Aichokai Year-End Fishing Tournament in Funama, Sakawa

On December 30th, I participated in the Aichokai Year-End Fishing Tournament held in Funama, Osumi Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture.

This time, there were eight people, including observers, and we competed for the weight of three greenfish. We boarded the ferry Harumimaru and set sail just after 7:30 a.m.

I went ashore at Arasaki with observer Fukagawa.

I decided to cast my rod at the harbor, while Fukagawa decided to cast his rod at a point facing offshore to the right.

The bait has already been mixed, so I add seawater and mix it while preparing the bait, then prepare the equipment.

Rod size 1.25
Reel No. 3000
Main line No. 2
Float 00
Trace No. 2
Hook size 7

Once the fishing gear was ready, we started fishing.

Although the bait was being taken, it was difficult to get the hook to bite, so I tried using a larger hook and a twisted one.

I finally caught a fish's reaction, but it slipped away.

Did I pull too quickly?

Next, I let the fish bite slowly and then set the hook, but the eye part of the hook broke.

I increased the line size to 2.25 and caught a fish, but

I couldn't stop the fish from running and it was thrown off the line, which left me feeling disheartened.

After this miss, there were no more bites, time just passed, and the word Suda (blank) crossed my mind.

The bait ran out in the afternoon, so it was time for lunch and I made some more bait.

Looking around the entire reef from the high ground, I saw what looked like a greenfish at the back of the creek, and since there was a place at the back of the boat dock where one person could stand, I decided to cast my fishing rod from there.

Although the ground bait is scattered at the back of the creek, it flows with the current to the back left and becomes impossible to fish with, so in order to create a spot in front of the fishing spot, the ground bait is moved forward.

Because it was on a high level, it was easy to see the movements of the bait and float, so I sank the float to the same depth as the bait, removed the slack from the line and waited, and then I felt a bite on the tip of my rod.

When I set the hook I felt a strong pull, but I managed to maintain the angle of the rod and began the fight.

I managed to float it up and safely put it in the dip net, and it was a 40cm+ greenfish.

Using the same method, I continued to catch one fish every 2-3 casts and enjoyed myself to the fullest, managing to keep six.

Finally, I managed to float a nearly 50cm black sea bream, but the eye part of the hook broke off on the final thrust and the catch was over.

We washed the fishing spot, which had become dirty with bait, and boarded the recovery boat.

Overall, many well-shaped fish were caught.

After the weigh-in, I came in third with 3.36kg, and I had the last fish...

The fishing tournament was a success, and it was a satisfying end to my fishing career.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the tournament.