First fishing trip with excitement! Will we be able to see a black bass?
It was 3:30 in the morning. Some of us had a good night's sleep, while others could not sleep at all. A little earlier, we would still be in a pub or a club. With a mixture of sleepiness and anticipation, we set out for our destination! In the car, we confidently said, "I have a feeling that we can catch fish," which is typical of anglers.
We arrived just as the sunrise was emerging. The weather was cloudy and the temperature was 14 degrees. We began our preparations, inhaling the clear air and the scent of the trees.
This time we visited Kameyama Lake (Kameyama Dam) in Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture. It is a popular place known as one of the best bass fishing spots in the Kanto region. There are a number of boat rental shops in the surrounding area, and you can enjoy bass fishing from a boat that you can drive even if you do not have a boat license. This time, we will try our hand at fishing from a boat. Here are the members of this time.
Yosuke Ishii (bottom right)
Deputy Editor, HOUYHNHNM
While doing research for HOUYHNHNM's Unplugged Vol. 11, he fell in love with the allure of fishing. He then launched HOUYHNHNM FISHING CLUB with the motto, "Have fun and chill out. This is almost my first time fishing for bass. I just have to catch fish for my articles!
Junpei Ichikawa (upper middle)
o.r. Representative / Editor
He is involved in various brand marketing and media production. He was the only well-informed person on the fishing trip, but he had been injured a few days earlier and appeared on stage with wounds all over his body. I've been fishing the longest, so I want to take responsibility and catch the biggest black bass I can," he said later, regretting this statement.
Kei Matsushita (upper left)
BEAMS Press
He is the men's casual wear press for BEAMS, a select store, and has been checking the Kameyama Lake fishing blog for a week, full of enthusiasm. Just standing there is fun, but catching fish is what it's all about," he says. I want to be in the picture with the bass no matter what!
Fumihiko Ikemoto (upper right)
photographer
He is active in magazines, websites, and advertisements. He often shoots in the outdoor field and also does fishing interviews. He says, "I've done a little seabass fishing on the side while shooting in the ocean, but I'm a beginner at bass fishing. Well, I have never caught that many sea bass.
Shogo Komatsu (bottom left)
writer
He writes mainly for fashion magazines and web magazines. While writing this article, he also participates in the fishing. He is an amateur fisherman with a bigger mouth than a largemouth bass, hoping to be the first to catch a fish over 50 cm in length. He says, "Two days before, I went mountain stream fishing and broke my rod. The day before that, I went fishing in a mountain stream and broke my rod, and the sea fishing I did before that didn't work out either."
The Fish Head (far right)
mascot
The mascot character of HOUYHNHNM FISHING CLUB, created by artist TOMASON, who continues to draw original monsters. He is a magician with a fish head. He loves fishing. He can catch any fish with magic, but he is stoic when it comes to fishing and prefers to have fun without magic. Fishing may be a magical experience without magic. Only he knows that.
We split up into three pairs (Ishii & Ichikawa, Matsushita & Ikemoto, and Komatsu & Fatographer Uto'o) and set out in the boat. Just getting on the boat was exciting, and the soft breeze that brushed against our bodies was pleasant. Looking around at the dazzling fresh greenery, it was worth the trip.
Guided by Mr. Ichikawa, who has visited Turtle Island Dam many times, we arrived at the first point. Insects and small fish (*bait) begin to move in the morning, which is a particularly good time to fish, as black bass also target breakfast. I think everyone is busy, so we set out to fish until after noon! Who will be the first to catch a fish?
When it came time to begin, the friendly, convivial atmosphere that had prevailed up to that point was completely transformed. Everyone was reeling in their reels single-mindedly. The only sounds were casting and birds chirping, and the occasional sound of a black bass chasing a bait and breaking the quiet surface of the water. How much time has passed? How are you doing, Mr. Ishii and Mr. Ichikawa?
Ichikawa:It was moderately low light (cloudy and no direct sunlight), with occasional rain showers, so conditions were not too bad. At first, I was hoping to catch a photo-worthy one on a large topwater in the morning, but it was a complete dud. Well, it's still morning, so it's all right.
Ishii:At the moment, I am a complete amateur, so I am practicing casting. I am trying to figure out when to take my finger off the reel and how to swing the rod. Also, I bought a lot of lures, but I don't know how they work, so I'm changing them around to make sure they work.
Ichikawa:It's still a little early in the season for good fishing, but it's a time when there is a good chance of getting one big one. The wind was blowing a little, so I was casting spinner baits and shad at a break near the shore where baits (small fish that serve as bait) are likely to gather. Incidentally, there is a saying in bass fishing: "When the wind blows, use a spinnerbait. I went around the shallows where I could just barely see underwater, and I could see some spawning bass. Well, you'll catch them sooner or later, yeah. ......
Spring, when the water temperature begins to rise, is the spawning season for black bass, and this is the season when larger fish can be caught. They often stay in the shallows near the shore, so we checked everywhere first. On the other hand, what about Matsushita and Ikemoto pair who were a little far away?
Ikemoto:I'm checking out how crankbaits and poppers, which I don't use for sea bass fishing, work, but they are cute. I can't see the lures in the ocean, so it's interesting to be able to see them. But I killed the first morning with it.
Matsushita:It's been a while since I've fished bass, so I had a hard time casting ....... I hooked it on a branch on the third cast. I couldn't cast well with a no-sinker (no weight) because it was too light, so I was using a rubber jig set up to attack the shoreline. Personally, I had an image that [Gary Yamamoto's] single-tail club worms would catch fish in the past, so I thought I would be able to catch them in about two hours, but the reality was not so sweet (laughs).
Ikemoto:At first, while discussing with Matsushita-kun, I went around with a vague feeling that I might be able to find him here, though I was not sure.
Matsushita:I thought it was the area that I couldn't catch anything at all, so I kept my distance from everyone else and went to an area that looked like a secluded area. It was quiet there and the bass were jumping, so I knew I could catch them there! and I tried to get back into it with Mr. Ikemoto, but ....... I could see bass, but I couldn't catch any. It was frustrating!
And Mr. Karasutoo and I, Komatsu, as well as everyone else, had no response. The foul technique of using a hair hook that we had secretly brought with us (?) was also a disastrous failure. It was also a disaster. It is not so easy. It was past noon when we realized that our time was up.
When we gathered, discouraged that we didn't catch anything but we had a good time, we asked, "Does anyone have an ass? We can't go home like this, can we ......?" Ishii said, "We can't go home like this, can we? We unanimously decided to extend the trip until the boat return time was up! Everyone is very motivated.
