Kana

spinnerbaits, sub-surface jerks, and ratl traps have produced well for me. just takes a bit more skill to get them where they need to be to catch fish!

the quintessential sound of summer fishing in particular is the "singing" of locus, and crickets, in the evening. in the morning its the gentle swoosh of birds flying around that sets the tone, that is until i latch on to that big A** fish, the drag is screaming, im yelling, tripping over myself and battling the fattie, the splash she makes when she jumps and the loud barrage of bilingual obsenity that flows out of my mouth as she throws my lure!!!!!!!!!!!!!! luckily for others this usually only happens once! all jokes aside, the tranquility of nature is the best sound to be heard anytime during a outing.

Im looking for some information from you guys, knowing i can trust it. my new found stomping grounds are part of a tidal river system, and needless to say i have little experience of these rivers. When is the best time to fish, low or high tide? i have heard from local anglers that low tide concentrates the baitfish and it is easier to find them at this time, but i havent had any success. high tide has been the unanimous best time, but for what reason, is there just more water for the fish to spread out, and allow them to easily relate to cover or structure? i do have a very basic knowledge of currents and how bass relate cover and structure in current, but how does this "pattern" change by the fluctuation of water levels? in the past month i have seen the water drop as little as 3 inches to a vast drop of over 4 feet. so far all i have done is graphed in detail bottom compostion at low tide. i would greatly appreciate any help that you guys can offer that wil help me atleast get a bite. thank you. Kana

i have to say i fish alone most often. some factors make it awkward to have a partner. bank fishing for example, the 2 people most usually need to get off well to be able to catch fish without annoying the other. however ina boat theres a completely different circumstance. i dont have my own boat, so most often i am the guest. i like to go with the flow and compliment what my partner is doing. in a boat, where neither of us are fimilar with the water, we are usually trying to put together a pattern and 2 people need to be willing to vary their stlyes to find what is catching fish. sometimes i am just focused on fishing and sometimes i dont talk, my partner needs to understand this, and not be offended if im not talking all the time, its not that i am trying to ignore him, its just my thing sometimes! other times i just have to fish alone for the peace. ill never turn down a partner, unless its someone who will just destroy the experience, and usually ends up not going for the fishing. me personally, i like to fish long and hard, and if i intend on frequently fishing with the same person, its important to find a partner whose traits are similar to your own, so the trip will be enjoyable for both of you.

i dont know if i have never thought about it or just didnt pay attention, but what would be a generalized spawing period. i know there are tons of factors to consider so a broad guess would help me refine and figure it out for my particular area. thanks!

professionally im a chef, and my wife is japanese. so we decided to come to japan so i could learn more, to later benefit my career and spend some time living close to her parents, since its been over 8 years since shes been home to stay more than a few weeks. it was atough adjustment at first, but its worth all the trouble!

yeah right now im fishng 1-4 times a week while im waiting for the employment gods to smile on me. I live in adachi, in tokyo(almost to saitama prefecture). around our house we have the Naka river and tons of small cnals and some nice back water that leads into the river, but i am one of hundreds that fish the same waters. pressure is high, techinques are very refined and most people have been fishing this area much longer than me so my fishing curve is low. but i get one evey now and then, and i think its basically because im fishing a differnet style with differnet baits that my japanese counterparts arent using. ill keep at it. and befroe summer i hope to have it down! thanks for asking!

small fish taken on a 1/4 spinnerbait

Keith witha huge girl ona spinnerbait

dink on a crank

my "guide" Keith Cook, brother of BASS pro Ken Cook

another fattie on a crank

a nice fatty on a 3/8 chartruce spinnerbait

that is a pretty and healthy fish! hope you stick with the cranks. and now were going to see if chris will tell us about the correct ways to use a crankbait? Chris your tips have helped me in the past and i cant help but be curious to your methods! please tell us! im sure southern want to hear too so he can get more of those beauties in the boat.

try a tiny fluke in watermelon rigged with a small jig head. i was doig that a few days ago and the bass just killed em, granted the bass were not all that big but they were filled with lots of energy which made em fun to catch.

