non-yak - snapper fishing in the Inland Sea of Japan (October, 2011)

One thing I noticed in Japan is that they are crazy about fishing and the fishing store there is like a home depot( not that big but you get the idea) I did bring 10 lures and a rod back from there as a souvenir.

@Mooch - Kayak fishing is in it's infancy. but there are a few people starting to do it now. If my current gig ever presents a viable exit strategy, I just might pick up and move to my wife's hometown and open a kayakfishing and tour shop! Couple of recent articles and an association below (general kayak though, not fishing)
http://www.outdoorjapan.com/magazine/column_details/350
http://www.j-rca.org/

@Hermes - nice hearing from you man. Yeah, it's been crazy between work and life. My yak needs to get wet in a bad way...The cost of fishing gear definitely comes at a premium in Japan, but you are dead-on about the quality.

@ginoltk - whenever I visit Tokyo on business I make it a habit to visit a couple of favorite tackle shops. fun, fun, fun! Since they are limited in retail space, they have wall sliders 3-4 levels deep in some shops. The bass specialty shops are absolutely crazy with the amount of gear that we never see here. Real works of art, but at the price per lure, I probably wouldn't even tie some of them on...

Great to see a little bit of Japan. I was stationed there (NAS Atsugi) during the Viet Nam War. I just wanted to comment on your mentioning that you thought that less pollution might be nice. I must say that during my time there it was Very Polluted and I have read where they have cleaned up Tokyo Harbor to the point that Dorado are now being caught there during part of the year. But I'm sure overfishing has not stopped.
Hope you get your wish to start a kayak fishing outfit there. I'll be sure and book a trip to try it out.
Jeff

Peter

Excellent report and sweet looking fish. Thank your mother-in-law for the nizakana recipe. Still one of my favorites. The Japanese don't export their best fishing tackle, probably because us American hacks couldn't afford it.

Scott

Great experience and pics Peter! Your family in Japan going fishing is icing on the cake. Thanks for sharing.

WOW!  that is quite a trip and quit a "$ loaner $" set up you had. Thanks for the show.....now i dont need to go.

...speaking of a culture that pursuits quality over quantity!

I like to think that's why my wife married me... 

Peter, great pics, I'm quite jealous! Every time we've been to Japan there's no time for fishing, altho since we took my brother-in-law on a half-day boat in Kauai this past summer I'm hoping he'll take me out next time I visit! I did manage to visit a fishing store in Saga last time we were there...never seen anything like it. Spent about $100 and came home with a small bag of goodies. SMALL bag. lol

Totally awesome report and pics, thanks for sharing. Its funny how us fishermen always manage to get in a lil fishing where ever we go! Its a rule in our house; any vacation taken must have something ot catch or shoot ( its easy, all four of us fish and hunt)

Hi Peter -

I enjoyed reading your report.  Reminds of my vacations to different Philippine Islands like Bohol, Cebu, Leyte and Palawan.
I always wondered how the Japanese can spend so much big bucks on their fishing gear?  You mentioned $1K for the rod alone.

Thanks for all the nice comments!

Cool was hoping for some fish pics.  Take some pics of Japanese lures if you ever get time.

Andy, here are a couple of pics I had that included lures.

The speed jigs were made of tungsten. Very heavy, but very small which was great in the current, but really expensive. ($30 a pop!)

The other lure is a topwater lure for yellowtail, tossing out into a boil with a fast jerky retrieve along the surface.

By the way, my "loaner" rig was a $1K rod and top of the line shimano reel. Never had seen any rod like it. Strong backbone, but the tip was made of an extremely flexible metal. Made special for snapper, since the slightest hint of a pull on the lure makes them drop it. They chase the tail up, nibbling it until they hook themselves on the floating hooks.

Sure felt great, but I was so nervous using it...