Posted by Apostle on Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:45 pm at http://www.filipinoanglers.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=2477&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=60
2.5 Kg
2 Kg
Her able fishing guide (aka Apostle at filipinoanglers.org) had
3 Strikes, 3 Fights, Zero Landed, One straightened treble due to faulty/corroded ambassadeur drag plate, one bad hook set, & one frustrated Fishing Guide. . . . himself!
The bite has reportedly slowed down at Kap Larry’s, apparently since they have recently harvested the ponds. I think its a bit of a bad news for anglers who want to catch fish for New Year. The fishes that they could have caught have already been conveniently harvested and are ready for selling..hehehe. Not that exciting as catching your own in my opinion.
Anyway, some anglers still got lucky and managed to land decent sized milkfish. Here is a pic of a 2kg bangus which was surprisingly caught on live earthworms:
Actually, luck is just one part of the equation. When fishing is hard, try to chum the fish by throwing bread, feedmix or your doughbait into the water. This will attract the fish and put them within your target zone.
Read more about what’s up in coloong and tagalag at: http://www.filipinoanglers.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=2477&start=75
2008 went by pretty fast. In hindsight, I feel that I didn’t go out fishing as much as I wanted to. All I can remember is that I caught my first King Mackerel (Tanigue) when I went trolling in Laiya on Dec 28 last year. Fast forward to the present, what have I caught since then?
Hmmm.
Not a lot and they weren’t that big either.
I caught several barramundis from Kaps Pond and Anahaw. I got my first dalag (haruan) from the kangkungan. I was able to land my first Yellowfin tuna from Zambales. I also went night fishing at Manila Bay where I caught my first threadfin salmon (mamali) on a popper.
Geez. I did not catch enough indeed which explains why the fishing itch still lingers.
But I think I did a lot. With the help of friends from the filipino anglers forum and the support of Valenzuela Gov’t and Mayor Win Gatchalian, we were able to hold a fishing tournament in Coloong and Tagalag last April and May. I settled down in May too (multitasked it) and now, we are expecting twins! In fishing, a doublestrike is always a welcome blessing…
So what are my resolutions for the coming year?
1) Be a good father
2) Be a good partner to the kumander in chief
3) Watch over my health. Less fat, less salt, more sleep, some exercise.
4) Work and play more productively. Less overtime = more family and fishing time. 
Happy New Year everyone! May you and your family be blessed with health, wealth and happiness this coming year!
May you catch more fish and may your family be blessed with HEALTH, WEALTH and HAPPINESS for the coming years…
A fishing buddy recently attended The NEW Alex’s Tackle Shop - Soft Launching. Read more about it here: http://www.philippinefishing.info/tackle-shops/the-new-alexs-tackle-shop-soft-launching.html
In the “olden” days (well, when I was a still a kid), fishing used to have the reputation of being a sport for the rich. Rod and reels were considered “imported” items which the common Filipino cannot afford. Fishing tackle is a lot more affordable now, thanks to the influx of cheaper products from asian tackle makers. However, the common Juan dela Cruz may still have to save up to be able to buy brand new equipment. In comes online forums, surplus shops and e-trading to the rescue.
If you are new to the sport and want to get a bargain, try to visit local fishing forums such as www.filipinoanglers.org. They usually have a trading post section where anglers sell off their gear at reasonable prices. You might even end up meeting new friends.
Japanese and Australian Surplus shops also carry “vintage” fishing tackle that you can still use. As long as you are patient enough to dig into the pile so to speak, you might find a gem or two. In fact, just along McArthur Highway, there are 3 surplus shops that occassionally sell these items. The first one is right after PureGold to your left. About 500 meters after that are the other two surplus shops.
Lastly, you can also get good deals from e-trading sites like ebay and sulit.com. Just use the search feature of the site to look for items you are looking for. Make a bid or a buy it now offer, but note that the downside is that you can’t really hold the item for inspection prior to buying. So it is best to contact the seller for details about the condition of his product. Also take into account the additional shipping charges that you may incur.