For me i caterorize power by speed and lure size, usually med to fast water coverage with larger lures being usually over 3/8. Finesse being slower more methodical presentation and water coverage, baits here are wide in my definition, as i like to use unweighted plastics t-rigged (3 inch grub , tubes and 10 inch power worms), c-rigs, wacky, light jigs and 1/8 hard baits. but i like RWs response with bait vs spinning, it possible that it could generally categorize, but for me it reels arent always the determining factor. to each their own!

i grew up power fishing, so naturally i resort to it about 80% of the time, being in japan, the pressure is so intense most people fish finesse, call me the odd man out, but i get my share of fish just plowing through the water. sometimes there is just that time that says finesse only, so my first step is to down size my power lures, and fish a little slower. if that doesnt seem to get it going, then i go to finesse plastics. but i have to be honest the water here is so poo-caca that even finesse rigs need some type of addittional attractant to be effective,, water is just flat out nasty in most places!

i love spinnerbaits, especially right now. i ve thrown spinnerbaits as long as i can remember fishing, always produced at some point, but there is a technique to them, just not cast and retreive (although you can get bit that way too) and prime areas to fish them. spinnerbaits are one of the most popular lures, due to its ease of catching fish (apperantly not for everyone) so i believe fish see this lure quite often, and the pressure of that lure may not get you bit as readily as some other baits might that are seen less often. as a comparison, in japan everytime i go out i see every angler throw a spinnerbait at some point, and a few get bit, but i think the fish have become accustomed to this lure and shy away from it, unless its thier first time to see it (as with dinks). however, on a recent trip home i had the oppertunity to fish a small lake that sees very little pressure, and the 3/8 oz bait would barely touch the water before a wide variety of mouth sizes came to greet it. opposite ends of the spectrum, but it happens. my point, spinnerbaits work, just not everywhere and certainly not all the time, you have to learn the lure, and become proficient at the many ways and places to fish the lure before it become consistantly productive. And pressure does effect the sucess of any given lure.

well i got there in time for the pre-spawn. i got hooked up with Keith Cook (BASS pro Ken Cooks brother), through my uncle, and he put me on some awesome fish, for about a week of my trip! then lent me a smaller boat and i hit the small lakes for some more excellent fish. i would guess i caught about 60 fish in the 13 days i fished, 7 were over 6 pounds, and pics are on the way. what a killer trip, now im back home on the most heavily pressure water in the world, and unfortunately, theres no way Ican beat the fish i caught in the US! ill still make due! Oh yeah, Twin tail grubs, and power worms are what it took to get the big girls!

its been a while since ive been able to get on and hang out, as i have moved from Osaka to tokyo Japan, then took a 3 week vaction to visit the patents in Oklahoma (what a fishing trip!) glad to be back and looking forward to catching up on all ive missed! Kana

this might throw you guys off a little.. TV shows: gary yamamoto's sugoi hour (features japanese top pros, most but not all are GYCB sponsored) Fishing V: multi species but mosty bass. Fishing mag: Lure Magazine, and Bass World (both japaese) however i also like in-fisherman, and the little of bassin that i have gotten a hold of was pretty good! however this site is by far the most informative and has been the major factor in improving my skills, awareness and love for the sport of fishing! thanks to Glenn and every last member that makes this site what it is!

wow KU way to get things going. im on the wall on whether its a sport or not. by defintion it is, but i have a little hesitation on supporting it full heartedly (and no i will never quit fishing). but while were on the topic, should it be included in the summer olimpics or winter?

thanks JT, now i know what all the fuss is about! good chain yanker!

i missed the artical and a good laugh, ive read that glenn had to delete it and read the apology in its place but is there anyway i could read the original for a good laugh? just curious. thanks.

If any way possible im out there every chance i get. like most of the others here, i dissapear when the lightning gets going! but when it passes, and it always does, im back at it. i used to not fish in the rain because of bad rain wear, but i got wise and coughed up the money for quality gore-tex and dont regret it at all! i like the rain, as there arent many others out on the water where i fish most often, and in case of really bad weather, there is a large bridge all the anglers camp out underneath until the worst is over. a perfect time to get in some lunch.