If the tug of fish snout on hook sends electric sensation coursing through your veins, then put down your books (er, do millennials and Gen Zs lug around thick tomes any more?) and head for the Varsity Lake at Universiti Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur.
Not to “drown your sorrows” or seek solace but to snag a toman or two in time for a grilling at lunchtime.
Yes, there’s going to be good `baitin’ as the fish are indeed `bitin` – evidence can be seen from the happy anglers who stood, sat, and squatted under shade around the waters’ edge on hot Saturday recently.
Shrieks of delight could be heard as a catfish was hauled, then another, followed by a tilapia, then a snakehead, another catfish, and yet another tilapia.
They were anglers galore – a mix of newbies, a fair sprinkling of inveterate fly casters, and some veterans of the ultimate test of patience who attended the one-day Fishing Workshop organised by the UM Sports Center on June 3.
According to Erna Achbar of the UM Sports Center, the event was held in response to calls for the university to promote recreational activities within the campus for staff, students, and the community at large.
“We have smaller ponds located at the grounds of the 12th and 4th College but angling has never been encouraged due to the attendant dangers including that of drowning,” she said.
Erna added the Varsity Lake can only host a single recreational activity at any one time and for now, is highly popular in the evenings with kayakers and canoeists.
“We cannot have both canoeing and fishing activities take place simultaneously as each would get in the way of the other.”
She added proper scheduling needs to be devised so that all sports and recreational enthusiasts can have their slots without getting in the way of each other.
“Both pursuits have a loyal following on campus so we will strive to accommodate the need for recreational space, events, and facilities.
“We need to be innovative in allotting time and space for all who want to use it,” she said.
Indeed, the Varsity Lake is a little hemmed in – occupying just under 0.14 hectares out of 300 hectares of valuable real estate.
However, successive administrations had never, so much as even broached the idea of filling it up to make way for any other use even in the years when it was not fully optimised nor its potential fully harnessed.
Much work has been done to block off untreated runoff or sewage lines from residential and institutional facilities on the campus and today its water source is directly pumped by mechanical means as well as natural rainfall.
The improved quality and the removal of any bad odor have allowed fish to thrive and no one fears any water-borne pursuits that might end up with the participants getting soaking wet from any dunking – on purpose or otherwise.
Students, staff, and visitors alike can now look forward to a splashing good time at the Varsity Lake.
