Game Fishing Tournaments San Vicente Cagayan Philippines
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Image courtesy Rodney Hegerty
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Game fishing tournaments in the Philippines are monthly affairs organized by various angling groups around the country. To find out about what is going on and who to talk to about getting involved is a challenging. Characteristic of the sport no doubt, even when you find “the right person” you need to apply constant prodding to finally gaff and disgorge the desired information.
Despite the obstacles, we have finally obtained the schedule of the Philippine Game Fishing Foundation’s (PGFF) calendar for this year, albeit a little late. The 2010 game fishing tournament schedule was published a couple of weeks ago on MyCam-Asia.tv’s website under the Game Fishing In The Philippines section.
Game fishing as a sport in the Philippines largely started in the early 1900s, with the arrival of the Americans. The colonial Americans built dams, initially to secure water supplies and later for hydro electric power generation. Strangely bored by the other attractions of the country they then stocked the dams with (mostly) bass, so that they could pass their weekends idly watching their lines for activity and sport. Today, most of the country’s dams are beneficiaries of those early imports from the USA. The dams offer excellent game fishing opportunities and tempt skillful anglers with prospect of black/wide mouth bass weighing in at as much 7-10 kilos, although 2-4 kilos are the most common.
Today the Philippine game fishing industry has expanded to include off-shore game fishing tournaments, where game fishing aficionados take to their boats in search of ocean wandering fish such as dorado, wahoo, marlin, sailfish and trevally.
The support infrastructure for the game fishing industry, and the knowledge of the best areas to fish at certain times of year, has remained a largely invisible. This is changing slowly and more fishing tackle shops and knowledge points are opening, especially within Metro Manila – where the bulk of the game fishing enthusiasts earn their money to pay for their sport.
The game fishing industry in the Philippines could potentially infuse millions of foreign dollars into the local economy every year, with package tours arranged from Europe and North America especially. The only barrier to the development of Philippines game fishing as a profitable tourist attraction for the country would seem to be a lack of vision on behalf of the game fishing community and a lack of organisation of transport and tourist facilities near to the best fishing action. That is not to say that the game fishing community is inactive but rather, it focuses on very local needs and aspirations.
If you want to GetWet game fishing in the Philippines then you need to know that the next PGFF off-shore game fishing tournament is scheduled for 11th-13th June, 2010, in the waters off San Vicente, Cagayan province. There are some good resorts in the vicinity of San Vicente and infrastructure is growing (coincidentally) in support of the burgeoning casino industry in the area, e.g. it is now possible to fly to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, direct from Macau and Incheon (Korea). Hiring a boat/banka for the event is easy as the local fishermen enjoy the alternative income and can impart useful local knowledge. If you would prefer to buy a boat and be the captain of your own destiny then contact Broadwater Marine in Subic Bay, Manila or Cebu, as they have some very suitable boats available for sale right now.
The Best Bass Fishing In The Philippines
The best black/wide mouth bass fishing in the Philippines can be found in Caliraya Lake (Laguna) and Pantabangan Dam (Nueva Ecija).
Off-shore Game Fishing In The Philippines
Good places for off-shore game fishing in the Philippines can be found in most of the least accessible places around the country: the most recognised are San Vicente (Cagayan Valley), Calatagan & Ambil (Batangas), Laiya (Batangas), Port Pilar (Siargao) and Dingalan (Aurora).
The best GetWet guide to the best game fishing areas ans seasons in the Philippines is to see where the tournaments are held and at which times of the year.
Links:
To get to San Vicente, Cagayan province, you need to first fly to Tuguegarao City
PGFF Game Fishing Tournament calender in the MyCam-Asia.tv Game Fishing In The Philippines section.