Tags: Outdoor Sports, Water Sports and Activities
By Alexander Villafania
PANTABANGAN, NUEVA ECIJA – There’s a reason why Nueva Ecija is often referred to as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines” and not just because the province is the biggest producer of rice in Central Luzon. Irrigation for its farmlands is provided by one of the biggest man-made water sources in the country, the Pantabangan Dam.
Built in 1974, the Pantabangan Dam was supposed to be one of the longest and biggest dams in Asia at 1.6 kilometers long and 107 meters high. It could accommodate about 300 million cubic meters of water and its main purpose was for irrigation of the region’s rice farms, water supply for several regions, flood control, and to supply electricity via its hydroelectric plant.
Despite the closure of Pantabangan Lake to build the dam, different species of fish continued to thrive in that area. In fact, the Pantabangan Lake has become a favorite fishing ground for anglers who are looking for “the big one.” This has become an entire industry and even holds regular competitions for professional and amateur local and foreign anglers.
Some species of fish available in the waters of Pantabangan are carp, snake murrel, and tilapia. But the single most sought after fish species in Pantabangan is the largemouth bass, a common fish in the United States that was introduced to the lake only recently.
Many foreign anglers were surprised that the fish in Pantabangan Lake were particularly large, which made them easy favorites for sports fishing. While common reports of sizes varied from one to two kilos, there were fish caught that weigh about 5 kilos. An angler named Clifford posted pictures of his bass catch in the forum FilipinoAnglers.org.
But while angling is popular in Pantabangan, the administration of the dam and the local government unit have set rules for anglers. In particular, anglers are encouraged to “catch-and-release” wherein the fish they catch are only measured, weighed and then released for breeding purposes. They are also encouraged to catch only three fishes per day.
The angler sports website Good Catch has several guidelines about fishing in Pantabangan Lake, which should also apply to any other bodies of water where there is an existing ecosystem for fish:
Photos taken from FilipinoAnglers.org
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