今週は１カ月ちょいぶりに九十九里浜に。２回連続でソゲを釣り上げたポイントへ。
前日の仕事は比較的すんなり終わり早めに寝ることが出来たので３時半に起きて、朝ごはんしっかり食べて４時に出発、５時ごろに釣り開始の予定にしました。
ただ正直、潮的には若潮で５時半が干潮という微妙な条件。
前回の釣りで、PE3号にリーダー５0lbという竿に対して太すぎるラインセッティングで釣りをしていたせいで、ガイドをひん曲げてしまい、さらにサイレントアサシンを飛ばしてなくしてしまったため、今回はラインを1.5号PEに変えて臨みました。
そして渓流用ルアーを買いに行ったときにちゃっかり無くしたサイレントアサシン１２０F フラッシュブーストも購入。これでしかサーフで釣れたことがないので、やっぱり手元に欲しかったので。。。。
ただ、リーダーの手持ちが8lb, 12lb, 16lb, 50lb, 80lbしかなかったので16lbにするかちょっと迷いましたが、16lbでフルキャストして万が一切れてしまったら嫌だなと思い、50lbをPE1.5号につなぐ、かなり頭でっかちなセッティングにしました。
釣り場に到着は5時10分頃。いつもの通り、ウェダーを着込んで釣り開始。日の出は5時だったので、もう十分に明るくて、JINSの偏光グラスも装着。
開始のルアーは勿論、サイレントアサシン。
前回、前々回は開始早々にソゲが上がりましたが、この日はうんともすんとも言わず。
若潮でしかもド干潮の時間からの釣りだったので、前回、前々回と比べると30mは海岸線が引いている状況。改めてものすごく遠浅なサーフだと実感。
そして早朝からサーファーたちは元気。
駐車場から一番近い位置の離岸流ポイントでは（前回も前々回も釣れたところ）ちょうどルアーが届く当たりにプカプカと何人も浮いているので、ホントは重点的にそこを攻めたかったけども断念。
横に少しずつ移動しながら、ルアーをフルキャストし続け、ルアーの引き抵抗が思い所を見つけると、そこには離岸流の発生ポイントを示す赤い旗が砂浜に立っており、引き抵抗が重い所＝離岸流ポイントなんだなと確認しながら釣りをしていました。
開始早々に釣れなかった時点で、今日は駄目かも、と内心思っていて、この日の釣りの目的は、離岸流をどうやったら見分けられるのかを探るのと、気持ちよくルアーをぶん投げることにシフト。
何か見た目で離岸流を見分ける術はないのかとじっくり見ながら移動＆キャストの連続。
離岸流が出るポイントは、底が抉れて周りよりも深くなるだとか聞くけども、そんなん見てもわからん、と思っていましたが、よーく見つづけると見えるようになりました。
それもこれも偏光グラスのおかげ。浅いところでは波で砂が舞い上がり、茶色っぽく見えるけども、離岸流が発生して比較的深く抉れているところは砂が舞い上がらないため、深緑色をしているのが見えました。ただ、偏光グラスを外すと、どちらも白飛びして全く見た目での差はつきませんでした。
また実際に岸に対して平行移動しながら進んでいると、離岸流のポイントでは膝上ぐらいまで深さがあるところから、かけ上がりがあってすぐにくるぶしぐらいの深さまで浅くなるポイントが幾つかあり、また、かけ上がりは岸に対して垂直にあるわけではなく、放射状？なのか斜めに形作られていることにも気付きました。
中潮、大潮の満潮時であれば、おそらく今立っている位置がキャストしてルアーを引いてくる位置なので、こういう微妙な地形の変化があるところにヒラメは付いているのかな、と想像しながら、次回以降の糧のために、時折後ろを振り返り、岸の構造物の位置を確認して、「ここね」、と場所を記憶しながら釣りを継続。
あとはフルキャスト。PE1.5号、流石に3号と比べると圧倒的に糸抜けが良く、ストレスフリーにぶっ飛んでいきます。
サイレントアサシン、19g、よーく飛んでくれます。ただ、キャストをしくじると、ルアーがくるくる回りながら飛んでいき、気持ちよさ半減。バシッと決まったときはお尻を先に向けて真っすぐ飛んでいき、70m弱の飛距離で爽快。
ただやはり50lbのリーダーは太すぎ。青色のPE1.5号は細くて、青い空と海の中では
目の悪い私には全く見えず、ヒトヒロの長さのフロロのリーダーだけが重たそうに、ルアーに付いて飛んでいっているように見え、これがせめて30lbのリーダーならもうちょっと飛びも違ったのかなぁと思いました。
この日の失敗ポイントはリールの選定。20ルビアス2500のダブルハンドル。
シングルハンドルのルビアスも持っているので、そちらでも良かったのだけど、特に意味もなく、久しぶり使うか、というだけでダブルハンドルにしましたが、これが良くなかった。
竿を脇下に挟んでリトリーブしていると、掴んでいるハンドルの逆のハンドルが、ちょいちょいライフジャケットの胸ポケットに当たって、ゴツ、ゴツ、となり煩わしいといったらなかったです。
普通にシングルハンドルが良いなと思いました。
離岸流の見分け方も何となくわかり、キャストも決まるようになった頃には9時。ふと手元のApple Watchを見ると、消費カロリー600 kcal超え。
どういうアルゴリズムでカロリーを計算しているかわからないけど、素直にこの値を信じると、
結構良い運動になっているなと。ウェダーはいて、膝下の水をかき分けながら、フルキャストしてはひたすら巻く、という作業を4時間もするとこんなカロリーになるのかなと。言われてみれば結構疲れた気もしました。
そこから10時までの1時間はカロリーを消費するのが目的になり、「お、610」、「お、６５０」と定期的にカロリーを確認しながら釣り（の操作）。こういう釣りから意識が離れているときに魚が来てくれることを期待しつつ、釣りをし続けましたが、最終的にノーバイト、ノーフィッシュで終了、カロリーは７２０ kcal。
お盆を過ぎて海水浴客も全くいない海岸でしたが、暑くて残暑厳しいサーフ釣りでした。
途中、サーファーの人から、「当たりとかあるんですか？」と聞かれ、サーフの釣りで当たりを感じたときは確実に魚が食ったときしか経験ないので、「いや、当たりは全然ないですね、でも時々釣れるんですよ」というと、悪気はないんだろうけど「当たりないんですね、よく続きますね〜」と、若干、、、、なことを言われましたが、まぁサーファーもずっと眺めているこちらからすると、８割ぐらいは水に浮いているだけにしか見えないので、お互い似た者同士なのでは、と思いました。
