Summer 2024
P
robably the last place on Earth you’d expect
to find a bass tournament – the city of
Tokyo with one of the highest densities of population on the planet had just enough space to
squeeze in 25 anglers fishing for largemouth bass in the
inaugural “Taiyo Cup” held right in the heart of the city.
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For a city that’s surrounded by water, the thought of bass fishing would hardly be the first thing that comes to mind for anyone visiting this mega city.
This year, Taiyo Ishibashi hosted a competition for local Tokyoite bass anglers. The “Taiyo Cup” was held on a small body of water, which is actually a moat that formerly surrounded a castle during the late 1800’s Edo period. While the historic “Benkeibashi” bridge still remains in place, it is now oddly situated between sprawling skyscrapers and an elevated highway that runs through the heart of the city.
Unlike most bass tournaments in Japan, the Benkeibori waterway is not necessarily a hot bed for most anglers, but rather a casual place to take a rowboat out and enjoy ‘nature’ in the big city.
“Benkeibori is typically a place for families and couples to relax, so these visitors can sometimes get in the way of casting. Furthermore, if the noise from passing cars on the highway is too loud, I need to listen to music with earphones while fishing”, says Yusuke Hino, who was one of five anglers to catch a largemouth on this day.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Hosting a bass tournament in such a unique location was made possible by the support of the local Boat House where row boats are available for rent, as well as bass fishing brands Deps, Bass Brigade, Village Door tackle shop (Tokyo) and Fishing Center Hiratsuka (Shiga).
After three consecutive years winning the “Benkeibori” tournament held on this same body of water, Taiyo dreamed of hosting his own tournament here where his fishing roots began.
The tournament consisted of 25 individual anglers who paid a ¥5,000 ($35) entry fee to compete in the six-hour competition.
All anglers were then given a rowboat from the rental Boat House and the canal prohibited casual rowers from entering the lake during the tournament time.
Using the unique fishing setup of a rowboat with no trolling motor as well, you can imagine the dexterity it takes to operate and remain balanced while fishing for bass. Japanese anglers have become accustomed to improvising their fishing ‘platform’ on such tiny boats. Anglers on this day had an extra challenge, as a stiff wind blew consistently through the day, just staying upright in the boat was half the battle!
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