2nd day Biwa

Another early start from the hotel only this time Sarah was up for the ride.

we got to the lake bright and early again and set off for the southern end of the lake. This is the area we had more success yesterday. We began casting at the post spawn bass and wasnt long before the bites began. Sarah managed to get the first fish onboard which was a great start as it was her first largemouth bass too :)

we fished a variety of patterns throughout the morning landing a couple more fish before pulling up for lunch at the Yamaha Marina. Today we would sample a more western cuisine with pizza and pasta filling us up. We had a quick chat about our plan of attack over lunch before hitting the lake again. we continued to plug away on the weedbeds for the rest of the afternoon and ended up with a few more nice bass. No monsters today but plenty of nice fish none the less.

Naoya had kindly offered to drive us to our next hotel in Kyoto after dinner so we soon set off after the boat was safely back at the marina. Kyoto is around an hours drive from Moriyama where we launch the boat so we spaced things out with a visit to the local pet store and a couple more fishing tackle stores. Again my wallet took a hit as the lures began to build in the suitcase but how could i help myself when confronted with so many nice items. I was like a kid in a candy shop all over again!!

We had dinner at a shabu shabu restaurant in Kyoto this night.

Another great experience and having our Japanese friend on hand to do all the ordering and explain whats what is a great bonus. We ordered the buffet with traditional shabu and tomato soups. This was the best food we had encountered in Japan thus far, mind you every meal had been spectacular. We were presented with tray after tray of thinly shaved wagyu beef and pork which was cooked on our table in the soups ordered. Ponzu dipping sauce was a hit with the pork whilst the black sesame went down a treat with the beef. I think we ate for around an hour before we hit the buzzer to pull out of the buffet.

After dinner we made our way to the centre of Kyoto where we were staying at the super hotel.

Unfortunately we were in a very traditional street and cars could not get through so we parked as close as possible before walking to the hotel. We said goodnight to Naoya and hit the sack for some well earned rest.