This is entirely personal. At a familiar fishing spot with strong current, I tried calmly observing my own reactions. When I am catching a number of aji, the size that feels pleasantly comfortable, without getting me too excited, is around 25 cm.
As they get larger, the tension and excitement gradually increase. As they get smaller, my disappointment grows. That is the general pattern I noticed in myself.
Of course, bigger fish bring greater excitement and enjoyment. That 25 cm figure is specifically about how I feel when fishing for numbers.
A bigger fish—and no landing net
Sometimes I can see a fish of about 35 cm, and I have no landing net. I lift it out, accepting that I may lose it. Sometimes it comes up; sometimes it comes off.
The line holds, but a bigger fish shakes its head with more force, and mishaps become more frequent. A landing net is necessary.
In truth, when a fish is very big, I sometimes feel sorry about catching it. That feeling is mixed up with my attitude towards going without a net. It is complicated.
Please do not get hooked
Occasionally, I catch an unusual fish at this spot. If it has a cute face, I sometimes let it go. That has happened twice so far, and I may well do it again.
So, fish with cute faces: please do not get hooked. Thank you.
Meeting them is enjoyable, but I get terribly flustered trying to remove the hook. I do not want to touch their bodies, because that can weaken them.
And so—how did we get here?—back to fishing for numbers. Around 25 cm is the size that feels comfortable to me.
Aji, please oblige.
Related: a very different sort of excitement, with 40 cm and 44.5 cm aji at Komebuchi.
Read this article on Passionable Fishing (日本語) ↗