The Large Mouth Bass is one of the hottest quarries pursued by anglers from all over the world, especially in the US, which eventually paves its way into overseas countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The fish was also brought into our Cameron Highlands year ago by a notable tea plantation owner in his private pond for his own fishing pleasure.

Lake Pantabangan is created by damming the upper Pampanga River. The dam is allocated in Pantabangan town in the highland province of Nueva Ecija some 120 kilometers (or 4-5 hours’ drive) north of Metro Manila.

Mr.Quek Jin King, the regional manager of Pure Fishing, recently took part in a bass fishing competition organized by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society of the Philippines, of which he is a member. The number and sizez of large mouth bass caught were a pleasant surprise, even to seasoned angler like Quek, Sizes of 1-2 kilos are relatively common.

            Like our Belum lake, the Pantabangan lake and its surrounding areas are under military surveillance, as the impoundment is a vital source of water for both irrigation and hydropower. Sportfishing for large mouth bass is picking up fast in the lake and regularly visited by the foreigners, especially the Americans and Japanese. Regular fishing competitions are also organized. The record to date is a whopping 5.14kg by Mr.Bolos.

           Rod & Line is reliably informed that a certain party in Malaysia is now seriously planning to organize special fishing tour to the cool and scenic Pantabangan lake in the very near future.

Compiled by Rod & Line, Pictures Courtesy of Quek Jin King of Pure Fishing Malaysia