Fishing Japanese Style
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 10:55 am
I was fortunate enough to visit Japan recently. I did have high hopes of purchasing Shimano & Daiwa gear at bargain prices, though this was not to be. Prior to leaving I discovered that fishing gear was basically the same price as what we'd get here & in some cases actually cheaper.
However, it was an incredible place full of wonders & wonderful people.
I was delighted to discover that my host loved a beer (& sake) and was a genuine 'top bloke'. He breeds Japanese hunting dogs & targets boar during their hunting season. This involves competions with other hunters in which they pit one man & one dog against each other with a time limit to 'bring home the bacon'. They were waiting for the season to kick in as there was a 120kg boar in an area that needed culling. There was a 20 minute time limit set for this hunt.
Fishing was a common source of conversation as I had taken a couple of photos of barra & a jewie that I had caught. It turned out that my host's son was a top fisherman. His room had prints from Gamigatzu competitions highlighting his results. I'm pretty sure he was in the top 10 in Japan & number 2 in his prefecture. The Japanese are incredibly busy people, though my host & his son found time to take me for a fish. It was the season for cuttlefish which was completely foriegn to me. It involved buying live bait, rigging to a telescopic rod (prabably 3 metres) & waiting for the livie to start performing. Once this happened a small gaff was connected to the line to hook the cuttlefish. The beauty was, if you caught nothing the livies would serve as a meal.
This last photo is of a type of Japanese fishing that I saw on a Robson Green show. The rods are again telescopic and are probablt 4-5 metres long. There is a live bait that has a small gang hook attached to the tail. The intention is to use a 2 inch bait to catch a 3-4 inch feed which is skewered and eaten on the spot. I was told of a tackle store in Osaka that had three floors of gear, though didn't get to see it. Hopefully next time....and there will be a next time. It is an amazing country. Incredibly clean, the most accommodating & hospitable people I have ever met who love hearing how good Japanese gear is. I would sing the praises of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Shimano, Gamagatzu & Daiwa etc and have friends for life.
I can't recommend this place enough. They come over in August & I can only hope that I can provide as good as I received.
I'll add more fishing related photos as I go.
Cheers (or Campi as they say in Japan)
Smed
However, it was an incredible place full of wonders & wonderful people.
I was delighted to discover that my host loved a beer (& sake) and was a genuine 'top bloke'. He breeds Japanese hunting dogs & targets boar during their hunting season. This involves competions with other hunters in which they pit one man & one dog against each other with a time limit to 'bring home the bacon'. They were waiting for the season to kick in as there was a 120kg boar in an area that needed culling. There was a 20 minute time limit set for this hunt.
Fishing was a common source of conversation as I had taken a couple of photos of barra & a jewie that I had caught. It turned out that my host's son was a top fisherman. His room had prints from Gamigatzu competitions highlighting his results. I'm pretty sure he was in the top 10 in Japan & number 2 in his prefecture. The Japanese are incredibly busy people, though my host & his son found time to take me for a fish. It was the season for cuttlefish which was completely foriegn to me. It involved buying live bait, rigging to a telescopic rod (prabably 3 metres) & waiting for the livie to start performing. Once this happened a small gaff was connected to the line to hook the cuttlefish. The beauty was, if you caught nothing the livies would serve as a meal.
This last photo is of a type of Japanese fishing that I saw on a Robson Green show. The rods are again telescopic and are probablt 4-5 metres long. There is a live bait that has a small gang hook attached to the tail. The intention is to use a 2 inch bait to catch a 3-4 inch feed which is skewered and eaten on the spot. I was told of a tackle store in Osaka that had three floors of gear, though didn't get to see it. Hopefully next time....and there will be a next time. It is an amazing country. Incredibly clean, the most accommodating & hospitable people I have ever met who love hearing how good Japanese gear is. I would sing the praises of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Shimano, Gamagatzu & Daiwa etc and have friends for life.
I can't recommend this place enough. They come over in August & I can only hope that I can provide as good as I received.
I'll add more fishing related photos as I go.
Cheers (or Campi as they say in Japan)
Smed