Another Thursday and the lake proved frugal again.
Three weeks past since catching the biggest fish ever at the Burnham Lake, a monster of a cat fish a meter long and 3.94 kilogram, Dino Pascual found the fishes too elusive as he failed to move into the finals and a man from his batch who barely caught the last train eventually bagged the biggest catch to win the first Baguio Day Fishing Competition Thursday.
Clemen Encarnacion caught two smidgets of tilapia measuring 2.5 and 3.5 inches to win the third batch of fishers that earned him a slot in the finals.
Jackson Abion took the first finals slot after ruling the first batch of fishers which came after mayor Benjamin Magalong opened the tournament before attending the city’s 113th Charter Day program at the Baguio Convention Center.
Abion netted an 8.5 incher then an 11.5 incher to take the top  spot and a finals slot.
Regie Lim then took the second slot when he grabbed the biggest fish at 11 inches during the eliminations.
With fishing moved to the opposite side from the view deck, Encarnacion immediately seized the advantage with a 13 incher, the day’s biggest, then followed it up with a 12 incher.
Lim, who is at the pier of the boats at the Rose Garden side, flirted with disaster as he moved from one place to another for a catch which eventually proved fruitful as he caught a nine incher as the one hour time expired.
Abion, who topped the eliminations, caught none.
Encarnacion, who was with his 7-year old grandson Cale, took the top purse of PhP5,000, Lim grabbed PhP3,000 and a trophy, while the San Fernando, La Union based Abion got PhP2,000 and a trophy for his efforts.
The winners will get their cash prize and trophy on Monday during the city government’s flag ceremony on Monday, said organizer Rafael Serrano, who added that the trophies are now being made with the winner’s names engraved. Pigeon Lobien