20.MAR.2013

When the Spring has come to Tokyo, they are back to their mother river Tamagawa to
spawn, just like Salmon in the northland rivers. The sea run dace called Maruta is a kind
of great game fish and fighter for both lure and fly angler live in metropolitan city, easy
access, easy fishing. One the national holiday morning when I got to the river, there's more
anglers than I expected at bellow one of the biggest weir where's the end of their journey.
Usually it takes more time to up here but this year the season seemed started a little bid
earlier so a bunch of them have already reached to their end.

At the first pool, on my first cast a snagged barbel was on. Maruta did not bite at all even
lure guys on the other side were landing. I walked around and found a bunch of fish at the
shallow where a lure guy was fishing. Pardoned me for fishing below him. I carefully fished
not to snag them, even through a few fish were snagged. Today, it seemed like that their
favorite was egg fly, especially pink.



Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo
Weather: Fair
Temperature: 15.8 - 17.9 ℃
Wind: WNW 1.6 - SSE 1.0 mps
Fishing: 08:15 - 10:45
Catch: Four
Fly: Fluorescent yellow egg, Pink egg #10

14.APR.2012

Well, luckily I got some free time in miserable Saturday morning, rain and cold. Temperature
dramatically dropped and it seemed like back to mid February. Two bites, no catch, that's all.
Because of temperature??? rain???

Data
River Tamagawa
Weather: Rain
Temperature: 9.2 - 9.6 ℃
Wind: NNW 3.5 - 3.3 mps
Fishing: 07:00 - 07:45
Catch: None
Fly: Scud fly #10, etc
Want to know more? Email to me

31.MAR.2012

It was a very windy day, nearly 10mps. I tried Maruta again on early Saturday morning. The river
was not so busy when I got there but more and more people came even if weather forecast
said it would be stormy weather in the afternoon. Soon I found a bunch of Maruta in the shallow
and it seemed very easy. No idea why, I tied a lot however all foul hooked... Something wrong!!



Data
River Tamagawa
Weather: Passing cloud.
Temperature: 16.9 - 18.1 ℃
Wind: SSW 6.9 - S 9.1 mps
Fishing: 07:00 - 08:30
Catch: None
Fly: Scud fly #10, etc
Want to know more? Email to me

25.MAR.2012

Spring has come. When the cherry blossom starts to broom, here they come, Maruta, sea
run Ugui which is very close family of Dace. They back to their mother river Tamagawa in
Spring which runs through capital city Tokyo where 12 million people live to spawn. Beginning
of the season is early March and ends sometime in May, best season is April just like cherry
blossom. Along the river people enjoy beautiful cherry blossom whole having lunch, BBQ and
maybe some sake. There's also many play ground for baseball and football on river bank. Local
anglers are long awaiting for this season for Maruta as it's only available for a few month in
the year.



I wanted to fish early in the morning as it's always very busy on Sunday, but got something
to do in the morning and only managed to fish in the afternoon. All good spots where I saw
fish in shallow water were already occupied, so I walked around and tried a couple of different
spots but no luck. Wondered to back home or see other spot. It's the first day of the season,
I wanted to see other spot. As I imagined that the other spot was also very busy but luckily
I found a bunch of fish in shallow water. After foul hooked a few fish, finally I could land the
first fish of the season. Anyway Spring and Maruta have come.



Information
Maruta: Pacific Redfins: Tribolodon brandti
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=47843&genusname=Tribolodon&speciesname=brandtii&lang=English
http://ir.library.tohoku.ac.jp/re/bitstream/10097/29964/1/KJ00000715077.pdf

Data
River Tamagawa
Weather: Fair
Temperature: 12.1 - 12.8 ℃
Wind: N 2.6 - S 3.5 mps
Fishing: 13:00 - 15:30
Catch: Maruta
Fly: Fluorescent green sticklebacks fly #10
Want to know more? Email to me

09.APR.2011

There's fish like last week, but all foul hooked.
Only this carp took my fly.

Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo side
Weather: Cloudy / light rain
Temperature: 15.2 - 15.4 ℃
Wind: S 3.6 - 4.8 mps
Fishing: 06:15 - 07:45
Catch: None
Fly: Yellow, Orange, Black, chartreuse and etc #10
Want to know more? Email to me, flyfishinginjapan@mail.goo.ne.jp

03.APR.2010

It's April, you know, spring has come and the busiest month of the year for me, because of
various speices we should try to fish, such as just opened trouts and char in the beautifull
mountian rivers, seaworm pattern seabass, rockfish at night, chasing smalt freshwater bass
and the Pacific redfins which is commonly known as searun pacific dace and called Maruta
in Japanese comes to River Tamagawa in March and April when the Japanese cherry tree
"Sakura" comes into blossom.

Anyway on Sunday morning, I waked up quite early, actualy same as yesterday. The first spot
there's a same flyfisher who fished here last yeara and he said last week was very nice, landedd
coutless fish, but today... only spinning guys on the other side of the bank landed a few fish.
You know when you fish you always hear this kind of story all over the word ha, ha. At this spot
no contact at all, then I dicided to move to the upstream as I imagined some fish have already
moved way up stream if he had a good time here last week.

Bingo!! There's fish, not so much but enough for myself as no one there around. With in a
few casts and drifts I landed a fish within a fish. I tried another 5-10 minutis but twe foul
hooked. Time to go, that's all for today. Maybe next week will be much better? Who knows!!!

