First fishing trip of the year was a success. Not in terms of fish caught, for there was only one very small yamame which I successfully landed. But my casting was crisp, my equipment was well prepared, and my knots where tied smoothly and without incident. For me that’s a win.

During this excursion I had a conversation with my fishing buddy about how I actually possess a lot of fishing knowledge. Book knowledge. I can tell you that the improved clinch knot has shown to have no advantage over the standard clinch knot when tests have been run on knot strength. I can tell you that a 6X tippet can turn over a #18 size elk hair caddis without issue. None of this info has helped me land a fish as far as I know.

What I have yet to do is put any of this knowledge into real practice on the water. I’ve had moderate success catching yamame using my ultra mini keiryu/tenkara hybrid rod, but only have caught a few legit trout here in Hokkaido. Does that make me a poor fisherman?

My friend has a different problem. What he lacks in uber-specific fishing knowledge he makes up for in sheer abundance in gear. Gear of all sorts. He is a collector of gear. It’s a different problem.

But we enjoy all of it. Fishing is an experience. And it doesn’t require that you catch fish to find it rewarding. When I get a chance to just be out wading in a stream, away from Sapporo’s concrete gridded streets, I make the most of it. This last weekend I followed a small flock of what I believe were Eastern Yellow Wagtail’s along the bank of the Bifue River, a species I have yet to add to my life list. Although I couldn’t make a positive ID, it caught my eye and led me down several bird watching rabbit holes throughout the day.

I decided that since my rigging on my fly rod was working fairly well, and I was getting decent drifts on an old #18 caddis, I would forgo using my Nissen Pocket Mini and just see what I could accomplish with western fly fishing methods. Not much was rising, and I only managed a handful of tiny yamame strikes throughout the morning. I managed to officially catch one unmeasurable (meaning incredibly small) yamame. So the day was a complete success!