JAKARTA. Jakarta’s fishing buffs always have creative ideas on where to enjoy their hobby amid the rarity of accessible and affordable fishing spots in the capital.A pond in a city park, a pool of water at an abandoned construction site and an artificial lake in a deserted amusement park can all be turned into fishing ponds where anglers can freely cast their lines.In Situ Lembang park in Central Jakarta, for instance, a number of fishing aficionados have turned to spending their free time sinking a line in its pond while enjoying the breeze and the shade of trees.“I love the atmosphere here,” Rudiansyah, 28, said while waiting for fish to nibble his bait. “And it’s quite near to my workplace and house, so I don’t have to travel far to the sea, Bogor or Tangerang just to fish,” said Rudi, who works as a security guard at a nightclub on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta, and lives in Manggarai, Central Jakarta.Rudi goes to the park, which is located in upmarket Menteng, at 6 a.m. every day after work and arrives home at 1 p.m. at the latest.He sometimes goes home empty-handed, but at his best he can take home five fish of various types, such as tilapia, snakehead and catfish.“Of course, I cook and eat the fish. The meat of the fish here is sweet, maybe because of the pond’s clean water,” said Rudi. The man, however, said that he would either release tiny fish he caught to keep the number of fish in the pond balanced, or hand them to children playing in the park to be raised.Misnar, the park’s caretaker, said that about 1,000 fish were annually released into the pond by the city’s park and cemetery agency and the maritime and agriculture agencyShe said 10 to 15 people fished at the park every day despite it being prohibited. “We have conducted several raids but they keep coming back, maybe because it is hard to find fishing spots in Jakarta. I, therefore, let them fish here as long as they don’t litter or destroy the plants,” Misnar said.Fishing at the park in the gentle breeze can be very tempting, but an impromptu fishing pond in the shadow of skyscrapers on Jl. HR. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta, offers far more fish to catch.Unknown to most Jakartans, fishing enthusiasts visit an abandoned construction site next to the Imperium Tower every day. They sit patiently at the unfinished building’s crumbling foundations hoping to catch as many fish as possible from the pool of water that has inundated the site.“From what I heard, this place has been abandoned since 1998, when water started gushing from the ground and later stopped the developer from continuing with the construction,” said Usman, 65, who has been a regular at the fishing spot since then.Usman, a retired clothing vendor living on Jl. Minangkabau, Central Jakarta, said the place was his favorite fishing spot because it was near his house and he could take home about 20 fish after a full day of fishing there. The place, however, spooks some fishing enthusiasts.Usman, for example, said he quickly released any goldfish that he caught because he was afraid of courting bad luck.“Some fishermen have put tilapias, snakeheads and catfish into the pool, but where did the goldfish come from?” the man said with a shudder.“Moreover, some of us have seen a pair of giant goldfish around the corner there. They are around this big,” he said while fully extending his arms sideways, to which his fellow fishermen nodded in confirmation.Those who are spooked by the goldfish, however, can make use of another “fishing pond” at the former Taman Ria Senayan amusement park, South Jakarta.For those who love fishing, the bliss started in 2010 when the boat attraction at the park’s lake stopped operating.“Now I no longer have to fear getting caught by security guards here,” Taryadi, 48, said with a laugh. (The Jakarta Post)
Jakartans turn parks into fishing havens
JAKARTA. Jakarta’s fishing buffs always have creative ideas on where to enjoy their hobby amid the rarity of accessible and affordable fishing spots in the capital.A pond in a city park, a pool of water at an abandoned construction site and an artificial lake in a deserted amusement park can all be turned into fishing ponds where anglers can freely cast their lines.In Situ Lembang park in Central Jakarta, for instance, a number of fishing aficionados have turned to spending their free time sinking a line in its pond while enjoying the breeze and the shade of trees.“I love the atmosphere here,” Rudiansyah, 28, said while waiting for fish to nibble his bait. “And it’s quite near to my workplace and house, so I don’t have to travel far to the sea, Bogor or Tangerang just to fish,” said Rudi, who works as a security guard at a nightclub on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta, and lives in Manggarai, Central Jakarta.Rudi goes to the park, which is located in upmarket Menteng, at 6 a.m. every day after work and arrives home at 1 p.m. at the latest.He sometimes goes home empty-handed, but at his best he can take home five fish of various types, such as tilapia, snakehead and catfish.“Of course, I cook and eat the fish. The meat of the fish here is sweet, maybe because of the pond’s clean water,” said Rudi. The man, however, said that he would either release tiny fish he caught to keep the number of fish in the pond balanced, or hand them to children playing in the park to be raised.Misnar, the park’s caretaker, said that about 1,000 fish were annually released into the pond by the city’s park and cemetery agency and the maritime and agriculture agencyShe said 10 to 15 people fished at the park every day despite it being prohibited. “We have conducted several raids but they keep coming back, maybe because it is hard to find fishing spots in Jakarta. I, therefore, let them fish here as long as they don’t litter or destroy the plants,” Misnar said.Fishing at the park in the gentle breeze can be very tempting, but an impromptu fishing pond in the shadow of skyscrapers on Jl. HR. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta, offers far more fish to catch.Unknown to most Jakartans, fishing enthusiasts visit an abandoned construction site next to the Imperium Tower every day. They sit patiently at the unfinished building’s crumbling foundations hoping to catch as many fish as possible from the pool of water that has inundated the site.“From what I heard, this place has been abandoned since 1998, when water started gushing from the ground and later stopped the developer from continuing with the construction,” said Usman, 65, who has been a regular at the fishing spot since then.Usman, a retired clothing vendor living on Jl. Minangkabau, Central Jakarta, said the place was his favorite fishing spot because it was near his house and he could take home about 20 fish after a full day of fishing there. The place, however, spooks some fishing enthusiasts.Usman, for example, said he quickly released any goldfish that he caught because he was afraid of courting bad luck.“Some fishermen have put tilapias, snakeheads and catfish into the pool, but where did the goldfish come from?” the man said with a shudder.“Moreover, some of us have seen a pair of giant goldfish around the corner there. They are around this big,” he said while fully extending his arms sideways, to which his fellow fishermen nodded in confirmation.Those who are spooked by the goldfish, however, can make use of another “fishing pond” at the former Taman Ria Senayan amusement park, South Jakarta.For those who love fishing, the bliss started in 2010 when the boat attraction at the park’s lake stopped operating.“Now I no longer have to fear getting caught by security guards here,” Taryadi, 48, said with a laugh. (The Jakarta Post)
