Post by AnglerAdventurer on May 26, 2005 16:46:17 GMT 8
Hi flyfishermen,
It's that time of the year again for another new season of flyfishing in Japan. The month of May is the best time for outdoor activities with cooling days and nights. The average temperature during the day is about 20C while the night is about 14C, excluding the wind chill factor.
One early Tuesday morning of May, my wife and I embarked on a flyfishing day trip up north to Nikko in Tochigi prefecture. The early morning drive was smooth with light traffic on the Tohoku Expressway as we whiz past Gunma prefecture and within an hour or so, we were in Tochigi. As we drove up the mountain route, the panoramic view of the mountain range was a beautiful sight. Different shades of green that blend well with the scenery making it a great picturesque.
After two and half hours of driving, we finally arrived at our destination in a remote area of the forest where a Freestone stream runs through it. This stream flow straight into Lake Nikko about 28km further downstream from where we were. You can find native trouts in this pristine waters and they are known as, Yamame(Golden trout) and Iwana(Cutthroat trout) and at the lower midstream you have the Rainbow, Brown and Brook trouts and the common Carps.
As the morning sun glitter the water surface and birds chirpping melody tune to our ears, I got my fly tackle gears rigged up and my wife being the camerawoman and guide, we wade the stream insearch for trouts. The water temperature was about 10C while the air at about 18C and we could see the trouts taking cover under over-hangging branches and rocks with our polarised eyewear and they spook very easily.
My first trout on the stream was a 26cm Rainbow, caught it with a CDC mayfly(light olive) on my Shimano Freestone XT 2weight rod married with Waterworks Purist One reel. As we wade further, my wife sighted a Iwana and I cast my Emerger towards the fish. The visuals were enough to keep my adrenaline pumping as the trout rise slowly and sip in the fly. Instantly, I strip strike my line and rod, felt the trout tugging at the end of my 6x tippet. This fish fail to make long runs, but generally all hell breaks loose when it got near to me. It was a fine Iwana of 30cm weighing less than 2 pounds.
We decided to flyfish the lower stream after spending two hours on the Rainbow and Iwana. Came to a big pool where the waterflow slows down and there, we sighted big Rainbows, Browns and Carps cruising around the shallows. Good thinking of me as I brought two different sets of fly out-fit along. It would be tough for me to land those fishes with my 2weight rod so I had to use my IM6 Winston 5weight with the Bauer M1 reel.(she was carrying it for me all the while)
I was eyeing at the Brown trout and flew my Egg yarn fly towards it. Came close to the fly and suddenly did a Head-and-Tail rise, took the Egg yarn and sped towards deep water after realizing it had been hooked and the orgasm began. The fight was awesome though no backing line was taken out and the rod and reel performed wonderfully. After ten minutes of tug-of-war, boga gripped the 45cm Browny of 3 pounds and released it back into the gin drink.
Next in line was the carp and boy, were they huge! Re-tyed my tippet with 4x and a white bread fly at the end, cast towards the schooling Carps. Within seconds, the bread fly disappeared infront of me as the Carp inhaled the fly and the next moment I knew, my flyline was peeling off from my M1 reel, kind of like fast forwarding a VHS tape. This time round, backing line were peeling off and I couldn't stop the forceful run. Little by little, I managed to hold the run and retrieve some line. About 15 minutes later, I had the 65cm Carp's lip on the boga grip weighing at close to 5 pounds.
It was almost 11am when we decided to end the fishing. As we took a slow walk back to our car, took the time to admire and appreciate mother nature. After keeping away my fly tackle gears in the car, it was my turn to work now, set up our small BBQ pit on the table and had lunch..................
Finally, both of us returned home happy, me with the morning flyfishing and my wife, with the BBQ lunch and wine!
Huns.
It's that time of the year again for another new season of flyfishing in Japan. The month of May is the best time for outdoor activities with cooling days and nights. The average temperature during the day is about 20C while the night is about 14C, excluding the wind chill factor.
One early Tuesday morning of May, my wife and I embarked on a flyfishing day trip up north to Nikko in Tochigi prefecture. The early morning drive was smooth with light traffic on the Tohoku Expressway as we whiz past Gunma prefecture and within an hour or so, we were in Tochigi. As we drove up the mountain route, the panoramic view of the mountain range was a beautiful sight. Different shades of green that blend well with the scenery making it a great picturesque.
After two and half hours of driving, we finally arrived at our destination in a remote area of the forest where a Freestone stream runs through it. This stream flow straight into Lake Nikko about 28km further downstream from where we were. You can find native trouts in this pristine waters and they are known as, Yamame(Golden trout) and Iwana(Cutthroat trout) and at the lower midstream you have the Rainbow, Brown and Brook trouts and the common Carps.
As the morning sun glitter the water surface and birds chirpping melody tune to our ears, I got my fly tackle gears rigged up and my wife being the camerawoman and guide, we wade the stream insearch for trouts. The water temperature was about 10C while the air at about 18C and we could see the trouts taking cover under over-hangging branches and rocks with our polarised eyewear and they spook very easily.
My first trout on the stream was a 26cm Rainbow, caught it with a CDC mayfly(light olive) on my Shimano Freestone XT 2weight rod married with Waterworks Purist One reel. As we wade further, my wife sighted a Iwana and I cast my Emerger towards the fish. The visuals were enough to keep my adrenaline pumping as the trout rise slowly and sip in the fly. Instantly, I strip strike my line and rod, felt the trout tugging at the end of my 6x tippet. This fish fail to make long runs, but generally all hell breaks loose when it got near to me. It was a fine Iwana of 30cm weighing less than 2 pounds.
We decided to flyfish the lower stream after spending two hours on the Rainbow and Iwana. Came to a big pool where the waterflow slows down and there, we sighted big Rainbows, Browns and Carps cruising around the shallows. Good thinking of me as I brought two different sets of fly out-fit along. It would be tough for me to land those fishes with my 2weight rod so I had to use my IM6 Winston 5weight with the Bauer M1 reel.(she was carrying it for me all the while)
I was eyeing at the Brown trout and flew my Egg yarn fly towards it. Came close to the fly and suddenly did a Head-and-Tail rise, took the Egg yarn and sped towards deep water after realizing it had been hooked and the orgasm began. The fight was awesome though no backing line was taken out and the rod and reel performed wonderfully. After ten minutes of tug-of-war, boga gripped the 45cm Browny of 3 pounds and released it back into the gin drink.
Next in line was the carp and boy, were they huge! Re-tyed my tippet with 4x and a white bread fly at the end, cast towards the schooling Carps. Within seconds, the bread fly disappeared infront of me as the Carp inhaled the fly and the next moment I knew, my flyline was peeling off from my M1 reel, kind of like fast forwarding a VHS tape. This time round, backing line were peeling off and I couldn't stop the forceful run. Little by little, I managed to hold the run and retrieve some line. About 15 minutes later, I had the 65cm Carp's lip on the boga grip weighing at close to 5 pounds.
It was almost 11am when we decided to end the fishing. As we took a slow walk back to our car, took the time to admire and appreciate mother nature. After keeping away my fly tackle gears in the car, it was my turn to work now, set up our small BBQ pit on the table and had lunch..................
Finally, both of us returned home happy, me with the morning flyfishing and my wife, with the BBQ lunch and wine!
Huns.