About a year ago, the area around an irrigation canal stretching over 100 metres in Mak Mayong, Kampung Kolam, here, was overgrown with grass and weeds.
However, three friends namely Azhar Taib, 50, Muhammmad Azmi Abdul Ghani, 42; and Rusli Hamat, 55, took the initiative to clear up the overgrown grass and weeds.
A year has passed since then. The once-quiet area is now a popular fishing spot, with anglers making a beeline every Friday to take part in a fishing competition that offers a RM10,000 cash prize to the winner.
Speaking to Bernama, Azhar said that their initial intention was just to clean up the area, but upon realising its potential, they decided to organise a fishing competition.
“After cleaning up the area, we released catfish into the canal and held a fishing competition for residents living nearby with a RM15 entry fee and a cash prize of RM1,000 for the winner.
“But the response was very encouraging. Now, every Friday, the Mak Yong irrigation canal will welcome about 500 to 600 participants, not only from Kelantan but also from Terengganu and even Johor,” he said.
According to Muhammmad Azmi, the Mak Yong irrigation canal continues to gain popularity among anglers, with 900 entries recorded in one of the events held last year.
“Following the overwhelming response, the cash prize for the competition was raised several times, first to RM2,000, then to RM5,000, and most recently to RM10,000.
“Apart from that, the runner-up receives RM1,000 in cash, the third-place winner gets RM400, the fourth and fifth-place winners get RM200, and the sixth and seventh-place winners get RM100,” he said.
The three friends’ initiative not only introduced the Mak Mayong irrigation canal but also opened up business opportunities for nearby residents.
“On the days of the competition, residents will come here to sell items like drinking water and coconut jelly, which indirectly helps them earn extra income,” said Muhammmad Azmi.
Meanwhile, Muhafa Daud, 53, said he did not mind driving all the way from Kuala Krai simply to take part in the fishing competition.
“I’m really passionate about fishing and I found out about the competition here through social media.
“In Kuala Krai, I usually fish in manmade ponds so the experience here is different because it’s done in an open area. Even though I didn’t make the top seven, I’m still happy to have caught a catfish here,” he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency