私の最後の夏休み
いつのまにか北海道のアユ釣りが近い存在になってしまった。子供の頃の憧れだったアユ釣りが、車で少し走ればできる。そんな環境だと気づいてしまうと、やっぱり鮎の友釣りはやらずに夏を越せない。
昔、大学卒業後の放浪時代。初めて友釣りをやったのが四国徳島県の海部川。徳島の友達に鯉釣り用ののべ竿と、自転車と、テントを借りた。山にこもって友釣りで鮎を釣るまで帰らないと決めたのが20年くらい前。水中メガネで川に潜って、縄張りを持って喧嘩する鮎を川の中で見て、ワクワクした。コロガシ釣りでようやく1匹目の鮎がかかったのが夕暮れ迫る5時だった。それから、初めての鮎に初めてのハナカン、サカサ針をかけて「これで良いのか？」と恐る恐る川におとり鮎を送り込んだ。その瞬間に竿に掛かった鮎の衝撃が、今でも手の中に残っている。そして、その鮎を1匹残しておけばよいものの、脂の乗った川魚の感動の味は全て焼いて食べてしまった。おかげで、その翌日、おとり鮎を確保するのにてこづった。それが私の初めての友釣りだった。
北海道のアユ釣りもやっているうちに、季節のクライマックス。アユ釣り師なら誰もが夢見る「尺鮎を釣ってみたい」と思うようになった。ということで、広島のコーチに「四国の高知県に行こう」と誘われて、9月中旬、尺鮎を狙って計画を始めた。
My Last Summer Vacation
Before I knew it, ayu fishing in Hokkaido had become something within reach. The ayu fishing I had dreamed of as a child was now just a short drive away. Once I realized I had such an environment, I knew I couldn’t spend the summer without trying “tomozuri” (friend fishing) for ayu.
Back in my post-college wandering days, I first tried tomozuri on the Kaifu River in Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku. I borrowed a carp fishing rod, a bicycle, and a tent from a friend in Tokushima. About 20 years ago, I decided I wouldn’t return until I caught ayu using tomozuri in the mountains. Wearing underwater goggles, I dove into the river and watched the territorial ayu fight each other—it was exhilarating. My first ayu finally took the bait using the “korogashi” technique around 5 p.m., just as evening was approaching. Then, I carefully attached the hanakan (nose ring) and sakasa hook for the first time, nervously sending the live decoy into the river, wondering if I was doing it right. The thrill of the ayu taking the rod is still vivid in my hands to this day. And though I should have saved one fish, the delicious taste of the fatty river fish tempted me, and I ended up eating it all. As a result, the next day I struggled to secure a decoy ayu. That was my very first experience with tomozuri.
As I continued ayu fishing in Hokkaido, I reached the seasonal climax. Like any dedicated ayu fisherman, I started dreaming of catching a “shaku-ayu” (a 30cm+ ayu). So, when my coach from Hiroshima suggested, “Let’s go to Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku,” I eagerly accepted. In mid-September, I began planning a trip aiming for that prized shaku-ayu.
