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Cherry Salmon • The First Stage  --Vol.44--
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A giant yamame trout over 60cm. It deserved to be called a queen.

Spring Storm

Finally I caught cherry salmon. I got two!

Each of them was caught in different time and spot in a day. My catch was not by luck or by chance.

The news spread immediately and every one recognized my skill. But I spent over 2 years in catching 2 cherry salmon.

“He must be mad to go fishing with no catch for two years and try more,” some people near me said so. Most anglers hated such hard and unsuccessful fishing, whatever beautiful fish they could catch.

No wonder they became more tentative as they knew more about my fishing. But some of my fishing companions wanted to challenge. Mr. Toyoji Hiraiwa in Toyohashi was one of them. We went fishing together in the next week.
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In an unusually strong wind I started fishing from the upper reaches of the power transmission line.

Medium Water

On April 12, I was waiting for dawn under the power transmission line as usual. I was still excited at the last week’s catch. Usually it was quiet but on that day the wind was whistling. When I opened the car window, a slightly warm wind immediately blew into the car. The front must be passing.
I jointed the pieces of the rod while the power transmission line was swinging loudly above my head. Can I fish in such a strong wind? I began to worry a bit.

Preparing myself, I went up the embankment. In the next moment I had to hold my cap that would otherwise have been blown away. Spring storm. But it would get calm soon. I said to the wind in the sky, “Stop, don’t blow!” Then I corrected myself quickly, “I don’t mind the wind as far as the water is clear.”
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A little after hooking, the fish suddenly came up and rolled over on the surface downstream.

Where to fish today? I was still thinking.

The last week’s points would give me another catch. A new fish would stay there. Fishing there was the usual method.

But it sounded a little boring. I caught 2 cherry salmon just after I changed my fishing method and made a right guess at which point to try. Why do I stick to my little success so easily? I should look for more new points and more mysterious flows. That would be my fishing and the right cherry salmon fishing. That was my conclusion.

Only a glance of the river from the embankment taught me the water level was lower than the last week. The river condition must be improved. I try to look for new points again! Blowing up my hesitation, I dashed down the embankment in the front as I had planned and started walking on the large bank. Mr. Hiraiwa wanted to watch my fishing at first. So we headed for the waterfront only with a rod of 15ft Landlock.
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Finally I pulled the fish near to the bank. I could see the fly in the corner of its mouth.

At the Upper Reaches of the Power Transmission Line

The power transmission line stretches downstream, so when I walk straight I will reach rather the upper reaches of the spot where the power line crosses the river. The upper reaches of the pool of the power transmission line used to be a narrow and shallow current but now changed into a nice pool after the last year’s flood made it gradually wide. In the last week it looked like a channel due to too much water but now it flowed beautifully.

When we reached the place with the whole view of the pool I watched very carefully from the head to the tail of the pool. That beautiful and mysterious flow spread just downstream. I showed it to Mr. Hiraiwa and said I would start from farther upstream to fish that point. Then I walked to the waterside.

He and I had fished Steelhead in Canada together. No long explanation was necessary to him.

“Fish will stay farther downstream but I start from here to know about the flow conditions and also to learn my fishing rhythm,” so said I and walked a little into the water. I drew the line and cast it towards the opposite bank.
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I carefully scooped the fish with a net. It was a thrilling moment.

“Do you usually cast the line in such an angle?” He asked me.

“Now the heart of stream is flowing near to the opposite bank, so I cast the fly near the front of the opposite bank. If it flows in the centre I will cast it farther downstream. Otherwise I will cause the strong drag.” I answered.

Flat Beam I had just retrieved was hit by a gust of wind. I managed to stop it from entangling with grasses underfoot. I kept fishing down with my rhythm.

Probably I fished down nearly 30m. The end of line came near that mysterious flow. I was excited at every casting. The tension of the line became more desirable at every casting. But I almost finished the whole core spot.

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When I held the fish I lost myself in happiness. My cap was blown away by a gust of wind.

An Announcement

“The best spot will be passed soon. If there is no hooking in next one or two castings, that means there is no fish here,” said I to him on the bank.

I swung the rod in the strong wind. The line stretched just above the water surface and the fly disappeared at the edge of the opposite bank downstream.

“The fly is drifting perfectly. A fish will take it now if it stays here.”

I remember that I said so in a shrill, excited voice. The tension from the line was so sensual.

Then the line was really snatched.
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I was excited again when I looked into the camera viewfinder. I do not mind any strong wind as far as I get such fish.
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“A fish!” I could not say any more. The line stuck into the fast current and swayed violently. The fish stayed on the riverbed for a while, suddenly came up to the surface and moved downstream, rolling over on the surface. In the strong wind the reverse sound of the reel only echoed in my ears.

Making sure that the fish went deep into the water again, I walked up on the bank without delay and started pulling the fish to the bank. I could not pull by force because there was a fast current downstream. But that helped me. When I pulled it carefully it held pink-blue Aquamarine in the left corner of its mouth. It looked as if Carmen held a red rose.

Hooking was perfect. I could easily scoop the fish with the net. But the moment I touched the fly to remove the hook, it came off too easily. To my surprise, the hinge joint of the fish mouth was broken. Usually it takes pains to remove the hook from the hard hinge joint. What a soft mouth the cherry salmon, my rare beauty has!

-- To be continued --
2002/03/17  KEN SAWADA
Tranlated into English by Miyoko Ohtake