The 6lb tippet shouldn't break so easily, but tug of war with a watermelon should not be taken on too easily. At first I let the fish run, but the small trout reel quickly paid out almost all its reserve in the first run downstream, staging up a most intense bass fishing drama ever!!

Luckily for me, there were no snags around. And I could follow the fish on the sandy flat every time he makes one helluva charge. After some minutes of intense battle, , ,

In fact, there was a hunch. Right on the opposite bank, in the subtle swirl made by the submerged bolster, I thought I saw something move. I sneaked up from the downstream, and threw Mrs. Stink to see if anyone's home?

It was then, an unidentified fishy object, almost as big as a watermelon, boiled out of the water and swallowed my humble offering!

Lately I was bass fishing with a 8wt rod so I can cast big flies. But having shipped out most of the toys for our imminent move abroad, I only had a 4wt trout outfit with trouty flies at hand.

Having no better choice I picked up an ugly ''stink bug fly'' that I tied for lake Kussharo last Autumn. That was the biggest in my arsenal, just a micro bait in comparison to standard bass lures.

Around Kagawa where I grew up, there are no trout rivers to flick flies. I instead fished bass in the ponds, and ever since it has been my ambition to catch a big bass on fly. A couple times I came close working big poppers but never managed to break that magic 50cm mark. Thinking back, I only fished bass in high waters, which is a right strategy especially in terms of number of capture. But when a big one is at a stake, a change of strategy was needed.

Not to sound like a role modelboy but what do you make out of this pile of disgusting rubbish!?

No joke, we could collect this much in a short 10minutes. And the horrifying fact is that 9 out of 10 are what we fishermen threw away - coils of lines, plastic worms, packages. . . I cannot think of a reason why we cannot bring home what you managed to bring in. Do we not know these rubbish, particularly those made of plastic, even a piece of cigaret butt will never decompose naturally and stay there forever. Let us not make other people's misconduct an excuse why you can do the same. Instead, let's pick up the rubbish someone else left behind. As I promised many times over, I myself remain committed in this losing battle, simply because we cannot afford to lose!

- Back

　

Big fish then would have to resort to ambush strategies, but when the reservoir goes down low, those cozy snags are all up in the dry land. The only remaining cover they can utilize is the ''liquid structure'' of fast current. Contrary to adage, big fish in a shallow water, perhaps!?

I used to come fish this backwater many years ago, but only during the high waters in monsoon rain. In the dim light of early morning lots of nice bass were found along the weedy edge, providing great sport on a cork headed popper. But now the time is September, at the end of dry summer, it's only knee deep. Having failed to wake up early, the shallows in the broad daylight suggested no sign of fish.

Due to the poor snow / rainfall since end last year most lakes and reservoirs in Hiroshima suffered from extreme low water levels. We went out several times but did not manage any noteworthy capture, until one late summer day on which I would like to report.

We headed for our usual playground, a reservoir in the city's western outskirts. Despite it's proximity to urban area, the water coming from the nearby Mt. Ohmine remains clear for the best part of the year. No, it doesn't look like a bass field at a first glance.

But a friend of mine hinted otherwise. During summer when the lake water heats up, even such lazy fish as black bass move up the river in search of cooler water to chill out. And he added, ''Mind you, those are the big ones!''

True, as bass grow bigger and gain weight, the become less agile. Small fish can easily outswim them in a big mass of still water.