“Past the bedraggled entrance, the beautiful pond was the perfect spot”
IF IT’S unwise to judge a book by its cover, the same can be said about a fishery and its entrance.
Just as some of my favourite novels have tatty covers, some of the best fisheries start with rutted tracks and rusty gates. If anything, the muddier the track, the more secluded the lake at the end of it!
Actually, with my last assignment there was no “cover” to speak of, as the fishery sign had literally blown over. I found it in a puddle moments later and heaved it back on view so my day’s guests, Jun Kaneko and his family, might have a hope of finding the place.
What a transformation then occurred, because past the bedraggled entrance, the beautiful old carp pond at the end was the perfect autumn fishing spot. Elegant and sheltered, every leafy corner whispered: “Cast here!” In no time at all the family were fishing and taking in a fine morning on the lake. It was just as well the scenery was pretty, because bites weren’t immediately forthcoming. Not the worst lesson in itself, because it meant we would have to plumb the depth a little further out and try small baits on fine hooks.
A matter of just 4ins of extra depth made all the difference and, to the coach’s relief, the floats began to dip as the family caught roach and tiny bream, their first-ever fish. From then on, it was fairly plain sailing and the mad current world was all but forgotten for a few hours.
A cultured family with Japanese roots, I could have chatted to them all day. In fact, the more we spoke, the more I was reminded how much Japan has influenced British angling. From specialist lures and Tenkara fly fishing, to the best hooks money can buy, you can say “Arigato!”
Had the session ended at noon, we could already have called it a success, but I still fancied the chance of a carp. In fact, an overhanging tree was just calling out for a cast. And while young Lisa had become more interested in collecting acorns with mum, brother Leo’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a bigger fish.
Two grains of corn were all it took, plopped beneath the branches. Twenty minutes later, I was impressed at the boy’s steady nerve, as he followed my instructions to the letter, keeping the rod low and firm to hold a solid fish out of the tree roots.
The next few minutes felt like a small eternity, as the boy and fish played out a battle of youthful determination against raw strength!
There were some tense moments as the fish surged and I loosened the drag a little, but Leo’s nerve held. There was an audible gasp as a stunning, golden common carp not far off 10lb found the net. A gorgeous fish to end any angling session, let alone your first-ever.
“The mad current world was all but forgotten for a few hours”