PDA

View Full Version : First iwana fishing



Satoshi
06-04-2010, 08:56 PM
Though we had a very cold spring this year, trees finally became much greener in the middle of May, and people began harvesting tea leaves around here.
http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/uploadteafield.jpg
We have a series of holidays in the first week of May, which people call the "Golden Week". After the golden week, fishing becomes slow in this region. One reason is that the temperature goes high and trout (amago) don't feed in midday, though they are still active in evenings or on rainy days. I live in a rather warm region and streams in this area are marginal habitat for trout. I always wonder how trout survive hot summer days. The other reason is that many trout are taken away by bait fishers during the golden week holidays. I usually don't go fishing in the golden week, because the streams are very crowded. After the golden week, I start thinking about fishing iwana (the Japanese char) in high mountain streams in the central mountain area. Fortunately, the early May is still too early for fishing iwana in high mountain streams where snow run-off remains until mid May and fish are not active. This helps trout avoid the hooks of fishermen during the Golden Week.
As usual, a friend of mine gave me an e-mail, asking me to go fishing to the central mountain area with him. This year, we planned the trip in the weekend in the middle of May. This is 2 weeks earlier than usual for us, but it was the only timing his schedule permitted. Every year we fish the same area. It takes 4 and a half hour drive from my town to the place. The friend lives in a big city close to Tokyo, and it also takes 4 or 5 hour drive for him to go there.

We met at a stream, at 5:00 AM in the Friday morning (we took day offs). Unfortunately, a very cold weather had come, and the temperature dropped below the freezing point in that morning.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514-1.jpg
The altitude of this place is about 1100m (3600ft). There was no insect activity on the water, and we started fishing with nymphs. The water temperature was 5 degrees C (41 degrees F). For more than three hours, we didn’t have even a hint of fish.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514iwana-1.jpg
When the sun went up high, we finally caught one fish for each of us.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514-2.jpg
This stream usually produces very well, but we gave up the stream this time and decided to go another place.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514-3.jpg
This stream (or should I call it a river?) flows through one of the most famous sightseeing destinations in this country. The water temperature of this stream is always high, due to the influx of hot water from hot springs in the upriver.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514iwana-2.jpg
We soon started catching fish with nymphs. As you see, iwana in this river is very pale. This is because the river bottom is filled with fine granite sand.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514brown-1.jpg
Can you guess what this trout is?
Yes, this is brown trout, also very silvery. They were stocked decades ago. Since then, browns have not been stocked officially. Now this river is famous for its wild browns, but I wonder if this one is a stocked fish because the edge of its tail fin is round.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514iwana-3.jpg
This is my fish of the day; 13 inch iwana.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/upload0514-4.jpg
My friend working a pool. Later in the afternoon, some insects appeared and he changed to dry flies. He is very good at dry fly fishing using a long leader-tippet.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0514/uploadbrown-2.jpg
He caught a lot of fish with dry flies including this chrome-colored 14-inch wild brown. I didn’t change my rig. It was so cold and my hands were so numb that I couldn’t even use the clipper to cut the tippet.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/uploadre-rise.jpg
On that night, we stayed in this small lodge. (I took this picture in the next morning.)
The owner of the lodge, Nahuji-san, is a serious fly fisher and most of the guests are also fly fishers during the season; somewhat similar to Kubota Lodge, which I always stay in when I go fishing to the northern part of Japan’s main island. Nahuji-san first named his lodge "Rise". He once closed his lodge because of his family matter, but requests by many repeater guests made him open the lodge again and he named his lodge "Re-rise" now.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-1.jpg
From the lodge, you can see some of the snow covered mountains of the “Japan Alps.”
It was much warmer on the second day, and Nahuji-san took us to a stream, which lies in a lower altitude.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-2.jpg
He drove along a rough dirt road which parallels the stream more than one hour, avoiding other parking cars that were apparently other fishermen’s. He finally parked the car at a place where there seemed to be no other fishermen within a few kilos.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upolad0515-4.jpg
A small pool of snowmelt water on the road was filled with clusters of frog eggs.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-3.jpg
When we were preparing for fishing, we saw iwana rising in the middle of this pool from the road, which seemed to guarantee a good fishing for the day.
Because we were three people, we parted into two; I walked downstream along the road and fished up to the car, and the other two fished upstream from the car.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515iwana-1.jpg
Fishing was excellent, indeed. I caught this fish from the first pool I fished. Like this one, some fish were still very thin.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-5.jpg
This is the first pool. The fish rose to the fly at the upper right corner, under the rock, where bubbles are floating. Though that is a typical iwana spot, there was no response from the main water flow on the left side of the pool. Iwana also feed in a fast flowing water in the high season.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515iwana-2.jpg
In many places, I saw fish rising. Some fish readily took the fly, but other rising fish refused my flies.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-6.jpg
The stream is mostly composed of staircase-like holes, and each fish holding water is clearly distinguishable; typical of the Japanese mountain streams.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515iwana-3.jpg
A very good fish. This one was also rising. This fish may be smaller than you think (just over 12 inches), because my hand and fingers are very thin even in the Japanese standard.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515iwana-4.jpg
Smaller fish had very clear spots on their body. This fish took a fly that is a modified version of my favorite thorax pattern so that it looks a bit like ausable wulff.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515-7.jpg
Though fishing was great, it seemed still a bit too early for the full season. When these streamside trees become much greener, the fish will be in a better condition and much stronger.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo282/fdrwd421/1005%20upload/0515/upload0515iwana-5.jpg
I spent too much time for rising trout, and I fished less than a half of the stretch up to the car. Still, I caught many fish and I really enjoyed it. I fished only dry flies, including bomber, which BrkTrt gave me. All worked well as I had expected.
The other two people told fishing was also excellent upstream. They also caught some nice ones larger than 12 inches.

