Old and wise

I was fishing around a rocky shore near the mouth of the Swan River on Friday, and I saw some really big fish down there.

The average black bream we catch around here is somewhere between 25cm to 30cm. I get fish around 35 cm from time to time, but fish of 40 cm plus are very rarely caught. I don't know about catching them on bait, but for fly fishing, we feel that any black bream reaching 40cm mark is a great catch.

Anyway, I was standing on a rock to spot fish, and I just could not believe my eyes. Among those small to medium size fish, there were some big monsters reaching 50cm. I cast at them with different flies and kept down sizing tippet to the point where it would not be possible to land fish, if I would ever get a hook up, but the fish were just beyond my skills.

Smaller fish are young and naive, and they will hit anything whether it is a piece of stinky prawn or a badly tied clouser minnow. Big ones don't make a stupid mistake like young ones do. It says those big bream can live up to 30 years. For those years, people have thrown at them all sorts of stuff, but they have passed their tests.

I was completely defeated by those old wise fish, but I was glad just to know that those monsters are still out there, swimming happily and laughing at us for trying to fool them.

One beaten fly fisherman


I got this consolation prize on Saturday morning.


Another consolation prize

Melting point

The temperature is reaching 40 degree today in Perth, and looks like, it is going to be that way for the next few days.

I wanted to go to a southern town of Pemberton to do some trout fishing before the summer holiday ends, but the weather forecast is saying that they even get the temperature around high 30's for this week. Sounds like it might be better to leave fish alone.

So, on a hot day like this, the best thing is to stay home and chill out. Cleaning my bicycle, drinking a glass of ice coffee, and reading Brompton catalogue.


今日の気温は、４０度。ここ数日は猛暑日になるそうです。南に行ったら涼しいかと思って天気予報を見たのですが、あちらも同じ様に暑いみたいです。夏休みが終わる前に、冷たい川で鱒釣りでもしたいと思ったのですが、これじゃあ駄目です。可哀想に鱒もこの暑さで参っているでしょう。

暑くて釣りどころではないので、家で自転車のメンテナンスをしたり、アイスコーヒーでも飲みながら自転車のカタログでも読む事にしました。

Being persistent

Fishing has been rather slow in the river, and I thought all fish were ended up in a fish soup during the New Year's party, or the global warming has messed up their life in the river, and they were gone to somewhere.

Well, it looks like I was being too premature to decide the river is empty. I was fishing in the morning and I hooked up a nice fish. I was letting a fly drift with the tide, and the fish took it as my line was getting straight after the swing.

As people say, persistence pays off. It was a good fish.

今年最初の良型です。フッキングしてから流れに逆らってラインを引っぱって行ったので、直ぐに良い型だと分かりました。このところ、釣れて来るのは小物ばっかり。久々の良いサイズのクロダイが釣れたので、落ちていたモチベーションもアップです。

Another creative approach

I found a lure while I was fishing yesterday. Its line was caught around a rock and the lure was just poking its head out of water. When I pulled it out to throw it into the bin, it came with a big ball sinker to my surprise.

It looked me that the lure was one of those deep diving minnows, and I don't know how much deeper he or she wanted to go by adding a chunky sinker to a lure which is already going deep, but obviously the whole thing went too deep.

I have no idea if the person knew what he or she was doing, or there is any remarkable logic behind this strange rig, but I can say that creativity is good for fishing at least. To outsmart those elusive fish, we have to try a different approach sometime. Usually the conventional wisdom prevails, much like how this lure snagged up, but on a rare occasion a seemingly absurd idea can produce a good result, and that is another reason why fishing is so interesting.

Sunday excursion to Mandurah

My friend Albert and I went to fish in Mandurah today. We were hoping to catch some whiting down there.

Before we ventured out to sand flats to find schools of whiting, we fished for bream around a boat harbour. Those pylon fish were as finicky as ever, but I manged to hook one nice fish. The fish however knew its game pretty well, and it cut me off against a pylon.

For whiting, unfortunately we didn't see any schools. There were odd fish here and there, and Albert managed to got one while he was prospecting along a drop off.

So, we left flats and went to fish for herring at the Dawesville Cut. It was pain in a neck to walk and fish on those rocks but I soon saw some fish swimming past between underwater rocks along the drop off. As I was letting my streamer swim over the rocks, fish were dashing out to hit my fly.

