Because of the gurgling sound of water rushing downstream, the foaming, bubbling and shallow waters of the river are called taganas. The deep or calm waters are called linaw. The river’s taganas and linaw harbor a variety of fish (mullets, guppies, carps, stone fish, bitter fish, mudfish, catfish, gouramis), shrimps, crabs, eels, turtles, clams, snails and shells that people catch with fish traps, taga (fish hook) pana (spear), pukot (fish net) and bare hands.
In the shallow but calm waters near the junction of the road going to Mentering, I caught uwang with a loop of human hair tied to the tapered end of a lean pole of bamboo reed known as bagakay. This fresh water shrimp has oversized pincers and brownish in color. To lure the shrimps out of the crevices, bottoms of big stones and wood debris, I spread baits of grated coconuts on the riverbed. Seating or squatting on top of a boulder or log, I captured each shrimp by tightening the loop around its protruding eye. Shrimps could also be caught with bare hands but the presence of fresh water snake called tangkig curled at the bottom of rocks and dense moss was not a welcome prospect so I preferred to use bamboo poles, which was not only efficient but more enjoyable. Even now, I can picture myself perched on a tree-shaded boulder, watching the gathering of unsuspecting shrimps nibbling the grated coconuts, and relishing nature’s orchestra of the soft hums of flowing waters, the rustles of leaves and the calls of tikarol kingfisher).
In the calm waters up in the mountains, we caught mullets with a fishing contraption called tapsay. The mullets upriver have inferior taste compared to those that grow downriver, so we seldom fished in the mountains.
