Finally, A Mama Toman!

We heard that the tomans are getting active so we (Me, my cousin JB, Mikko and RC) decided to head off to Lakeshore early this morning. I wasn't able to sleep really. I kept imagining hooking up a mama toman for sooo long. I was able to catch a number of juvie tomans but I didn't seem to feel satisfied. I really wanted to hook, photograph, and release a mama toman.

Mikko, JB, and RC starting casting as soon as they got off the pickup. Me, I was left behind. I was struggling to rig my two Revo casting combo. On the first attempt, the line didn't pass through the reel's line guide. I had to redo both reels. I was soo annoyed. While my companions were busy casting and changing lures, I was still rigging.

But, luck is on my side. On my second cast --- seriously --- the second cast --- while I was still getting the feel of the reel and the lure, there was a huge explosive strike! On instinct, I set the hook. I knew it was big. When it peeled line from my Revo Inshore, I knew I hooked the mama toman! But oh men! we forgot the landing net. I had to wade into the water so I can reach the fish with my lip grip. I wasn't going to lose it. It was amazing. I made short strong runs and when you gain line and when the fish is almost within reach, it will give a quick burst of speed. Too bad, it was no match to my GoodCatchFishing combo (Fenwick HMG- Revo Inshore - Sufix Superior Leader - Sufix Matrix pro braid) combo. :D

It was a 5.7kg mama with muscle and it is still out there for other anglers to try and capture.

We took a few photos, quickly weighed, and then released it.

I went around the lake and fished some more. It was amazing. Luck was really on my side. I landed three more. A couple of 1kg+ and one that might hit 2kg.

When I thought the lucky streak was over, I went over to the dock near the Lakeshore office. I casted and casted around the dock. After half an hour of casting and retrieving, something struck from almost under the wooden piling. Another big mama. I knew it was big from the very first run it made. I fought it for around ten minutes. I wanted to get down the water so I can land it but I chickened out because the spot is near the dock, the water might be deeper. I didn't have a landing net. All I have is a short lip grip. The Lakeshore crew saw the commotion and one of them ran to the back of the office to get their landing net. Unfortunately, they cannot find their net.

Oh men! the fish was huge. It is not as fat as the first mama but it was longer. It can easily reach 5kg. With no other choice, i grabbed the leader hoping to lift the head near enough so i can grip the mouth. But dang! the lure came of when the fish made a quick roll! Anyway, at least I got to take a look at its size. :rofl:

Mikko also got a couple of nice sized Tomans using a Buzzbait.

JB got another but was not able to take a picture as his phone's battery got drained.

All in all it was an awesome trip. Short but sweet! :D

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.

Lake Lumot [10-25-09]

Since almost all of the fishing holes near Metro Manila are no longer productive after the massive flooding a couple of weeks ago, Miko, JB, and I decided to try Lake Lumot in Laguna. It's around 2.5 hours drive from Manila if you leave very early on a Sunday. On regular days, it should take 3.5 hours.

We were really excited because we heard that October to December is a very productive month in the lake and last week, a fellow angler caught a 3.5kg (7.7lbs) Largemouth Bass. We also heard that there are huge dalags (Haruans) that are being regularly caught there.

We left at around 5:30am and reached our destination at around 8am. We had breakfast at the home of our wonderful host Manong Edgar. After breakfast, we prepped our gears and then went to the pantalan (Launch area) where our boat was docked.

Miko and JB waiting for our ride

Mikko trolled cranks on the way to our base, a small island where Manong Edgar's kubo is located. Except for Miko, this was the first time we fished Lumot. The place was amazing. The place was tranquil and at the same time exciting. The lake is about half the size of Lake Caliraya but according to locals there are more deep areas here compared to Lake Caliraya. Deeper water means colder water. This is the reason why there are bigger largemouths.

Miko trolling cranks

Manong Edgar our excellent host and captain

I brought my kayak with me. I was hoping to catch a bass or a haruan from kayak. After three trips with it, I still haven't caught anything using a kayak. Aside from catching fish from a kayak, I was also trying to familiarize myself with some basic kayak fishing skills such as anchoring, drift fishing, casting while sitting, and kayak trolling. It was really difficult at first because my movements were limited. I had a couple of rods at the back of the seat and changing rods while on the water requires a lot of practice. I also had most of my gears stowed on a milk crate at the back. I was afraid that if I turn around to get my gears, I might tip the kayak and capsize. After half day of fishing on it, I got confident and was able to change gears, locate and replace gears at the back. I still need to practice facing and sitting sideways on the kayak so i can reach the milk create.

Drift fishing/casting was fun except that I don't have a drift sock (sea anchor). When the wind blows, the kayak drifts really fast and it will turn by itself. With a drift sock, I should be able to maintain a spot where I am facing.

Trolling was extremely hard without the rod holders in the bow (front). I have a couple of Scotty rod holders but I was not able to mount them on the yak because I cannot find well nuts or nylon rivets to mount them with. Aside from the gears, trolling using a kayak was a real tiring method. Still, it was a good exercise. I had a couple of hookups but both of them got away. I realized that the cranks I was using have really small treble hooks which might not be suitable for bass.

My Yak

When we reached the island, we had lunch and enjoyed the view. The hut was on a island hill which gives you a view of the lake. Perfect spot for relaxing and camping. Manong Edgar's father did a wonderful job of cleaning/maintaining the island's landscape.

A view from the hut.

At around 3pm, we resumed fishing. Miko and JB fished from the boat while I fished using the kayak. We docked at around 6:30pm. We didn't catch anything unfortunately. We didn't have suitable worms for bass, and even if we did, none of us really knows how to use them. Still, the trip was excellent. Hopefully, the next time we fish there we will be prepared and catch a bass or haruan. At the dock we met Noel (tailwalk) and company. They caught around 7 largemouths with one at around 1.5kg (?). All were caught using worms.

Next trip, Zambales!