As Damian Bowman prepared to dream of kayaks and sailfish in Rompin, Malaysia, he made a concerted effort to touch base with an angler who had already achieved the epic feat. He shares part one of his amazing Sailfish Madness story.

From a personal perspective, the biggest motivation in fishing is personal bests. I have many fond memories and moments in fishing but getting a new PB is what drives me back time and time again and achieving something that many others have not is the greatest feeling of all.
When I first begun kayak fishing, new personal bests were achieved often which made for exciting fishing. Best of all was the fact I was catching many species that I had already caught many times before. Kayak fishing opens up new challenges when targeting game species for obvious reasons. Catching a billfish from a kayak is the ultimate achievement in kayak fishing and many would believe it to be the ultimate in fishing itself.
Catching the fastest and most powerful fish in the sea, from a kayak, was my dream from the start and I practiced by catching the biggest fish I could catch in my area, like snapper, samsonfish and sharks up to three metres. The truth is, no one had landed a billfish from a kayak in Western Australia until the first report of a sailfish in mid-2015 at Ningaloo. This was surprising as Western Australia hosts some of the most accessible black marlin and sailfish waters in the country and where I had done all of my kayak fishing. I think this was more due to the limited number of offshore kayakers in the state, which has now grown, with many serious guys wanting to tick off the ‘the ultimate capture’.
I first heard of kayak fishing in Kuala Rompin Malaysia in 2011. Prior to that I never would’ve thought it would be possible to even get decent kayaks to this remote location. Kuala Rompin was already one of my favorite places that I had been to many times. For those that aren’t aware, Rompin sailfish are arguably in greater numbers than anywhere else in the universe.
It was my dream, so I contacted the organiser Merv Low the day I had heard about ‘Sailfish Madness’. I missed the first event due to my honeymoon even though I spent two days of it in Kuala Rompin. I then lined up to go the following year but unfortunately the event was cancelled by the local council due to the dangers involved with hooked sailfish jumping all over the place with kayakers potentially being sitting ducks. After talks with the organisers, the event did go ahead and since then the event has now grown to a major annual pilgrimage and the only kayak event of its kind in the world.

Contest organiser Merv Low with one of many sailfish he has caught in Kuala Rompin.

THE SAILFISH MADNESS STORY
The date was September 22, 2010. It marked the humble beginning of Sailfish Madness. It was a celebration between two avid kayak anglers: Ian Pearl from the U.K and Merv Low from Singapore. Ian initiated the conversation by suggesting a ‘sailfish challenge’ during the week of Merv`s birthday. Merv was obviously overwhelmed with excitement when Ian pitched the idea to him. Rompin is one of the top five sailfish fishing destinations in the world, and from Singapore it’s just a three-hour drive away.
It was a proposal that Merv could not refuse. Merv had never caught a sailfish before and the thought of landing his first from a kayak was too much. The build-up leading to the trip was intense as they prepped themselves with research and discussion. The plan was shaping so fast that they had no time for fear. The next moment, they were drifting on their kayaks in the middle of a sailfish feeding frenzy.
Here is the story as told by Mervin Low:
As I sat amazed by the happenings around me, the ratchet started clicking away slowly before a sudden burst and it screamed away! I held on tight to the rod, reminding myself to let it run. Count to 20 before striking. I took a deep breath and counted. “1, 2, 3, 4… 10… 20! I powered the level to ‘strike’ and waited for the circle hook to complete its job. “Fish on, fish on,” I announced at the top of my voice. Ian stopped fishing and paddled over to offer his support and guidance. He knew it was my first. The very next moment was heartbreaking, the line suddenly snapped for no apparent reason. This scene repeated over again and again, four times… I was flabbergasted.
Half a day had gone and I was without a fish even though I had solid takes. I went back to the mother boat to re-organise my thoughts. Something was very wrong with my braided line. Ian had already landed two sailfish by then. I was sitting there in disappointment. I can’t go home, empty handed. I reached into my tackle bag and took out a back-up, old-fashioned reel. It was a Shimano TLD 30 loaded with 30 lb main line. It was overkill but I seriously needed to land a sailfish. It was a desperate moment.
The wind picked up and fishing was getting tougher when compared to the morning. The sailfish were gone. I could feel my hopes fading away. Suddenly, a few sailfish surfaced and paraded gracefully on the left of my kayak. They were near, tempting me to reach out for them. Their bodies were glowing in electric hues of blue, the sails fanned out, just above the water. The scene captured in my mind, an unforgettable moment as my reel busted into life with the balloon cutting across the surface before detaching itself. With my thumb ready on the lever drag, I held my breath once again, counting to 20. I impatiently gave up counting and flicked the lever to the ‘Strike’ position. In an instant, I felt the full force of the fish and I had a solid hook up. For fear of further embarrassment, I held onto the fish in silence.

I grew in confidence as it fought longer than earlier and then starting singing aloud, “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me”. Ian turned around with the biggest smile on his face and congratulated me. He once again reeled in and followed me on the ride of a lifetime. He paddled beside me, encouraged me and most of all, took out his camera and recorded the moment of my lifetime. He was there for me. That’s a buddy for life. I finally landed the biggest fish on a kayak. A proud moment indeed.
We vowed to meet again the next year. Same time. Same place. We recently celebrated our 6th anniversary with Sailfish Madness in 2015. This annual event is now organised under the brand umbrella of Hooked and supported by Hobie. It has attracted participants from Singapore, Malaysia, Romania, USA, Australia and UK. Are you mad enough?
Mad enough you say Merv? When it’s your dream, it’s not mad is it? I had made up my mind to do Sailfish Madness the moment I had heard about it and stayed in close contact with Merv over the years. There was constant talk of the dangers of getting speared. Kayakers had multiple hook ups with sails and being a kayaker you really are a sitting duck to get speared. To be honest the danger side of it excited me the most.
I didn’t want to die by bleeding to death from a paper cut; life is there to be lived after all. Anyhow, the event was so well organised and second to none, that safety was not my major concern. Merv did well to organise the whole event for a mate and myself. I imagine it wasn`t easy borrowing Hobie pedal powered kayaks for us as there aren’t too many anglers that have spares.
Stay tuned for next issue as Levi Zimmerle, Emily Namnik, David Lim and myself take an all-Australian crew to take on Sailfish Madness.

Damian Bowman has 36 years of kayak, landbased and boat fishing experience under his belt, his local being around the Margaret River region of W.A. While Damian owns a boat, he mainly uses it to tow his kayak out to sea to fish from. Damian runs the not for profit organization www.theaverageanglerfishingadventures.com.au, which raises proceeds to assist poverty stricken children in Cambodia and Indonesia.