Fly Fishing in Manila was how I chose to kick off my 2025 fishing season. I took my scheduled two month hiatus from fly fishing and was ready to get back on the water. As for winter fishing- I didn't feel like freezing my toes off with a hoolahoop of ice around my midsection. It took a lot of research and some very kind locals to make this trip happen. With that being said- everything almost fell apart on day one.
I took an early morning flight from Incheon to Manila thinking that I would try to get on the water in the afternoon. Negative. It took two hours of fiddling with usim and credit cards to download the commonly used ride share app Grab. Without Grab I was dead in the water. I was able to register with my Korean number (after reinserting my Korean sim and finding reliable wifi) and use cash to pay the Grab driver to flee the airport. Thankfully I had enough KRW to make it happen.
Makati was my home for the next few days and I began to explore what fishing metro Manila had to offer. I found two pay ponds, Abet's and Aling Nene. Abet's had barramundi and mayan cichlids while Nene was milkfish and tilapia. I struck out at Abet's, and was told that fishing has become increasingly difficult due to an infestation of ghost shrimp, but Mr. Abet was most hospitable and fed me a mango off his tree. Nene on the other hand was a fish on every cast, but this was only due to access to their plastic boat which was set up beforehand by Toby, the filipinoflyfisher on Instagram. I quickly figured it out. Enough. This was just the appetizer. The main course was to chase toman, also known as giant snakehead.
Before the pandemic there was a volcanic eruption that caused the town of Calumpit to suddenly slowly be submerged. The few residents who stayed lost their agricultural livelihoods as well as the value of their cherished family properties. Calumpit was never going to be the same. The irreversible flood opened up a new brackish water territory for Indopacific tarpon and toman. Enter Julius. With his parent's trapped in their island domicile, he began to explore his neighbors' backyards in his sleek panga curious about this newly created ecosystem.
The future is certain, his once proud family home will eventually be underwater, but it will happen slowly- but he had found the toman. He was catching big watermelon rainbow technicolor toman. A fish that Japanese anglers love to travel to Malaysia for. A fish that the majority of Korean anglers haven't experienced. A fish that was now available with a relatively quick flight and favorable currency exchange.
After the lockdown was lifted the Japanese started showing up, and Julius was ready to guide them. However, it still has been the best kept secret. Julius and his family needed more clients. We are now mask free and have been for several years, and his regulars still show up (including Japanese celebrity anglers and pro staff), but the sunken town of Calumpit is being held close to the vest. The water is technically private and agreements made with his displaced neighbors allows Julius to access their fields and backyards (you can even fish the local public swimming pool)- you're not going to see other boats on the water. There are no launches. There are only flooded roads and a hedgerow maze of private property that Julius expertly navigates. Sharing Calumpit would only help Julius, the gatekeeper.
Fly fishing for toman is a trial and tribulation in itself. They are territorial, aggressive, and overprotective parents. Fly anglers need to be decisive. Is it better to hunt the mouth breathers, fry ball protectors, or prospect with topwater? Not to mention the agonizing temptation to downsize and go for the numerous tarpon that seem to always be splashing around. I had no clue and failed to hook up, although I was able to elicit a strike. The first strike ever on fly in Calumpit. I only had the morning to fish, and most of it was spent chasing around fry balls. Are you up for the challenge? You could be the first to catch a toman on the fly, that is not if I beat you to it.
Follow Julius on Instagram and send him a message about setting up a trip.