その後、自宅に帰り、妻が今日はどうしても行きたいイベントが有る、ということで、一人ででかけてしまったため、子供３人を人生初のボーリングに連れて行って時間を潰して、そこでも釣りで疲れた右手を酷使。この日の最終的な消費カロリーは1200kcalになりました。自転車もランニングもしないで1000kcal超えたのは初めてかもしれない。。。意外と釣りも良い運動になることが知れてよい収穫でした。
This week, after a little over a month, I went to Kujukuri Beach.
I headed to the spot where I had caught flatfish (soge) two times in a row during my previous visits.
As the previous day's work ended relatively smoothly, I was able to go to bed early. I woke up at 3:30 AM, had a hearty breakfast, and departed at 4:00 AM. My plan was to start fishing around 5:00 AM.
Honestly, the tides were a bit tricky, as it was a "Wakashio" tide, and low tide was around 5:30 AM.
During the previous fishing session, I realized that my line setup, PE 3 line with a 50lb leader, was too thick for my rod, which caused the guides to bend and resulted in losing a Silent Assassin lure. So, this time I changed the line to a PE1.5 line for a better setup.
I also bought a Silent Assassin 120F Flash Boost lure when I went to purchase lures for river fishing. Since this lure had previously only worked for me in surf fishing, I really wanted to have it on hand for this trip.
However, I had only 8lb, 12lb, 16lb, 50lb, and 80lb leaders available. I wondered whether to use the 16lb leader, but I was worried about it breaking during a full cast. So, I opted for a somewhat top-heavy setup by connecting the 50lb leader to the PE 1.5 line.
I arrived at the fishing spot around 5:10 AM. As usual, I put on my waders and started fishing. Since the sunrise was at 5:00 AM, it was already quite bright, and I wore my polarized sunglasses from JINS. I started with the Silent Assassin lure, of course.
In the previous sessions, I had caught flatfish early on, but this time, I didn't get any bites at all.
Due to the "Wakashio" tide and the fact that I was fishing from the time of low tide, the coastline was drawn back by about 30 meters compared to the previous times. This made me realize how shallow the surf was.
Surfers were already active early in the morning. At the nearest offshore point from the parking lot (where I had caught fish in previous sessions), I noticed several surfers floating right where my lure would land with each cast. While I wanted to focus on that spot, I had to give up due to the crowded area.
I gradually moved sideways while continuously casting my lure. When I felt resistance during the retrieve, I noticed red flags on the beach marking points where offshore currents were generated. I confirmed that heavy resistance meant an offshore current point. I continued fishing while keeping this in mind.