Now my friend and I are talking about returning to the stream again this summer.

Satoshi

greyfox
06-04-2010, 09:04 PM
Very nice post, you have some sweet streams over there, I always enjoy your post, very dicriptive.

ksbioteacher
06-04-2010, 09:19 PM
Spectacular---my heart rate slowed as I went through each photo. The trout are special but the crystal clear streams framed with trees just leafing out make for very special images. By the time I got to the end I felt as if I knew this place and these fish. Thanks for taking me on a journey.

troutrageous1
06-04-2010, 10:06 PM
Thank you for that post. The pictures were beautiful - even though it might have been a bit on the early side, it still looks like a very productive outing. I'm envious of those waters.

rayfound
06-04-2010, 10:23 PM
Satoshi... Simply a stellar report. I don't think the one small brown was stocked, just that his tail fin was folded a bit - fan it out and I am sure it would have been square corners.

Jax
06-05-2010, 02:20 AM
Thanks for a lovely trip on your stream and river Satoshi. The photos are great and show just how good the Browns are at adapting their colouration to their suroundings.

I hope there will be more trips for me share in the future. It was fun. Thank you. Jax

Satoshi
06-05-2010, 05:03 AM
Thank you very much for your comments.
I'm happy to know you enjoyed my post.

rayfound,
Yes, perhaps you are right. Besides, a round fin does not necessarily mean the fish is a stocked one.

Satoshi

Wallyran
06-05-2010, 05:04 AM
Great report and great pics!

Those silvery browns were a special treat.

greendrake
06-05-2010, 06:27 AM
Satoshi,
Beautiful sreams,great pictures and a very nice report.Days like that make the long drive worthwhile.

I recently sold a Uslan Penta to a gentleman from Japan and hope that he is enjoying it in places like this :D
Will

WJG
06-05-2010, 06:56 AM
Thanx for the photo tour. Beautiful water. I don't have such fast running water here. (no moutains) Those little step pools look like great fun to work through.
You were right in another post, your iwana look alot like the early season brook trout here.

adam
06-05-2010, 07:58 AM
I enjoy fishing with you Satoshi.

In the old days of smallstreams.com, Gerard (South Africa) posted many stories (reports) from his area.

http://web.archive.org/web/200012041852 ... tream.html (http://web.archive.org/web/20001204185200/smallstreams.com/Stream.html)

Look at the bottom of the page for "South Africa" and you will see many of his stories.

S.Brooks wrote many stories from his area, New Mexico, all of those are his in that section, please take a moment.

I was looking for a Japanese angler to help us be well rounded, somewhere in the archives, you may find that request. Yoshikazu Fujioka (http://tenkara-fisher.net/?p=199) was making his web site at about the same time.

Back then, the boys would send me their stories and I would put it all together and post the stories. This was at a time before we had a good forum that you could do it yourself. Back in those days, letters were starting to get replaced by e-mail.

Anyway, each one of those stories were sent to me and then I would build them and post them to the site, this site that I organized with my own stories and those of the people who had the same central idea as I did, we were a group.

If you would have been around smallstreams.com at that time, you would have been a part of that group; (BIGCAT) Brooks, Ivan, Gerard, Chef, adam, Ted except Chef would have come up with something different or maybe not, who knows. From an organic standpoint, we would have accepted you into this core group.

Things are very different now except when I read your stories, it brings back the awesome memories of trips from days gone by. You remind me what this place is built upon without the rhetoric (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rhetoric).

With as much honor as I can put together, thank you for taking the time to share your interests with us.

YOU are an exact reflection of why this site exists.

