FEATURE | TIE UP

Translated By DeepL

Two days of fishing in Lake Biwa! Autumn camp of HOUYHNHNM FISHING CLUB.
Go Go Round This Lake BIWA!

Two days of fishing in Lake Biwa! Autumn camp of HOUYHNHNM FISHING CLUB.

The year is fast approaching its end. Fishing is the perfect diversion for the HOUYHNHNM FISHING CLUB in the midst of our fast-paced lives. The time spent reeling in the great outdoors is therapeutic, and the preparations and fantasies leading up to the day of the event keep us excited. Now, where shall we go? After much planning, we decided on Lake Biwa, the Mecca of bass fishing in Japan, as our destination! This was my third visit. This was my third visit to Lake Biwa, and I enjoyed a different kind of fishing on this two-day, one-night fishing trip.

  • Photo_Fumihiko Ikemoto
  • Text_Shogo Komatsu
  • Edit_Yosuke Ishii
  • Special Thanks_DAIWA, Seven Palms Moriyama

Bass swimming near your feet are likely to catch you!

As the sun began to set, we arrived at the second location. On the way to the point, we saw many buses wandering around our feet. Expectations were high!

Saisu:I usually only use topwater plugs, but today I will throw spinnerbaits and cranks. The water plants are growing nice , so I'll be happy if they come up.

Hayashida:A small bass was swimming around , and it turned me on. It would be nice to catch a good size.

Ishii:In the weeds, cat rigs. I want to catch one anyway, so I use a smaller straight worm to match the size of the swimming bass.

Murayama:. I want to search a wide area, so I will use a heavy caro (heavy carolina rig) that can produce a long casting distance. . We will target points where we think we can catch fish, such as the tip of a headland or a boat sunk to the bottom of the lake.

The reel used by Mr. Murayama and Mr. Hayashida is the IM Z Limited Breaker TW HD-C, released this year by DAIWA. It is the world's first reel that can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. In addition to being able to record fishing trip logs and compile data on a dedicated app, the reel also features a digitally controlled brake system that allows anglers to select the brake mode they want to use to increase their casting distance. It is also equipped with Daiwa's advanced features such as the Hyperdrive design and the T-Wing system.

Murayama:Even without the app set up, it flies like crazy because it's so good to begin with. It's also very comfortable to roll. I wanted to get one.

Hayashida:. Even spinner baits, which are susceptible to wind resistance, fly very well. I think it is perfect for fishing where you want a little bit of flying distance.

After a while, the first bass of the day appears . It was Ishii who caught it .

Ishii:When I got here , I got a bite right away. I knew it was definitely a cat rig. . but it is quite small. Next time, I would like to aim for an increase in size.

They are cute bass , but one is one. The fact that it was caught raises everyone's expectations. And not wasting any time, Ikemoto also caught one!

Ikemoto:. I also caught fish when I was running a cat rig with a straight worm through the weeds. What I paid attention to was the coloring of the worm. I used a color called "Morning Dawn" from Daiwa's STEEZ Neko Straight that seemed to match the water quality and the current time of day. At any rate, I was happy to catch one fish.

Ishii changed to a larger worm in an attempt to catch a slightly larger size, and caught another one in quick succession. The size was not what he was aiming for, but .......

And Komatsu, too! We made up for last year.

Komatsu:I had a feeling that I might be able to catch them, so I threw spinnerbaits, minnows, and various other things, but the response was not good. I saw Bob-san (Ishii) and Mr. Ikemoto catching fish with a cat rig, so I tried to copy them and caught some. . It seems that the cat rig is the right choice for today's fishing in this area.

. Then the sun went down and time was up. The three anglers who were fishing for largemouth bass were not swayed by the cat rigs, and seemed to stick to their own style of fishing. Although the fishing time was short, they enjoyed wading for the first time on the first day. We found a new way to enjoy Lake Biwa.

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