Since I hadn't caught anything early on, I started thinking that the day might not be successful. My goal for the day shifted to learning how to identify offshore currents and enjoying casting my lure smoothly.
As I moved and cast, I carefully looked for any visual cues to identify offshore currents. I wondered if there was a way to differentiate them just by appearance. I observed intently while continuing my movements.
I had heard that points where offshore currents occur are characterized by the bottom being carved out and being deeper than the surrounding areas. Initially, I thought even if I looked for such features, I wouldn't be able to tell. However, as I continued to observe closely, I began to notice these characteristics becoming more visible.
After trying to observe the offshore currents, I realized that they were visible with polarized glasses. In shallower areas, sand particles were kicked up by waves, giving a brownish appearance. In areas where offshore currents were there and because of that there is deeper, the sand stayed down, and these areas appeared deep green. However, without the polarized glasses, both areas looked white.
Furthermore, as I moved parallel to the shore, I noticed that when I approached points where offshore currents were present, the depth went up to about knee level. From there, there were shallow areas that gradually became shallower, reaching about ankle depth. I observed multiple points with this pattern.
I also realized that the areas with these changes in depth weren't necessarily perpendicular to the shore. Instead, they seemed to form in a radiating or diagonal pattern.
During middle and high tide, it's probably around this spot where I'm currently standing and casting my lure. I imagined that Flounders (Hirame) might be present around subtle changes in the terrain like this. To prepare for future fishing trips, I occasionally looked back, checked the positions of the shore's structures, and mentally noted "this spot" while continuing to fish.
After that, it was all about full casts. With PE 1.5 line, the line release was significantly better compared to PE 3, allowing for stress-free and powerful casting.
The Silent Assassin, weighing 19g, flew really well. However, if I made a mistake during casting, the lure would spin in the air, diminishing the satisfaction. When the cast was executed perfectly, the lure would go straight with its rear end leading, covering a distance of nearly 70 meters, providing a refreshing feeling.
But, the 50lb leader was still too thick. The blue PE 1.5 line was thin, and against the blue sky and sea, I, with poor eyesight, could hardly see it. Only the thick fluorocarbon leader, about the length of a person's forearm, seemed to be trailing behind the lure's rear, making me wonder if having at least a 30lb leader would have made a difference in casting performance.
The mistake of the day was in choosing the reel. The Daiwa's 20 Luvias 2500 with a double handle proved to be inconvenient. Although I also had the single-handled Luvias, I decided for the double handle for no specific reason, just to try it out. However, the opposite handle would occasionally hit the chest pocket of my life jacket, creating a bothersome "thud, thud" sound. I realized that the single-handled reel would have been a better choice.
By the time I had started to understand how to identify offshore currents and had improved my casting technique, it was already 9:00 AM. I suddenly glanced at my Apple Watch and noticed that I had burned over 600 kilo calories. While I wasn't sure about the exact algorithm used for calorie calculation, I decided to trust the number.
It struck me that this activity had turned out to be quite a workout. Wearing waders, wading through water up to my knees, and continuously casting and retrieving for four hours had contributed to burning this many calories. Looking back, I realized I had become quite tired.
Between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM, my focus shifted to burning calories. I regularly checked the watch, seeing numbers like "Oh, 610" and "650,already!" while continuing the routine of fishing. During this time, I hoped that fish might bite while my attention was diverted from fishing. However, in the end, I had no bites and no catches. My calorie count for the day reached 720 kcal.
Despite the absence of people in beach after the Obon holidays and the searing heat, it had turned out to be a challenging surf fishing experience.
During the fishing, a surfer came up to me and asked, "Do you feel any bites?" I explained that in surf fishing, I only feel a bite when a fish has definitely taken the bait, so I rarely feel the typical "bite" sensation. I mentioned that although there aren't many "bites," fish are caught occasionally. The surfer didn't mean any harm, but he responded with a slightly ambiguous comment like, "Oh, you don't feel any bites? You must have good persistence then."
From my perspective, watching them from the shore, it seemed like around 80% of the time, surfers were just floating in the water, so I thought we were both in a similar situation.
Later, after returning home, my wife had an event she wanted to attend, so I had taken the three kids to bowling for the first time. We passed the time, and my already tired right hand got even more exhausted due to bowling. The total calorie burn for the day reached 1200 kcal. It was surprising that without cycling or running, I had exceeded 1000 kcal burned, which might have been the first time. Discovering that fishing can be good exercise turned out to be a rewarding takeaway from the day.