Carp Fishing in Tokyo

I recently returned from a business trip to Japan where I spent several days in Tokyo.  We had a couple days off to explore, so with our friend Daisuke as chauffeur, we made our way to a neighborhood whose name I can't remember, where there is a public carp fishery.

For the reasonable price of 1,000円 (~$10) per hour, you are granted angling access to this vibrant fishery, plus the use of a one-piece fiberglass pole, a net of your choosing plus a softball-sized wad of bait that I believe was cat food. 

The game is simple:  construct an almond-sized bait-ball around your hook, adjust your float to the desired depth, 'cast' your bait in, take seat on the provided milk crates and commence fishing.  And when I say 'fishing,' I mean take part in any one, or combination of the following: staring at your bobber; talking shit to your buddies; drinking warm, canned Japanese coffee (Black Boss being my preferred flavor); observe the talented locals land six fish before you get a bite; stare off into space and contemplate life; talk about life with your buddies; forget about your bait completely then check it, to reveal that it has been stolen; borrow your buddy's polarized glasses to see four carp swimming around your bait; smell your bait-stained fingers, cringe and try not to scratch your itching forehead; hoot and holler when your buddy hooks one; laugh when he loses it; applaud when he lands the next one; forget the time completely and then when you've used up a half hour more than your hour, fish your way back to the cash register trying to get one more bite.

Now that's some fishin' I'd like to do again!

 

Fishing is Fun!

Years ago, Lucas Horm Young and I traveled to The Land of the Long White Cloud in search of freedom and fish.  We found these and much more on the South Island of New Zealand.  In the small town of Athol, resides a man who loves fishing as much as anyone I've met.  Stu Tripney owns and operates Stu's Orgasmic Fly Shop, on which is noted "Fishing is Fun!"  The three of us have kept in touch over the years and with Stu in the States on a road trip this summer, we were able to rendez-vous for a weekend of fishing.  It was a great chance for Lucas and I to start to repay the favor to Stu for showing us his home water.  The great photos below were taken by Stu.  Enjoy!

 

First stop, Hood Canal.  Lucas and I took Clyde here last fall.  It's a great place to have some fun fishing, catching, camp firing and hanging out.  We piled just enough gear into Stu's van.

More rigging.  You can see Stu's great van, complete with salmon artwork.  He dubbed the van "Chinook" until he was informed that the salmon on the side of it were Coho.  Unfortunately we couldn't find any silvers to match the whip.

Camp fire cookin'.  Friends and fire equals fun!

Some cool rod tubes and my vest, given to me from my father at age nine.  It's been a few places.

That night a flying termite hatch came off.  While the cutthroat keyed in on the big, floating bugs, we were left to our clousers and baitfish patterns.  Besides a massive pink gurgler, not a single dry fly was carried with any of us.  Bummer.

The Basstards do coffee.

Ol' Jess catches one!

We crammed Lucas into the van with the YETI, a half-cord of firewood and the trash bags.  He also had the beer back there, so we didn't feel too bad.

A D on the Duc.

We spent a day with Jim out on the coast, sight casting to pods of coho.  This was very fun!

I think the name of this pool was Mossy Rock, or something like that. 

Floating in the sun is fun!

Chilling in the sun is fun, too!