Catfish and Pangasius Fishing in Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines

For truly dedicated and passionate sports fishermen or anglers, looming unfavorable weather condition at the sea or lakes will be the worst news to receive the day prior to any weekend. Such unwanted (to hear) reports have the capability to crush ones spirits and turn the world temporarily upside down. It is tantamount to the complete annihilation of a week-long (sometimes month-long) process of profuse planning, preparation, anticipation and imagination which unknowingly, has already caused involuntary excessive salivating, unnecessary drooling and spontaneous feeling of agitation not really curable even by the powerful combination of TV-watching, pizza-eating and beer-drinking moments at home. (But that would really help to lessen the agony ……… just so the wives know!) :-)

During such days when the sea or lake or river is not quite safe for venturing or at times when you are located quite far from any of them and does not have the liberty of time for some reasons or another, then the nearest available pay pond could be the angler's best friend ………… which we may not instantly realize is always there to save the weekend. No, it will not brand us already addicted to the sports. No way! That’s not the case. As I said above, we are just seriously passionate about it. Okay, okay, somehow we probably are. :)

You see, like most implements and tools, the cheap (as the wives thought) fishing gears and accessories need regular testing and commissioning for its continuous well and effectively functioning. Such investments although not really big (as declared to the wives) need ample quality time, constant monitoring and personal touch or over-seeing ……… so that it will incessantly provide us with priceless “returns” supplied in the currencies of “thrill”, “joy” and “fulfillment”. I really like saying that! :-)

Fun Family Fishing at The Lakeshore

As I have posted in August 2009, there will be a fun family fishing for the Tarlac Anglers during the Christmas Holiday dubbed as Christmas Fishing Tourney. It is an exclusive family affair open to members and family members of the Tarlac Anglers. Due to hectic schedules, the supposed to be four (4) leg tournament was converted into just two (2) separate fishing events, one in The Lakeshore in Pampanga for the freshwater fishing and the other one in Bane, Pangasinan for the saltwater angling. Whilst it was held during the Christmas holiday, gathering the members and participants proved to be quite difficult due to varied individual commitments. The most promising site, Laiya, Batangas, where trolling is in season, had to be cancelled out due to conflicts of schedules. :(

In spite that some of the members were not available, the tourney pushed through. This post will cover the freshwater fishing held at the 12 hectares man-made lake of The Lakeshore in Mexico, Pampanga on 30th December 2009. The gorgeous and magnificent lake thrives with healthy aquatic life. Among the different varieties of fish seeded and now roaming the vast waters are milkfish (“bangus”), tilapia, “toman” snakehead, mangrove jack, carps, large-mouth bass and sea bass. Reports of big catch such as more than 10 kilos toman snakehead, more than 3 kilos “bangus” and more than 2 kilos tilapia, being occasionally caught by some lucky anglers, gave us the inspirations, though we have been warned that landing one is pretty difficult.

The view of the lake is not bad, for a lake which is a pure product of engineering in a rather flat area of the great plain of Central Luzon, it can be considered nicely done. With the trees and grass that have now fully grown, the place is now a calm alternative refuge for Filipino anglers.

The participants immediately set up their gears upon arrival, just after a short reconnaissance of the area. Everyone was excited and hopeful that luck will strike and hook a biggy.

It did not take long before everyone is busy wetting their lines, casting and retrieving. We can see a lot of big fishes creating a massive splash in the water, but enticing them for a bite needs patience and creativity as the juvenile fish were the ones busy biting our offerings.

The mammoth catch is quite elusive. We have been casting, waiting, retrieving and casting again for several hours and everyone is still yet to catch their 1st good size fish. Since it is getting late, and everyone is still skunked, my brother wisely decided to change the fishing style and targets the tilapia. He also helped my son to change his set-up to avoid getting bored. And they started catching pan-sized fish, still small by our standard, but good eating. This was noticed by my daughter and wife who followed through and soon, they too, were reaping tilapia as well as small “biya” (a type of freshwater fish) and flowerhorn (cichlid) which we all released.

During the final hours, we are all into tilapia catching mood. But the young ones who changed gear earlier and are probably better angler that day easily took the trophies. My daughter was declared the second placer, winning a nice Lemax GFC Action Rod donated by my brother Bogs.

My son Naven easily bagged the first priced trophy of a nice Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Conventional Reel donated by Bojo. Whilst he originally came to the lake with only a mammoth “toman” or “bangus” bigger than his previous catch (more than 2 kilos in Island Cove) in mind, his decision to change tackle early on and be satisfied with tilapia earned him the championship.

