Hello. On a certain day in February, I went on an extreme aburabozu jigging trip, courtesy of Chubeimaru, a boat well-known for its outstanding results in deep-sea fishing in Sagami Bay.

Just one week before this trip, one of our customers, Mr. T, successfully landed a giant aburabozu weighing over 60 kg! (Congratulations, Mr. T!) It was with great anticipation, still feeling the excitement and wonderful afterglow of his success, that we set sail.

This season in Sagami Bay, perhaps due to the long-standing meandering of the Kuroshio Current finally ending, the currents were not as fierce as the "super strong currents" of previous years, where it was impossible for jigs to reach the bottom properly. The overall current conditions seemed quite favorable. However, fishing against nature is truly difficult. The activity of the fish themselves was rather subdued, and to cut to the chase, the trip ended with a very regrettable single bite and a hook-off, resulting in no catch. Nevertheless, that precious single bite at such an immense depth taught us a great deal. Could the end of the Kuroshio's meandering have attracted a large school of tuna to the coast? And the usual theories are no longer quite applicable. Perhaps because of this, the prime fishing spot off Niijima was almost completely unproductive. We focused our efforts on Irōzaki, but the current was sluggish and uneventful, creating a monotonous atmosphere.

Reading the Abyss / Carefully deciphering the pitch-black terrain

Captain Kiiyan also went to great lengths to help us land a fish, carefully navigating the boat to pinpoint subtle changes in the vast deep-sea terrain.
We primarily approached the following two topographical changes:
・A slope descending from 700m to 600m deep
・A slope ascending from 650m to 800m deep

However, this time, perhaps due to factors like conflicting currents, the boat drifted quickly, and the jig's bottoming position frequently shifted with each jerk. Compounded by immense water pressure and line angle, controlling the jig near the bottom became extremely difficult, leading to a tough situation with frequent snagging among the crew.

Amidst this, I decided to stick with a single 1100g prototype jig. I intentionally refrained from flashy, large jerks and concentrated solely on reeling and dropping the jig. By clearly grasping the moment of impact with the bottom in the ultra-deep sea and carefully tracing the contours of the seabed as if licking it, I was able to better adapt to subtle topographical changes and minimize snagging.

During times when there are no bites, the boat tends to fall silent (laughs), but it is precisely then that it becomes crucial to frequently check the depth with the captain and accurately grasp the current depth of your jig. In deep-sea jigging, "knowing your current location" is more important than jigging technique. Although the only bycatch this time was deep-sea squid, it was a very insightful and fulfilling fishing trip.

Beast Master 6000MD / Electric Power Overcoming Fatigue

The harshness of deep-sea jigging is undeniably the strenuous reeling retrieve. Some anglers even pay Taku, the helper, 1,000 yen per retrieve... Toward the end of the second day, when I felt my fatigue from manual winding peaking, I decided to try Shimano's electric reel, the "Beast Master MD6000".

The MD model, after its improvements, significantly reduced fatigue, making it quite comfortable to operate even in deep-water jigging. It even features various pre-programmed jerking modes, making it fully automatic. The rod I paired it with was my trusted ZENAQ FS53-J15. Thanks to this high-power jigging rod, it easily handled the resistance of over 1000g. I truly felt that using an electric reel in deep-sea fishing is a perfectly valid option.

We rotate our fishing spots from the bow in order with each drift. For those considering an electric system, here's a tip: when fishing hand-held, the Beast Master's retrieve power can be so strong that it might actually pull your body, making it tough. Therefore, it's highly recommended to use the strongest rod holder (rod keeper) securely mounted to the gunwale. As long as you prepare your own rod holder head, you can flexibly adapt to rotations.

Jig & Tackle System / Today's Equipment

This time, it was a welcome current condition where even 900g class jigs could firmly reach the bottom, something I hadn't experienced in a while. The main jigs I used were Sea Floor Control (SFC) 900g and 1100g. Depending on the situation, the sea conditions were perfectly suitable for using 900g "Spunky," "Messiah Semi-long," and "Arc" jigs.

For the main line, I used Sunline's new "ULT" evolution, Amazer (3-gou). This line is slightly thicker for strength, so when spooled onto a manual Ocea Jigger 4000, it's best to estimate the winding capacity at "1100m + α" to be safe. (Please note that 1200m will not fit on the spool).

The Hunt Continues / The Romance Never Ends

Aburabozu off Minami Izu