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Cherry Salmon • The First Stage  --Vol.36--
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A fast current like a long channel was spreading at the upper reaches of 'power transmission line'.

A Tour of Rivers

The next week the weather changed periodically. Probably I fell into the same spot of the weather cycle. As the Kuzuryu River seemed to be muddy again, I gave up fishing trip just before departure. The week after next the weather seemed to be gradually improved. Now is the time! I started a day late, which proved to be a good decision because the water level was high on the previous day but became stable on that day. I looked down nervously at the Kuzuryu River from the bridge. Apart from bad water colour, the river was flowing in its usual style. Well, I will manage to fish!

A Power Transmission Line

We crossed Gomatsu Bridge at Matsuoka Town, drove downstream and parked in front of a gravel pit. We walked up the embankment and across the large bank towards the river. There was a high-voltage line above the large bank, where I often came and went back after this. A pool simply called later a high-voltage line or a power transmission line was spreading ahead. When I first came here in 1986 the most part of waterside was covered with tetrapots and willow.

I walked around for a while. Unfortunately, bad water colour prevented me from seeing through the bottom. In addition, gravels underfoot collapsed at every step. Soon we decided to head upstream.

It was cloudy and the sunshine was not so strong in the morning. Then the temperature rapidly rose near noon. When we walked on the large bank again to go back to the car, I was slightly in a sweat. We looked around to go to the upper reach of Gomatsu Bridge. The right bank had been completely shored and the whole bank including waterside was covered with willow, while the left bank was spreading widely as far as we could see. It was quite clear that the left bank was more suitable for fly fishing. We crossed the bridge and drove ahead, using our brains. Then we passed by a cedar wood, our guide spot. It lay in the precincts of a shrine and there was a kindergarten at the river side of the road. The most popular pool in the Kuzuryu River called later 'the front of kindergarten' was spreading upstream.
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High water of the pool named 'power transmission line'. Under the line the river suddenly became wide and deep.

Looking around from the bank, I found the pool large and shallow. It looked more than 150m from the head to the end of the pool. It was not clear how deep it was due to muddy high water. Although some hours had passed since morning there was no sign of clear water.

We went farther upstream to check the condition or just to kill time. I had a little hope that the river might be less muddy later. We drove along the embankment. My familiar scenery was spreading at the upper reaches of the large pool of 'the front of kindergarten', which I had first seen 5 years before. I could see another pool called Hatayaura and a long fast current upstream. The barrier of Naruka lied farther upstream, which gave me a very different impression from the previous time due to high and muddy water. Hatayaura pool is so large that I believe cherry salmon would stay here as far as they stay in this river. The waterside of the left bank was covered with willow and lumps of concrete. So I could not know the fishing condition until the water fell a little or became clearer. It was too bad for the first trial. As there was still no sign of lower or clearer water, we decided to return to the front of kindergarten.
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Kindergarten pool seen from the embankment. The whole stones on the bank disappeared when the river rose.

The Front of Kindergarten

We parked near the end of the long pool. I walked upstream on the embankment with my rod on the shoulder. Apart from some willow and wax trees, the tall grass covered under the embankment. The river was just ahead. I could guess the large and shallow rapid current was flowing rather slowly but I could not see through the bottom. I did not have the slightest idea where deep points were. It was too dangerous to walk into such a big river now. I walked 100m ahead and found a lot of grass tops appeared from the water surface beside the fast current. If I stand there the heart of stream will be near and I will also keep a firm foothold. I walked down the embankment and across the grass to that point.
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High water of the kindergarten pool. It looked like a lake.

I walked gingerly into the water. Fortunately, knee-high water was spreading for a long distance. I was still nervous and walked very carefully with my wading staff. Finally I got to my destination and extended the line. My fly line was sinking type II, the leader was 9ft Minus 2X and the fly was General Practitioner tied on 1/0 hook. Every angler knows this fly as GP, a masterpiece of the salmon fly. It was especially very effective to Steelhead fishing. I had been a firm believer of its great performance since my Canadian tour in 1984 and 85. Now that I had no idea of suitable fly for cherry salmon, I chose it as my first fly. I had some hesitation to use such a bright fly from the first but muddy water made the hot orange fly look suitable.
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I was fishing in the fast current at the lower reaches of Gomatsu Bridge. Once it rains in spring when faraway mountains are covered with snow, the river is changed into muddy water in half a day.

I cast the fly and found that my standing point usually had scarce water. When I pulled the line after fly drifting I often caught the plant. It was not drifting plants but rooted ones. A tough situation. I knew nothing about the point. Even though I wanted to walk deeply to cast the fly to the heart of the stream, no guess at water depth stopped me. All I knew was that I had almost no chance of catching cherry salmon at this point. I had had some confidence of power wet fly fishing that means fishing with a shooting head since my successful catch of Steelhead. But muddy water refused my challenge now.
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To make matters worse, a few drops of rain started to fall. I had known the sky looked threatening and the rain really started to fall. Faraway mountains disappeared behind the mist, which meant rain would fall in the large area. High water in addition to muddy water. What an awkward situation!

Why am I not allowed to fish again and again? Since I came here with fly rod I had never seen the ordinary Kuzuryu River. I got the information of clear water by phone in Tokyo but found muddy water here. I had had enough of bad luck. To cheer up, I said to myself I would have countless chances in the future and unsatisfactory fishing was much better than no fishing. Then I went to the Takahara River in Gifu to fish yamame trout, just like the previous time.

On the way to Gifu, I looked down at some rivers near the road and found all had clear water. Did the Kuzuryu River really have muddy water or was it just a bad dream? I felt repeated urges to go back to see that river once more.

-- To be continued --
2002/01/20  KEN SAWADA
Tranlated into English by Miyoko Ohtake