I found something yesterday that's worth a look...

[Suthern Transplant]

Hi all,

I have been a lurker on this site for a few months and have enjoyed the
reading, etc.
I really have been busy with work and all, and have not posted much. I was
looking at EBay for reels last night and came across some really different
stuff. I figured out where to go and found an unusual site. It's just an FYI
for all you people with a penchant for the unusual within your sport. It is
Japan tackle. If you add the requisite www. and .com you are able to get to
it. (I have no idea if your group allows url's, and I am in no way
connected, just passing it along as a curiosity)

I found out that Japan has some neat stuff. Apparently they are really into
souping up and tweaking their reels and rods. It would be especially
interesting for those of you who are into "high-end" reels which are made
there. Lots of stuff about them finding you rare reels which are either new
or used. Casting records, and accessories to tweak your reels for
distance???

It was interesting to me because of the detail the author put into analyzing
our US lines to their lines...history of silk and braided lines...on and on.

There were reels there which apparently are not sold in the US. It made me
curious to know just how much fishing goes on over there? I mean we have a
few Eastern tournament anglers who are really shining in our sport now???
The Senko lure, line...what's next? Anyway, it really peaked my curiosity.

One tip though...My browser prompted me to download the language interpreter
thing...I didn't and just said cancel each time it prompted me and all
worked fine.

Suthern Transplant
"I wish I was in Dixie"

[John Kerr]

Japan is really getting up to speed in the bass fishing thing. They have
a "national" catch and realease law (at least that what I was told). A
group came over from Japan and interviewed my son and Mike Long a while
back, they sent John a copy of the magazine...it reads from back to
front:), and all I could do was look at the pictures <g>. With their
enthusiasim for the sport, and their inovations, I suspect we will being
hearing alot about the far east bassing soon!
JK

[AJH]

A National catch and release law? Didn't Bassmaster Magazine have a
article saying C&R was frowned upon in Japan and maybe illegal?





I fish therefore I lie

[bubba in italy]

"AJH" > wrote in message
...
> A National catch and release law? Didn't Bassmaster Magazine have a
> article saying C&R was frowned upon in Japan and maybe illegal?
>
>
>
>
>
> I fish therefore I lie
>

I know that Germany has that law, that even if you don't want to eat the
fish you catch u have to kill it, but it is a pain to get the lic. up there
also.


--
Carl Walters
Montichiari,Italy
www.countrymods.com

[Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers]

"AJH" > wrote in message
...
> A National catch and release law? Didn't Bassmaster Magazine have a
> article saying C&R was frowned upon in Japan and maybe illegal?

Now I might be getting forgetful, but this past summer, I guided a gentleman from Japan. Toshi is
an avid basser and I could have sworn that he told me all large bass have to be kept! To me, it
seemed just opposite of what we do here in the States. He didn't know the logic behind it and told
me that he often broke the law back home, because he couldn't bear to kill a large, trophy fish.
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[AJH]

I think the article said that in Japan commercial fishing interests were
against bass fishing and they were well organized and influenced laws
concerning fishing..
I am sure RichZ has info on this..





I fish therefore I lie

[TNBass]

Bass a problem in Japan? Well... turn about is fair play, I guess. After
all, where do you think kudzu came from?

Seriously, there's little dispute that exotic species pose a grave threat to
ecosystems. This is true of Japan as it is here in the U.S.. Most of the
"problem" animal and plant species in the U.S. are exotics, and in the
interest of preserving native biodiversity, many people advocate getting of
them.... the problem is how. With few natural predators, their populations
often explode, and eradicating them is almost impossible.

In the water, we're plagued with European and jumping carps, walking
catfish, eels in Florida. Starlings displace native American songbirds.
Imported ornamental plants of all kinds invade and replace native trees and
groundcover -- Australian Melaleuca trees are a real menace to the
Everglades (http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/melainv.html), imported Asian
chestnut trees introduced a fungal blight that nearly wiped out the American
chestnut (http://forestry.about.com/cs/treeid/a/achestnut.htm), and of
course the South's ubiquitous kudzu could be called the "Vine that ate
Birmingham."

According to Japan's Environmental Protection Agency, researchers report
that North American black bass have inundated parts of Japanese rivers,
making up 99 percent of the fish population in some areas.

Seems bluegills are a problem, too, ever since Mayor Richard Daley of
Chicago presented some to Japan's crown prince in 1960. He may have been the
culprit who released them in the moat of the Imperial palace, from whence
they've spread, displacing native species like the goby. Bass were
introduced as early as 1925 by an American businessman, according to
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/02/27/wjapan27.xml.
Between the bluegills competing with the goby and the bass chowing down on
them, they're in danger of disappearing in areas where the "barbarians" have
invaded.

For more on "Barbarians at the Gate," see
http://fins.actwin.com/nanf/month.200103/msg00030.html

There is no way that Japan will ever rid themselves of black bass. They
spent 32 million yen last year alone and didn't make much of a dent. The
best they can do at this point is to get anglers and commercial fishermen to
remove any bass and bluegill they encounter. I believe the regulation
they're using is a copyright law that prohibit release of invasive species
in Japanese waters.... including release of fish just caught from the same
water.
--
TNBass
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www.secretweaponlures.com -------------------<=- 0')))><
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"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" > wrote in message
...

"AJH" > wrote in message
...
> A National catch and release law? Didn't Bassmaster Magazine have a
> article saying C&R was frowned upon in Japan and maybe illegal?

Now I might be getting forgetful, but this past summer, I guided a gentleman
from Japan. Toshi is
an avid basser and I could have sworn that he told me all large bass have to
be kept! To me, it
seemed just opposite of what we do here in the States. He didn't know the
logic behind it and told
me that he often broke the law back home, because he couldn't bear to kill a
large, trophy fish.
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[RichZ]

Steve wrote:
> I could have sworn that he told me all large bass have to be kept!


> He didn't know the logic behind it
>

A large segment of the Japanese fishing public went bass crazy in the 80s and 90s. They adopted all
things American as regards bass fishing, and were ridiculed to a certain extent for C&R in a country
where fish is the primary source of protein in their diet. I Japanese bass angler/fan of my work
came over in the mid-80s and fished with me for a week, and with Tom Seward for a week. He lived in
Tokyo, and it was a 4 hour trip on public transportation (relatively few Japanese actually own cars)
to his nearest 'decent' bass lake. (bus to subway to train to bus type thing). He, and most others
like him, kept his trolling motor and rods in a locker at the lake. He would rent a boat and battery
to fish.

They had two full blown, glossy bass magazines in Japan back in those days. Basser and Tackle Box.

The popularity if bass fishing declined a lot when their economy soured a few years ago. And also a
few years ago, C&R for non-native species came under heavy attack. As I understand it, the LM bass is
currently blamed for just about every problem they have with their fresh water lakes, including a
major decline in cultured pearl production from Lake Biwa, the largest body of fresh water in the
country.


RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

[John Kerr]

Reckon I shouldn't "quote" anything I hear from another "fisherman" <g>.
I guess that national catch and release thing about Japan was not a
quote from a "reliable" source, hu?
JK

[Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers]

"John Kerr" > wrote in message
...
> Reckon I shouldn't "quote" anything I hear from another "fisherman" <g>.
> I guess that national catch and release thing about Japan was not a
> quote from a "reliable" source, hu?
> JK
>

Nah John,

Go ahead and quote "fishermen" as much as you want. It gives us others in the group some gray
matter exercise and who knows? Maybe, one day you'll hear something that's actually true! :)

It could happen!!!
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[John Kerr]

Thanks Steve...makes me feel better! <g>