Kayak Fishing Deep inside a Mangrove Forest - Part 2

The following day, I decided to fish downstream following the outgoing tide. No biggies this time but there were a lot of small ones. Perhaps they are afraid of the big bulls that control upriver.

Released most of the jacks after capture.

I always look around when I catch something. I really try my best to hide my catch from the locals because the minute they notice that something can be caught in the water, they will swarm the spot with spears, nets, and etc until nothing is left alive.

Kayak Fishing Deep in the Mangrove Forest - Part 1

It has been almost 6 months since my last kayak fishing. For this trip, I went deep inside mangrove forest in search for snappers. Using a kayak, I was able to experience nature and its residents. I intentionally did not put any music in this video so everyone can hear the sounds from where I was fishing.

Caught and released most of the jacks.

Mangrove Jacks and Philippine Black Snappers

The long weeked gave me an opportunity to fish my favorite target -- MJs and, what I would call, Philippine Black Snappers. Because of previous bad experiences with unworthy tackle, I changed my gear to slightly heavier setup.  I was using a Ryoga 2020HL with 50lb Sufix Matrix Pro braid, 40lb Lemax Leader. The rod I used was a Daiwa Procyon Flippin Stick. 17-30lb 7'6". Alternately, I used a modified Zillion with 50lb braid and a similar 40lb leader. Initially, I used the Zillion on a Majorcraft Slicer 6'8" 12-25lb rod but got scared that I might break the rod when stopping the fishes from reaching snags. So I sticked with Ryoga and the Flippin Stick.

So here's my personal take on the gears I used:

Terminal Tackle

Ok, I said I will not use these snaps anymore. But back then I was using the 55lb version --- the small ones. I thought that if I upsized the snap to 75lbs, it will survive these fishes ok. I was wrong.

Brand New 75lb Ten Mouth Snap mangled

Below are Owner Stinger #2 treble hooks. I oversized the hooks of my lures from the regular #4 to #2. I noticed that fishes can easily escape from small #4 trebles because they sometimes cannot penetrate the snappers' hard jaws.

Brand New pair of Owner Stingers Size 2 straightened. 

The Sufix Matrix Pro was an old line, probably four years old but still a strong reliable line. Although noisy on the guides, it made up for it in strength resistance to fraying. Surprisingly, the Lemax 40lb leader was able to withstand severe abrasion. There was one time when a 2kg MJ was able to pull line from the Zillion and managed to dive into the rocks, I was still able to pull it without the line snapping. These rocks are full of oyster shells. The line was severely frayed but managed to hold the fish longer for me to net it.

The lure? It's a Halco. What can I say, the paint tells all. I caught all except 3 of them using this one lure --- I got it for P50.

Rods and Reels

The Ryoga and the Flippin Stick are damn heavy. My right wrist is still aching from casting, working the lures, and retrieving fish. But despite the weight, the combo was an absolute beast in terms of stopping and cranking power. 

While the Zillion is capable of landing snappers in close quarter battle, these fishes are still able to pull a few feet of line which are all they need to get them to snags. The Ryoga on the other hand, has the power and torque to muscle them to where I want them to go. The downside is that my arms took all the beating during the fight.

In the end, if the fishing situation demands powerful rods and reels despite the weight, I wouldn't take anything else than the Ryoga on a heavy rod.

The Fishes

The smallest was 800 grams. The biggest was 2.25kg. A Black Snapper is thicker and rounder and the fangs are longer compared to an MJ.

And the most interesting thing about Black Snappers is that they don't taste good. Not even comparable to an MJ or a grouper. At first I thought that the fishes I got were not prepared properly or they have been dead longer than MJs. I had a couple of Blackies that were alive before cooking. The MJs had been dead for an hour or so. Both MJs and Blackies were cooked and prepared the same way. Still the MJs tasted better thank the Blackies.

I am thinking that the reason for their poor taste is because they live in freshwater. This also explains their coloration. They literally taste like freshwater fish. They taste like an overaged tilapia.

Come to think of it, I always catch Black Snappers on an outgoing tide downstream and also catch them on high tide but way upstream, never downstream. I think they follow the salinity of the water. When salinity is low, that's where they can be found.

So, the next time I catch a Philippine Black Snapper, I will be releasing them so that they can propagate and get bigger. Besides, they don't taste good.

Hunt for Mangrove Jacks Part 2

May 19, 2012: I got owned AGAIN!