Soon after a couple of dolphins showed up. They looked to be mother and cub, and the mother was pushing fish against the rocky shore line. She went pass in front of us chasing our fish, and we thought fishing was over. I guess she knew where to find fish as well. A cleaver lady, I thought.


Albert casting his popper fly.



今日は、キスを釣りにMandurahに行って来ました。まず最初に、ボートハーバーでクロダイを狙う事にしましたが、いつもの様に、パイロンに着いているクロダイは攻め抜かれているようで、フライに近づいては来るけど、食いつこうとはしません。運良く一匹良いサイズのをかけましたが、直ぐにパイロンに巻かれてラインブレイク。

お目当てのキスは、フラットにはまだ入って来ていないようだったので、MandurahのDawesville Cutと言う、海と入り江を繋ぐチャネルに行き先を変更。岩場で足下が悪く釣りやすい場所では無いのですが、地元ではポピュラーな釣り場です。岸から数メートルのドロップオフの岩礁帯に沿ってフライをトレースすると、どこからともなく魚が現れてフライにアタックしてきます。

波でラインが行き来きするので、ラインにメンディングを入れてフライがなるべくポイントから離れない様に泳がすのがポイントでした。その意味では、インターミディエイトのラインよりフローティングラインと長めのリーダーを使った方が良いかと思います。魚が着いている岩とそうでない岩があって、使っている毛鉤はベイトフィッシュのパターンですが、どこか渓流の鱒の釣りに似ている感じがしました。

３０分くらいして、イルカの親子とみられるペアが来ました。大きい方のイルカは、岸すれすれまで魚を追って、僕らのすぐ前を通過。飛び込めば背中に飛び乗れる位の距離でした。イルカが来た後では釣りにはならないと思ったので、ここで今日の釣りは終了となりました。

"So long, and thanks for all the fish"

Please throw me your rope

I had a maiden voyage on the raft today, and I hate say this, but I don't think I am in hurry to be back on the raft again.

The raft was very stable and it was nice to sit & relax and drift along. In terms of paddling and fishing, things didn't go as well as I was hoping, and at the end, I had to ask my friend to tow me behind.

Additional info (2012/03/04):

I sent the raft back to the manufacturer. The customer service at Flyweight Designs has been good by the way, and they gave me refund as they promise on their web sites.

Besides it was very hard to fish with, for me, the main problem of the Flyte Packer was a location of the valve. As you can see on the picture, the valve is located on the top of the tube, and this was getting in my way when I was paddling. The raft is very slow on the water as you can guess from its shape, and the problem of banging the valve with my paddle for every few strokes was too much for me to bare especially when you are paddling as if there is no tomorrow to stop the raft getting pushed away with the wind.

Also, one of tide-downs / straps came off before I could use those on the water. It looked like the stitching came loose, and I thought these would be too weak to secure a bag, paddle, or anything.

My fishing raft

I bought a raft.

I am not a big fun of boat fishing. I would rather wade and fish on any day. I guess, it is about simplicity and sense of freedom (no engine failure, no problem of a trailer going off the road, etc).

But there are places which are too deep to go on my feet, and the other side of the river or estuary always looks fishier. So, I am hoping, with this raft, I can get to those flats and drop offs that I can not reach by simply wading.

I blew it up to see how it is like. It is quite roomy and feather light. To be honest, it is so light that it feels bit scary to paddle out. I am worried, if it gets punctured, the air shoots out, and I might fly off like a cartoon character.

Anyway, I now need to get a set of paddles and PFD to have a test ride.

Sea change

Fishing on our home water has been pathetic for the last couple of weeks. We have been checking everywhere, but we haven't had much luck.

It is always unpredictable around here, but even comparing to the normal level of uncertainty, it is getting beyond our understanding. I don't know what the tide and wind are doing right now, but we haven't been able to crack the code. Bait fish everywhere, the tide is running fine, but we don't get much action.

So, I suggested Mike to have sea change. We decided to ditch the Canning River all together, and instead, we went to fish somewhere else on the Swan River yesterday.

Well, I got 4 fish and lost one, and a few more hits between. It was a matter of casting out and getting my fly back. No thinking was required. Cast, retrieve, and bang!. It was as simple as that.