Below is good news for anglers who are looking for supplies. Cebu based TCE tackleshop has partnered with Alex’s to bring their products closer to Manila customers. No need to worry about freight charges! Yehey!
Posted in http://www.filipinoanglers.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2612
To our Dearest Filipino Anglers,
We at TCE Tackle are pleased to announce that Alex Tackle Shop is now the “Exclusive” distributor of all our products namely but not limited to the following:
1. Lemax
2. X Puyu Rods
3. Sufix Lines
4. Tomman Reels and Accessories
5. St. Croix Rods
6. Banax Reels
7. Strike Pro Lures
8. Figo Rods
9. Aji King Rods
We would like to invite you over this Friday Dec 19 for the soft launch.
Alex Tackle Shop
72 Sgt Rivera St (Infront of Damar Village)
Quezon City
363-2679/364-5915
Rain Aguas
TCE Tackle
Fishing rods and reels nowadays are not as expensive as before. The tackleshops I listed in a previous article will definitely have something that fits your budget and need.
So what is a practical setup for Valenzuela fishing? I would say that for beginners, any 6-12 lb combo would be good enough. Any setup heavier than that is overkill. As long as you can fit around 150+ yards of line on the spool, you are good to go.
What I usually use for pond fishing are the following:
1) 10 lb braided line, on an Okuma Eclipz 30 reel, 6.5 ft Tica Intruder rod for casting lures for barramundi. The thin diameter of the braided line gives me greater casting distance and line durability too.
2) 10 lb mono line, on a size 2500 Daiwa Sweepfire reel, on a 6 ft 8 lb cheapo rod for bangus and tilapia fishing. Actually, I would prefer putting 8 lb line on this setup but I still have large spools of 10 and 12 lb mono which I need to use. Mono is not a collectible item, they may loose their knot and line strength, especially if exposed to sunlight and heat.
3) 6 lb line on a size 1500 Daiwa Regal reel on a 4 lb Shakespeare rod that’s really flimsy. I use this setup when I want more challenge in catching fish, primarily bangus. Its my smallest set up and I love it when the reel screams. The flimsy rod is actually just for fun. It would match better with a sturdier, fast action tipped rod.
4) A telescopic Shakespeare Firebird combo. 7 ft rod, loaded with 12 lb mono. The very first fishing rod and reel that I owned, bought at Toby’s 4 years ago. Even though I had no idea what fishing was really about back then, I bought the kit since I wanted it. Up to now, I still use it and is actually what I lend to friends who are first timers in fishing. I consider it my lucky set up for fishing Valenzuela ponds and it has proven to be an effective fish catching machine.
The above are just references. The setup that fits your need and budget will definitely vary. Even the cheap telescopic “krak krak” reels sold in the streets work, but don’t expect them to last long. They are called “krak krak” due to the sound their gear makes after a few uses. If you want to go all the way, invest in more expensive ones, with those flashy finishes, metal construction, space age drag materials, lotsa bearings and other bling blings. But bear in mind that fish don’t really care about the price tag on your gear.
Can anyone tell what his or her favorite hobby is? Is it a hobby that relaxes, revives and reenergizes you…. AND puts healthy, low cholesterol food on the table?
Mine does. I’m into fishing.
I play tug o war, with beautiful beasts from the depths of the ocean. Our battleground is the blue sea and my charging chariot is the banka. My primary weapons of choice are rods, reels and fishing lures.
Rods are more commonly known as fishing poles. They are usually made out of fiberglass or composite graphite, the same material used on your badminton rackets or snow skis. It is shaped the same way as your telescopic TV Antenna. One end is stout and strong enough to serve as the handle, slowly tapering off to the other end to form the flexible tip. The rod is usually between 5 feet to 7 feet long for normal applications and flexes and bends to almost a U shape to give you that leverage when fighting the fish. It therefore provides you the muscle to haul in your catch..
The reel is the machine that holds the fishing line and allows you to control the amount of tension on the line when the fish pulls. It has a braking mechanism called the drag, which you can adjust so that the reel gives out line when the fish is pulling hard. This prevents the line from snapping or the rod from bending too much.
