Caylabne Bay July 26, 2015

Shore casting or shore fishing seems to have lost it's appeal to us all, since the availability and affordability of boat rentals have improved. Almost everyone started to fish from some sort of bank, shore, or beach, including me. Though most anglers refrain from shore fishing, I have found great success in the art, ranging from Threadfin salmon in Manila Bay, to assorted rock fish found in the rocky shores of Subic Bay. Not one to miss an opportunity to go fishing with friends, I accepted an invite from a friend who has a contact that owns property at Caylabne Bay Resort, which is privately owned, and the only way to fish there is to be a guest of a property owner.

Having great success on the Imakatsu Java Stick, I opted to take my chances and use the lure exclusively, switching from 1/8 oz. to 1/4 oz. jigheads. Colors used were green, brown, and pink with green, all 3.5 inches. We started at 7AM, which was quite late, and surely, we missed the morning bite, where multiple anglers were able to catch plate sized trevally. I was having trouble with my braid after the first few casts and had to retie multiple times, and right on cue, one of my friends immediately hooked up to a good sized trev. Much to my dismay, my reel still gave me problems and I had to resort to borrowing a rod and reel combo from a friend, filled with 10lb monofilament. The morning was quite productive, but in a small way. Aside from my friend who had already caught 2 good sized trevally between 1 - 2kg, we had a lot of bites from small grouper in the rocks using java sticks on 1/4 oz. heads.

The weather was very unpredictable, short blasts of heavy rain, then relentless sunlight was beating us up. We had to had an early break since we were all burning up in the sun. After a hearty lunch, my friend and I decided to trek the rocky shoreline towards a point, where we saw a commotion, a group of fish feeding on the surface. Once we reached the spot, the first few casts showed that the area had lots of potential since I saw a fish following my lure right up to my feet. I was perched on top of a rock, where I had to wade chest deep water to get to. Quickly jerking my lure after a long cast, I was finally hooked up to a quality fish! The fight was wonderful and to my surprise, a threadfin salmon of about 2kg was on the end of my line! I was really excited since it was my 1st commendable fish caught in the day, and I tried to lift it up by the line, and woe and behold, the line snapped. I had to retie hurriedly since I wanted to keep the bite going. The next cast proved to be fruitful and I caught another good sized threadfin.

Too bad I didn't have a camera with me so my friend had to make do with this shot of me on the rock I was perched on. The next few casts were also successful and I was able to land 3 threadfin on the same rock and lost another on the last cast.

The waves were getting quite rough, prompting me to get back to shore, which bummed me out since I felt that I could've caught a few more threadfin of better size. Back at the camp, we snapped a few photos and had a quick break before going back to the spot where my friend had caught the 2 trevally in the morning. Still using the java stick on a 1/4 oz. head, I kept casting at the spot where my friend caught his fish, and finally, I hooked on to a sizable treavally! After a few minutes of tense action, I was finally able to land my 1st trevally from shore! It was a good 2kg fish on 10lb monofilament.

It was a great day of fishing, and a great learning experience for me. The Java Stick proved once again that it was a great fish catcher, and I hope that it will hook me up with more fish in the future. Plans are already in the works to fish at Grande Island in Subic Bay. Stay tuned for more short fishing stories from me and my friends. I will make sure to bring my camera next time and take more photos!

Snakehead Hunting during the Rainy Season

It's been a while since I updated this blog, since I have spent very little time fishing due to the new baby and work and stuff.. Anyway, the rainy season has arrived and a trio of typhoons have landed in the country; what is there to do? Going saltwater fishing is totally out of the question. Bass fishing in Lake Lumot, Caliraya is also out of the question due to safety matters and travelling expenses. The cheapest alternative is Snakehead fishing. Let's talk about the ever available snakehead for a bit.

The Snakehead, or Channidae, is a very hardy fish, with the ability to thrive in both dry and healthy waters.  They are very aggressive and almost easy to catch on lures, both soft plastics and hardbodies. Snakehead fishing's challenge is finding them. We have to trek on muddy wetlands, bushwhack through forests, and wade in knee deep water. But once we find the perfect "fishy" spot, the fishing will be almost always, amazing. 

In the country, only a small percent of people go fishing leisurely, and that makes it easy to build relationships with fellow anglers through social media and fishing clubs. Luckily, we made friends with someone who owns a big patch of swampland in a nearby province. To describe the place in a few words, snakehead heaven, would be appropriate. 

