Rod building

I'm building a rod while I do housecleaning. I use a very cheap rotating motor to coat threads, which I bought about 20 years ago. It still works fine.
This time, I'm making a rod handle, too. It is a Fuji handle with a very short rubber grip. When I made long (double handed and semi-double handed) ones a few years ago, I had some rubber rings left over. I use three of them and made one for float tube fishing. I have not glued them, yet, and am just doing a frial fitting, but it look very nice, isn't it?

Analysis

We had a plan to go offshore fishing in the Sea of Japan, but the weather didn't permit.

I'd like to leave a memo about the last race for my future reference.

Probably because of icreased numbers of runners, it took longer time for me to go through the start jam. I find I went to have a rest at the same point as 2012 (15-16km). It took about 20 seconds for me. go I ran at 5-10 seconds slower pace compared with 2012, but the pace was constant in 2-35 km. My pace got slower when I went over a bridge, and it was also as 2012. I could spur after 40 km, and enjoyed the last spurt.

I found 'Mario' run in front of me when I reached the last leg of the course. Then I passed him. How hard it is to wear such thick overalls!

Good race

I ran a full-marathon today.

Even after I finished my first ultra-marathon in September, I kept running on a regular basis. However, my work-out was not enough in amount. I did know it was not a decent enough training to wish to renew my personal record, so I decided to try to have fun before and during the race this time. I refrained from paying too much attention to training, conditioning, diet, and so on. Only one rule I made was to stop drinking beer just for a week before the race.

It was very calm and warm, and I must say the best condition for a marathon race. I kept a good pace at 4m50s-5m/km from the start to 30km. Around  there, I found a runner in an orange shirt and I compete with each other. When he passed me by, I tried to catch up with him by all means, and when I passed through him, he followed me hard. I felt seriously tired on the way to 35km, and I first talked to him to ask if he was OK. Then, he said, "I'm too tired, too, but I'll do my best." The rest was only several kilometers, and I replied "Let's hang in there to the goal." Company on the marathon road makes every suffering light!

Thanks to him, I could keep the pace. When I passed through the 40km point, I suddently felt my power emerge and put out a last spurt. I finally reached the goal a little faster than him, and we shook hands with each other. My time was 3h28m43s (net). It was NOT my personal best, but I could fully enjoy the race.

A box-full of lures

My bass fishing was over in the late November. I've already cleaned up my waders and floating tube, and winterized them. I have to be patient for about three months or so.

Today, I received a box-full of nice lures from the US (Thank you very much, J.V.). I'd like to use some for my collection and some for my next year's fishing. I'd like to organize them during the next weekend.

Autumnal coloration

After I was back from fishing, I took my wife and daughter to a forest park near our place to enjoy leaf coloration there. The park was so crowded because it was the best season to walk around there. We stayed a couple of hours there, and I took a lot of pictures.
The two ladies said they're too tired from walking, but it was not enough for me. Then, I ran 20 km in the evening after we're back.

The last chance? Maybe

It was very warm yesterday, so I expected that fish would get active today. I got up early and went fishing in the morning. The pond I fished in is located in a mountainous area, and the air temperature was almost as low as the freezing point, though water temperature was rather warmer. I wore so heavy layers of clothes that I didn't feel chilly, but my fingertips ached with coldness for the first time in this fall.  

I tried to fish as slowly and steadily as possible today, and used a wood lure, Gilmore Hoodler, to give a kind of irritating action to fish. After several casts, I saw a very small change on the water surface, and when I retrieved my lure, I fortunately caught a bass (automatically hooked).

Then, I tried faster actions as usual, but I got no reactions for a while. So I tried to take much longer pausing time. This worked well, and a big blow-up suddenly occurred when I fished around fallen glasses. I set a hook hard, and successfully caught another bass. It was not so big, but was a good fighter.

The irritating strategy worked again, and I got another good hit. It was also a good fighter, and I barely caught it (only one hook of the tail treble was hooked). The water was very clear and I could totally see how the fish swim, dive, and try to unhook in the water. 
It's already the late November, and ordinarily it's high time for me to winterize my bass fishing tackle. I felt very happy to enjoy fishing in this time of the year. 

 

Today's tackle:  
ABU Royal Gold LE, Daiko Prestige PBC-56L, Stren 12lb (Hi-Vis Gold), Gilmore Hoodler and Heddon Original Zara Spook.     

BF=18/29

Don't know when to give it up

We had a few warm days this week, and it was very fine this weekend. I had a lot of chores yesterday and today, but I tried to finish them one by one, as quickly as possible, and finally I could spare time for fishing on Sunday afternoon. 

I did NOT expect to catch a fish, because it's already late fall. However, I wanted to go fishing to try my new camera and lens. I recently bought a super wide-angle camera, Kenko DSC880DW, and a wide-angle (fish-eye) lens, Bower 7.5mm f/3.5.

It was good for me that I saw a fish chase my lure just after I started fishing. Then, my incentive got big. When I cast a Heddon Hedd Hunter Minnnow (with a tail prop) near fallen reeds, a big blow-up occurred. I set a hook hard, and enjoyed the fight. I could catch it, and it was about 1-3/4 or 2 lb bass. I was totally satisfied with it (I took some pictures of it, but I deleted the files by mistake).

After I caught it, I could catch a few more bass and bluegill, though they were small. Anyway, I could enjoy the fishing very much, and I now don't know when I should give up my topwater bass fishing. I was planning to run a full marathon next week, but it was cancelled because the course was crucially damaged by typhoons in September. I'd like to try going fishing again next weekend.

Today's tackle: ABU 5000 DL, Fenwick Fenglass Lunkerstik 2053, Stren 14lb (Hi-Vis gold), Heddon Lucky 13, Hedd Hunter Minnow (w/ prop on the tail), etc. 

  BF=17/28

In autumnal sunshine

After a series of typhoons in October, we have calmer days during the daytime, though it is getting cooler and cooler early in the morning and after sunset. The color of leaves around my place has not changed, yet, suggesting that I may have a few more chances to enjoy topwater bass fishing.

When I got to a pond and wore my waders, I felt 'wet' around my right foot. After I used them last time, I washed both outer- and inner- sides of them. I thought I dried them up, but it seemed some water was left inside the right sock part. Anyway, I started fishing with a feeling of a kind of discomfort on my right foot.

Water temperature was colder than I expected, and fish were very slow. A lot of fallen leaves were floating on the water surface of leeward side, and I felt difficulties to fish with topwater lures. I got some bites, but most were small, or I may say 'subtle'. I caught three small bass and one big bluegill, and I was very happy not to get skunked.

 

Today's tackle: ABU 5000 DL, Fenwick Lunker Gear LGX 38C, Stren 14lb (Hi-Vis gold), Heddon Zara Spook (NLT), Lucky 13, Chugger Spook, Hedd Hunter Minnow (w/ prop on the tail), etc. 

  BF=16/27

Say it with pictures