Coastal Fishing in Chiba Boso

Today was not only the first day of spring camp, but also the first time TAK has tackled real fishing for an event. We've done farm fishing with our scouts for winter camps before, however that did not involve nearly as many steps as these events do.

The day began with a long drive out into Tateyama, where we'd be looking to fish for the day. When we arrived at the first potential spot, the scouts took out their mats and snacks, and sat down to relax. Mark checked out the location while they ate, and unfortunately it didn't seem to fit. We then packed up, and got on our way over to another part of the coast.

After having no luck again on a different part of the beach, we finally reached a spacious dock that seemed to be a good place to get set up for some fishing. The scouts sat down outside of the van, where Mark put the scouts into pairs, giving each of them a fishing pole, before starting to teach them the basics.

The scouts took turns holding the unwieldy poles, while the others worked on the task at hand. They extended the fishing pole to its full length, and threaded the fishing line through each loop until the tip. As this is our first event of this type, Mark and I tied the hook and sinker onto the end of the line to help not overcomplicate things for the scouts, while also allowing us to spend more time fishing. We hope that in the future, we can teach the scouts to tie the knots in the correct order themselves!

Once the fishing poles were prepared, the scouts took turns practicing letting go of/catching the sinker at the end of the line. They learned to hold the rod steadily, while slowly bringing the sinker back to their other hand.

We were now ready to get some bait on those hooks! Mark first showed the scouts how to pull in water from the ocean below with a roped bucket, which we could use to wash our hands after handling the bait. The scouts learned to put bait in the sinker, and drag their hooks through the bait bucket to get the line fully ready for the fish.

However, there weren't really many fish to be found. The scouts practiced carrying the poles over to the water safely, giving slack and reeling in the line, and bobbing the rod to entice nearby fish to bite. But, no bites.

After everyone had had a go at catching fish, we decided to take a break and eat our lunch. As the scouts finished, some started drawing, others looked for interesting bugs and shells, and some got right back to trying to catch a fish.

The scouts kept going with their respective interests, and although it seemed like we would leave with nothing to show for our efforts, we caught a fish by chance right as we started to pack up (pictures can be seen in the last photo post). It was way too small to eat though, so we took it off the hook and let it back into the water.

Fishing proved very tough for the scouts. The need to focus on multiple points of importance, all at once, is extremely difficult, especially when handling sharp hooks right on the edge of a dock. The scouts all tried their best to be focused and patient, and we're all able to successfully complete the tasks out in front of them.

The scouts that decided to persist, and continue casting their lines into the water, really improved, and were eventually going through each step safely and efficiently.

Today was a real challenge for everyone, but despite the hardships, we all pulled through and made it back home happy, safe, and dry. See you at the next event!