Every time I go to America, I make so many new friends. I first met him three years ago at a Swimbait Gathering. Since then, we’ve met both in America and Japan, and we’ve spent a lot of time together. This year, he came to Japan, so we went fishing together at one of my favorite lake.
It had been a year since we last saw each other. And this time, it was our first time SUP fishing together. I’ve been practicing SUP fishing quite a bit lately, so I had been really looking forward to fishing this lake with him from a SUP. We had lunch while talking about his travels around Japan, then quickly got ready and pushed off on our SUPs.
We paddled upstream, casting as we went. Even though it was summer, this lake is deep in the mountains, and the water in the upper section felt a little cold. I threw a BUGWAKE and a prototype RAT, but there was no reaction on the surface. Then I heard his voice coming from somewhere in the distance.
A big 50up bass from this lake!!
Our first fish of the trip, and what a great way to get things started!! His great fish immediately got both of us fired up.
I continued casting the EDEN8 as we moved upstream. At an inlet where clear water was flowing into the lake, I got a bite, but because of how unstable the SUP was, I couldn’t get a solid hookset and the fish came off. You can’t always make SUP fishing look as easy as he does. lol
Before we knew it, the sun was setting behind the mountains. The sun goes down early deep in the mountains.
We headed to a traditional Japanese inn near the lake. Over dinner and while soaking in the hot spring, we talked about fishing, the things we’ve experienced together, and what we want to do in the future. Before we knew it, we were talking late into the night, not wanting to waste the time we had together. For me, these moments are also an important part of fishing.
The next morning, we went back to the same lake. There are two river channels flowing into this lake, so we decided to explore the other one that we hadn’t fished the day before. The water and air temperatures were similar to the previous day, but the current felt a little stronger. I worked proven underwater structure with a prototype deep diving swimbait, approaching it from different angles and making the bait contact the structure. The feeling coming through the rod tip felt good. But there was no response from the fish. Then I heard his voice coming from somewhere in the distance again.
Another 50 over bass in incredible condition!! What a beautiful bass!!
He told me that baitfish had gathered in the shallows, and he triggered the bite by burning the EDEN7 through them. You can see exactly how he caught it on his YouTube channel. The fish was in just as good condition as the 50 over from the previous day—maybe even better. We headed toward the backwater at the very upper end of the river. The current was strong, but I thought that maybe the fish would still be willing to chase bait in that current on this day.
So I kept casting. I only got one reaction from a fish.
Even so, the farther we traveled into the mountains, the more beautiful the scenery became.
Strong current.
Clear, clean water.
Deep green mountains covered in lush vegetation.
The scenery deep in the mountains captivated us as we made our way all the way to the upper reaches.
We thought the fish might not have moved all the way up into the backwater yet. So we decided that the area downstream from where he had caught his fish might be better. It was Japan’s rainy season, and the effects of the rain that had been falling day after day were significant. The water in the upper section was cold and clear. As we moved downstream, the water became more stained, and the warmer water and colder water were mixing together. A little downstream from the upper section, we came across an area where part of the mountain had collapsed.
I slowly worked my EDEN8 through the area with a gliding retrieve. Then, a big bass came up from the depths and followed the EDEN8. I immediately made the EDEN8 glide away from the bass, trying to make it look like the bait was escaping.
But she only gave the EDEN8 a light nip before disappearing. She didn’t commit. That moment was, without a doubt, the biggest opportunity I had during the entire trip.
We gave the upper section some time to rest and then came back later. As evening approached, I decided to fish the BUGWAKE on the surface, hoping for an exciting topwater bite. I was watching the BUGWAKE swimming across the surface, my heart pounding as I waited for a fish to explode on it.
Then I heard his voice coming from a distance, so I paddled over toward him.
There he was, holding a beautiful bass!!
The EDEN7 was firmly hooked in the fish’s mouth!!
Throughout both days, he had been fishing the EDEN7 with a fast tempo. This was exactly the action the EDEN7 is made for. He was bringing out the unique personality of the bait through his own style of fishing. The EDEN7 excels with fast retrieves, twitches, and slightly harder jerks. It has an action that feels somewhat similar to working a minnow or jerkbait.
While the EDEN8 has an all-around action that can handle a wide variety of situations, the EDEN7 is more specialized toward speed.
He was making the most of that characteristic of the EDEN7.
That fish was the last one of the trip. Nothing else happened after that, and our time on the lake came to an end. But we spent two days making memories that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life. Three years ago, I met him for the first time. Since then, we’ve met many times and continued making memories together.
This trip is now recorded on his YouTube channel. I’ll leave the link here, so please check out his YouTube video and watch the adventure for yourself.
Actually, this was the third time he has come to Japan and gone fishing with me. Our previous fishing trips are also recorded on his YouTube channel. He has caught a lot of fish on MBD baits, including the EDEN8 and EDEN7. I’d love for you to check out those videos as well.
I’m happy that we can continue sharing fishing and making memories together, whether we’re in America or Japan. I’m grateful to have friends all over the world through fishing and swimbaits.
Thank you so much Homeless Fisherman!!