高知県といえばアカメ。北海道のイトウと並ぶ日本最大の淡水魚、幻の魚アカメ。鮎釣りは昼間、夜はアカメ釣りができないか？と思い浮かんでしまった。
うちに来るモモンガのお客さんが、高知のアカメ釣りの船に乗って、その時に「60cmの鯉を餌にしたら巨大なアカメが食いついた」と話を聞かされて驚いた。
今はフライフィッシングの日々で泳がせ釣りの機会がないけど、子供の頃はサッパの泳がせでスズキを釣ったり、メゴチの泳がせでマゴチ、イワシの泳がせでヒラメなど、泳がせ釣りは子供の頃から大好きで、ロマンが尽きなかった。
今回は、大鮎を友釣りで狙って、もしうまく釣れたら鮎の泳がせでアカメを狙ってみる。という思いつき。
「泳がせでアカメ？フライフィッシングをやっていたら邪道だろう？」なんて声が聞こえてきそうだけど、いーのだ！なんだろう、泳がせ釣りはロマンなのだ。そして1匹釣ればアカメが考えていることが少しわかるし、それからフライで釣れば良い。
今回は初めての四国なので、コーチが「いろんな川を見なさい」と、毎日川を変えることに。川ごとに表情、水の色や規模、石の質や流れの重さ、鮎の密度やサイズなど、行く先々で全て違った。
初日の川は、とにかく太い流れに、激流と言える大きな岩や岩盤を舐めるように流れる川。こんなところでどうやって釣りするのか？鮎が掛かるのか？掛かったらどうなるのか？どうするのか？全てがイメージできなかった。それで、始めてすぐに25cmのでっかい鮎が手の中にはみ出しておさまった。1匹はキャッチできたものの、用意したメーカーの完全仕掛けを2本続けてあっさり切られた。コーチが29cmの指4本に迫るようなすごい鮎を釣った。
「こんなのがこの太い流れで掛かるのか」と目の当たりにして、「これはちゃんとやらなきゃだめだ」と思った。帰りに高知の釣具屋さんで編み込み台を買って、急遽ホテルで市販の完全仕掛けを編み込み直し、強度のチェック。初日から衝撃的で、全ての仕掛けをやり終える頃には日付が変わっていた。これで言い訳できない。
Speaking of Kochi Prefecture, there is the Akame. This phantom fish, Japan’s largest freshwater fish alongside Hokkaido’s ito (giant salmon), came to mind. I wondered if, while fishing for ayu during the day, I could try Akame fishing at night.
A customer who visits our lodge to see flying squirrels once told me about his experience on an Akame fishing boat in Kochi: “When I used a 60 cm carp as bait, a huge Akame took it.” I was astonished.
These days, I spend my time fly fishing and rarely get a chance to fish with live bait. But as a child, I loved it—catching seabass with live sardines, flathead fish with goby, and flounder with live anchovies. Using live bait was a lifelong passion, full of endless excitement.
This time, I thought: why not target large ayu with tomozuri, and if I catch them successfully, try using them as live bait for Akame?
I can almost hear the voices saying, “Using live bait for Akame? That’s cheating if you do fly fishing!” But I didn’t care! There’s something romantic about fishing with live bait. Plus, catching one gives insight into what an Akame is thinking, and from there I can try to catch it with a fly.
Since this was my first trip to Shikoku, my coach insisted, “See as many rivers as possible,” so we changed rivers every day. Each river had its own character—different water color, scale, stone quality, current strength, and ayu density and size. Every location was different.
On the first day, the river had an incredibly strong current, flowing over huge boulders and rock slabs that could be called a torrent. How was I supposed to fish there? Would ayu even bite? If they did, what would happen? What should I do? I couldn’t imagine any of it. Yet, almost immediately, a giant 25 cm ayu practically spilled out of my hand. I managed to catch one, but the two pre-made rigs I had prepared were cut almost instantly. My coach caught an amazing 29 cm ayu, nearly the width of four fingers.
Seeing that kind of fish in such a strong current made me realize, “I really have to do this properly.” On the way back, I bought a rigging board at a tackle shop in Kochi and re-braided the pre-made rigs in my hotel, checking their strength. The first day was so overwhelming that by the time I finished all the rigs, the date had changed. No excuses now.
二日目は夜中に激しく雨が降り、川はどこもまっ茶色。ダメ元で車を走らせ、たどり着いた川はなんとかできそうな水の色。2箇所場所を変えてやってみるが、釣れるけどどれも15cmほどで、釣りができるだけでもよしという1日に終わる。
二日目の夜にアカメにチャレンジ。18時に港を出るゴールドラッシュさんにガイドをお願いして出発。真っ赤に染まる夕焼けを見ながらポイントに向かう。ボートをアンカーで固定して障害物をフライで狙う。タックルはスイッチの10番、10フィートにインタミのシューティングヘッド。その先に100ポンドのナイロンをヒトヒロ。そこにループノットで大きなフライを結ぶ。オーストラリアでバラマンディを釣った時のタックルと全て一緒。
障害物周りや街灯の明かり周りをブラインドで投げ続ける釣り。潮の満ち引きで流れが変わるとベイトの動きもざわつき、一度フライにアタックがあったのは50cmくらいのスズキっぽかった。やめる1時間前にキャプテンが「エサがあるから置き竿で泳がせをやってみますか」と聞いてくれたので、魚も見たいしやってみる。単純な仕掛けで竿の先に針とオモリ、ウキの代わりにペットボトルをつけて障害物の近くに置いておく待つ釣り。
何も食いつかないまま終わったけど、これでいろいろわかった。ボートを固定して狙うので、フライを投げ続けるとキャスティングや着水で魚を警戒させてしまうこと。何度も水中のフライを見切られているだろうということ。そしてアカメも相当警戒していて、フライをよく見ているだろうということ。そんなことを考えて、明日はまずアカメを釣ろうと、キャスティングはせずに泳がせでとにかく静かに時合を待つ釣りに集中することに結論。
当初の計画通り、大鮎が釣れるのか？釣った大鮎をアカメが食うのか？また明日の夜が楽しみになった。鮎の仕掛けも編み込みを覚えるべく修理でまた日付が変わった。高知の夜は長かった。
On the second day, heavy rain fell during the night, turning every river a muddy brown. Hoping for the best, we drove to a river that, fortunately, had water color that still looked fishable. We tried two different spots. Fish were caught, but all were around 15 cm, so it ended up being a day where just being able to fish was enough.
