Micro jigging in the time of Covid19

After a month-long Covid19 quarantine where mostly everyone were prohibited from going out, the government finally eased off the restrictions in Manila and the neighboring province. After the announcement, we hurriedly organized a Sunday fishing trip to a nearby spot around 3 hours south of the Metro. On our way, I noticed that there were some quarantine checkpoints but the officers were not really checking anyone coming in and going out. 

We were supposed to launch the boat on a beach resort but the resort caretaker said she was not informed in advance and she refused our request to park and launch because "of the threat of Covid19". We had no choice but to park on a residential lot about a kilometer away. Lucky us, the parking spot was near a ravine and we needed to walk far to the beach (we paid P300 per day for that "sweet" parking spot :-O). Our original plan was to start fishing at 5am but because of the issue with the parking, we started at past 7 in the morning. 

I tied on a 15g micro jig on a 15lb flouro leader on my Ize Certate 2506 loaded with 0.8PE (10lbs). The rod I was using is my fave Daiwa Emeraldas 8ft eging rod. The area was shallow (15-20meters) and was perfect for micro jigs. The only problem was the wind. The boat had no anchor or a drift chute. (I don't think the boatman knew how to use a chute in the first place. Maybe I should bring one and teach him on the next trip). Without a chute on a strong wind, we drifted really fast and the waves kept hitting us broadside. This made fishing really uncomfortable especially when there are 4 of you in a small boat. 

After an hour or so of small CnR groupers, I finally got solid hookup. At first, it felt like it was another grouper but a little bigger but when I turned the handle, the fish dashed and pulled drag for a good 15-20 seconds. After the initial run, it just stopped and remained motionless. I tried pumping the rod but it would not budge. I thought that it ran inside its hole and snagged my line. But after a few more tugs, the fish pulled drag again. The fight perhaps lasted for about 15 minutes. I was very worried that the banca's outrigger will fray my line (i was sitting in the middle of the small boat). The rod's tip was barely over the outrigger. When the fish finally came up to the surface, a fellow angler tried to net it with the only net on board. The net was almost as big as the fish and the head barely fits inside it. Luckily, it did and was able to land it. The hook fell off while we were taking pictures. It barely penetrated the jaw. It is my biggest diamond trevally on a micro jig so far. 4.2kg. It was my only fish on that trip. The spot was great but when the wind started to pick up, our jigs were barely hitting the bottom and the jigging action did not impart the correct action because our lines were almost horizontal. If only we had an anchor or a drift chute.

I almost lost my rod to a rogue cast of a boat mate. (Two guides pulled out from the blank. I hope the blank is still in tact). Just before going home, the rod and reel of my boat mate sank in the bottom of the ocean. My popper got tangled in his line during my cast. I didn't realize he was rigging behind me while I was casting. My other boatmate captured the rod and reel while was about to hit the water.

The trip was full of lessons. First is not put too many anglers in a small boat. The rent will be cheaper but it may cost you more if something happens. And believe me, accidents can happen. One or two is ideal. Also, do not forget to bring an anchor and a drift chute. Chances are, your boatman will not bring one and you'd never know when you will need them.

Shore fishing for Giant Trevallies (GT)

One of my long time dreams is to catch a nice GT on topwater --- either using a popper or a stickbait. My first attempt was on Grande Island a couple of months ago. It was sort of a disappointment because I did not catch anything. The closest that I got was an explosive strike from a big fish that I think was a GT. On the next trip a few weeks back, I went to Masinloc Zambales and did some light popping and stickbaiting and I was lucky enough to catch a red snapper but still no GTs.

Last Sunday, my luck changed. On that day, my game plan was to switch from UL tackle to Stickbait. I first sweeped the spot with my UL stick and when there are no takers, I combed the water with my stickbait combo. My stickbait was a Tailwalk Gunz Floating Stickbait at 60gms from Naks Nakamura, our local-Japanese fishing guide, and guru.

At around 8am, I chanced upon a shallow spot. Using cheap polarized glasses, I saw that the point of the shallow area has a deep drop that extends all the way out. At that time, it looked like a perfect spot for an ambush. I first casted using the UL and caught a small Cuda. After a few minutes or so, the bite died as if all of the residents were spooked as the water felt really silent. No surface activities whatsoever. I switched to my big stickbait combo and casted as far as I can. A few sweeps of the lure later, a huge swirl engulfed the lure and I instinctively set the hook twice. The reaction of whatever is at the end of the line was amazing. It pulled back with such force that my right leg slipped from my perch and almost fell into the water.

I managed to grab into one of the rocks and regained my composure. I sat down to gain balance while fighting the fish. I didn't realize that the drag was really heavy and standing up while fighting it was out of the question. Changing the drag setting was also out of the question.

A few minutes later the fish gave up and I was able to crank it near the bank. It was no match for my combo on PE3 line.

The problem is, the landing net was beyond my reach and instead of a metal lip grip, all I had was this Aji fish grip that looks like a big plastic scissors with tiny teeth.  This GT was way big for it. When the wave came in, I pulled the fish using the leader line and managed to grab it by the gill plate and dragged it to shore. It was my personal best 88cm and 8.5kg.

By 10am, the sun was too hot for fishing so I went home. I went back at four in the afternoon hoping to get another one. When I was fighting the fish, there was another one trailing it from behind. I sure looked bigger than this one. After 3 hours of casting and retrieving, I was drained and went home really spent. My body's still aching from casting and my shin is still bleeding but it was worth it. I am so gonna stickbait again next weekend. :-)