Lures are what I use to entice the fish to bite. The type of fishing I do is called trolling where an artificial lure is dragged behind the boat. These lures are made of wood or plastic shaped to mimic the profile of a baitfish. It has a protruding lip from under its chin which allows it to dance and dive when dragged under water. This wiggling, wobbling action gives it the lifelike appearance of a baitfish in distress which triggers the predatory instincts of bigger fishes.
With the rod, reel and lure as my muscle, machine and meat, I was able to once again wage war with the fishes last Sunday. I went with my fishing buddies to the sleepy town of Pundakit, Zambales. Excited as we were, we left Manila really early, with our arsenal of rod and reels, tackleboxes, and coolers in tow. We got there while it was still dark so we just watched the stars while waiting for the sun’s first light. The evening sky in the provinces seem to always have more stars than Metro Manila and my friends were seeing shooting stars left and right. For some reason, I only caught one falling star in the corner of my eye and made a quick wish before it disappeared. Just one decent fish please.
When my bankero Mang Pidyong arrived, I quickly boarded his banca. He was a burly old man around 50 years old, but he was still quick and nimble as a bull. We were one of the first boats to head out to the rich fishing grounds around Capones Island. He seemed to be as excited as me.
I asked him if he has gone trolling before. It turns out that it was his first time to troll lures on rod and reel! So I briefed him on our SOP. When the fish bites, don’t stop the boat but instead give the boat a 3 second sprint to solidly set the hook and continue with throttling speed. He also needs to help me clear the other lines when I start fighting the fish.
There were no sightings of tuna schools, no king mackerels busting bait, no seabirds circling the skies, no sailfishes showing their majestic fins…. just the calmness and serenity of the sea, which was so flat it was mirror like. The sun was already out, the oceans breeze was soothing and the day was bright. I proceeded to set up my two rods. The one on the left, I tied on an 11 cm lure, which had a Black colored back and a silver body. The one on the right had a similar lure but it had a blue back and dives deeper.
On our 3rd pass at the back of Capones Island, I offered Mang Pidyong the hopiang baboy I brought along. If the fish don’t want to eat, we will. We were merrily munching on our snack, when I noticed that the left rod was bent and the reel was making an audible sound. ZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIT went the drag. Mang Pidyong was quick to rev up the engine and I immediately took the rod to fight the fish. I was happy that Mang Pidiong remembered the instructions I earlier gave him. We were so orchestrated, our moves seemed like clockwork! I continued reeling in the fish, enjoying every breath taking second of it. I didn’t know yet what was on the other end of the line but based on its bulldogging headshakes and blistering runs, I could tell it was a big one.
After a few minutes of pumping the rod and reeling in, I started to see the line move sideways. To the left and then to the right, at times circling. A dark silhouette was slowly forming against the aquamarine water. As the fish drew nearer, I started to see flashes of silver and some specks of yellow. The fish finally surfaced and there it was, my first Yellow Fin Tuna shaking like mad as if it was having an epileptic attack. The macho Mang Pidyong was not able to contain his excitement as he gave out a high pitched scream of celebration. Yehey! Bondying to bossing he exclaimed! When the fish was within striking distance, Mang Pidyong ably gaffed the fish, clubbed it between the eyes and finally boated it. 7.5 Kilograms of pure adrenaline rush, about this long, this fat around the shoulders and it did not fit into my cooler.
I wished upon a star and it was generously granted. I came home relaxed, revived and reenergized.
Mirrored from: http://www.filipinoanglers.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=2534
Went to Coloong with Bong yesterday. It was a slow day. Only few strikes. Seems that the Coloong dalags are not familiar with frogs. We switched to spinners designed and made by Bong. I was not familiar with using spinners on Baitcasting outfit. After some tips by the master, I got the hang of it. Bong caught 2 and I caught this one:
*All fishes were released.
by hibiki on Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:59 pm:
I went to Kap’s pond today hoping to try the Apahap Lawak (the big ones). Unfortunately no luck on the Apahap. Luckily, i managed to get another dalag. This time using a jerk bait.
After a few photos, I released the fish.
