Valenzuela Fishing

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I have been living in Valenzuela since 1986. Admittedly, it’s not a first class municipality like Makati yet. It doesn’t have high rise buildings, flyovers nor an MRT system.

In fact, Valenzuela has been loosely classified as an “industrial / residential area”. Most people still think that its part of the province of Bulacan. In reality, Valenzuela is one of Manila’s younger cities and is very much part of the urban metropolis.

This identity crisis is actually Valenzuela’s hidden charm. While warehouses and factories abound in Valenzuela, very few people know that it also nestles what can be considered the best urban fishing spots within Metro Manila. Valenzuela is a unique mix of urban industrialization and rustic rural relaxation.

The barangays of Coloong and Tagalag are both gifted with numerous private ponds. As one drives through its narrow streets, it is hard not to notice that most houses have ponds instead of backyards! And those are just the small ones. Drive further and you’d eventually see even bigger ponds that seem to stretch as far as your eyes can see.

Allow me to let Google Earth and Wikimapia do the describing. Click on the link or the pic below:

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=14.7231304&lon=120.9468985&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2

Valenzuela is my hometown and I am cordially inviting you to pack your rod and reel and try fishing here! Come on, its just within an hours drive from Manila!

[polldaddy poll=1035889]

About the place
If Elvis is the legend of Rock and Roll, then Kapitan Larry Ramos is the legend in Coloong. Aside from being a past Barangay Captain, hence the name, Kap Larry is considered one of the pioneers in developing his pond for urban anglers.

How to get there
Check the Coloong and Tagalag Quick Info tab on the main page for general directions to get to Coloong.
Drive thru Coloong 1 about 2 kms from the main road. Once you pass the public school to your right, look ahead for a small street on the right as well. That leads to the gate and parking lot to Kaps pond.

See the place from Wikimapia:

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=14.7262485&lon=120.9448653&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

Amenities and Cost
His paypond is open on weekdays and weekends, from 7 am till the sun sets as there are insufficient lighting around the area. Ample parking is however available. Several nipa cottages can be rented at 300-400 day, good for 6-8 persons. For those who choose to just fish under the trees, a 50 php entrance fee is charged upon weigh in of catches.

On weekends, a modest service boat (banca) ferries people to the bigger outer pond for 25 pesos per head, to be paid on the return trip. Grills are available for use but is on a first come first served basis, so it is best to bring your own grill and charcoal.

Bait is available on site, on weekends but rarely on weekdays. There are vendors near the entrance in the early mornings who sell them for 20 pesos per cup.

Unfortunately, there are no swimming pools on the area. There are two comfort rooms in near the huts but there are none on the outer pond where the boat takes you.

There is no restaurant on site so you need to bring your own food.

What you may catch
The typical catch at Coloong are bangus (80-100/kg) and tilapia (80/kg). However, recently Barramundi up to 8 Kilos have been successfully taken on lures, but this comes with a hefty price of 250-300 /kg. Other fishes such as kitang, dalag, hito, bidbid and buan buan are also occasionally caught in the area.

Catch and Release is discouraged by the pond owner.

Rating
Here’s a running poll for the place:
[polldaddy poll=1093279]

Pictures of the place

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Public Information Office
by : Zyan Caiña
published: May 05, 2008

After the successful launch of the Coloong Leg of the 1st Mayor WIN Gatchalian Fun Fishing Tournament, the Valenzuela City Government, thru the Sports Development Office and Cultural and Tourism Affairs Office, launched its second leg yesterday (May 4). Organized in cooperation with Filipino Anglers Organization, 136 fishing enthusiasts gathered in another fishing haven in the City of Valenzuela - Brgy. Tagalag.

City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian related how the Fun Fishing Tournament was borne out of a suggestion. “Mr. Bien Penaranda of Filipino Anglers Organization, a resident of Valenzuela, e-mailed me about a year ago proposing it, and now it’s a very successful project we plan to do annually. I still welcome more suggestions to improve it, as I know there’s still so much to improve on for next year?s tournament to be better and more exciting for all of us.“

Cong. Rex T. Gatchalian urged the participants to spread the word about the rustic area amidst the metropolis that could only be found in Valenzuela City. “The first district of Valenzuela City still boasts of the beauty of nature that one will feel space-warped once he got here after just about an hour or less drive away from the hustle and bustle of the city,“ Cong. Gatchalian said.

One of the guests was ADB Environment Specialist and fishing enthusiast Mr. Mark Kunzer of Australia. He lauds the Mayor for coming up with the project. “This is one way of generating income for the city and a very effective way of preserving the environment,“ he said.

