It feels a little cooler now that Typhoon No. 3 has arrived. However, the sun is still shining brightly, so strong that it can make you lose consciousness. Even in this weather, children are enjoying their summer vacation with energy, and adults are starting to make plans.
The September fishing guest is Keikan Taira. Taira usually goes after red snapper and black porgy with cast fishing. He cooks the fish he catches and serves them at his own restaurant, and they taste amazing.
I had been consulting with Taira-san about wanting to try catching Akajin, so I suggested that he try Gurkun live bait fishing. On July 7th, when the tide had calmed down, I took Taira-san on the boat and we decided to go fishing while searching for places with good fish finder responses between Taketomi and Obama, where Akajin were likely to be.
First, we were going to catch Gurkun (fusago) to be used as bait for live bait fishing, but we caught a lot of Hira Gurkun (Umeiro-modoki). Since we couldn't do live bait fishing like this, we caught Hira for sashimi and moved on to look for Gurkun, our main target. We were fed a lot of Gurkun at the point with a depth of 25m, so we immediately tried live bait fishing.
Taira set up a jigging tackle with PE No. 5, fluoro No. 18 leader, and a No. 20 Taman hook with a No. 30 through-hole sinker. He used a Gurukun bait, hooked it in the mouth, and let it swim near the bottom of the sea where he thought Akajin might be. It seemed like a big fish was nearby, and he suddenly couldn't catch any Gurukun. This was a sign that Akajin was catching a lot.
Just as he said, "Tairara-san, it's coming! Stay focused!", the rod bent sharply and the tip of the rod was pulled forcefully into the sea, and the line snapped in an instant. "It was the moment I let my guard down. When I noticed, the line had snapped," he said, looking stunned.
After that, we persisted but it seemed the fish were wary, and we weren't catching anything for a long time, so we moved on. Next, we went to a spot 50m deep where we'd caught akajin many times in the past. The fish finder also showed a school of gurkun, and a large fish near the bottom. Taira immediately let the gurkun swim. The tip of his rod could feel the gurkun's fleeing movements. Then, gugu, gugu, gugu, gong! "Oh! Captain, it's bitten!!" "Tira, reel it in a bit forcefully at first. Once you've raised it 5m, take it easy and hope it's an akajin." After carefully reeling it in, a magnificent, plump akajin emerged from the seabed 50m below.
After that, we caught two red sea bream, a red spotted grouper, a red spotted grouper, and a large catch of gurukun, making it a very successful fishing trip. Later, the red sea bream was transformed into a smile on the customer's face by the cooking that Mr. Taira put his all into. At Mr. Taira's restaurant (Anbalance), we recommend the Ishigaki Island Fish Burger.
September Fishing Information
Even beginners can catch a lot of Gurukun Sabiki if they use small sizes such as No. 2 or No. 3. It is important to adjust the drag so that you don't get cut off by an unexpected large fish. In September, Taman, Kuwaika, Kaei, Meebai, and Mijun are usually caught well. Be careful of sudden thunderstorms. Be sure to drink water frequently to prevent heatstroke. Do not litter, always take your trash home with you.