I got my wish -- a rematch. I had been prepping for this day since the day I got shamed. Sharpened my hooks. Replaced some of the stock hooks with Owner ST-36. I opened my new 40lb  Accubraid in my box which was screaming for action. I knew that if I want to muscle the MJs from shore or even from a kayak, a minimum of 35lb braid is a must.

But for some unknown reason, I remembered that my Accubraid was still screaming for action inside my box and that box was left back home. With the thought that my reel is still loaded with 20lb Powerpro, I got really worried. It a mamaw strikes, I might lose the fish and my lure. Still, I decided to push through. I had no choice, I was far from home already and going back was no longer an option.

We arrived at my parent's house at around 10am and sparing no time, I geared up and drove my scoot to my spot. When I got to the spot, it was sooo darn hot. The tide was also still high and it will be a few hours before the current downstream will start. Disappointed, I drove back home and took a nap.

By 4pm, I was back on the saddle and was on my way to the spot. Perfect current and perfect weather. Rain still hasn't started but the clouds have covered the scorching sun. I changed tactics and casted towards the opposite bank. As soon as the lure touches the water, bam! A strike and after a few minutes, the fish was landed. A kilo and excellent size for steaming. Perfect start. As soon as I got the fish out of the lure, I casted again. And an hour later, another fish. This time, a bit smaller but nice fish nonetheless.

These were not the fishes that I came here to catch but I was relieved because if a mamaw hits my lure, I know I would be in a big problem.

And that exactly what happened.

It was almost dark so I decided to throw 5 more cast before going home. On the third cast,  huge swirl behind the lure and massive splash. The fish pulled line from my reel like it was a pig on steroids. Seven seconds and it's still pulling and a few seconds more it will reach the mangroves on the opposite side. I had no choice but to increase the drag, 2 clicks and toink! My braid recoiled back to my face --- without the leader and without my lure.

WTF! My lure is gone, again and my reel is almost half empty. I said to myself. I got owned! Again!

F&#^ the 20lb Powerpro, I am upsizing my line as soon as I get back to Manila. But for tomorrow, I will gamble with my remaining 20lb with my last lure and hope a miracle will happen.

Hunt for Mangrove Jacks Part 1

May 13, 2012 Sunday: I got owned

It was supposed to be hot and dry until the end of May and sometimes up to the middle of June. But this time summer somehow ended early. It was cloudy most of the day and it rains the entire afternoon. The rain was ok but the lightning is not something you want when fishing with a graphite rod on your hand.

I normally fish my favorite mangrove jack spot using a Kayak. But because our trip to my parent's home town was just an overnight-er, I left my Kayak behind. Fishing from shore, I have only one choice --- haruan. Unfortunately, by May, my Haruan spot had dried up and fishing it was not really an option. I had no choice but to fish the river. But I always thought that the river is not fishable from shore. I had to find a way to get to one of the banks to fish it. Took my 50cc Suzuki scooter and drove all over to ask for directions. Finally, I was able to find an access foot path where I can drive my scoot to one of the river's rocky banks.

This bank is not an ordinary bank. This is where I caught my 3.5kg MJ way back. I was so excited and scared at the same time. If fishing the spot from a kayak is hard, fishing it from the shore is suicide. But an addict is an addict and I had to try it. So, late afternoon took a 2pc BC rod, my favorite reel, a backpack with a few of my favorite lures and drove my scoot to the spot. I haven't left our street and rain started to pour. What the heck,I said to my self, I still get to fish - wet or dry. After a kilometer or so of driving, I parked, rigged my rod and reel with my WTD lure and scanned the water. It was low tide and it was raining. Topwater when raining might not be a good idea, I thought. Still, I casted near the bank and a strike. IT almost dove under the rocks. Good thing my drag was almost locked. I played the fish for a couple of minutes or so and landed it. Shy of a kilo and I was elated. Not bad.

After the catch, no more takers so I decided to switch to a bigger lure - a bigger WTG. I played with the lure for about an hour or so and still no bites. Then it rained really hard and the lightning were getting really close. I was soaking wet and decided to call it a day. But before I hopped into my bike, I casted a couple more. On my last cast, the rain all of a sudden turned into a drizzle and just as I was about to give up, a massive strike.  It was an unexpected panic driven strike. The fish pulled a amazing amount of line. I knew right that instant that it was a beast- a mamaw that has the muscle to punish me and my gear. And that's what it exactly did. It was taking a lot of line and it was nearing snags so I decided to increase my drag. After three to four clicks of increase in drag, the line went limp. The fish disappeared near the mangroves and with it was my favorite WTD lure with the 35lb leader still attached to it. My 20lb main line was just too light for this fish. It broke near the leader to main line connection.