I went back to the Canning today and again I got no fish. May be they were all caught during the Christmas break and ended up on the BBQ grill.

この辺りのクロダイは、潮の流れや風向きや太陽の高さやフッシングプレッシャーなど、色々な事に左右されるため、パターンを使かむのが難しい。それでも、今までの経験から釣れる場所やフライを選ぶ事である程度の読みは可能です。

ただ、ホームグラウンドの川は、どういう事か最近めっきり釣れません。ベイトも沢山いるし、潮の流れも良い感じなのに、クロダイの反応はとても悪い。

こういう時は、気分をリセットするのが一番。という事で、昨日は、スワンリバーの方を探ってみる事にしました。結果は、４匹にバラシが１匹。釣れる時は、こうも簡単に釣れるのに、釣れない時は、アタリの一つも無し。

潮の流れに理由があるのか。水温のせいなのか。それとも他に原因があるのか？簡単に答えがでないところが面白いと言えばそうなんですが、釣りはやっぱり釣れた方が面白いです。

Snow Peak headlamp

I got a new headlamp from Japan. It's called "SnowMiner" (the Japanese name for the light is "Yuki Hotaru". Yuki means snow and hotaru means a firefly) from an outdoor gear / design company, Snow Peak.

My other light, Petzl e+LITE is working fine, but I find it is not bright enough to walk in dark especially on an unfamiliar bush track. On our last trip to Walpole, I had to find a way back to our camp in pitch black, and my Petzl e+Lite didn't give me enough light to place a next step without tripping over rocks and fallen branches.

I must say it is not e+Ltie's fault though. It is a nice lightweight headlamp, but it is just a small emergency light after all. It is not made to spot a drop bear hanging off the tree at night.

This new light is not only strong enough to find shining eyes of those bush animals, but it can transform into a hanging lantern to be used inside of my tent to read books or going through my backpack to find a missing toothbrush. By pushing its funny looking silicone bulb, I can choose between having a spot light for walking and a flood light for the lantern mode. I can hang it from the roof of my tent or tree using a little hook which attached on the belt. It is a quite cleaver design, I think.



The lantern mode. It creates a diffusing light for a happy tent life.

スノーピークのヘッドライトが届きました（英語では、SnowMinerと言う名前で売っています）。Petzl e+LITEは、小さくて軽くて良いのですが、やはりエマージェンシー用のライトでして、暗い山道などを歩くには、光源が足りません。この前のWalpoleの旅行の時も、暗くなるまで釣ってからキャンプ場まで真っ暗の中を帰らなくてはいけなかったのですが、e+LITEだけでは、暗すぎて足を木の根に引っ掛けたりと大変でした。

そこで、新しいヘッドライトを買う事になったわけです。このライトに決めた理由は、やはりヘッドライトにもランタンにも使える点です。PetzlのTikkaにしようかとも考えたのですが、e+LITEの弱点がスポットライトの機能が無い点だと思ったので、最終的には、同じくスポットライト機能が無いTikkaは止めようと思いました。

このライトは、リコン製の半球体のカバーをペコンと押し込む事で、集光と散光を選ぶ事ができます。PetzlやBlack Diamondのヘッドライトと比べて、デザイン的にも電球の様な形が面白いかと思います。

This is on the headlamp mode. It gives a spot light on a bush track.

The headlamp has the light output of powerful 80 lumens on high setting and 8 lumens on low setting. I can actually change light intensity by holding the on / off switch (variable mode) to find a right amount of light I need. It also has a strobe mode which can be good for cycling.

While e+lite has a red light, SnowMiner only comes with a white bulb. This is not a good news for fellow fishing people. A red light is a handy option for fishing as we can retain our night vision.

By the way, here are specs of two lights (I also include Petzl Tekka Plus 2)

Snow Peak SnowMiner:
Light output: 80 lumens (max)
Bulb type: white
Lighting hours: 55 hours (high) / 140 hours (low)
Beam type: spot & flood
Power source: 3x AAA
Weight: 101g incl batteries.

