The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-05-27
FISHING IN JAPAN.
Japanese Rods Lighter Than Ours, but
the Hooks Have No Barbs.

the Hooks Have No Barbs.
Three of us, two Americans and one
| Japanese, started out in jinrikishas
from Taipeh, the modern capital OF
Formosa or Taiwan, to go to the
| house of wealthy gentleman about
| eight miles up the river which runs
through the valley of Taipeh says
| Forest and Stream. The way led
through beautiful and fertile coun.
try, the valley covered with second
crop of rice and the hills with the
famous Formosan tea shrubs. After
luncheon and after photographing
some head-hunting savages we found
there, we proceeded to fish for salmon
trout, at an altitude less than $50 feet
above sea level and in latitude about
"a degrees, 40 minutes north, practi.
cally in the tropics. The temperature
of thestream was about 20 or higher,
and the water was well aerated. This
stream, from 60 to 100 yards wide, is
clear and full of rapids and rifles. We
used Japanese tackle-horse hair line
and horse hair leader (the latter con.
slsting of one strand only. a bamboo
rod and a most delicate palmer dod
on a small barbles hook. The rod is
decidedly good, and weight for weight
is stronger and better caster than our
jointed rod 1t rarely weighs over
four ounces-mine weighed about two
but the line is practically worthless
for casting, as we understand the
term. The fly is perfect. but the hook
lacks strength, and the fish when
hooked may easily detach himself in
a current or an eddy, or by fouling
the line. We all know how II is done
from our experience with pin and hook
and thread in the brooks at home.
The Japanese. however, have an
other method of fishing, which may
be as new to some of our readers as it
was to me. 1t is quite successful.
They catch one fish in any way they
can. and then fasten the line securely
through its upper jaw, passing it
through the roof of the mouth and out
at the top of the upper jaw, well in
front of the eyes, and then attach
through the body Of the fish. not far in
front of the TAIL horse hair. to which
Is tied a three-pronged barbless hook,
which trails in line with the fish and a
few inches behind while it is slowly
worked up the stream by the fisher.
man. The theory is that other fishes,
seeing the captive moving along as
though feeding, or perhaps spawning,
will pursue it, and become impaled on
the hooks. In point of fact this does
happen, as saw a Chinaman take two
fine trout in this manner.
Our success with flies was poor. We |
got thirteen or fourteen fingeirgs |
but we saw the fish we wished to iden. |
ify caught in fairly good numbers by |
the Chinese, fishing with decoys. !
Doubtless with large flies and better |
tackle than we had, we might have |
had fine sport. 1t seems unusual to |
find member Of the salmonidae fam.
lily so near the sea level in such alti-
tudes. The fish is the plecoglossus al.
tivelis. 1t has no spot, but iridescent |
lines along its sides. parallel to the
long axle. 1t has also the adipose
dorsal fin. The snout of the male at
this season overlays and turns down.
ward somewhat, as does the snout of
the male Chinook salmon late in the
sea son. The plecaglossus weighs from
one and quarter to two pounds, is
vigorous and shy, and as dainty a fish
for the table as any that may be
found. After few hours fishing, we
descended the river in a rather clumsy
fiat-bottomed boat, racing down the
rapids and sculling through the
smooth places, until we found our
and then home. All along
the smooth water about dusk we saw
the plecoglossus leaping after flies.