I went home in shame and had a whole week of shallow sleep. It was a mamaw and it owned me. Again. I kept on telling myself, I want a rematch. And that's exactly what I got the following weekend.

Year End Catch: Mangrove Jacks on a Kayak

It's the day before New Year. I decided go out one last time before 2011 ends. I wanted to fish really early to catch the outgoing tide but too much beer and the cold made me want to stay in bed a little longer. My original plan of 4am fishing became 6am. Still, it was a bit dark and I was hoping the jacks would still be out playing.

Lucky me, after paddling for 15 minutes, I got a fish on my second cast and then another 5 minutes later. They were not too big but perfect for steaming. But then the locals noticed the commotion and decided to park their boats near me and started chatting. As soon as they started asking questions, the bite died down. I am not sure but the jacks seem to notice if there are people around. They are also shy when the sun started to shine.

Thinking that the fishing was over, I paddled back upstream to my launch point. On the way back, I stopped near a fallen log and casted one more time before calling it a day. It's a good thing I did, As soon as the lure touched the water, a fish slammed it. Two hours of fishing and I managed to catch 3 jacks. My last three fishes for the year.

Fishing Before the Storm

Typhoon Pedring (Nesat) entered the Philippines last Sunday afternoon and made landfall the following day Monday. It was really annoying when you have a fishing trip planned and then a storm will appear all of a sudden. It was also odd that in the past weeks, a storm always appear every weekend. We could not fish on weekdays because of work and for the past weeks, we couldn't even fish on weekends because of these typhoons. That Sunday, myself, my cousin JB, and Miko just can't accept that and we decided to push through even when there's a storm coming.

We decided to leave early to make the most of the clear weather. The plan was to bolt when the storm arrives -- and we expected that to happen in the afternoon. We got to the spot 6am and immediately rigged as soon as we parked the car. We were so pumped because we really need to maximize the short time to fish. But even though we got there early, the swell started to appear and the dirty water has mixed with the clean water on our fishing spot. From those signs, we feared that fishing would be tough.

And tough it was. We casted almost all imaginable lures we had and caught nothing. I lost 2 brand new madai jigs, one brand new squid jig, and another casting jig from rocky snags. Not a single bite for the most part of the morning until around 2pm.

Then past 2pm, the tide came in, and it cleared the water for a short while. The clear water triggered feeding, and we decided to use baits instead of lures. The change in tactics proved successful and we were rewarded with an almost-1kg grouper and two of these 2kg+ Mangrove Jacks.

Even when the typhoon appeared over the horizon, we continued to fish with baits but unfortunately, no bites after that. At around 5pm, heavy rains and strong wind battered the spot we were on and after a few minutes, we were soaking wet. We decided to call it quits while the roads going back to Manila are still passable.

Because of the rain and traffic, we arrived in Manila past 9pm. The trip was worth it and we will be coming back. The next time, I will be bringing my kayak with me.

Mangrove Jack Part 2

After the successful trip just before Christmas, I just can't control the itch. I really need to go back and see if the bully jacks are back. So,even though I still have a hangover due to previous night's drinking, I still went out to fish at around 5:30am. I paddled lazily to the spot and just before daybreak, I anchored securely near the opposite side of the bank.

I casted towards the rocky wall and then twitched the big six- incher WTD lure a couple of times. On the pause, a swirl appeared and then the lure sank. I barely had the time to set the hook. I fought the fish for a good 3 minutes or so. I saw that it was smaller 1kg Jack. When I was about to lip grip the fish, the hook came off. It was disappointing. Not a good way to start the morning. Or so I thought.

I checked my 37lb leader to see if there were any marks. No marks so I casted again on the far side of the rocks. Played the lure but no takers. I boatman on outrigger passed by and we exchanged pleasantries. He politely asked what bait I was using. When I said it was a big artificial, he said, ahhh ... with a sign of disbelief. When he went on his way, I casted again to the same spot and just as the lure hits the water, a big strike. I instinctively set the hook and played the fish. It was a 1.5kg Jack. Not the bully that I was hoping for. still, it was a great fight. The boatman saw me land the fish went back and anchored to watch me fish. I can see his eyes glare in disbelief.

