先週、先々週の週末はアメリカ出張のため潰れてしまい、実質12連勤で、先週1週間、ずーっと週末に釣りに行くことだけを希望に頑張っていました。
そして待ちに待った土曜日。向かう先は9月30日にリニューアルオープンをするフィッシングクラブジョイバレー。
今回が3回目。前回行ったときに半額券をもらっていたのでそれを使おうと思っていました（結局使えませんでしたが、、、）。
気温も下がってきて秋の気配がようやくしてきたところなので、ヒラメ釣りにサーフに行くか、それとも磯釣りのリベンジか迷いましたが、管理釣り場で約束された釣果を楽しんで、今週はまずは何よりもストレス発散を第一の目的とするため、管理釣り場を選択。
前日の金曜日の仕事はどうにか8時には終わり、10時に就寝、4時に起きて朝ごはんしっかり食べて5時に出発、6時の開店と同時に釣行開始の予定で臨みました。
着いてみると車が沢山。。。さすがリニューアルオープン。
途中で道を間違えて6時前には着くつもりがちょうど6時に着いたので、既に出遅れ気味。
初めてのメインポンドでの釣りで、どこがいい場所なのかも分からずでしたが、手前側からずっと人がいて、結局一番奥のポンプの手前まで追いやられる形になり、とりあえず釣り開始。
この日は3ピースのトラウトロッドと、X5915をベースに作ったチタンティップのアジングロッドの2本で。それぞれクランク、スプーンを付けて釣り開始。
この日の当たりカラーは明らかに白色。開始時にたまたま白のスプーン（シマノ、ロールスイマー2.5g パールホワイト）をつけていたら、当たりが連続。
ちょっと小ぶりの20ｃｍほどの鱒がテンポよく釣れました。
そして当たりが途絶えたところで、クランク（Daiwa プレッソ ワブクラ30DR ホットチャート）に切り替えるとまたパタパタと釣れる。
また当たりが途絶えれば、スプーンに戻して、というサイクルを基本的に続けました。
ちょうどポンプのところで落ち葉などのゴミがぐるぐると回っており、投げる度にゴミが引っかかり、決して釣りがしやすい場所ではなかったですが、ゴミが良いストラクチャーになり、且つポンプで流れもあるためか特に釣り開始直後からずっと魚影が濃くてほぼ入れ食い状態。偏光グラスをつけると魚の群れがワラワラといて、投げたルアーには必ず何匹かチェイスして来るのが見える状況でした。
そんな状況だったので、開始1時間半ほどで、25ｃｍオーバーのマスを10匹、家族5人の食料として確保し終わり、
その後は色んな釣りのパターンを試すことに。
まずはこの日のためにわざわざ針をバーブレスのシングルフックに入れ替えた、渓流用ルアーのお試し。
メガバスのグレートハンティング・ハンプバックとDaiwaのドクタミノーIIジョイント。
どちらのルアーも渓流釣りでは使用したものの、管理釣り場では初めての使用。バーブレスのシングルフックをお尻側に1本だけ付けて動きをチェック。ただ巻きでは、グレートハンティングは全く問題ない感じだけども、ドクターミノーの方はフックサイズも少し大きめだったせいか、明らかに駄目、、、まっすぐ巻いても斜めに戻ってくるし、少しでも早く巻けばグルグル回る始末。ジョイントでお尻側にだけフックを付けたのも良くなかったかもしれませんが完全にボツ。今度お腹側にフックを付けて再トライです。
一方、グレートハンティングも鱒たちの反応は微妙。。。ただ巻きではアピールが少ないのか、チェイスしてくる魚はおらず、渓流釣りのように軽くトゥイッチングしながら巻くと追いかけてくるのだけど、鱒が上手くバイトしてくれず乗らず。。。
渓流釣りのときは、早い流れの中でかなり高速に巻いてもヤマメは食べてくれたのだけど、鱒はもしかして捕食下手？？なのかなと思いました。知っている人教えてください。。。
そんな感じでちょっと期待していた渓流用ルアーたちは不発に終わったので、その後はスプーンの色を次々に変えて試行錯誤。鱒のチェイスがあるかどうか、１０投ほどを目安に様々な色のスプーンを試しましたが、この日は冒頭にも述べたように、はっきりと白。次点がカラシ色。３番目がオレンジ、、、かな。その他、ピンクやゴールド系、ブルーっぽいものなど色々試しましたが、結局、白とカラシとクランクのループで程よい間隔で釣れ続けてくれました。
単に安かったから、という理由でダイワのプレッソイブ激アツ2.5gをメインに色んなカラーを揃えていましたが、この日、メインで釣れたシマノ、ロールスイマーはパールホワイトの１色のみたまたま持っていました。
この日はカラーの選定もさることながら、スプーンのアクションの違いが効いているように感じました。ロールスイマーの大きな動きのほうが明らかに魚の反応がよく、プレッソのおとなしめの揺ら揺らとしたアクションでは今ひとつ。ロールスイマーで色んなカラー試したら面白いかもと思いました。
あとレンジは凄く大事というのも実感。リトリーブの速さに応じて竿の角度で適切にレンジを合わせないと釣果に繋がらないことがよく分かりました。朝方の釣り始めは１秒で1.5回ハンドルを回すぐらいで釣れたものの、日が上がるにつれて渋くなったのか、1秒で0.5回ぐらい回すぐらいになれば、それに応じて竿を立ててレンジを高めになるようにするのが大事でした。そのスローリトリーブでもアクションが大きく出るロールスイマーのほうがこの日はいい感じだったので、ルアーも組み合わせとして大事だなと実感。
スプーン、とりあえず1種類あればいいでしょと思って、プレッソイブ激アツで一通りカラーを揃えていましたが、アクションの質の違うスプーンを持つことの大事さを実感する釣りでした。
というわけで、、、村田さんの切り抜き動画でなんか良さそうと思ったので、ウォーターランドで、全くアクションがプレッソイブ激アツとは違うだろうと思い、アルミんとディープカッパーをネットでポチりました。。。（また散財。。。）
とりあえずジョイバレーでは白とカラシは毎回よく釣れるので、この2色をベースにアクションと大きさがことなる3種類のスプーンを揃えて、もう少しトラウトの釣り方を学んでみようかなと思います。
