Last bass fishing

It's been rainy since early morning, but very warm for this season of the year. 

I was thinking today would be the final opportunity to go bass fishing during this season, and went to bed early last night. I visited a pond which is relatively large and deep among those around my place, as I expected it would have warmer water than others. I started fishing at 05:50, but it was still very dark and I needed a light to tie and change lures. 

Plenty of fallen leaves were floating on the water surface, and I felt difficulties to fish with topwater lures. However, I kept casting them, and did cast no diving lures. I managed to have a few reactions from fish, and I could catch one with a Heddon Meadow Mouse. This fish showed a good blow-up with splash just after I gave three consecutive actions to my mouse bait, and then I set a hook hard immediately. I didn't want to let it go away, so I cautiously reeled my line and finally caught it. It was a small bass, but I felt very happy with it. After I caught it, the rain got harder and harder, and I decided to finish fishing much earlier than I expected. I also decided to close the circle of bass fishing of 2014 today. I'd like to clean my float tube, waders, and fins to winterize until next spring.

Today's tackle: ABU Ambassdeur 5000CDL, Fenwick Boron-X (XCA-554 or 555, hand-customed), Stren Hi-Vis Green 14lb, Heddon Zara Spook (2nd), Chugger Spook, Meadow Mouse, Lucky 13, Big Bud, Gilmore Hoodler, etc.

BF=17/30

Finished a marathon

Just five years have passed since I first tried a marathon race. 

Today, I ran the same race as I did five years ago. To be honest, I have been ill-prepared for it. Since I ran the 100 km race in Sep, I have not worked out so hard. I ran only 155 km in Oct, and 110 km in Nov before today's race. I don't want to excuse, but I've been very busy working these days. Moreover, I have a strange feeling on the top of my left foot after I once laced up my new shoes too tight. It still swells up, so I decided not to push myself so hard.

The race started at 10:30, and it turned sunny when we started. I ran at almost the same pace through the race. Before I started, I planned to maintain 5m25s/km, but I changed it to 5m10s-5m15s/km, as I felt both of the weather and my physical conditions were not too bad. In the first half, many runners passed through me, but in the latter half only a few did. On the contrary, I passed through a lot of runners, especially when I ran slopes. Passing through other runners is very exciting, and I could finish on a good note. Now I feel almost no fatigue and no pain on my legs. I'm planning to run another marathon in the end of this year and I'd like to enjoy it, too.

My record: 3h41m29s (1h50m29s + 1h51m00s)

Balsa 50 Special

Retrom has issued some special Balsa 50 lures, and now three new colors, which are painted in tribute to old Bagley lures, I believe) are for sale. That reminds me that I have some old ones in my tackle boxes. The perch one (with a thick lip engraved as Balsa 50 on it) is the first Balsa 50 that I got in my life. My memory serves I bought it in a fishing tackle shop in Osaka in 1980 or 1981. I went there with a good fishing buddy of mine, and I also remember he bought a Speedstick rod and a Diamond Micon reel. It was a real good day of shopping.

I bought the white coachdog and parrot ones a little later, as they're newer ones. You can see some changes on the body shape and lip.

I also found these special lures in an old box of mine, too. You can see 'FSS SPECIAL' marked on the back. Yes, these were special lures ordered by a famous fishing tackle shop in Osaka, Fishing Salon Shinsaibashi. Both were originally designed as deep-running lures, but I cut the lips to change them to shallow-runners, as I intended to use them as topwater baits.

GRA Tiger, again

As far as I know, there are six different color patterns of GRA Heddon Tiger lures. I wanted to completely collect all the six, and finally I did it.

(1) Black lip w/ black back

 (2) Clear lip w/ black lip

 (3) Green lip w/ black lip

(4) Yellow (light green) lip w/ black back

(5) Yellow (light green) lip w/o black on the back

And, the last one is here.

(6) Red-pupil Tiger

I'm very happy to get this beautiful lure in my collection. I also find it has a different logo on the belly from other five ones. Someday, I'd like to reveal it.