throw the hook from their bony mouths and very strong, sharp hook should be used. Once hooked, the fish at times will go berserk with some acrobatics into the air but will kick some drags but they fight just above all cleanly.

In the open water Indo-pacific Tarpon [Megalops cyprinoides] also known as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢[chinese] or Ikan Bulan [malay] can be seen rising shoals when the current slows to a stand still during the change of tide. At other times they can be seen rising at random, scattered around the place, especially in the open waters of the lagoons. When they use their tails to smack the surface, it has been observed that they normally do not take lures.

Indo-Pacific Tarpon also know as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢 or Ikan Bulan Caught by Ah Seng weighing 1kg at Woodland Jetty
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Indo-Pacific Tarpon also know as Hai Leng 大眼海鲢 or Ikan Bulan Caught by Ah Lim weighing 2kg at Woodland Jetty