Punong Barangay Renato Bernardo and Council welcomed the participants with folk dance numbers from the school children of Tagalag. They thanked the dear Mayor for choosing their barangay as one of the venues for the pilot year of the tournament. “We promise to prepare better next year. We aim to promote Tagalag as a nature and a prime sport fishing destination,“ PB Bernardo declared.

The Filipino Anglers Organization proudly announced that TCE Tackles, distributor of top quality professional fishing equipments which have branches in Cebu and Malaysia, took notice of the tournament and gave away artificial lures and a much-coveted 10-ball bearing reel which went to Mr. Jay-jay Cebuma of Brgy. Coloong, Valenzuela City.

Other proud sponsor was Mercury Drugs which provided first aid kits and gave special gifts to the participants.

The awarding ceremony ended with Sports, Livelihood and Development Office OIC Ms. Lorie Natividad Borja presenting a Plaque of Recognition to Filipino Anglers Organization as a sincere recognition of their unwavering support for the project.

The prizes include fish-shaped trophies plus P 5,000 cash for the biggest catches and fish-shaped trophies plus P 3,000 cash for the second biggest catches.

Official Website: www.valenzuela.gov.ph
Nickname: “The Vibrant City”
Motto: “Valenzuela, may Disiplina!”
Official Theme Song: Himig Valenzuela
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valenzuela_City

The City of Valenzuela is bounded by Meycauayan on the north; upper Caloocan City and Quezon City on the east; the City of Malabon on the south and southwest; and the Municipality of Obando on the northwest.

Its global position is between 14”39’ N latitude and 120”54’ and 121”02 E longitude. Highest elevation point is 38m above sea level, average elevation of 2.0m above sea level, with a surface gradient of 0.55%. The slope is level to gently undulating.

Valenzuela has a total land area of 4,459.4 hectares, or 44.59 square kilometers. With a population of 561,992 as of the year 2006 and a Population Density (2006) - 11,582/ sq.km

Since becoming a city in 1998, Valenzuela’s economy has flourished and its population has swelled significantly.

The Municipality of Valenzuela - the gateway to the north is now Valenzuela City - one of the country’s premier business and industrial centers.

HISTORY

Seen from the sky, the City of Valenzuela is like a giant eagle spreading its majestic wings, poised for flight.

And, soar into the future, the city does.

Since its establishment as an independent town in 1623, what was formerly known as the town of polo had undergone many radical, and sometimes, even painful changes.
Polo was an idyllic center of agriculture and fishery carved from the town of Meycauayan, Bulacan. The town acquired its independence through the efforts of Father Juan Taranco and Don Juan Monsod
The chapel of San Diego de Alcala, and its now famous belfry, was completed in 1632 and became the town’s center that stood witness to countless battles during the Spanish, American and Japanese occupations.

On July 21, 1960, President Diosdado Macapagal signed Executive Order No. 401, which led to the creation of the Municipality of Valenzuela, aptly named after its most renowned hero, Dr. Pio Valenzuela.

Because of the rapid growth of the greater manila area in terms of population, as well as social and economic requirements in the early seventies, and the municipality’s proximity to the area, Presidential Decree Number 824 was issued on November 7, 1975.
P.D. No. 824 created the Metropolitan Manila Commission and led to the separation of the Municipality of Valenzuela from the Province of Bulacan.

As part of the Greater Manila Area, Valenzuela’s economy flourished and its population swelled significantly.
Wide open spaces, two major highways traversing the municipality - Mac Arthur Highway and the North Diversion Road (now North Luzon Expressway, or NLEX), its proximity to the center and being the gateway of the metropolis to the north make Valenzuela a choice location for business and industry.

The social and political upheavals of the seventies and early eighties did not dampen the pulsating economy of the municipality.

It was, in fact, a golden age in the History & Culture of Valenzuela when businesses and industries in the municipality grew rapidly.
In 1986, a new socio-political order swept the entire country. The four days of the EDSA People Power Revolution were marked by an outpouring of love, anger, hysteria and courage by a people fighting for change and renewal.

The restoration of democracy in the country also brought about a paradigm shift in national and local government relations.The passage of the Local Government Code in 1991 unlocked and marshalled the repressed energies of local communities. The Local Government Code provides genuine and meaningful autonomy to enable local governments to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities.
It was during this time that Valenzuela began charting its own destiny and moved the local economy in the direction it chose.

On February 14, 1998, then President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8526, converting the Municipality of Valenzuela into a highly urbanized city, making Valenzuela the 12 th city in Metro Manila and the 83 rd in the Philippines.

The Municipality of Valenzuela - the gateway to the north is now Valenzuela City - one of the country’s premier business and industrial centers.