Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 9 May 2025
Last weekend we had heavy snowing and it has been doing some during whole week. Starting from Saturday evening to Monday we had 40 cm new snow. That snow was heavily missed end of November, not now. Yet each year we will have about 100 cm snowing and now we have reached that level. This winter it just didn't happen before most of snow was already gone. Now summer can come.
Three years ago we were packing and getting ready to our first Malaysian trip. I remember how heat and humidity hit us when entering to Penang airport. We left from Finland just above around +10 celsius and next time when we were out it was +32 with humidity. Those were days. Our first day at lake was 13th of May. I missed my birthday fish, which was totally takeable, found by Paul. I still blame jungle juice with rotten mountain dew. I was not really in shape at that point, also there is small chance that arrival night drinking and jet lag could have had something to do with it.
Last year on these exact days we were on Sungai Tiang, river fishing mahseer and jungle perch. We had been two weeks in Malaysia already. Lake fishing was really difficult with high water temps and I had night with ants that I will never forget. Finland won its first ice hockey world championship on 1995, 7th of May, exactly. Everyone here is 1995, never forget. It was huge thing for us, and still is. If you had night with ants.... that is something you will surely not forget. River was awesome and we do miss it and guides. Definitely worth to go.
Last year 13th of May, memory remains, I can never forget that day. It is marked on me so many ways. I was alone on island, I stopped on battleship and Paul gave me two beers, cold ones. He said drink when you catch your birthday fish, get big one. Really hot day was coming and I did drink one beer on the way to the spot.
I had exciting morning, rising snakeheads and then suddenly from nowhere big gourami came. I started to fish that, I lost contact as wind came and same time I heard big "new" snakehead rising behind. I turned to fish that one. I placed boat and when fish rised, I made cast, money shot. Fish turned and took the fly, huge snakehead. It was not my birthday fish at the end again. Fish got to the stump after burning my finger. I got it off and then line broke.
Last week I notice that burn is something you can still see. It even have feeling of line burning thru the skin, ghost one, really light feeling yet it is there. My 50th birthday fish was gone, yet memory remains.
It is burned to my skin and have feeling still. Of course I got nice shirt also from Paul and Ashly, which is one of the best gifts that I have ever had. Yet that burn is insane, I will never forget and memory remains.
Have a nice weekend and go make memories
Mika the Legend