So, with an audience next to me, I casted again to see if a bully jack is out to play. Twitched the lure twice and then something inhaled the big piece of plastic! I knew immediately it was one of the Bullies. I set the hook twice and it angered the fish. My reel was set to maximum drag and it still was able to get some line. I pumped sideways to make the fish turn. It did but tried to run again towards the snag. It gained some more line. I kept on pumping sideways to steer it away from the rocks. It worked and steadily I was able to gain some line. We kept on with the tug of war for a good ten minutes. When it was near the boat, it dove underneath the hull and it almost broke my 6ft Clarus. I hade to reach out to prevent the rod from breaking.

THe fish kept runnning around my kayak. I was literally helpless. When I was about to grip its lip, the fish would dive underneath. While everything was going on, the boatman kept cheering like he was watching a boxing match. He kept on saying, baka mabali! (It might break)! baka mabali! (It might break)! He was obviously referring to my tiny dalag rod mounted on a dalag reel.

When I was finally able to lip grip it, the boatman  shouted, P*%*@ &@& AHNNNG LAKHEEE! (F*@*$ it's so big!) It was indeed a big one (at least from the perspective of a dalag angler). One of the bullies i think. It was the best fight I had so far. Very powerful bully indeed. The fish knows how to ride the current of the outgoing tide.

A 3.5. My biggest Jack to date.

After exchanging stories with the boatman, I paddled back to the launch site and drove back home. It was 8am.

Oh, did I mention that I dropped my phone again?? It was my niece's phone that I borrowed last night. So, I have to buy 2 phones to replace the ones I broke. Good thing I was able to save my SIM. Anyway, it was worth it.

(Finally, I was able to get a decent copy from the Digicam.)

Here is a photo of the 1.5kg Jack.

Happy New Year everyone!

Mangrove Jack Just before Christmas Eve

Yesterday morning, I went to my favorite fishing hole using my Kayak. The weather was really nice. No rain, not too cold and not too warm. But the fishes seemed timid. My only catch was a small Jack and nothing more. My guess was because the tide was not right. So instead of exerting more effort I went back home and decided to practice fly casting instead.

In the late afternoon, I went back to the spot to check if the Big Bully jacks are back. Took out my favorite topwater lure and casted towards the river's bank while drifting with the incoming tide. I was probably casting for a good half an hour when I came across a deep pool near the bend in the river. I casted parallel to the bank and as soon as lure hits the water, a massive explosion swallowed my 4inch lure. On instinct, I set the hook hard. I was confident that my 30lb braid on the Citica should be able to take the fish. Oh sheet, my leader was only 20. I have set the drag at around 1kg. The fish took some line so I locked the drag immediately.

The fish might have felt the tension so it dove really hard and it managed to pull me with my kayak a good 15 yards towards the other side of the river. I wanted to drop my anchor to get a leverage but my anchor was still velcroed to the rope. I wasn't using it the entire day. When the fish was about to reach the snag, I decided to pump the rod to make the fish turn. On the first pump, It turned but it went back to the direction of the snag. I pumped one more time and then tack! my leader snapped. The fish ran off with my favorite lure. My guestimate, a good 5-6kg Bully Jack.

Today, I prepped myself for a quick round 2 just before Christmas eve. I replaced my leaders with a 37lb mono. Tied on a 40lb snap and brought out my last spare fave lure. I was really pumped, I barely got any sleep last night. At around 3pm today, I drove to my launch. When I was prepping my kayak, I realized that I forgot my paddle! F$##@! I had to load the kayak again and drove back home to get the damn paddle. At around 3:30, I was on the water again and paddling like mad to my new spot.

Before casting, I anchored my kayak really good and casted and casted like there's no tomorrow. No takers. I was really getting frustrated. I thought to my self, maybe the fishes knew about this lure since one of them has one like it as a lip ring. I switched lure to a bigger and louder 6-incher. After 15 minutes, bam! the dam fish missed. I went on with the WTD, the fish doubled-back and hit the lure again. WTF, it missed again and my lure went flying a couple of feet away. I gave the lure a couple of jerks and the fish went for the lure again. On the third attempt, it was fish on! I really thought that it was a big one but it turned out to be a smaller fish. A locked drag and an anchored kayak proved to be a no contest.

A 2.5kg Mangrove Jack!

Half an hour later, I managed to get another Mangrove Jack! A bit smaller at 1kg but fiesty. I was trying to take a photo and it thrashed around and knocked the phone off my hands. The phone got wet. There goes my Phone+Camera and all the photos in it.

