I never thought I'd actually catch one.
As noon approached, it wasn’t that we weren’t catching anything, but the fish were becoming less active. Just as we were making a major course change, the captain spotted a school of fish! Sardines, chased by a large predator, were swarming at the surface. Perhaps it was bluefish like bonito or amberjack? With this unexpected opportunity, a sense of excitement swept over the boat.
The fish I was chasing turned out to be a mahi-mahi. It wasn’t very big, but it definitely had a certain presence. While mahi-mahi are popular in casting games, they’re almost always released in those situations. However, their flesh has a mild flavor, and in Hawaii, where they’re known as “mahi-mahi,” they’re a common dish on the dinner table.
At our next spot, we targeted horse mackerel and used them as bait to go after large bluefish. We caught a few horse mackerel here and there, but not as many as we’d hoped. So, we decided to try using the large catch of barracuda as live bait. And sure enough, we landed a nice-sized red seabream!
Horse mackerel and sardines are the standard live baits, but I never would have thought you could catch fish with barracuda, too. That’s a new discovery.
Although I caught some fish—such as snakehead and Nenbutsu sea bream—that don’t usually attract much attention from anglers, they’re important ingredients for “Pepe Rosso.” Instead of releasing them, I carefully prepared them and took them home. I filleted the many Spanish mackerel I caught right on the boat and sampled them to check the flavor.
As I moved from spot to spot, catching barracuda and red seabream, it was time to head back to port. Although I didn’t manage to catch the bonito I’d been hoping for, I was satisfied with my catch.
Imai:I’m glad I caught the barracuda and red seabass I was after, but I really wanted to catch a bonito, too. I was surprised to land a huge red seabass using a live barracuda as bait. I’m already looking forward to my next fishing trip.
Hongo:I was really happy with how many fish I caught, but I wish I could have caught a few more different species. The moment I caught that red grouper at the very beginning was the best part of today. Since I didn’t get a chance to catch any bonito, I’d like to come back to Sagami Bay again.
Mihara:Usually, I stick to just one type of fishing—like sabiki when I’m using sabiki—but today I had fun trying out all kinds of techniques, from sabiki to jigging to drop-shot fishing. I was also really excited to catch a scorpionfish, which I hadn’t been catching much of lately.
Akutsu:There were so many bites—it felt like I was catching fish all day long. I never expected to catch so many barracuda and red seabass. It was fun getting to handle all kinds of fish. Next time, I’m hoping to catch a skipjack tuna.