That night, we attempted Akame fishing. At 6:00 PM, we left the harbor with Gold Rush as our guide. We headed toward the fishing spot, watching the sunset turn the sky bright red. The boat was anchored, and we targeted obstacles with a fly. The tackle consisted of a 10-weight switch rod, 10 feet long, with an intermediate shooting head. Attached to that was a 100-pound nylon leader about the length of one arm, and at the end, a large fly tied with a loop knot—the same setup I had used when fishing for barramundi in Australia.
We fished blindly, casting around obstacles and under streetlight illumination. When the tide shifted, the movement of baitfish stirred, and at one point a fish attacked the fly—probably a seabass around 50 cm. About an hour before quitting, the captain asked, “Since we have bait, do you want to try live baiting with the rod set?” I wanted to see the fish, so I gave it a try. The setup was simple: a hook and weight at the rod tip, and a plastic bottle as a float, left near the obstacles.
Nothing took the bait, but I learned a lot. Anchoring the boat and continuing to cast the fly can alert the fish with every cast and splash. The fly was probably being rejected underwater multiple times. Akame were extremely wary and likely scrutinizing the fly closely. Considering all this, I decided that tomorrow I would focus on catching Akame first, fishing quietly with live bait instead of casting, and simply waiting for the right moment.
Following the original plan, I wondered if we could catch large ayu, and if the Akame would take them. I looked forward to tomorrow night. I also spent time repairing the ayu rigs to practice braiding, which kept me up past midnight again. The nights in Kochi were long.
三日目
三日目はまた新しい川へ、仁淀川に向かう。川はとにかく美しかった。深い淵、流れの美しいこと、川が自由に蛇行して流れる姿、とにかく広い河原、石の綺麗さ。これが日本の清流、仁淀川。
ただ鮎は、オトリ屋さん曰く「今年は鮎の数が多すぎて型が小さい」とのこと。実際、釣っても15cm以下のオトリにならない鮎が掛かってくる。しかも昨日の雨のせいか、流れの中の石には苔がなく、大鮎が潜んでいそうな流れからはちっとも鮎が掛かってこなかった。
鮎の釣れる場所は、とろ場で石が真っ黒な場所。そこには鮎がたくさんいて、入れたらすぐに掛かってきた。ようやく理解でき、午後から22cmくらいの鮎を3匹用意できた。これにアカメが食うかと、気持ちがアカメに切り替わった。
Day 3
On the third day, we headed to another new river—the Niyodo River. The river was simply stunning: deep pools, beautifully flowing water, the way the river meandered freely, wide riverbanks, and pristine stones. This was Japan’s clear stream, the Niyodo River.
However, according to the bait shop owner, “This year, there are too many ayu, so their size is small.” Indeed, even when we caught fish, many were under 15 cm—too small to use as live bait. Moreover, perhaps due to yesterday’s rain, there was no moss on the stones in the current, and no ayu were caught in flows where large ayu might normally hide.
The places where ayu could be caught were slow-flowing sections with dark stones. There, the fish were abundant, and as soon as we put in a bait, we got a bite immediately. Finally, I understood the river, and by the afternoon I had prepared three ayu around 22 cm. At that point, my focus shifted to whether an Akame would take them.
