FISHING IN JAPAN - FRESHWATER

Last month we were invited to sample a variety of fishing Southern Japan has to offer. Our host was none other than the acclaimed Yoshitaka Tsurusaki and his mates from the FCL LABO and Evergreen Fishing stables. No time was wasted as we soon found ourselves setting up our tackles in the airport carpark!

Rigging in the carpark, so much for jetlag...

Our fishing hole - drains behind people's houses...

Our quarry - the Japanese Snakehead - Raigyo...

Our trusty local guide and master at the game...

The drains were clean and teaming with life such as carp...

They weren't hard to catch once you found them...

Snakehead often inhaled our weedless lures - like this

Evergreen Kicker Frog

Beautifully marked specimen on Kicker Frog...

One of the many drains and canal we covered...

Another vistim to a well-placed frog...

They came in all sizes, but were much bigger than the local

cousins we were used to catching...

Gear was simple - stout rods with thick lines and locked drags...

Hunter and hunted...

Small but beautiful specimen...

The master fooled some big ones...

It was surprising to find big fish in such tight waterways...

There were many different snakes which shared homes with snakehead...

Roadside warrior with captive...

Some weedbeds were too close to the tracks for comfort...

But they all held fish...

Another big one about to be released...

At some open areas we could target them with hardbodies,

this one an Evergreen Escarda...

Excercising the finer points of lure fishing...

Small Hera - a local Carp species...

Trying for Carp with a grass-wrapped concoction...

Change of scenery and new target species called for a change of plan...

Largemouth Bass!

First Largemouth, on dressed jig...

Bigger specimen on Megabass X-80...

Wrapping up the session with another victim of the whacky worm rig...