The summer season finally over, with rains taking place almost everyday, my friends and I  cannot hold our excitement in when thinking how well the swampland refilled it's waterways with fresh rainwater. Surely, the fish have gone back to feeding mode, and we would have the chance to catch a large amount of fish in the coming weekend. 

We are currently getting our gear set-up and are looking forward to a day of amazing fishing. 

I will update this blog right after the trip and will post a few photos (smartphone photos only, as my camera was stolen... long story). 

Wish us luck and will tell you more about the trip soon!

Introduction to Saltwater Jigging

   For the past year or so, I have been dreaming of catching a fish through the popular technique called "jigging".  Developed by the Japanese to target reef species, and popularized by a small Taiwanese company Jigging Master.

   Apprehensive at first, I was unsure of the effectiveness of using a long slab of metal. weighing 100gm to 700gm or more, attached to an assist hook, yo-yo'ed by an angler using a mechanical lift and crank motion. But after watching tons of videos available through You Tube, I found myself entranced by the technique.

   Everyday, I studied the art of jigging. I watched videos, read magazine articles, and asked my fishing buddies about it. I practiced the jigging motion at every chance I get; imagining the scenario, working the jig, then ... Bam! I was definitely hooked.

   After months of research and day dreaming, I got the chance to build myself a jigging setup. Being the hardcore "budget angler", I settled for an Avet MXJ 5.8:1, matched to a Lemax Superbrand SB5758. Main line was Accurate Accubraid in 30lb test, with a top shot of Momoi Clear Monofilament in 60lb test. A mismatched setup it is, but it was the best I could afford. I also bought a few jigs, all under the River 2 Sea brand. That was it, I was ready.

   April 14 - 15, 2012. The dates were set. A fishing trip with Team Dirty South. Location: Calatagan, Batangas.

   We arrived at the spot by noon. The sounder showed about 500ft or more.The crew were setting the anchor while some of my friends dropped their jigs already. I followed suit, and dropped my River2Sea 200gm Knife jig. The jig went straight down but took quite some time to reach the bottom. Still, waiting for my jig to stop, my friends were jigging already.

   Feeling the bottom, I reeled in the slack, popped the jig off the floor, and started jigging. My rhythm was neat and felt comfortable. Lift and crank. About 10 cranks in, on my first ever jig drop, I got bit! Lo and behold the strike, hard, fast, and addictive! The fight was exhilarating, and I could not get enough of it.

    A few minutes later, my first fish on a jig, an Amberjack, was gaffed, and was in my hands.

   The rest of the day, multiple AJ's were caught using live bait, I got seasick, and slept the rest of the day. The next morning, I shook the nausea away and jigged again. 2nd AJ on jig. 

   I am now focused on improving my technique, and looking forward to catching more fish on jigs. Please follow my journey to improvement and happiness. God bless us all!

Philippine Sport Fishing

   Hello all. I would like to welcome you to my new fishing blog, created for those who love to fish and would like to learn how to. My name is John Carlo Cruz, and I have been fishing since as long as I can remember.

   I started fishing from the Manila Bay area, using a simple spinning setup ( a beginner Shakespear setup if I remember correctly), that my mother bought for me at the old China Merchandising Tackle Shop in Ongpin, Binondo, Manila. After a while, I moved up to a 6lb. Surecatch Ghost spinning rod and reel combo and caught a lot of my fish from Island Cove resort located at Cavite.

   Having limited information about fishing locations and tackle shops, my hobby slowly started to lose its grasp on me. Anyway, it took a long time before I got a hold of my rod and reel again.

   During my final year at college, I felt that fate had its way when a classmate of mine, was the grand daughter of a fishing pond owner. Aling Nene's Pond or recently known as ANP was the place! Who could've imagined that I was in the same room with the person who would introduce me into the underground angling world of the Philippines?

   I soon started fishing again, starting at the pond, hunting for the ever elusive "Apahap" or barramundi. Then, meeting some anglers from the Filipino Anglers Organization, the group where I learned the most about fishing techniques, gear, and places to fish. (filipinoanglers.org)

   Although it has been a long time since, I have moved on, lost friends and met new ones. And right now, I am in a group called the Dirty South Sportfishing team. I am currently striving to learn and improve my skills, trying to catch my dream fish.

   I hope that you can follow my journey as I learn, and improve my fishing style here in my country. And if you are interested in learning how to fish, and to find out why I am hooked on the sport, feel free to contact me.

God bless us all!