そして、お会計時。嬉々として半額券を出したら、リニューアルオープン時は除くとの但し書きが、、、、4150円の半額のつもりが、4150円かかりました。。。まぁ鱒10匹も持って帰ったので、1匹415円で買ったと思えばいいかなと。。。
それにしても、5時間券で入場している人がほとんどだったのにも関わらず、トラウトを持って帰っていたのは私ともう一人だけ。。。
しかも１０匹も持って帰っているのは私だけ。。。
持ち帰り数に制限はないので、その気になれば３０匹は持って帰れたのだけど、一応自重して１０匹だけにしたのだけど、何か貧乏根性出してしまいすみません、、、と感じてしまいました。
４人の家族を養う＆自分の欲求の両立のため、、、仕方ないということにしてください。。。
それにしてもやっぱり管釣りは約束された釣果を与えてくれるのでストレス発散にはちょうどいい。
Last week and the week before, I was tied up due to a business trip to the United States, which resulted in effectively working for 12 consecutive days. Throughout last week, all I could think about was going fishing on the weekend.
And finally, the long-awaited Saturday arrived. The destination was the Fishing Club Joy Valley, which was set to reopen on September 30th.
This was my third visit to the Fishing Club Joy Valley. I had received a half-price ticket during my previous visit and had been planning to use it (although, in the end, I couldn't use it).
As the temperature began to drop, and the signs of autumn finally appeared, I had a dilemma between going surf fishing for flounder or seeking redemption in rock fishing. However, this week, my primary goal was to enjoy the guaranteed catch at the managed fishing spot and, above all, to prioritize stress relief. So, I chose the managed fishing spot.
I managed to finish work on Friday around 8 PM, went to bed at 10 PM, woke up at 4 AM, had a hearty breakfast, and set out at 5 AM, planning to start fishing as soon as the place opened at 6 AM.
When I arrived, there were a lot of cars... It was truly bustling due to the reopening. I made a wrong turn along the way, so instead of arriving just before 6 AM, I arrived exactly at 6 AM, already a bit behind schedule.
It was my first time fishing in the main pond, and I didn't know where the best spot was. People were fishing continuously from the front, so I ended up being pushed toward the back, just before the pump. I started fishing there, for the time being.
On this day, I had two rods with me: a 3-piece trout rod and a titanium-tipped Ajing rod based on the X5915. I attached crankbaits and spoons to each of them and began fishing.
The standout color of the day was clearly white. I happened to have a white spoon (Shimano, Roll Swimmer 2.5g Pearl White) on one of the rods when I started, and I had continuous bites. I caught some trout around 20 cm, and they were biting at a good pace.
And just when the bites stopped on the crankbait (Daiwa Presso Wabukura 30DR in Hot Chart color), I switched back to the spoon, and once again, the bites started coming in. I essentially continued this cycle: switching to the crankbait when the bites waned and returning to the spoon when needed.