We, adults, may be disappointed that no biggies were bagged, but both young winners were quite happy that they outsmarted us. Sometimes desire for a bigger take will end you with an empty hand. But we are glad though that the young ones were elated. After all, that day was really arranged for their enjoyment.

Over-all, we had a great time. It could be happier should other family members were able to join and should biggies made a bite. But as we always said at the end of every unproductive fishing adventure, there is always a next time. We bid the night good bye with a huge smile as we shifted our mind to the next event which is the Pangasinan saltwater fishing. c“,)

Christmas Fishing Tourney of the Tarlac Anglers

The Tarlac Anglers through its officer Bogs Villanueva recently announced the series of fishing tournaments dubbed as “Christmas Fishing Tourney” to be held during the Christmas Holiday of 2009. The 4-leg tournament which will cover both freshwater and saltwater type of angling will be held in the four (4) most popular fishing sites around Luzon (Philippines) which are frequented by the majority of members of Pinoy Anglers, where most Tarlac Anglers are also active members.

These fishing holes, located within the regions of Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog are: 1. Bane, Pangasinan, 2. Laiya, San Juan, Batangas, 3. Pantabangan Dam, Nueva Ecija and 4. Dingalan, Aurora.

The mini tournament is an exclusive event open only among the members of the Tarlac Anglers and their immediate families. Exciting prices compose of fishing reels, rods, lures & other fishing accessories await the lucky winners. A Christmas fishing holiday guaranteed of fun and excitement awaits all the members. Specific dates of the tourney will be announced later. The details of the event however are as follows:

The participants can expect to catch any of the many varieties of fish mentioned above. These have been caught before by the members as shown in some of the memorable photos as follows:

To ensure the success of this significant event, some celebrity sponsors are chosen to provide the needed assistance (moral, spiritual and financial), one each for a particular leg of the tournament.

For the Bane, Pangasinan trip, Boyet will be the sponsor to be represented by his beautiful daughter Ceejay who recently graced the cover of a popular teen magazine.

For the Laiya, San Juan, Batangas tourney, Bojo is the patron to be represented by Cha who was featured in the cover of a well known fashion magazine (front, right) along with some other top bikini models.

For the Pantabangan Dam, Nueva Ecija fishing, Eymi will be the benefactor. Just like the other sponsors, she was, as shown here, recently requested to pose in the cover of a thrilling magazine.

Lastly, for the Dingalan, Aurora tournament, Maya will be sponsoring the activity. She is shown here when she was chosen to be the cover girl of a higly entertaining pet magazine.

If you are wondering why you are not seeing copies of the said magazines in your favorite news stand, it’s because the limited edition for which they were launched were immediately sold out after days of its release. And the publisher ferociously refused to print more.:)

(Alright, the section of the post in italics is only intended to make you smile.) c“,)

Fun Fishing at Tarlac Pay Pond

The legacy of a sport as significant as Angling should be continuously passed on from generation to generation. This has been how it is naturally going on from time immemorial. Probably the reason why it remained one of the oldest forms of sports invented and practiced by our ancestors. It is now our duty to keep the flame burning and that’s exactly what I am doing: I assure that the passion will continue to live on in the heart of my son (and daughter as well) so that he too can do the same to his son………and so on........

Recently my brother Bogs, the most active among the Tarlac Anglers, and my son Naven (the youngest member) decided to do some freshwater fun fishing in a pay pond in Gerona, Tarlac (Philippines). They hoped to catch the dining-table-favourite and ever reliable tilapia, the elusive “hito” (catfish) and the fearsome “dalag” (mud fish or snakehead). The wild pond is a sight to behold for anglers alike. It offers a lot of promises and probably surprises from its looks alone. They were not disappointed. Tilapia appeared to has big appetite that day and is continuously hooked and reeled one after the other.

I can see how my son is enjoying the sports. He has been always like that whenever we go fishing. The joy, the thrill, the excitement and the fun are always mirrored by his eyes and revealed by his smiles.

Since his young age when we started bringing him to important fishing trips, every moment captured in photos will tell a story. Some will narrate about love and bonding.

And some will show priceless moments and fulfilment.

As he grows (taller but slimmer) and further develops his love for fishing, I and the Tarlac Anglers will always be there to support and be part of the fun he has yet to discover.