FRIENDSHIPS AND FISHING

For author Lance Sawa, sharing memorable fishing experiences, from catching his first salmon years ago in Ventura to landing a trout in a Japanese river this summer, makes them even more special. (LANCE SAWA)

FISHING WITH OLD FRIENDS FROM CATCHING SALMON IN VENTURA TO TROUT AND CHAR IN A JAPANESE RIVER, THE SHARED MEMORIES ARE SPECIAL FOR ANGLING EXPAT

By Lance Sawa

John was a great family friend who fished with us in the Southern California coastal community of Marina Del Rey.

He always seemed to be busy with his construction business that took him not only all over California but even overseas. Fishing and cooking were his passions, though. Luckily, those two went well together. After working for 40 years, he decided that it was time to retire. He sold the business and moved up the coast to Ventura.

About five years later, John called and asked if my family wanted any salmon. The salmon fishing in Ventura was in overdrive and John’s refrigerator was full of fresh fish. He had been canning as much as he could, but now his cabinets were full. After that, he started smoking the salmon, but he’d filled a whole closet. So since every night salmon was on the plate, after three months his wife was sick of fish for dinner.

My dad and I took the one-and-ahalf-hour trip north to meet up and get some salmon. Since John was a glutton for punishment, he was going salmon fishing that day as well. He asked if my dad and I wanted to come along, as it wouldn’t take long to catch some. We jumped at the chance and we were on the boat together.

This was my first time fishing for salmon, but John was a seasoned pro at this point. He set the rods up for us and showed us how they were catching them. The boat ride was quick – only about 30 minutes – and soon we were fishing. Within 10 minutes John had a fish on the boat, which shocked me. My dad had one about 10 minutes later.

Just as Dad landed his fish, I got a bite and set the hook. The fish were

high in the water column, so within three minutes the fish was on the boat. My first ocean salmon wasn’t large, but I love catching new types of fish. Some want the largest or most rare, but I am happiest if it is new to me.

Not long after, we had our six salmon, two-fish limits each, and were headed back. The whole trip was a little over two hours long. I only caught the one salmon but still I had to clean all six fish. Oh, the pain of being the youngest in the group.

Before I cleaned my fish, though, John told me to hold up my salmon for

When searching Japanese rice paddies for grasshoppers and crickets to use as fish bait, beware of the non-venomous but equally creepy snakes. (LANCE SAWA)

a picture. Just before he snapped the photo, John told a joke and I cracked a smile. It was a great memory for me to fish with a friend and my father.

LAST MONTH, I RECEIVED an email from Takahashi-san, my fishing friend in Japan. We email each other a few times a year, but with his job it is hard for him to get away and go fishing. He had a few days off coming and wanted to go fishing around my area in Nagano Prefecture, a couple hours west of Tokyo.

I tried to remember when we last

fished together, and it seemed to be two years earlier. My reply to him: “Anytime he wants to go fishing, I am always ready.”

About a week later, Takahashisan showed up at my house and we headed out to go fishing. The first order of business was catching some bait, which at this time of the year meant collecting insects like grasshoppers and crickets.

Takahashi-san is much better at it than me, but I had started the night before. We had to dodge snakes in the rice paddies. They’re not poisonous, but it is still surprising when you reach down to grab a bug and there is a snake calmly eating a frog.

It had been raining for a solid month, which washed out some roads and forced a few rivers to swell over their banks. I took the day before and that morning to scout out some places. I am always amazed and terrified that my local river can move 10-foot-tall boulders.

Within my area I found some places that looked good and had parking, which is one of the hardest obstacles when trying to find places to fish in Japan. On our way to the first spot, we chatted and shared two years of untold stories. Takahashi-san was surprised at how tall my son, Nico, is getting. It was great for two old friends to have this time to catch up.

The rivers were a bit high from heavy rainfall, but still fishable for Sawa and his longtime fishing buddy Takahashi-san. (LANCE SAWA)

OUR FIRST STOP WAS at a nearby river along a main road. There was only one way down and it was a long walk, but it was also great to get out into nature after months inside during COVID-19 restrictions.

We dabbled a fresh bug in each hole and eddy to lure anything in the water to bite. As we did so, the mountains were becoming shrouded in clouds, the wind picked up and I started to feel some rain fall on me. We pushed forward, watched the weather and looked for any ripples on the surface of the water.

With rain falling on us at a small weir, Takahashi-san caught his first fish of the day. He looked back and threw me a thumbs-up. It was a beautiful native char.

We walked upstream and didn’t find any other fish, so we started the long walk back to the car. The sun finally chased the rain clouds away and bathed us in wonderful light. We were also able to continue our chat from earlier in the day.

Our next stop was at a large river with deep spots for large fish to hide in. We hiked down to the river and started upstream, taking extra time on the larger rocks in the water.

Takahashi-san once again coaxed a fish up from a small hole behind a huge boulder. I spotted a large, deep hole with a sand bank to one side, which I felt just had to have a fish inside.

I pulled out the largest grasshopper we had, baited my hook and threw it into the water. Nothing. But I continued to push the bait into all the corners. I hit every slow spot. Every dark spot. And every branch that was sticking out of the water.

Just as I was about to go to the next spot, I saw a submerged rock and cast toward it in hopes of a taker. I saw a quick flash in the water, but there was no hit or weight on the line yet.

I waited, but the line didn’t move. But when I picked up the slack, the fish finally struck, swallowing the whole thing in one huge gulp. The trout was angry and pulled no punches as she ran for the safety of cover.

I pulled her away from the rock and the tree trunk and landed her onto the sand bank. Takahashi-san saw my catch and he pointed out that it was a nice trout for the area.

Upstream, the waters were fishfree and we decided on migrating to our next spot.

MOST OF MY LOCAL streams had become muddy with the rainfall earlier in the day, so we had to look around for clean water. An hour’s drive later, we looked for a way down into a stretch of river that was next to a large dam. We borrowed a ladder and climbed down the 20-foot cliff.

I headed straight to the deep water right below the dam, all while being careful not to step into any dangerous water and staying clear of the rushing current.

This was a first for me to fish this close to an active dam. The wind created by the rushing water was breathtaking and felt great in the summer heat of Japan.

Many of the structures here looked to hold fish, but nothing was biting and so we headed downstream. The heat increased as we got further from the cool air around the dam.

Takahashi-san gleefully shows off the first catch, a native char. (LANCE SAWA)

And once more, Takahashi-san’s rod bent with the weight and pull of a biting fish. His third of the day was another gorgeous white-spotted char, which had been hiding in a deep channel next to a feeder stream.

Takahashi-san stood on a submerged rock just downstream and got the fish to strike a fat cricket on the first cast. We finished the day strong as the sun slowly dropped.

BEFORE I COULD REALIZE it, we were back at my house. The final fish count for the day was Takahashi-san, three, and me with just that one. Which to be honest, was about right; he always outfishes me. Nico came out to see the fish we had and started playing with them immediately.

He asked how each one was going to be cooked. I asked my wife to take a quick picture for me. Right before she pressed the shutter, she told an inside joke. This made me crack up and she got me with a stupid grin on my face. Just like that day in Ventura with John. CS

The guys found a productive spot to fish right below a dam on the river. The rush of water down the spillway cooled the air there, providing some relief on a muggy summer day. (LANCE SAWA)

Back home, the anglers had plenty of stories to tell and fish to show Sawa’s young son Nico. (LANCE SAWA)

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