Barramundi are a salt and freshwater sportfish, hunted by all types of anglers. They have large silvery scales, which may become darker, depending on their environment. They reach up to 1.8 meters, though evidence of them being caught at this size is scarce.

They are mainly a summertime fish, but can be caught all year round, and may be found frolicking in disturbed waters. They are usually targeted with large hard-bodied lures. Although many fishermen are well known for catching and studying barramundis, there is much to be discovered about these mysterious predators.

In Metro Manila, the best place to find barramundis is in Valenzuela City,  the northern tip of Metro Manila bordering the neighbor province of Bulacan.  Towns such as Coloong and Tagalag in Valenzuela consists of large fish ponds that  raise Tilapia, Bangus(Milk Fish) and shrimps.  The waters from these ponds come from the Bulacan river system and when  monsoon  arrives during the wet season, the river system floods and overflows into these fish ponds and along with them, wild barramundi.

Until recently, with the growing number of anglers in the Philippines, the local fishermen are only accustomed to catch Tilapia and Bangus on a rod and reel.  On very rare occasions, they would accidentally hook up barramundi who snatch the tilapias while reeling them in.   And for so long a time, these wild barramundis were literally untouched and alot of them have grown to formidable sizes.

Kapitan's pond

The place we go to is called Kapitan’s Pond in Coloong, Valenzuela. The pond is open on weekdays and weekends, from 7 am till the sun sets as there are insufficient lighting around the area. Ample parking is however available. Several nipa cottages can be rented at 300-400 day, good for 6-8 persons. For those who choose to just fish under the trees, a 50 php entrance fee is charged upon weigh in of catches.
On weekends, a modest service boat (banca) ferries people to the bigger outer pond for 25 pesos per head, to be paid on the return trip. Grills are available for use but is on a first come first served basis, so it is best to bring your own grill and charcoal. Bait is available on site, on weekends but rarely on weekdays. There are vendors near the entrance in the early mornings who sell them for 20 pesos per cup.  Unfortunately, there are no swimming pools on the area. There are two comfort rooms in near the huts but there are none on the outer pond where the boat takes you. There is no restaurant on site so you need to bring your own food.

Map to Coloong

How to go to Coloong?  If you have a car,  you can proceed to NLEX,  and Exit at Valenzuela Exit and turn left and travel down Maysan Rd. Just go straight until you reach McArthur Hiway and turn right and drive towards Malanday until you see the Meralco Office on your right. Turn left at the inverted Y intersection and drive about 1.5 km and turn right at the very first crossroad. Thats Coloong 1. go straight ahead about 1.5 km until you reach a public school on your right. About 100 meters ahead, turn right to Kapitans pond.

For the commuter, the easiest way to get to Coloong is via Public Bus. From anywhere in Edsa, hail a Bus bound for Malanday/Meycauyan. These buses will ply the Edsa – Monumento – MacArthur route going to Valenzuela, which was described in Option 2 above. Get off at the Meralco Office (on your right) at Malanday. Cross the road and board the jeeps going to Obando, get off at Coloong 1 and get one of the pedicabs or tricycles to bring you to Kapitans pond.

My catch - 12lb Barramundi

I usually bring 2 sets of rod and reels in coloong,  one set is for the bangus/tilapia and the other for casting.   A good sized bangus ( milkfish) can give a good fight with a light tackle.   A 1kg bangus on a 2500 sized reel with a 5-12lb rod and 12lb line can can get your adrenaline pumping.

I was using a similar setup when a 12.6lb barramundi struck my lure. I was fan casting on one corner of the pond.  Persistence usually pays as I was dropping my lure in one location for almost an hour while other anglers who were near me already went to move to another location. And with a huge splash as if a kindergarden kid fell into the water, the barramundi struck my lure.   It gave a really good fight, did several tailwalks and circled 3-4 times.  Its is best to take it easy on the drag when battleing out with these monsters.  Unlike in the wild where you can get snagged by underwater structure,  obstruction in Kapitan’s pond is basically non-existent and you can take a dandy time waiting for the fish to tire itself.  It took rougly 20 min. until the fish was landed.   Brought it to the weighing station and it tipped the scales at 5.75 kg and it cost me P1000 to bring it home.   Barramundi are great table fish, the meet is white and soft and great tasting and   I definitely brought it home.

A few more pics of my buddy’s catch…

Bien's 5kg(?) Barra

Alan's 2kg Barra

For more info about Fishing in the Valenzuela area, please visit valenzuelafishing.wordpress.com