Here at EPIC Fishing, we’re passionate about sharing our knowledge and our stories. We want to inspire others to discover the thrill of fishing too. Who better to be our first angler profile, than our co-founder Ryan Ng aka Tiotiotio Fishing!
Ryan Ngler in his natural habitat
‘The first fish I caught was a toadfish.’ Ryan Ng is a trim figure, bedecked in a fully-packed vest and a wide-brimmed hat. He’s one of Singapore’s most recognizable anglers, not just for his trim figure, but for his patented cry of ‘TIO TIO TIO’ when he hits a fish. Ryan has been sharing his knowledge on YouTube since 6 years ago and has been inspiring anglers year after year with his incredible catches.
Sharing with us how he started fishing, Ryan revealed that his very first fish ever caught, was a toadfish. A bit of an anti-climatic start for an angling influencer, but he’s more than made up for it ever since. Ryan credits his uncle with being the first to take him out fishing when he was a kid, and also his mother taking him to Bedok Jetty and watching other anglers catch fishes.
Long way from a toadfish...
It was a long and painful process for him to start fishing. In his schooling days at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Ryan didn’t have much money and also didn’t know where to start. He got his very first rod and reel setup from Fishing Buddy’s old Marine Parade branch and tried baiting at Bedok Jetty. Not seeing much success, he stopped and set aside his rod and reel for 4 years.
Perhaps it was fated that what brought him back to fishing was YouTube. Now as a YouTuber himself, with nearly 6,000 subscribers, Ryan credits watching a YouTube video as his origin story. ‘I saw people on that video catching bass on soft plastics and was like ‘huh, plastic also can catch fish?’ Inspired by the video, he went out to Macritchie reservoir and started casting. He casted for four hours before hitting a good size temensis (peacock bass). And that was the start of his luring journey.
‘My favourite type of fishing is saltwater luring and jigging. There’s so many species to unlock and it’s the thrill of always trying to get the new species and bigger fishes. It also trains your persistence for sure.’
Sharing with us that he fishes ‘as much as I can, sometimes 4 or 5 times a week if possible’, Ryan is a regular sight at Marina South Pier. So much so that he’s friends with the ferry operators, the snack shop owner there and even the security guards. He stands out, dressed clearly as an angler out for serious business and holding on to his rod almost everywhere he goes. There’s no question that he’s an angler and as he makes his way around the ferry terminal, he’s a lightning rod for other anglers seeking their first catch on the Southern Islands. Even before he boards the ferry, he’s already surrounded by friends and other anglers asking questions.
Spot Ryan Ngler
'Ryan is somebody who is incredibly willing to share. I got to know him during Covid and I had just started my fishing journey. Saw his videos on YouTube and commented, asking him how he got fish so regularly from shore. He made it look easy.’ A friend of his we spoke to shared how they became fishing kakis. ‘He literally came down to a nearby MRT station, sat there and taught me how to tie a FG knot, showed me how to work a crankbait and told me where to go to cast in the Southern Islands. That’s above and beyond man.’
Approachable and friendly, Ryan makes friends easily and is incredibly passionate about fishing, and even more so about sharing his knowledge. We asked him what shaped his identity as an angler, so strongly that his online moniker is literally a play on the words ‘Ngler’, and how it has influenced his life.
‘I think personally, fishing has taught me to be focused. Before I started fishing, I couldn’t complete any tasks given to me. But now, it’s taught me to be independent, focused and persistent. Never giving up.’
We can vouch for that. Ryan is the hardest working angler we know. Every single one of his catches is hard-earned through hours of non-stop casting and knowledge of the grounds gained through one knock of the jig after another.
We had to ask, considering that in his videos, Ryan showcases a variety of techniques and catching fish with everything from poppers, minnows, jigs and anything else you can think of; what exactly is his go-to technique?
‘I think if I were to have a particular technique, it would simply be clearing the ground, covering it and combing with soft plastics’. Ryan shared that from shore, it was important to cover the ground and understand the underwater terrain, how the tides and currents affected the fishes behavior and where and when to aim for target species. But at the end of the day, it was still about covering as much ground as possible.
From shore, in SINGAPORE
When asked what his current target is and if he was working towards any fishing-related goals or achievements, he shared : “Right now I’m trying to get a tong gas (large grouper), from shore. Above 10kg. Also a shark that’s above 10kg too.”
😮 - our reaction
Finally we had to ask, what’s your setup today?
Apia Brute TP Long Cast 92T
Shimano Stella C5000XG
Super Fireline PE 2.5
Varivas Ocean Record Shock Leader 50lb
Check out Ryan’s YouTube channel Tiotiotio Fishing
