Addicted To Fishing

How do you know you are addicted to fishing?

Last October 1, 2008 we went fishing at Kalawisan Fishing Village in Lapulapu City. We aimed at catching the biggest haul of our lives. I was already prepared to shell out a few hundred pesos in case we catch lapulapu and giant bangus. A couple of friends joined me and my wife. This would be our second outing together because in our first outing the week before, they caught nothing, while my wife caught just one fish.

They were already ready with newly-purchased hooks, strings, swivels and floaters. I too was excited to use my brand-new fishing rod. My wife was just contented with the bamboo rod.

We set out early. Our friends arrived at 7am while we caught up with them past 8am. In our excitement, we forgot to put on sunblocks. As it was a breezy day with clear-blue sky, my wife and I didn’t mind the sun.

We ordered rice in advance for lunch hoping that we’d just cook our morning catch. Midday came but our buckets were still empty. We still haven’t caught a single fish. Hunger sets in so we ordered a kilo of crabs for lunch. “May we catch more fish for dinner, Lord” was a line I included in our prayer for lunch.

It was already 4pm when I felt my red-hot and burning skin. We caught a couple of small fishes but we returned them to the pond. Our friends caught a large milkfish, but in their excitement, they lost it, including their hook and floater. I, too, lost a possible big catch. The fish got the bait and my hook.

It was dark when I first caught a fish. The fish is locally known as “Kitong”. My friend also caught a bigger one minutes after. So for 12 hours of fishing, we caught two fishes with a total weight of 450 grams. We brought it home and fried it for dinner.

That night, my wife and I separately dreamt of fishing. The fish that got away wouldn’t leave my mind. She dreamt of catching a large fish. In the morning, I woke up in pain brought about by the sunburn. If not for work, I would have headed back to Kalawisan Fishing Village. So we just decided to go fishing again the succeeding weekend. In that month alone, we fished at least 6 times.

That, my friends, is what I call fishing addiction part 1.

Night Fishing in Cebu

Summer is definitely here and you can really feel the heat, literally. To those who wants to fish but wants to avoid the sun and all the effects it brings to your skin, night fishing is an alternative for you.

So, where do you go for night fishing in Cebu?

Cebu is an island surrounded with water so night fishing can be practically done anywhere, except for some restricted areas. An uncle of mine who is an experienced fisherman prefers night fishing when he wants to catch squid and larger fish species. “It’s cool at night and you won’t get drained immediately” he said.

If you have traveled by boat, have you ever noticed at night that there are lots of lights at the sea that you think they are fireflies? They are fishermen in their bancas. They fish at night because that’s time they get plenty of fish. Many fish species look for food at night, just like you and me when we want to have dinner or midnight snacks. The fish also follow the night lights so that they can see their food. That is the reason why fishermen carry with them bright lights at night – to guide the fish to their food, which unfortunately, is the bait that will lead them to our tables.

For those who are just into fun fishing, you can hire a boat in Mactan and fish at the Mactan channel. Or you can just go to the Porter Marina, pay P100 entrance and fish till you drop at 3AM. Fish for pay ponds like Co Jordan in Tayud, Consolacion, is open till 9pm, so you can still do night fishing. For dPond in Yati, Liloan, they have cottages with a room that you can rent overnight. It’s located at the center of the pond so that you can fish while you sleep.

Me and wifey usually go to the ponds starting 4pm till 8pm. The last time we went fishing at midday, my skin got burned.

(pic above was taken last Holy Thursday at Co Jordan in Consolacion, Cebu)

How To Tie, Set up A Fishing Hook

Honestly, one of my dilemmas in fishing is how to tie and set up the fishing hook. It looked so easy to others, especially for my cousins and uncles who lived by the sea, and whose livelihood are based on the sea produce.

But for a city boy like me whose more into books and office works, simply tying a fish hook is such a mess. So I thank God for videos, like these three below.

Tying Fishing Knot - Clinch Knot



How To Tie A Uni Knot Fishing Knot



If you still have some space in your brain to try another knot, here's an alternative:

How To Tie A Perfection Loop Fishing Knot



Learning how to tie a fishing knot is important especially if you catch larger species and they bite off your line and swallow your hook. In many instances, your line will break and you have to do some tying again.

So it's very basic that you know how to tie a fishing hook.

Fishing in Cebu

Fishing is my new hobby. I got addicted to it sometime in 2008 and it seems I'm not over with it yet. As a matter of fact, this hobby is contagious. I had convinced some of my friends, colleagues and family members to go fishing. It's fun really. But you need lots of patience when you are into this kind of game.

Where to fish in Cebu?

Cebu is an island in the Pacific surrounded by bodies of water. You can fish almost anywhere. But seriously, not really anywhere.

You can't fish at the Pier because entry is restricted. You can't fish at any beach because there are swimmers. In some parts, fishing is not allowed because of some environmental laws. But you can fish under the new Marcelo Fernan (Mandaue-Mactan) Bridge, at some fish-and-pay ponds, private ports, and rivers.

This site aims to direct you to some of the best fishing sites in Cebu where you can bring along your families, friends, girl or boy friends, spouses, kids, and even pets. From time to time, I will also post some helpful fishing tips I find in the net.

Happy fishing everyone!