Satoshi
06-05-2010, 10:17 AM
Thank you again guys, for your very encouraging comments.

Will,
I'm sure he will fish iwana or yamame (or amago) with the rod in such streams like these.

Adam,
I don't remember well, but I think I first looked at Smallstreams. com in the mid 1990s. At that time, I didn't have PC at my home, and I looked at it in the office and never thought about being a member, though I enjoyed stories. I think there was almost no photos, or just a few small photos, if any, attached to the stories then. One of the things that made me decide to register as a member is that I can attach photos. I'm not a native speaker of English, and it takes a lot of time for me to write English language. So, the photos are of great help indeed. By the way, I have just read the first two stories by Gerard from South Africa. I can tell he is an excellent writer. Also, I looked at Fujioka's page. He must be a really nice person. His illustrations are awesome! I remember I saw his drawings before.
I don't know if I can fill your expectation, Adam, but at least I'm always trying to post reports so that I can take people who read my stories to a virtual fly fishing trip to Japanese streams. And I'm very glad if I can add some variety to this great forum that is already filled with various flyfishing experiences, from lakes in a beautiful barren landscape of scotland, through European chalk streams, to brook trout streams in the forest of Eastcoast of the US, and amazing cutthroat streams in the Rockies, and more. The fishing in these places are all unique and different, but what I found here is rather the similarity of our passion to this sport, regardless of the geology and fish species and size. This forum is really great and I thank every member who posts stories and comments and Gus, who is now maintaining the forum (right?) and Adam, who have originally founded it.

jmcg
06-05-2010, 10:50 AM
That was truly enjoyable.
What perfectly lovely streams and mountains.
Satoshi--you are very forunate.

Thank you for taking the time to present your pictorial and commentary.

terry
06-05-2010, 11:36 AM
Excellent!!! Thanks for sharing.

adam
06-05-2010, 12:02 PM
Gerard is quite a writer indeed.

He won the first essay contest at smallstreams.com Much like the one we are holding now. He is/was an editor of a South African Fly Fishing magazine. He is G, I have never meet him but I feel he is a true friend that I could depend on and he knows he can depend on me. I meet him at this site. And now I have meet you, I know I can trust you, I already have and that is why you have a little something coming your way...


This forum is really great and I thank every member who posts stories and comments and Gus, who is now maintaining the forum (right?) and Adam, who have originally founded it.

Yes, that is how it goes, Gus is maintaining it. It became broken and Gus had the opportunity to start it again, from scratch. I assured Gus that I would help him rebuild it. I contacted my friends that the site was back and it was getting back to where it started. All core group writers have returned.


I don't know if I can fill your expectation, Adam, but at least I'm always trying to post reports so that I can take people who read my stories to a virtual fly fishing trip to Japanese streams.

You already have, you take me fishing with you. That's what I am after, an escape. You are consistent, you take me along every time.

Thank you.

BrkTrt
06-05-2010, 12:54 PM
Satoshi,

I"ve read your post many times now and I must say thank you.

Your waters are as beautiful as I have ever seen. I cuold not comment on any one photo because they are all so splendid.

That photo of the tea being harvested is something I have never seen, very nice of you to post the photo. Your lodge looks very accomadating, and close to the streams you fish.

That large brown is special and the photo of it nicely done.


I truly enjoyed the journey you have taken me.



Brk Trt

adam
06-05-2010, 01:08 PM
Please Satoshi, will you explain your avatar?

ofuros
06-06-2010, 12:33 AM
It's nice to forget about work...
even if it's only for the weekend.
Sharing the the experience with friends,
makes it just that much better.
Nice post.

Satoshi
06-06-2010, 02:09 AM
Thank you again for your comments, everyone.


Please Satoshi, will you explain your avatar?
:D Adam, it's a picture of the pet of our family; the ferret whose name is kook (so named after her sound). Unfortunately, she died while ago, and we don't have any other animals since then.

Satoshi

Danny S
06-06-2010, 05:43 AM
Thanks for asking that question Adam. I was thinking about that just a few days ago and planned to ask Satoshi about it.

Pets bring so much into our lives and leave great memories.

This has been a fantastic thread that covers stream, fishing, fish, friendly inputs and generous comments and everything else this forum stands for.

Very nice pics and story Satoshi! You and many others do provide a wonderful fishing the World journey.

Apache Trout
06-06-2010, 07:44 AM
Spectacular pics & report!
A.T.

Brooktrout
06-08-2010, 12:05 PM
as always, beautiful pics. thx

Westcountry
06-16-2010, 10:39 AM
Beautiful pictures and a beautiful post. Those pale coloured iwana are handsome fish indeed.
Many thanks for sharing :)


Andy