I got skunked when we went out fishing last November 2. It was just Bien who managed to boat a decent sized fish Filipino Anglers in Pundaquit . Oh, Alan also caught a rainbow runner, but wasnt’ able to take photos..

The next day, I went back to Pundaquit but this time it was with my family. My wife has been craving for the beach and a short vacation for some time now and the semestral break gave us an opportunity to have a getaway in Zambales.

Being and addict angler, I sneaked away to troll for a few hours. I mentioned in one of my articles before that my friend JL has a boat in Pundaquit. I rode the PELAGIC, JL’s bangka and operated by Randy aka Bodjie We left shore at around 5:00am and managed to hookup a rainbow runner ( the locals call it salmon ) It did not give any fight at all. When it struck, it was as if i was snagged by garbage or debris, the real did not scream and let the line out really slow. A similar incident happened to me before and looking at how the debris flashed, I was pretty much sure it was a fish. I reeled it in and when it was near the boat I thought it was a small fish (less than an kilo), I told randy to just lift it off and not to bother shutting down the engine or gaffing the fish (because I thought it was just a small fish). This proved to be a HUGE mistake as when Randy pulled up the leader it became evident that it was not a small fish. Just as the fish left the water, it wriggled itself free from the lure. Which was my mistake #2 as I didn’t set the hook.

So here’s a lesson for all of you. (1) Don’t forget to set the hook by yanking the rod a few times. In tagalog, “Libre naman ang saltik” (2) When boating a fish it is best to have the engine off and use a gaff.

I just treated that hookup as an accidental catch and release. hehhe.. We trolled again for a few minutes and then STRIKE! My reel screamed for several seconds as Randy gunned the boat. When I got hold of the rod, I gave it a few yanks to set the hook and then the fight was on. It wasn’t really a strong pull but the fish did take line a few times before surrendering to the gaff. And there was my price for the day, 3kg Albacore Tuna ( or probably a little less than 3kg).

Wow, I said to myself. It’s just 8:30am and I’ve caught two fish already… hehhe.. around half and hour later, the misis texted me asking me where I was. And it was about the right time to go back to shore.

I have a Part 2 of this article, but it’s not much about fishing, maybe a little. Stay tuned!