- Norbert Cabrera with his catch of two Sailfish
By
John Balingit
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Bolinao, a town on the western most point of Pangasinan about one hour and a half travel by car from Dagupan City was the site of previous Sportfishing tournaments of the Philippine Game Fishing Foundation, the mother club of fishing clubs in the Philippines and the Philippine Sport Fishing Club.
In fact, Philippine Sport Fishing Club has held two of its tournaments this year here in Bolinao, one last February and the other last October 23 to 24. More than 15 anglers from Metro Manila have attended these two tournaments.
During the past February Tournament last 1999, angler Norbert Cabrera from Pasay City in Metro Manila was the champion by virtue of his catch of two Sailfish one weighing 9.7 kilograms and the other weighing about 8 kilograms (Susay in local dialect).
The equipment used by Mr. Norbert Cabrera is a conventional trolling reel spooled with 600 yards of 30-pound monofilament (nylon) line.
This is the standard equipment used by anglers who target the Sailfish. The more experienced anglers opt to use “light tackle” equipment consisting of 12-pound line to give it a better fighting chance.
Local fishermen from Bolinao use a homemade hookless artificial lure known as “sprikitik” or Mop lure to catch this sought after member of the Billfish family that includes the Blue Marlin (Bondjing in local dialect), Black Marlin & Swordfish.
The Sailfish is an excellent game fish, providing the angler with scorching runs when hooked, sometimes attaining speeds of 90 KPH. But what attracts the angler to the Sailfish is its acrobatic leaps when trying to throw-off the hook.
Moreover, a new word has been coined from one of its trademark leaps, known as “tail walking”.
February is the month when the Sailfish season starts and they are usually “undersized”, ranging from 5 kilograms up to 28 kilograms. Sailfish found in Bolinao are actually of juvenile age but the mature ones are found in Barangay San Vicente, Sta. Ana, Cagayan, the northeastern most tip of Luzon. The size of these mature sailfish ranges from 15 kilograms up to 60 kilograms.
Most anglers from the Philippine Game Fishing Foundation prefer to take the 12 hour road trip to "Susay Rock" in Cagayan in the hopes of nailing the “Big One”.
Aside from its reputation as a sought after gamefish, the Sailfish is also an excellent food fish comparable to the Blue Marlin.
Bolinao has become the most productive fishing area in Pangasinan thanks to the efforts of Mayor Jesus Celeste of Bolinao and Mayor Alice Pulido of Anda.
For more info on the Sailfish see the gamefish section or contact me at:
Tight lines!