18:00に、昨日と同じくゴールドラッシュのキャプテンの船で出船。障害物のある場所に船を固定した。タックルは昨日と同様で、スイッチロッド10番の先にインタミ、ティペット100ポンドの泳がせ用の針をつけ、鮎のハナカンに針を通した。投げずに1.5mほど沈めて待つだけ。
同行のコーチは、キャプテンが用意したボラを餌に3匹立て続けにアカメを掛けた。1匹はネットに入れる寸前で針がポロリ。1匹は障害物で糸が切られた。1匹は合わせですっぽ抜け。キャッチできなかったけど、アカメがいること、食う条件や状況がわかった。前アタリも少しイメージができた。そして掛かるアカメは全てでっかい。
ボラじゃないと食わないのかと思いながらも、鮎は元気に泳ぎ、たまに竿先を震わす。ただただ待つ。
流れが変わり船を移動させる。竿を持つ右手の人差し指にかけたラインがスッと出ていく。1mほどラインを持っていったので、大きく合わせると竿が曲がり魚が掛かった。周りには障害物があるので、思いっきり竿を曲げて魚を止めた。豪快で醍醐味。100ポンドなので、傷がなければ絶対切れない。ネットに入ったのは65cmのヒラスズキ。スズキはたくさん釣ってきたけど、ヒラスズキは初めてで、その体高や目の大きさ、やっぱりかっこいい。さっと逃した。これで鮎で食うことがわかった。
At 18:00, we set out on the Gold Rush captain’s boat, just like the day before. We anchored the boat near some obstacles. The tackle was the same as yesterday: a 10-weight switch rod with an intermediate sinking line, a 100-pound tippet, and a hook for live bait, threaded through the ayu’s hanakan. We didn’t cast—just submerged it about 1.5 meters and waited.
The coach accompanying me hooked three Akame in succession using mullet prepared by the captain. One slipped off just before it could be netted, another cut the line on an obstacle, and the third came off on the hook set. We couldn’t land any, but we learned that Akame were there, the conditions under which they would strike, and got a sense of the preliminary bites. And every Akame that struck was huge.
While thinking maybe they wouldn’t take anything but mullet, the ayu swam energetically, occasionally shaking the rod tip. All I could do was wait.
As the current shifted, we moved the boat. The line slipped smoothly off the index finger of my right hand holding the rod. About a meter of line was pulled out, so I set the hook strongly, and the rod bent—fish on. With obstacles around, I had to bend the rod fully to stop the fish. Thrilling and exhilarating. With a 100-pound tippet, it wouldn’t break unless it was damaged.
The fish that entered the net was a 65 cm Japanese sea bass (Hirasuzuki). I had caught many sea bass before, but this was my first Hirasuzuki. Its body height and eye size—so impressive. It slipped away quickly. But I realized that it would strike using ayu as bait.
最後の1匹の鮎を針につけて同じように待つ。30分くらいか、右手の人差し指から再び糸が持って行かれる。1mほど持って行かせて、強く反対方向に合わせて掛けた。さっきのヒラスズキよりも重い。だけど走る先が障害物で、止めても止まらない。竿が大きく曲がって体が持って行かれる。ティペットが障害物に触れそうなので少し行かせると、フライラインが障害物に擦っている感覚が伝わってくる。その間に船を動かして、竿先だけでも障害物の前に出してファイト続行。思いっきり竿を曲げても、まだまだ強いパワー。なかなか浮いてこないトルク。これはもしかしたらアカメなのかと、気持ちが先走ってしまう。
魚をいなしながらタイミングよく障害物から引っ張り出した。水面に浮いた魚はまだ抵抗する。2度目の誘導でネットに入った。キャプテンに「アカメ？ アカメ？ アカメ？」と何度も聞いた。体高があって、頭の先がとんがって、背中が盛り上がって、大きなうちわのような尾鰭はまさにアカメ。ヘッドライトをつけると目が赤く光った。これがアカメ。まさか釣れるとは、触れるとは、本当に釣れるとは…。写真よりも、自分の手の中にアカメがいる時間だった。
I hooked the last ayu onto the line and waited in the same way. After about 30 minutes, the line slipped again from the index finger of my right hand. I let about a meter run, then set the hook strongly in the opposite direction. This fish felt heavier than the Hirasuzuki from earlier. But it ran toward an obstacle, and no matter how I tried to stop it, it wouldn’t. The rod bent sharply, and my body was pulled along. I let it run a little because the tippet was close to touching an obstacle, and I could feel the fly line rubbing against it. While doing this, I moved the boat to position just the rod tip in front of the obstacle and continued the fight. Even bending the rod to its maximum, the fish still had immense power. Its torque made it difficult to bring to the surface. My mind raced—could this be the Akame?
