www.kensawada.com
Cherry Salmon • The First Stage  --Vol.43--

Hatayaura Pool

There was no wind and soft sunbeams were shining. Walking on the embankment, I was slightly sweaty. I sat on the withered pampas grass on the bank and watched the pool in front of me. From the upper reaches on my left side, a fast current was falling down so vigorously as if it could have washed a big rock away. Then it suddenly spread widely just at the upper reaches of me and formed a deep and large pool. On my right side, the pool spread to the whole bank, leading downstream to the pool of the front of kindergarten.

I carefully watched again and again how the current was flowing. Where will cherry salmon stay in this large pool if they are here? Any spot will be available in such a large amount of water.
ff-43-1
I aimed at only one point of Hatayaura pool and drew out the line.
ff-43-2
Aquamarine is drifting across the heart of the stream. A cherry salmon will take it now if they are here.

If there were 1000 cherry salmon they would be seen here and there. Mmm---let me see. Surely there are 1000 Japanese dace here but they are never seen here and there. Almost all of them stay in the slow current in the end of the pool but no other spot. I have to choose the spot even if there are 1000 fish. On the other hand, there might be only a few or one cherry salmon here. How thoughtless I was to keep fly drifting at random! People say even a poor shot will hit the mark if he tries often enough. But it is not true. I will not be able to catch forever unless I change my fishing method.

Mysterious Current

Again I stared at Hatayaura pool very carefully. If there were only one cherry salmon, what part of the pool would it stay at? If I were allowed to cast the fly to only one spot, where would I cast it?

Seeing a big wave in the head of the pool calming down, I imagined one thing. If I were Gulliver, this pool might look very small. It must look like a pool of a mountain stream. If there were only one yamame trout in that pool, instead of a cherry salmon, where would it be swimming?

I stared at the pool with Gulliver’s mind. Then my eyes were riveted on one point of the heart of the stream.

I imagined yamame trout would be over there in the pool of the mountain stream. A cherry salmon must be over there in large Hatayaura pool.
ff-43-3
2 Aquamarines. Green one and pink-blue one. Single hook was used in the early days.

My 15ft Landlock was leaning beside me. My new fly for that day was hanging on its hook keeper. I looked at the fly again, took a deep breath and walked down to the waterside with the rod. The water reached my waist before I waded 10m in the water. I stared at the heart of the stream again. I decided to cast from here so that the fly could reach my target spot after several casting. I drew out the line and cast the fly to the heart of the stream as if everything had already been scheduled. I fished 2m down at every casting. Probably I cast 4 or 5 times. I felt some tension from Flat Beam Shooting Line that was extended offshore. It taught me that the fly started crossing the heart of the stream. I enjoyed feeling that particular tension. The fly was drifting vividly far away.

Just after it passed the heart of the stream the line felt lighter. Immediately I retrieved the line with my left hand.

A Shock

ff-43-4
A fish was struggling at the end of the line. It must be a cherry salmon.

At the second retrieve the fly stopped, giving me a shock as if the fly were caught by a piece of driftwood. I felt the pull from the rod I had raised. It was caused by a fish which violently swung its head.

"A fish!"

"A cherry salmon!"

I shouted to Mr. Mori on the bank. Instinctively I added the word of a cherry salmon. Only a few seconds after hooking I was sure that it was a cherry salmon but not a Japanese dace or a grey carp.

Soon the cherry salmon was landed in the net held by Mr. Mori. At first its heavy pull gave me a hope of catching a big one. Then lack of powerful fight discouraged my expectation. Finally I found a silver lump of 64cm in the net. I glanced at it and looked for the fly. It was put deep in its mouth.

All of us in the Kuzuryu River jumped with joy although only 4 were there. Anyway, I was deeply moved to catch a cherry salmon, my dream fish, with fly in such a large river. My dream finally came true.
ff-43-5
My dream came true. I finally caught a cherry salmon with fly in the Kuzuryu River.
ff-43-6
A cherry salmon really stayed here. It finally took my fly in such a wide river.

An Inspired Fishing

After taking photos of my dream fish, we were aware how hungry we were. We dashed to take lunch. The sun goes down so early in spring. So I had to return to the river as soon as possible. I thought of the pools I had seen before lunch. Unfortunately I could not find the same current as that very spot of Hatayaura pool. It would be useless to return to those pools again. I would not be able to find any ideal spots. I decided to go downstream.

About 4 o’clock the reddish sun was shining on my back. Standing on the embankment I was looking at the lower reaches of the river. When I drove down near to National Route 8, I could see the current from the embankment. I drove very slowly to check it. Finally a current drew my attention and I watched around there.

After flowing down under national Route 8, the Kuzuryu River curved from the left to the right on the bank. Then it turned to the left again and formed a thin long pool downstream. The head of the pool was narrow and rapid. Then as the river was getting wider, the current became deep and slow. My eyes were riveted on the one spot of the long pool. There was the same mysterious current as Hatayaura pool.
ff-43-7
I was fascinated by the cherry salmon. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
ff-43-8
Cherry salmon keep sharp eyes after their body is protectively coloured.

But there was no landmark around the riverside. The whole bank was covered with sand and withered pampas grass. If I straight walk into the water from here, I will easily find my target current. But there was a deep channel before my destination and it looked almost impossible to cross. If I start farther upstream and fish down to my target current, I am afraid I might overlook and pass it.

I checked whereabouts of a faraway building and a green net behind me and remembered their places so that I would be able to know my standing point later on the bank. Then I returned upstream and walked towards the riverside.

After going down the embankment and walking for a while, I reached my marking spot although I was not absolutely sure. From faraway I could easily know how the river flew or how the river bed was changed. But once I came nearer, all seemed to be the same. Judging from the faraway landmarks I had chosen before, I made sure that my standing point was right. Then I watched again how the river was flowing.
ff-43-9
Another cherry salmon came up from under the mysterious current.

The slope of the bank became steeper a bit downstream although the river width was not so changed. Probably the river bed became steeper, too. The surface around there was slightly moved. All was the same as what I had seen in Hatayaura pool. I was impatient to know whether my catch in the morning was caused by my right guess or only by luck. I wanted to cast the fly as soon as possible. But at the same time I was worried about the result.
ff-43-10
2 cherry salmon were caught in a day. My hard days disappeared as if they had never existed.

I started fishing from the slightly upper reaches of that mysterious spot as in the case of Hatayaura pool. Within 10 casting I came near to that spot. A cherry salmon must stay here! I had both expectation and worry. Then I felt that subtle tension again from Flat Beam extended downstream. No doubt a cherry salmon is here! When I had confidence I felt that strong shock again.

There were cherry salmon. They really were. They had never appeared or given us any sign. However, they held my new fly put to the end of type II sinking line in the rushing river including snow melting water. I named the fly Aquamarine to respect the jewel fish brought up in the sea.

-- To be continued --
2002/03/10  KEN SAWADA
Tranlated into English by Miyoko Ohtake