Petzl e+Lite:
Light output: 16 lumens (max)
Bulb type: white & red
Lighting hours: 35 hours (high) / 45 hours (low)
Beam type: flood
Power source: 2x CR2032
Weight: 28g

Petzl Tikka Plus 2:
Light output: 50 lumens (max)
Bulb type: white & red
Lighting hours: 55 hours (high) / 140 hours (low)
Beam type: flood
Power source: 3x AAA
Weight: 83g incl batteries.

As other headlamps, it has a tilting function to adjust an angle of beam, and there is a simple clicking mechanism to stop the bulb from flopping up and down while I am walking. Also, inside of the silicone dome, it has a small shade / visor which stops light coming into my eyes while I am using it. This is a good design for me as I wear a pair of glasses. e+LITE gives me a strange light reflection on my glasses when I angle the light downwards, and I had to block the light above my eyes with my hand or wear a hat to see well. I haven't had the same problem so far with SnowMiner.

I must admit I wish if the light is bit lighter (100g including batteries). e+LITE is only 28g and I don't feel anything when I am wearing it on my head. With SnowMiner, it feels like as if an apple got stuck on my head. It is not too bad if I sit still, but if I move my head left and right, I can feel its weight.

It runs on three AAA batteries which add some weight, I guess (e+LITE on the other hand runs on two small coin batteries). One good thing about AAA batteries is that I can get rechargeable ones (like Sanyo's Eneloop) which is bit more environmental and economical, while those CR2032 coin cells are throw aways and quite expensive, if I was getting from local shops.

Unfortunately SnowMiner is not waterproof unlike my e+LITE. It is just a weather proof (IPx4 Water Resistance Rating), but this is same for other competitive products like Petzl's Tikka Plus 2.

I haven't used the headlamp in the field yet, but other than its weight, I like it so far. I used to take a candle lantern with me when I go camping, but I don't need to take it anymore, so I guess, I can save some weight that way. Also unlike a candle lantern, I can use a LED light in my tent, and with the power of 80 lumens, I can probably tie some flies before I go to bed.

If you are interested, check Snow Peak (they have the US site) for details.



１ルーメンが豆電球何個分に値するのか分かりませんが、８０ルーメンの光源は、e+LITEの１６ルーメンとは比べ物になりません。５倍の明るさですからね（それにしても、子供の頃は、理科の宿題で使っていた豆電球が明るいと思ったのですが、今の子供は、そもそも豆電球なんて物を知っているのだろうか？）。

他のヘッドランプ同様、ライトの角度を変える事ができるチルト機能付きです。また歩行中にライトの角度がカクカクと上下しないようにもなっています。それから、シリコン製のカバーを外してみると、LEDが搭載されている下の部分に小さなフードが付いていて、これにより余計な光が目に入ってこない様になっています。これは眼鏡を掛けている人間にとっては良いアイデアです。この機能が無いe+LITEの場合、光を下に向けると、眼鏡に反射して前が見難くなってしまいます。

逆に、e+LITEの方が優れていると言う点もあります。まずe+LITEには、白の他に赤いLEDが搭載されています（これは、同じPetzl社のTikkaも同じです）。夜釣りをする場合、白いLEDの場合、ライトを点灯するたびに、目が再度暗闇に慣れるまで時間が掛かりますが、赤いライトでは問題ありません。あと、e+LITEは防水ですが、Yuki Hotaruは、防滴のみです。まあこれに関しては、Petzl社のTikkaやBlack Diamond社のSpotなど、同じ価格帯で機能を持ったヘッドランプも同じです。

電源は、単四電池を３つですので、重量がかさみます。ただ、単四なら充電式の物を使えば環境にも財布にも優しいです。e+LITEの使い捨てのコイン電池は問題です。小さい割に安くはありませんし。

二つのライトを比べると、e+Liteの圧倒的な軽さは魅力です。ただヘッドライトにe+Liteでランタンにキャンドルランタンという以前の場合と比べるとYuki Hotaru 一個でヘッドライトとランタンの両機能をまかなえるならその方が軽くなります（どちらの用途でも性能は遥かに上ですしね）。今までは、テントの天井に吊るしたe+Liteだけだったので、暗くて何も出来ずにテントに入ったら寝るだけでした。Yuki Hotaruの８０ルーメンの光量だったらテントの中で本を読んだり、その気になればフライを巻いたりできるかと思います。

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

新年明けましておめでとうございます。


The first fish of the year 2012.


We saw some fireworks tonight.