I carefully maneuvered the fish, pulling it out from the obstacle at the right moment. Once it surfaced, it still resisted. On the second attempt, it finally went into the net. I kept asking the captain, “Akame? Akame? Akame?” The fish had a high body, a pointed head, a raised back, and a large, fan-like tail—truly an Akame. With the headlamp on, its eyes glowed red. This was Akame. I couldn’t believe I had caught it, touched it, actually held it… More than any photograph, it was the time I had the Akame in my own hands that mattered.
この1匹で十分だった。そしてアカメがどんな魚で、どんなことを考えて、どうやって餌を食うか。食った後の動きも、これをフライでどう食わせるかもイメージできた。泳がせの針をすぐにフライに変えて、残り時間はフライでアカメを狙った。時間が許す限り、フライで食わせることができるか。キャスティングして流れに乗せて障害物まで沈め、流し込んでからリトリーブ。大河川のスイングの釣りのよう。流れが速すぎてインタミでは沈みきっていない。アカメが安心する深さと流れの速さだと、タイプ3くらいは欲しいと思った。ブラインドの繰り返しの労働の釣りだけど、これを続けていればアカメは釣れると思った。
そしてタイムアップ。私の二日間のアカメチャレンジが終わった。ゴールドラッシュのキャプテンがとてもいい人で、いろいろチャレンジさせてくれた。限られた時間で効率よく釣りをするには、現地で毎日釣りしている人の案内に頼るしかない。幻の魚をこんな簡単にキャッチしてしまうのだから、これでいいのか？と思いながら感謝しかない。
That one fish was enough. I could understand what kind of fish Akame is, what it might be thinking, and how it goes about feeding. I could even imagine how it moves after eating and how I could make it take a fly. I immediately switched the live-bait hook to a fly and spent the remaining time targeting Akame with fly fishing. As long as time allowed, I tried to make it take the fly. Casting, letting it drift with the current toward obstacles, letting it sink, and then retrieving—it felt like swing fishing in a large river. The current was too fast for the intermediate line to sink completely. I realized that for the depth and flow where Akame feels safe, a type 3 line would be ideal. It was a laborious, repetitive blind fishing process, but I believed that if I continued this way, I could catch Akame.
And then, time was up. My two-day Akame challenge was over. The captain of Gold Rush was a wonderful person and let me try many things. To fish efficiently in such a limited time, you have to rely on someone who fishes there every day. I couldn’t help but feel grateful, even while thinking, “Is it really okay to catch this legendary fish so easily?”
四日目
そして四日目、鮎釣りの最後。最終日、どんな釣りになるか、雨の影響はないかと川へ向かう。途中、オトリ屋さんによると、ここ数日の釣果が貼ってあり、尺アユが釣れているという。そして連休の土曜日で、どこも鮎釣り人で入る場所はないという。さすがメッカ。釣り人たちが集まる匂いがまた良い。
勧められた手書きの地図で河原に着くと、先に4人が竿を出していた。広い釣り場で準備。オトリカンを川に沈めると、石についたハミ跡がたくさんあって、しかもでかい。あちこちにハミ跡だらけで、石に着いたツルツルの苔の感じが、今までの三日間とは全く違うものだった。
オトリが大きめで元気なので、いきなり本命場所の流れにオトリを入れた。周りで釣っている人が掛ける。竿が大きく曲がって、なかなか上がってこない。鮎がでかいこと。
1時間ほどでようやく1匹目、23cmくらい。その後仕掛けを切られて循環がうまくいかず、お昼。コーチが29cmを釣った。
13:00頃、ようやく1匹掛かると、それからは立て続けに連発。28cmが釣れた。それをオトリにして恐る恐る入れると、すぐに掛かった。掛かった瞬間の初動。腰を下げ、竿を深く持って下らせない踏ん張り。糸が引かれ、竿が大きく曲がる。川に突き刺さる。川の重さと大鮎との我慢比べ。大鮎がふっと力を抜いた瞬間に竿を立て、勝負。流れから外して緩い流れに誘導。ジワジワと距離を縮める。身切れしないように、次のオトリとして大切に、慎重に近くに寄せる。抜けない大きさに、どうやってタモに入れるか動作がわからずモタモタする。足元の大きな鮎を掬う。うまくいった。全てが完結したような一瞬だった。
Day 4
And then came the fourth day—the final day of ayu fishing. On the last day, we headed to the river, wondering what the fishing would be like and whether the rain had affected the water. Along the way, the bait shop had posted the recent catches, and it said that some “shaku-ayu” (30 cm-class ayu) had been caught. Since it was a Saturday during a long holiday, every spot was full of anglers. Truly a mecca for fishing. The atmosphere of fishermen gathering there was exciting.