Data
River Tamagawa, Kawasaki and Tokyo
Temperture: 5.5 - 5.9 ℃
Wind: NNE 2.2 - 2.7 mps
Fishing: 06:30 - 08:30
Catch: One
Fly: White melty yarn body and yellowish chartreuse zonker tail #10
Want to know more? Email to me, flyfishinginjapan@mail.goo.ne.jp

18.APR.2010

As usual, It's Sunday Morning exercise at River Tamagawa. A few days ago I got an email from my friend
who landed a couple of good fish and I got to the same spot. Due to the yesterday's snow, water level
was high and a little coloured. When I got to the spot nobody there, could not see any fish.

Tied black woolly bugger and orange egg fly with some lead bullet, as I could fish in the bottom zone.
Just the third cast I got a sudden take, it was really strong pull, nice fight, nice fish. This fish took
my black woolly bugger. Long blank days but finally I got the first Pacific redfins of the season.



Later on I got two more takes but could not land any. It's getting crowded, now time to go home.

Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo side
Temperature　12-10℃
Fishing: 07:00-8:00
Catch: One
Fly: Black woolly bugger, Yellow woolly bugger, Orange egg fly, #10

Want to know more? Email to me, flyfishinginjapan@mail.goo.ne.jp

11.APR.2010

It's Sunday morning, every weekend morning exercise. Now end of the season, but I have not got
any Pacific redfins in this season and it would be the last chance today during this season.

I got to the river early in the morning, nobody's there it might be because of poor catching report?
Some shallow spot, I saw some spawning fish with white splash same as last weekend. Do not disturb
these spawning fish, a few step down by each cast, no touch nor take.

Suddenly I got a take but not Pacific redfins, it was a NIGOI, Japanese Barbel Steed.



NIGOI, Japanese Barbel Steed
Hemibarbus barbus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbel_(fish)
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=61963&genusname=Hemibarbus&speciesname=barbus&lang=English

Data
River Tamagawa, Kawasaki side
Temperature　14-16℃
Fishing: 07:00-8:30
Catch: One Japanese Barbel Steed
Fly: Black woolly bugger, Red and Orange woolly bugger, #10, #8

Want to know more? Email to me, flyfishinginjapan@mail.goo.ne.jp

04.APR.2010

Four days no catch, it's exactly like salmon fishing or more difficult? It seems like this year is a bit
strange, it should be more and more fish coming, the best time now.

Anyway early in the morning, it's around 7 am, I met a same guy who got a fish a couple of week ago
just in front of me. He said there's some fish and got two takes but no result, some more fisherman
at upstream. Not too cold today, it seemed like less fish today than last week very strange.

I got a first take when the fly just turned over and I thought it was hooked up, however a jump and
then no tension, hooked off... Later on another take, it was just a nibbling, but no strike.

Time to go home.... Another blank day.

Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo side
Temperature　8-10℃
Fishing: 07:00-8:30
Catch: None
Fly: Black woolly bugger, Red and Orange woolly bugger, #10, #8

28.MAR.2010

It's already third time now, the river Tamagawa and Pacific redfins.
In Japanese, we say at the third time you finally can make it, so how's today?

At 6 am, yes still cold it's approx 5℃, wading in the cold river and awaiting for the take.
I have not seen any upcoming run at the first spot which is the lower side of the river,
then I moved the upper side. Yes I saw some fish and got a take but could not hooked up.

It's third time but... Another blank day.

Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo and Kawasaki side
Temperature　5-8℃
Fishing: 08:00-9:30
Catch: None
Fly: Black woolly bugger, Red and Orange woolly bugger, #10, #8

22.MAR.2010-1

Today, it's upper side of River Tamagawa, one of the most famous spot for Pacific redfins.
Some fly fisher's already here on early this morning, after some rain everybody expects some
upcoming run.

While speaking with a fly fisher, we could not see any fish but he got a take all of sudden and
landed a good size.



Here should be some more fish, like every fisher, I easily became motivated, hahaha.
I have not prepared my tackle and quickly set fly, just keep on casting and drifting down fly,
like salmon fishing.

I saw fish was moving up stream. On the other side of bank spinning guys got some fish from
fast moving water. Me? I got only one take, but... A blank day, maybe next weekend.

Data
River Tamagawa, Kawasaki side
Temperature　8-12℃
Fishing: 08:00-9:30
Catch: None

20.MAR.2010

The spring, fish come back to the river, the fish is so called Maruta, Tribolodon brandti,
Pacific Redfins, the river Tama which flows through the mega city Tokyo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tama_River

This fish is not the salmon family but the behavior is just like salmon, stay a couple of year in the sea
and brackish water, after then back to the river for spanning, Still early for the best season but already
some new of catching I heard.

Waked up early in the morning, tried to use switch rod which is my remake.
It was very quite and fine weather, saw a lot of carp, but no Pacific redfins...



Then I tried mullet fishing at Tsurumi river but no mullet at all, quite odd.
Another blank day...

Data
River Tamagawa, Tokyo
Temperature　14-17℃
Fishing: 07:00-9:00
Catch: None

Information
Pacific Redfins:Tribolodon brandti
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=47843&genusname=Tribolodon&speciesname=brandtii&lang=English
http://ir.library.tohoku.ac.jp/re/bitstream/10097/29964/1/KJ00000715077.pdf