We spoke to him about the new record for the Ishigaki Island city fish, the Taman.
Our fishing partner this time is Shigemasa Maeda (57). He came to the island for work 17 years ago, and since he loves the sea and fell in love with the environment of Ishigaki Island, he has been living there ever since. He enjoys fishing, mainly Egi fishing.
I started fishing for red snapper in November last year when I went night fishing with my son. I used a jigging rod with PE line #2 and fluoro line #8.
I was able to catch a few red snapper right away, but I kept getting hits from fish that I couldn't quite catch, so I changed to PE #4 and fluoro #16, and caught a 73cm fish in March.
Generally, the target size for red snapper fishing is 60 cm, but Maedomari quickly surpassed the 70 cm barrier.
Then, on April 5th, in the morning, he started fishing at Yashimacho Beach, using a fillet of a Big Fin Reef Squid that he had caught himself as bait on a No. 21 Taman hook. Around noon, without warning, the line was pulled into the sea.
After a few minutes of fighting, a big red snapper emerged from the water. When it was weighed at the fishing tackle shop, it was 77cm and 5.86kg, breaking the official Ishigaki Island record for the first time in 10 years.
By the end of May, Maedomari had caught 17 fish over 60 cm, and his goal for this year is 30. He is also hoping to catch even bigger fish, including one that is over 84 cm, the Okinawa record.
© Shima Tsurigu, a comprehensive sea supermarket
June Fishing Information
In June, you can usually catch a lot of giant trevally, red-breasted scorpionfish, and foxtails by casting fishing. They fight harder than red snapper and taste better. They are delicious when fried. When fishing, take precautions against heat stroke and be sure to take any rubbish home with you. As the weather gets warmer, snakes and mosquitoes become more active, so be careful of sudden weather changes.