Following a recommended hand-drawn map, we arrived at the riverbank, where four people had already set up their rods. Preparing in the wide fishing area, I submerged the bait can into the river. The stones were covered with many large feeding marks. Everywhere you looked, the stones were full of bite marks, and the smoothness of the moss on the stones felt completely different from the previous three days.
Since the bait fish were large and lively, I immediately placed them in the prime spots in the current. The nearby anglers were hooking fish as well. The rod bent deeply, and the fish didn’t come up easily. These were big ayu.
After about an hour, I finally caught the first one, around 23 cm. Later, my rig was cut, and the rotation didn’t go smoothly, so we broke for lunch. Meanwhile, the coach caught a 29 cm ayu.
Around 1:00 p.m., once I finally hooked a fish, consecutive catches followed. I caught a 28 cm ayu. Using it as the next bait, I carefully placed it in the water, and it immediately hooked. The initial reaction at the moment it took the bait: lowering my body, holding the rod deep to prevent it from dropping, feeling the line pulled as the rod bent dramatically, stabbing into the current. It was a test of patience against the river’s force and the big ayu. The moment the large ayu relaxed its strength, I lifted the rod and went for it. I guided it from the strong current into a gentler flow, gradually closing the distance. Carefully, to avoid breaking it, I treated it as the next bait and brought it closer with caution. I hesitated, unsure how to land such a large fish in the net, but finally scooped it up at my feet. It worked perfectly—a moment where everything felt complete.
大鮎は28を2匹キャッチできたけど、用意した4本の仕掛けは全て切られた。今回は仕掛け作りが課題。編み込みや糸の強度チェック。まだまだ素人。こんな試練がまた楽しい。コーチが珍しく「仕掛け使う？」と聞いてくれたけど、「キリがない、帰ろう」。力勝負もできたし、宿題ももらったし、もう十分。14:30にやめた。コーチが釣った29cmと合わせて3匹を氷でシメた。鮎用の袋に水を入れて真空パック。これで鮎釣りは終わり。
今回は循環の釣りの最後がアカメという、四国高知ならではの豪快な循環がうまくいった。アカメのキャプテンに感謝。コーチにも感謝。釣りって、どんどんやっていくと次々にいろんな面白い人に出会うから、それもまた良い。
飛行機ってやっぱりいい！
I was able to catch two large ayu, both around 28 cm, but all four of the rigs I had prepared were cut. This time, rig building was the challenge—braiding lines and checking their strength. I’m still very much an amateur, and yet this kind of trial is part of the fun. Unusually, the coach asked, “Do you want to use another rig?” but I said, “There’s no end to it, let’s call it a day.” I’d had my power struggle, gotten my homework, and that was enough. We stopped at 2:30 p.m. I iced the three ayu, including the 29 cm one the coach caught. They were vacuum-packed in water in special ayu bags. That marked the end of our ayu fishing.
This time, the grand finale of the rotation fishing—targeting an Akame—worked perfectly, a spectacular experience unique to Kochi in Shikoku. I am grateful to the Akame captain and also to the coach. The beauty of fishing is that the more you do it, the more interesting people you meet along the way, which makes it even better.
Planes really are wonderful!
