Lake Caliraya and CPR [March 29, 2009]

Me, Mikko, Kyle, and my cousin JB went to Caliraya yesterday to try Bass fishing and to sample the famed CPR (Caliraya Paradise Resort).

We arrived at around 6am and immediately geared up. The first to catch was JB. His first visit in Caliraya and his first Bass as well.



We went to some of the remote coves and while checking for a spot to anchor, I trolled for a while and caught this nice fish. This is my first Bass ever.



When the sun started to get hot, bass fishing became really slow. These fishes probably hate the heat more than us.

We decided to go to CPR after eating lunch. Mikko, tied on one of Bong's spinnerbaits. After a couple of cast, Mikko caught this really big fish.



As the hour went by, Mikko keeps on catching dalags one after the other --- using the same spinner bait:


The total, six hookups and 5 landed.


That particular spinner bait was so hot. Even though I have casted almost all of my other spinners on CPR, all I got was a very small dalag. Other than that, no strikes. Paging Bong, we need more of your magic spinners. :D

Kyle, who was on the other end of the pond, was hauling Carps. (Photos will follow). He was hollering for Landing Net when he is hooked to a carp but we are unable to help because we had to go around the pond to get to him. I think he lost a couple or so. Fortunately, he was able to land 5 of them, i think --- using the pond owner's landing net,

At the end of the day, we caught 2 bass, 5 dalags, and 5 carps.

Dalag Fishing Coloong [March 22, 2009]

The original plan was to hit CPR (Caliraya Paradise Resort) in Caliraya, Laguna --- around 2 hours from Manila. But because of domestic commitments, none of the guys who are part of the plan were able to commit. I think most of my fellow anglers were not able to push through with any of their fishing plans that weekend.

Not wanting to waste a good day for fishing, I decided to hit Coloong (Kap's pond) for a short dalag fishing trip -- 10am to 2pm. I got an SMS from Obet and he decided to go to Aling Nene's pond. Bong, who was supposed to go to Subic, SMS'ed and checked if anyone would go to CPR but in the end, decided to tag along with me. Mikko, also a fellow angler, who was supposed to hit Lakeshore, turned up at Aling Nene's as well.

Picked up Bong at around 9am, and drove to Coloong. Because we were so busy talking about fishing stuffs while driving, I missed the Meycauayan exit on the expressway. We left the expressway via Marilao. On our way back to Coloong, we stopped by a surplus shop (Ukay-ukay) to check if there are some fishing stuffs that can be had.

Anyway, we arrived at Colooong past 10 and took the banca to Lawak and started fishing at around 10:30. It was a welcome break --- there were so few anglers at lawak that we were able to fish quietly for a few hours. Unfortunately, the dalags are not in the mood. All I got is a single fish using one of Bong's spinners.

 Even though it was just almost a kilo in weight, it gave a really nice fight.

After a few pictures, the fish was placed back where it came from.

At around 1pm, we took the banca and went back to the main pond. We met Paul on the way. Paul is also a fellow angler who was with his family at that time. Before going home, we passed by Aling Nene's pond to meet up with Obet and Mikko. We were planning to cast for around 15minutes or so and then go back to Manila. But, when Mikko got a hookup with a large apahap (which escaped after a jump), the 15 minutes lasted for more than an hour. Before we knew it, it was already 4pm.

I really hope that next week, CPR would push through. I have this feeling that we are running out of places to fish. :-)

Coloong Dalag Hunt [March 15, 2009]

I told myself that I will focus on dalags instead of Apahaps. That's after 3 sundays of zero Apahap landings. I almost got one a couple of weeks back. On March 8, I hooked a really big Apahap in Aling Nene's pond. I was using the Revo Inshore with 10lb Fireline mounted on a Shimano Clarus rod. The lure I was using was a 4' firetiger plastic swimbait from Storm. I got over-confident and only used 2 feet of 19lb Sufix Synergy Mono as a leader. After a few casts on the hot spot, I got a heavy strike and three fast runs . . . and then a snap. I lost the fish and the lure. It easily cut through my 19lb mono leader. My estimate is that the fish that struck my large lure could reach a double-digit.

Oh well, yesterday, I was trying to convince myself not to cast for apahaps anymore and tried dalag fishing instead. I was using Bong's b-new spinners, which were awesome, by the way.

Anyway, on the fourth cast, I got a nice dalag. It struck the spinner and dove into the side of the dike. The fish seems to be burrowing on the muddy bank.

Ok fine, I failed to resist the urge. I had my 7ft Berkley rod with a 5601SSC3 loaded with 15lb Powerpro. It had a large plastic swimbait ready for you know what. After a couple of hours or half-hearted dalag hunting, I gave in and casted around with the large gear. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any strikes. :-)

On my next trip, I would probably try dory (Pangasius), carp, and/or pacu fishing in Caliraya, Laguna. I may be able to fish for dalags as well. I heard dalags there are enormous. I just have to find a free weekend.