DAY 2
Fishing around on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean!
We head to the harbor at 5:30 a.m. and board the boat. With the pleasant early summer sunrise at our backs, we braved rough seas for about 40 minutes. The destination is the offshore rocky shore of Onigashima Island.
We are handed over to a nondescript reef and picked up by boat at 4:30 pm. The members of the group gasp at the wildness of the offshore reef, but this is the main point of the trip. Fearful of the unsteady footing, we begin fishing with determination.
Ishii: I'm personally looking forward to an extraordinary experience in fishing. . I am tingling and excited about the space of the offshore shore, which is so far removed from my normal life.
Murata: It is refreshing to fish in a landscape that you have never seen before, as if you were washed up on a deserted island.
Here, as on the previous day, we fished with lures and bukkomi. In addition, we also tried "swim fishing" for yellowfin tuna. First, we "sabiki-fished" for yellowfin tuna, and then used them as live bait, waiting for the tuna to bite. Mr. Murayama and Mr. Komatsu are in charge of the Sabiki. It is a good time in the morning when the tide is moving. Murata and Ishii throw jigs and hope for bluefish .
The first rod movement came from Mr. Murayama, who was targeting muro-aji jacks with a sabiki.
What I caught, however, was a namefish. They were colorfully painted and the spotted patterns on their scales were somewhat artistic. How did they evolve like this?
After that, the sabiki group continued to attract and catch fish using krill. As soon as they drop the fish, they get bites, but they catch only hagfish, not the horse mackerels they are looking for. They have strong jaws and stretch the hooks, which is a problem.
Komatsu: It's fun to catch so many different fish that it's almost like a feeding frenzy anymore . . but there are no muro-ji jacks to catch tuna at all. . I guess we have to wait for the right time to come around.
In fact, at the fishing tackle shop I stopped by the day before, I was informed that Muro-ji jacks have not been caught recently ....... Although yellowfin tuna are most likely to bite on bluefin tuna , I'm going to try to catch bigeye tuna swimming.
On the other hand, the lure team is aiming for bluefish. On this day, the wind was strong enough to cause white waves to rise, and it seemed to be a very reluctant battle. However, the bluefish they are targeting are migratory fish. There is no lack of chances.
Murata: I just keep throwing the metal jig and the action I was taught at the fishing tackle shop. I have never caught a big bluefish , so I want to catch one somehow.
Ishii: . I switch to bukkake because it's hard to cast with an injured shoulder and I envy those who are catching fish with sabiki.
Then, immediately. I knew it! I caught a tachibella with a beautiful yellow tail fin. And Ikemoto also caught one.
Ishigaki snapper. . It looks poisonous, but it is a high-class fish with a plump and tasty flesh. Ishii caught them one after another.
For the time being, we all hit the water to make fishing a priority.
Mr. Murata, who was fighting a strong pull, caught a beautiful blue crested wrasse . Some individuals grow up to 1 meter in length.
Murata: I wanted to feel the fish, so I switched to bukkake and got a bite. The pull was so strong that I thought I had caught a ray.
Komatsu, who switched from sabiki to bukkomi, also had a hit. It was a greedy patterned leatherfish. It was stylish, eccentric, or just showy. I had never seen such a pattern before.
