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In the River OSHINO  --Vol.53--

Monster Brown Trout in Oshino

Coming back from Oshino in the end of March, I told some fishing companions that I had found brown trout. One of them, who had fishing experience overseas, suggested that we go fishing in May. He said that mayflies start emerging in May and then big trout make rise to eat them.

I had no objection to his plan but I had a personal problem. I could not wait so long since I had seen such big brown trout. One day in early April I went to Oshino by myself.

It was 8 a.m. I was standing on the embankment and looked into the barrier of the artificial dam. It was a calm day without wind. I heard nothing but the chirp of brown thrushes. Coming here in the morning was my first trial. Sunlight showed the inside of the pool very well whereas I could see nothing on the opposite bank in the shadows.
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One of mayflies in Oshino. When they emerge big fish seem to make rise to eat them. Is that guess right?

I watched the inside of the pool closely, shading my eyes with my hand. A rock appeared from the surface on the middle of the pool. Some branches were twined around it. I tried to watch that part more closely and moved my upper body. Then I saw two pale shadows move upstream. They looked 40cm long.

I looked for two fish for a while in vain. I went back to the car to prepare for fishing and pushed the withered reeds aside to stand at the waterfront. Under the warm spring sunshine many tiny insects flew but nothing happened on the water surface.

In spite of so many flying insects there was no rise. It would be useless to cast the dry fly. Therefore, I chose Blue Dun Matuka and put it to size 2X leader and cast it towards the opposite bank in the shadows. At that time there was no tapered leader yet. I put a substitute, approximately 6ft of size 2X line, to the fly line end.
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There were wild roses at the point from where the river could not be seen any more. A monster brown trout lived under the rose roots.

Meeting with the Monster Trout

I cast the fly towards the opposite bank and moved upstream. My fly caught the reed behind me every third times. It looked more like fighting with thick reeds than fishing.

There were 3 stocks of wild roses among the clumps of reeds on the opposite bank. The first stock was too far for me to cast the fly to. Then the river became narrower and I could cast the fly to the roots of the second stock. The fly settled on the water at the lower reaches of the rose stock which stretched over the river. Then I retrieved the line. The fly did not sink but came drifting just under the shining surface.

Somehow I felt I saw something like a wasted thing drifting to me. When the surface was less shiny I saw it. It looked more like a piece of driftwood than a wasted thing. It came flowing to me as if it were pulled by my line which I was retrieving.

It came very near to me and I found that brown lump like a half-cut railway sleeper was not a piece of driftwood.

It was a fish! I have never seen such a big fish. He followed my fly nearer to the rod tip. I might have touched him if I had extended my arm. But suddenly he turned over and went away.

I wondered whether I saw a real fish or an illusion. But it was impossible for the driftwood to turn over and flow upstream. I felt terribly thirsty. I took a breath and cast the fly to the rose stock on opposite bank again. Fortunately the fly settled on the surface behind the stretching branches as before. I hoped that the fish would follow the fly again. Watching the shining surface, I retrieved the line at the same timing.
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Evening rise is the best fishing time. Wherever I went fishing during the day, I dropped in at Oshino on my way back. In those days I often went fishing to the tributaries of the Fuji River but I wondered whether my main target was those tributaries or Oshino on my way back.

The brown shadow floated again. He moved at high speed now. He must snatch the line I am retrieving! Come on!

I watched the fly. The huge lump followed the fly so closely that it looked as if he bit the fly. Then the leader reached at the rod tip. I could not retrieve the line any more.

The brown lump turned slowly at my feet. Then he gave me a sharp look and we exchanged looks. His eyes said, "Do you think you can catch me with such a trifle?"

I was too tense to make a sigh for a while. Then I came to myself and cast the line again. My hands were shaking. I could manage to make the fly settle under the rose roots and retrieved the line. I knew that it was a waste of time and labour. It was unlikely that the fish would follow the fly three times. But I watched the surface with a slight hope. My fly came back to me with nothing under the bright sunshine again and again.

Anyway, I could not believe my eyes. Am I under an illusion? Why does such a big fish, my dream fish of brown trout live in that small river? I cast the fly another several times until I reached the big curve. Then I make a long detour to cross the river and came near to the rose roots.

I had thought that the wild rose stocks were not big enough to hide such a big fish. I saw through the bottom very carefully and just found a tiny trout. There was a hollow under the rose roots on the bank. I could not see the inside, standing on the bank. There was no other place for fish to hide.
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The reeds start growing in the fresh green season. Under the stretched branches was a very good hiding place for brown trout.

The Spa of Oshino

The sun became brighter and shone on the river bottom brighter. The algae had looked dark and dull in the morning but now swung like bright green flags. Fishing would be impossible under such bright sunlight. I remembered that there was a forest surrounding the spa of Oshino. I headed there with a faint hope.

As I had expected, the water surface was covered with stretching branches, which made a lot of shadows. Even the withered branches made a lot of shadows now. Probably it would be very dark in summer.

I fished upstream slowly. But there were only several spots to cast the fly properly. Many spots seemed to hide fish but proper casting was beyond my technique in those days.

I headed upstream. The river became a little wider. A tree sank in the middle of the river and water sprang near the opposite bank. It looked like somebody had formed the scenery to give some change to the flow. When I watched the river among the trees a ripple spread beside the fallen tree. I looked carefully with a little expectation. Then I saw another ripple. Somebody is eating bait on the surface!

I hid behind the tree and pulled my fly. Dry flies must be suitable because the fish eat on the surface. I removed streamer and put White Miller to the leader. I cast it from on the embankment. The white fly was clearly seen. It slid quietly on the surface above the fallen tree. I cast the fly several times in the same way. Then the fly disappeared in the ripple with a loud splash. Without delay I set the hook to the fish. On the next moment a blackish fish jumped from the surface, turned a somersault and fell on the surface before it hung in front of me. It was a rainbow trout covered with black speckles. It was just over 20cm long but very fat and powerful. There was a rainbow trout in Oshino, too. My first catch here was this little rainbow trout.

-- To be continued --
2002/08/25  KEN SAWADA
Tranlated into English by Miyoko Ohtake