An Update on the Popular Ponds near Manila

Here's some update on our popular freshwater ponds near Manila after the flooding last week.

Apalit ponds were not affected. Business as usual for those who would like to fish there. The only problem was the road from the green gate to the ponds are muddy and may be a challenge for the smaller vehicles. I am sure the management would be able to fix that road in no time.

Lakeshore is open but it appears that the Toman's are no longer worth targeting. I have been there a few times. Even the small ones are no where to be found. I scoured the lake for the entire day with my kayak and i did not even get a single strike even from the small ones. Come to think of it, I never did see any rising or feeding tomans. I am not sure but it appears that the lake overflowed and perhaps the big ones got out. Those toman's on the aquarium tank have been there for a long time so I am not sure when was the last time someone caught a big one from there.

Aling Nene's ponds are closed. They just seeded their ponds after losing most of their stocks during the floods. They don't allow anglers yet as the stocks are still being restored (The ponds literally contains small fishes for the meantime).

Kapitan Larry's pond is accessible but they don't allow fishing yet. Like Aling Nene, they are currently restocking their ponds. They lost most of their stocks as the floods reached up to the neck when you are standing in front of the kubos. The nets were not high enough to contain their stocks. Lawak's dike also collapsed and most of their stocks escaped into the river. When the tides rose, dirty water got in the ponds killing the fishes after a few days.

Most of the ponds in Coloong lost their stocks from flooding. Locals were catching them in the streets and sometimes inside the flooded houses.

According to Coloong locals, a lot of people caught Apahaps in the 20kg range. According to them, the fishes appeared weak as the water got contaminated with oil and gas. Those that did not escape the ponds eventually died due to the contamination of gasoline and oil. After a few days of flooding, the ponds were full of dead rotting fishes. It appears that Coloong will need at least 3 to six months for tilapia and bangus fishing and over a year for Apahap fishing to become productive again.

Subic on Kayak [9-20-09]

Every time I go out fishing, the most common problem I encounter is getting to the best spots. I always had to settle fishing on the shore together with the rest of the anglers. When fishing salt water or estuaries, getting a boat is almost always a must. But in most cases, there are no available boat or renting a boat will cost you an arm and a leg.

I first got the idea of kayak fishing when browsing Youtube's Chew-on-this episode featuring fishing on a kayak on one of Florida's estuaries. It was amazing! The angler can crawl very near the tarpons and snooks without spooking them. It was an spectacular concept --- paddling on your own, fishing wherever and whenever -- salty rivers, marshes, lakes, surf. No limitations except the capacity of the kayak and the skill of the kayaker.

There was a hitch, however. Kayak's are relatively expensive in the Philippines. Aside from being expensive, there are very few dealers of such watercraft. This means, there are very limited choices.

Last weekend, I finally got my wish. It is an 11' 2" Ocean Kayak Scrambler. I got it second hand through the help of my brother in law. Yesterday, I got to test it in Subic's Malawaan Fishing area. It was pretty stable and fast enough for my needs. It is not yet rigged for fishing so I need to fabricate the accessories such as paddle leash, anchor trolley, drift sock, dry boxes/bags, and rod holders. Still, even though it is not yet fully rigged, I had tons of fun.

I was able to explore the estuarine rivers. It was an amazing experience. So serene and at the same time exciting --- and then my brand new Fenwick HMG with Carbon Veil technology broke for no apparent reason! But that's another story.

Pictures courtesy of Dowie and Anthony. Thanks.

Malawaan, Subic 9-13-09

We were originally planning to go back to Lakeshore to target the Tomans. But because of the weather --- nothing but rains, floods, and wind due to the storm --- we had to cancel. This morning, I had to hastily go to Subic to pick up a recently acquired fishing toy. So I told Bong that I was going but it was virtually impossible to fish because of the storm. Bong decided to tag along to help me load this new toy.

Because we are fanatic boy scouts and anglers, we brought along light tackle for both fresh and salt, just in case. It's also a good time to test my Fenwick HMG from FB :D

We arrived at Subic past 10am. Since it was still early, we decided to try Malawaan, despite the fact it was really pouring, the waves are impossible, and the water was muddy. So we casted, and casted, and then bam! An unexpected strike from a very tasty fish!

2.2 kg. I cannot wipe the grin off my face. :D

I tried again and I got another strike but it was too much for my lure.

I think it was the same fish who broke my leader a couple of weeks back. I just said to myself, I am getting even :devil: