Vintage Pattern of Tenkara Fly
This is except from a Japanese book about traditional river fishing. Original name of the book is shown at the end of this article. This book explores the tradition of river fishing (commercial fishing as well as angling.) It shows a lot about the intericate interaction between men and rivers. Among these interesting contents, please […]
Mabuna; Magic of Multiple Floats
「釣りは鮒に始まり鮒に終わる」 “Your fishing life starts from crucian carp and ends with it” This is a Japanese fishing proverb. It tells us that anglers start fishing experience with crucian carp, and they enjoy it until the very last tourney of angling. Crucian carp have been very accessible fish in the life of Japanese people, and easy […]
Tenya; Japanese Traditional Jig Head?
Imagine you are catching a 60 cm red sea bream with a jig head. It uses a kind of jig head style hook with 5 to 8 cm shrimp as a bait. You use a 0.15mm thick braided line with a rod with a sensitive tip. You can feel the attack of a fish directly […]
Angling for Tuna in Japan
Tuna is a very popular fish in Japan, not only for eating, but also for angling. It is much more accessible than one thinks. Around Japan, one can catch Kuro-maguro (Pacific bluefin tuna) and Binnaga-maguro (Albacore or longfin tuna.) As for its size, Kuro-maguro is the trophy for anglers. Species There are two species of […]
The Small is Beautiful; World of Tanago Fishing
Is it fun to catch small fish? Yes, it is, especially for Tanago (Bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus). Fishing for Tanago Using a whip rod of 1 m, its main line is 0.10mm, and the leader is 0.08mm. One uses a hook about the size of the head of a match. The popular rig is float fishing […]
Sea Bass Fisihing in Tokyo Bay
Sea bass is a very popular target fish for anglers in Tokyo. It is accessible and a great game fish to catch. Please let me explain about this fish for you. Photo from this link. The species and distribution What we call sea bass can be seen in many parts of the world. Among them, […]
Herabuna Fishing
In Herabuna fishing, you can find the roots of angling in Japan. The fish, rod, rigs, and baits all are reflecting the typical Japanese style of angling. Currently Herabuna fishing (or Hera fishing) is enjoyed by many enthusiasts. There are artificial ponds dedicated to this fish. Many natural lakes, ponds and rivers have Herabuna, also. Let […]
Fishing for Ayu; “The Queen of the River”
Ayu (Ayu sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis) is a special species of fish in Japan. People call it “the queen of the river” in Japan. There are several reasons for it. Firstly, it tastes very well. Secondly, the life cycle of Ayu impresses Japanese people. And most importantly for us, there is a special method to catch […]
One Perspective on Tenkara and Fly Fishing in Japan, part 1
(This is the translation of the preface in 「読んではいけない毛バリ釣りの真実」(Trapping Truth about Fishing with Fly), Hisao Ishigaki, 2000, Ningensya Publishing.) Tenkara and fly fishing are like half-brothers, because both use the hook with feathers, though they are born in different lands, Japan and Europe. This is my opinion, but some fly fishermen say that fly fishing […]
Can fish see various colors differently?
Introduction Some commercial anglers in Japan say that the fish can identify colors. They seem to have reached this conclusion from their experiences. But what does science tell us about it? Research Some researches concluded that fish can recognize colors. Many of these researches are using the method to measure the elecctric stimulus of fish […]