Fishing in Usami

A month after my first fishing trial I went fishing for the second time.

I visited the same fishing shop as before, reported to the owner about my fishing catch at the previous time and asked him the same sabiki outfit and bate for this time. He looked pleased to hear about my beginners luck and recommended me to continue fishing in the same style. He offered me this time dual hooks which can pick up bate more effectively. He then explained me that the place I occupied last time was a good fishing point and showed me a photo in a fishing magazine which indicates species of fishes available at various points of the Port of Ito.

From the tip of the breakewater, where I was fishing, to the direction of settlement of Usami.

Encouraged by encouraging comments by an expert, I went to the Port early in the next morning. It was a weekday and there were only very few fishers. I could therefore occupy an ideal position for fishing horse mackerel.

However, I soon came to be disappointed, because there were no horse mackerels in the sea, but only half-lined cardinals. I tried several times, but every time the result was the same. Despite my through preparations and calculations, I was not rewarded. I moved from the outer breakwater to the longest white lighthouse breakwater. However, the result was the same and I moved further to the red lighthouse breakwater without any improvement.

After half an hour, I made up my mind to change locations, from Ito to Usami.

Usami is a district in the north of Ito City. It has a sand beach which is popular among surfers. A fishing port is located next to the beach and dozens of fishing boats are anchored. About 100m away from the port there are my favorite Bali restaurant Sayang and a base for divers.

There are two breakwaters at Usami Port, a long red lighthouse breakwater and a short breakwater. I chose the short one, simply because I did not want to walk a long way to the tip of a breakwater which looked somewhat dangerous.

Mejina

Shimaaji

Kinubari (a sort of Goby)

A fisherman was squatting beside the path. I greeted him and went to the end of the small breakwater. From there, I could see fishing boats coming back to their home port in the vicinity. I prepared everything smoothly and started fishing.

I could easily land the first fishes. They were not horse mackerels. However, they were not half-lined cardinals either and looked eatable, I guessed. They were oval shaped and the upper side of their body was dark. Their tug was relatively strong and enjoyable. Therefore, I kept fishing them. From time to time, another species of fish were landed, though they all were as small as slightly more than 10cm.

After a while I felt a strong tug and a colorful fish with large and strong fins was landed. I took the hook off the fish and suddenly felt a very hot pain on the palm of my right hand. Obviously a strong spine of fin was stuck there. Blood was shed and the pain lasted long, though not unendurable.

After an hour or so, I stopped fishing and left for home. On the way to the car, I met two fishermen mending their nets. I asked them to tell me what fishes I landed.

One of them neared me, opened the cooler box and looked into it. He pointed to the big fish with spiny fins and said "We call this "shonben" as it stinks. Its fin spines are poisonous. You should not bring it back home." He then picked it up and threw it back in the sea! Therefore, I failed to take its picture. Later, I checked on the internet what it was and came to a conclusion; it was Aigo. I found explanations that there are people who do not like Aigo, because it has poisonous spines and smells badly. But, another people like Aigo as delicious fish.

Mejina ready for serving

The same fisherman explained me that the dark fishes were Mejina (Largescale Blackfish) though they were small babies. Mejina is a fish which is popular among hobby fishers when it is grown up to 40 or 50cm long. Unfortunately, they smell during summer and I had to consider how I should eat them. Another fishes which shone silver with a yellow stripe were Shimaaji (Striped jack), though they were small. Shimaaji is famous for its deliciousness. One of the small fishes was a sort of Haze (Goby).

After coming back home, I decided to cook small Mejina in dark soy-sugar-sake source with ginger slices. Taste was not bad, but the size of fishes was too small and it was much troublesome to remove small amount of meat from thin bones.

All in all the result of my second round of fishing was successful. But, I have to grade up my fishing skills, so that I can catch bigger and more easily edible fish es!

2011.7.20