Right around the pump area, there were leaves and debris swirling around, making it a bit challenging to fish as the debris would often get tangled with my casts. However, this turned out to be a fortunate situation because the debris created a good structure, and the flow from the pump seemed to attract fish. From the very beginning of my fishing session, there was a dense presence of fish, and it was almost a continuous bite. When I put on polarized glasses, I could see schools of fish swarming around, and every time I cast my lure, several of them would chase after it. It was quite an exciting situation.
With such a productive situation, I managed to secure ten trout over 25 cm in the first hour and a half, which would serve as food for my family of five. After that, I decided to experiment with various fishing patterns.
First, I wanted to try out some lures that I had specifically equipped with barbless single hooks for this day. I tried the Megabass Great Hunting Humpback and Daiwa's Doctor Minnow II Joint, both typically used for river fishing.
I used both of these lures at the river fishing, but this was my first time using them at a managed fishing spot. I had equipped a barbless single hook at the rear for testing the movement. When retrieved steadily, the Great Hunting seemed to work just fine, but the Doctor Minnow II Joint, which had slightly larger hooks, was clearly not suitable. It would veer off course even when reeled straight and would spin in circles if retrieved a bit faster. Perhaps attaching the hook only to the tail on a jointed lure wasn't a good idea. It was a complete dud. I'll have to try again with a hook attached to the belly side next time.
On the other hand, the Great Hunting also didn't elicit much response from the trout. When retrieved steadily, it seemed to lack appeal, as the fish didn't chase it. When I tried a light twitching motion while reeling, they would follow but not quite commit to a bite. I couldn't help but wonder if trout are just not skilled predators, unlike Yamame, especially when it comes to fast-flowing water. If anyone knows more about this, please enlighten me.
So, the river lures I had high hopes for ended up being a disappointment. Afterward, I experimented by continuously changing the colors of my spoons. I aimed to test if the trout would chase them. I tried various spoon colors for about 10 casts each, but as mentioned earlier, on this day, white was the clear winner, followed by mustard yellow and then maybe orange. I also tried pink, gold-toned, and blue-ish spoons, but ultimately, white, mustard yellow, and the crankbait kept producing catches at a steady pace.
I had gathered various colors of the Daiwa Presso Eve Gekiatsu 2.5g mainly because they were affordable, but on this day, the Shimano Roll Swimmer in Pearl White was the one most catched fishes and I happened to have only one color of it.
On this particular day, I felt that not only color selection but also the action of the spoon made a significant difference. The Roll Swimmer's larger movements clearly generated better fish responses, while the more subtle swaying action of the Presso didn't work as well. It occurred to me that trying various colors with the Roll Swimmer could be interesting.
Furthermore, I realized the crucial importance of managing the range. It became evident that I needed to adjust the range properly with the angle of my rod according to the retrieval speed. In the early morning, a retrieval speed of about 1.5 turns of the handle per second worked well, but as the day progressed and the fish became less active, slowing down to around 0.5 turns per second while simultaneously raising the rod to increase the range became essential. The Roll Swimmer, which produced significant actions even at this slower retrieval speed, seemed to work well that day. This made me realize that lure choice is crucial as part of the overall strategy.
Initially, I thought that having just one type of spoon would suffice, so I had gathered various colors of the Presso Eve Gekiatsu. However, this fishing experience taught me the importance of having spoons with different action qualities.
So, inspired by videos from Mr. Murata, I purchased the Alumin and Deep Copper lures from Water Land, expecting their actions to be quite different from the Presso Eve Gekiatsu. (Another spending spree...)
I plan to base my trout fishing on the two colors that consistently work well at Joy Valley, which are white and mustard yellow. I'll also acquire three different spoons with varying actions and sizes to further explore trout fishing techniques.
Now, during the checkout, when I eagerly presented my half-price voucher, I was surprised to find that there was an exception for the renewal opening, and I ended up paying the full 4,150 yen. Well, considering that I took home ten trout, I suppose I can think of it as paying 415 yen per fish.
It's worth noting that even though most people had purchased the 5-hour pass, I was one of the very few who actually left with trout, and I was the only one taking ten home. There was no limit on the number of fish one could take, so I could have taken up to thirty, but I decided to exercise some restraint. I can't help but feel a bit frugal, so please forgive me.
Balancing the needs of a family of four and my own desires can be challenging. In the end, I justified it as a compromise. Nevertheless, managed fishing does provide the promise of a guaranteed catch, making it an excellent way to relieve stress.