I wasn't able to get even with last night's fish but I got two of its cousins. Just in time for Christmas eve noche-buena.

All Soul's Fishing

It has been a while since our last visit to Zambales. I was longing to use my kayak and visit my old Dalag spot. Once my kids had their school break, I also filed for vacation so I can take some time off from work. It was a perfect opportunity because there was no work on election day and also on the following Monday because it was All Soul's day.

On our way, we spent the night in Olongapo to meet up with the in-laws. It was still dark when I sneaked out for some quick fish just before we start our drive to Zamba. Somewhere in the shallows in Malawaan, I noticed a big shool of fish. It appeared like a school of travallies chasing baitfish. I casted a shallow diver onto the shool and cranked. After a few casts, It was fish on. It really felt like a trevally when it pulled line. When I landed it, it wasn't a trevally but a milkfish which was fould hooked on its back. It wasn't really sporting, but heck, it's still a fish and they were nice sized too. I repeated casting into the school and managed to catch 2 more until the school swam to deeper water.

When we got to Zamba, It was already late in the afternoon. No fishing yet but I managed to scout my old Haruan spot. I was hoping that after the rains, the marsh would have recovered from the drought last summer. Unfortunately, it was still dry in most places. The marsh that was previously waist deep in water, still is practically dry with some areas where water has accumulated. I went around the spot to check if Haruans started populating the place. They have but, unfortunately, they were just still too small for my lures. I was able to hook up one about five inches. I guess that I still need another year before they mature. I hope more rains would come and submerge the marsh some more.

The next day, I went out with my kayak and did some top water fishing. It was a really relaxing trip just before daylight. Nobody around but you, your kayak, and birds of different colors and sizes. I wasn't really expecting anything to catch something because the it wasn't the right tide. Still a mangrove jack managed to snatch my lure.

Last Sunday, I went to Masinloc and kayaked near the powerplant. It has a really nice potential but it appears to be heavily fished. When I got there, there were many motorized bancas fishing the area. The bay was also littered with floating fish cages. Not wanting to spoil the trip, I decided to hug the breakwaters and try my luck on squids using squid jigs from master bong. No luck on the squids so I decided to try my trusted top water lures. Fortunately, I managed to catch a familiar quary -- another mangrove jack.

Kayak Fishing Zambales (7-3-2010)

We went to Zambales for the 96th birthday of my wife's grandma. We left for Manila at around 10:30PM. But coming from work, I was too tired to drive further and we decided to spend the night in Olongapo and continue driving the following day.

7am Saturday, we went ahead and drove almost 3 hours to our destination. 10am, I hurriedly unloaded all our stuff and rigged my reels and the kayak. The birthday party will start in late afternoon so I still have a few hours to fish. I rested for a bit then drove to my favorite spot and launched the Kayak. It was almost 12nn and it was scorching. The tide was good so I fished even when the sun was unbearable.

To get away from the sun, I paddled into the narrower tributaries to get under the shade of trees. Rested a bit and then paddled back again into the deeper part of the river. Here's what the tributary looks like. When the tide is right, there are big mangrove jacks cruising in here.

When the water reached the peak tide, I went back to the deeper parts of the river. Luckily, the clouds covered the scorching sun and it started to drizzle.  I threw a huge popper/walker and got a decent sized Mangrove Jack. Around 1.5kg.

The strike was awesome. It was like someone threw a big rock into the water. Like all jacks, it swam full speed to the direction of snags. It was a good thing my reel's drag was recently replaced with Carbontex from Smoothdrag. It was really smooth and subdued the fish with ease.


I still wanted to fish but it was almost 4pm and I had to go back for the party.

Too bad the vacation was very short. We had to drive back to Manila Sunday. We were supposed to leave very early sunday but my hangover was unbearable. I had to sleep it off until lunch. Because of that, I also missed the Haruan tournament in Bulacan. Anyway, there's next time.

Zambales Kayak Fishing [5-2-2010]

Went Kayak fishing in Zambales. I followed the estuarine river inland and was not disappointed.

On the first outing (6am-8:30am), I got a 1.3kg Mangrove Jack (Pargo) on topwater. I had to call it quits because it was scorching hot.

I went out again before daybreak this morning -- before going back to Manila -- and got another one further upriver. This one is somewhere between 1.5 to 1.7kg. It fell for a topwater lure as well. Stopped fishing by 8am.

