We went to the first point in the pouring rain.
The first and most important thing to do when fishing on land is to choose the right spot. We went around in circles looking for a point, but the water was very muddy due to the rain and the water level seemed to be high. So, Mr. Murayama contacted a local basher he knew and asked him to show us some spots.
Our first stop was the backwater, the river that flows into the dam. After wading through the vegetation and slipping on muddy footing and getting muddy, we went down to the shore and found that the conditions were even worse than they looked from the road. ...... Well, let's start anyway.
Murayama: It is a torrent. I will try to produce and entice ayu that has drifted down with big baits.
Ishii: We would attack areas with weak currents where bass might be resting by chomping on the shad tail of a worm and see what happens.
Murata: This is my first time fishing for bass in a river that flows into a dam. I'm going to try gorging myself with a spinnerbait.
Komatsu: I tried throwing a spinnerbait, but it got swept away.
We couldn't move the lures as we wanted and we didn't know where the bass were. We keep throwing the baits for a little while as the rain comes and goes, but none of us are getting any response at all. We move the point gracefully.
Next we came to a square where the foothold was stable. The river is calm, in contrast to the fast-flowing river we saw earlier. There was also a small stream, and small fish, which would serve as bait for bass, could be seen here and there. It was not a time when the fish were very active, but it looked promising.
As soon as he started throwing, he got an immediate reaction! It was Ishii who caught it.
Ishii: I set up a straight worm with a cat rig and pulled it on the bottom on the sly. I was throwing it without much expectation, but I was surprised when it bit on the second cast. It wasn't big, but it was a beautifully colored bass.
A good start! Mr. Murata and Komatsu, who had continued to throw spinnerbaits, followed Ishii's lead and switched to straight worms. Murayama explores the situation with crankbaits and shrimp-type worms.
The rain has stopped and the temperature is a pleasant 26 degrees. Looking at the surroundings once again, the scenery is nice, isn't it? The Nanagawa Dam is famous for its cherry blossoms and has been selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. It would be nice to fish while viewing the cherry blossoms in the spring.
