Mr. Ishii and Mr. Hiramoto boarded with Mr. Orikin, and TK and Mr. Komatsu boarded with Mr. Muramatsu. The first morning is the best time to fish, when the fish are very active. Orikin-san, who knows Katakura Dam well, navigated us to the first spot.
FOLDINGS:Now is the time of year when water temperature and quality often change, but first we came to a point that is less affected. There is a stretch of shallow water where bass often feed. It is easy to understand the conditions of the day, and I think it is easy to fish.
Ishii:I am throwing minnows for now. I've had a few bites but haven't been able to catch any. ...... I haven't caught any fish with hard plugs yet, so I'm hoping to somehow get one first thing in the morning with this lure.
Hiramoto:I was also using mainly chatter baits and spinner baits, mainly reeling in fish. The fish chasing the lure were showing up on the fish finder, but I could not get any bites. I changed to a high specific gravity worm, but still no definite reaction.
The TK-Komatsu pair with Muramatsu-san started a little further away, closer to the landing site.
Muramatsu:We started with the standard boat landing area. I can see quite a few swimming bass, and they are boiling, so it looks promising. Next to here, I'm going to try to enter a tributary.
TK is a "topper" who uses only topwater lures. It is an exciting fishing experience to see bass breaking the surface of the water and biting the lure, but it is difficult to catch bass using only topwater lures, and it is not uncommon for a day to end without catching any fish. The rod he uses was made by a friend and is quite short at 4.5 feet. He used mainly popular handmade lures.
TK:It may be difficult to catch them on top, but I foresee a bright future. I am exploring this while rotating various lures.
TK's casting is as good as ever. He drops the lure precisely near the shore to attract the fish. There are various types of topwaters and their movements are unique. It would be exciting if a bass bites the topwater lure! Komatsu watched TK's delicate casting with admiration.
Komatsu:On Muramatsu-san's advice, I switched to a worm, and although it bit once, I could not catch any fish. Muramatsu-san caught a lot of fish, so I guess I was not good enough. I was also frustrated because I couldn't cast as close to the shore as TK did. I lost my concentration because of all the trouble, so we are talking about girls (laughs).
Mr. Ikemoto is aiming at a bass while taking pictures of us talking about trivial things. He seems to be learning how to handle a reel from a staff member.
Ikemoto:I was being taught anew how to handle the spinning reel, which had been a self-study. I am practicing so that I can adjust not only the amount of force, but also how to land and distance myself from the water with my reel handling. I still haven't gotten used to it because of the increased hand movements. But I can make more casts, so I must master it. I need to study properly.