My Year-end Fishing Trip [12-31-09]

On the afternoon of December 31, I decided to sneak off to my new favorite hole. I wanted to try my newly installed Scotty Rod Holder on the Kayak. I wanted to make sure that the screws on the kayak wouldn't leak and it would be easy to access the rod while paddling. And, most importantly, catch a Mangrove Jack or better yet, a wild apahap on topwater.

After launching the kayak, I didn't fish immediately. I just paused and drifted with the current and enjoyed the view and tranquility of being on a kayak on an estuarine river. It was awesome. I thought to my self, this is the way to end the year. Here is what it looks like while drift fishing on a kayak. It was totally awesome.

 It was an excellent way to end the fishing year indeed. I got 5 strikes from biggies. 3 hookups and I lost my favorite lure from a big fish.

The first hookup was from a 2kg Mangrove Jack. I was able to land this one. One thing is odd, though, the color is not the usual maroon-brown. This one is golden brown. This one was not released. It went to the new year dinner table.

The last hookup ended my fishing trip. I was casting on the edge of a fallen mangrove tree when it struck. Even when my drag was locked down, it still managed to pull some line and dove under the trunk of the tree. I was planning to dive under to retrieve the lure and the fish but the current was too strong. I tried to pull the line and when I thought I was about to gain the line, the leader snapped. Dang!

Anyway, at least I know I have one fish to look forward to next summer.

Zambales Holiday Fishing

I went kayak fishing during the Christmas holiday in Zambales. I was able to land 2 Mangrove Jacks and 1 Barracuda using my favorite lure, Heddon Zara Spook.

When the salties were not biting, I drove to my freshwater honey hole for some snakehead fishing. Total hookups, 10. 6 landed.

Can't wait for the New Year holiday. I might sneak some kayak fishing to my newly discovered estuarine river.

Zambales [November 2009]

I have been planning for this trip for months. I have prepped all my gears and my kayak for the trip. Then Santi came along. A long weekend was about to be ruined by yet again a nasty typhoon. We were about to cancel the trip as the typhoon was expected to hit Zambales on October 31 and Nov 1. We were worried that if we push through with the trip, Carael in Botolan, Zambales might get flooded again and will be impossible for light vehicles to pass through. We don't want to get stranded in Zambales. Kids need to go back to school and me and my wife need to report for work.

Anyway, on October 30, I took a gamble as the storm didn't appear to be that strong and may change course over the weekend. Luck turned out ok. When we arrived in Zamba, it was sunny and there wasn't a trace of an impending typhoon. When we arrived 3pm, we unpacked, I unloaded the kayak and all other gears. I grabbed a baitcast combo and hurriedly went to my favorite fishing hole nearby. I started fishing 4pm and by 5:30, I was able to hook 6 Haruans and landed 5 nice sized dalags. 1 big mama got away when it did an areal and threw the hook. I only was able to take pictures of 3 because locals started getting interested in my catch. I had a feeling that they would ask for them so as soon as I unhook the fishes, I threw them back into the water.

The following day, the weather turned sour. Wind started to blow and the sky got really dark. Still, I decided to give the kayak a shot early morning and went to a Saltwater lake near our place. It's a good thing I had a drift sock. Even with strong winds, I was able to drift slowly and cast along the edge of mangrove areas. I had a hookup near a bunch of bamboo branch but the fish threw the hook after a few runs. My guess was a pargo (Mangrove Jack) probably a kilo or so. By 11 am, I had to give up as the wind was getting stronger and casting was really difficult. No catch for that day for the yak.

The next day November 1, I went again to the saltwater lake with the yak. I was only given a 3 hour visa to fish as we had so many errands that day. Heck, 3 hours of fishing is better than nothing. I decided to troll a husky jerk to cover larger area. After around half an hour, I was rewarded with my first fish on a kayak. A 1 kg Mangrove Jack (Pargo).

Before going back to Manila, I managed to sneak off into an estuarine river that one of the locals told me about. According to them, they regularly catch Mangrove Jacks and Barramundi up to 4 kilograms. I surveyed the area for an hour using the kayak. It was an awesome river. I only managed to check a small portion before my wife called. We had to go back to Manila as we are expecting traffic. True enough it was a 7 hour drive going back. I am so tired and my body is still aching. Next time, I am definitely exploring the entire river.

I can say that the trip was "bitin" --- bad weather, too many errands, and other things. But still, I managed to accomplish what I had planned. Maybe next trip during the Christmas break, I would be able to fish for longer periods and hopefully catch bigger fishes.