Cruising through Sagami Bay. The challenge to the endless deep sea begins.

Hello. On a certain day in February, we embarked on an extreme oilfish jigging trip with the familiar Chubee Maru, which has an outstanding track record in deep-sea fishing in Sagami Bay.

In fact, just a week before this trip, one of our customers, Mr. T, successfully landed a giant oilfish weighing over 60kg! (Congratulations, Mr. T!) We set sail full of anticipation, with the excitement and wonderful afterglow of that success still lingering.

This season in Sagami Bay, perhaps due to the long-standing large meander of the Kuroshio Current finally subsiding, the current was not as fiercely strong ("buttobishio") as in previous years, where jigs could barely reach the bottom. The general atmosphere of the current felt not bad at all. However, fishing against nature is truly difficult. The fish activity was somehow lacking, and to put it bluntly, the trip ended with a very frustrating result: one bite, a hook-off, and no catch. Still, that one precious bite at such an immense depth taught us many things. Perhaps the subsidence of the large meander is bringing in a large school of tuna to the coast? And the usual theories are not quite applicable anymore. Due to this influence, the top-tier spot off Niijima was almost decimated. We focused our efforts on Irozaki, but the current was slow and sluggish, creating a dull and monotonous atmosphere.

Reading the Abyss / Carefully Reading the Dark Topography

Captain Kii-yan also diligently navigated the boat, searching for pinpoint topographical changes in the vast deep sea, determined to help us catch at least one fish.
We primarily targeted the following two types of topographical variations:
・Slopes descending from 700m to 600m depth
・Slopes ascending from 650m to 800m depth

※Image of the fishing spot on the day: We tackled height differences in immense depths of 600m to 800m.

However, this time, perhaps due to factors like conflicting currents, the boat drifted quickly, and the jig's bottoming-out position frequently shifted with each jerk. Combined with 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 and aggressive jerking, focusing solely on the reeling and dropping motions. By concentrating on precisely detecting the moment of bottoming out in the ultra-deep sea and tracing the seabed contours meticulously, I was able to better adapt to subtle topographical changes and minimize snagging.

Sending an 1100g chunk of iron into the deep sea. A quiet yet intense battle.

When fishing is slow, the boat tends to fall silent (laughs), but it's precisely at such times that it's important to regularly ask the captain for the depth and accurately grasp what range your jig is currently in. In deep-sea jigging, "knowing your current position" is more crucial 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 / The Power of Electric Reels to Overcome Fatigue

The harshness of deep-sea jigging lies, more than anything, in the retrieval process. Some even paid Taxi, the assistant, 1,000 yen for each retrieve... In the latter half of the second day, when I was at my peak of fatigue from manual reeling, I decided to try Shimano's electric reel, the Beast Master MD6000.

Beast Master MD6000 × Zenaq FS53-J15 setup.

The redesigned MD model surprisingly reduced fatigue significantly, making it quite comfortable for deep-sea jigging. It even has fully automatic jerking modes with various patterns that can be saved. The rod I paired it with was my trusted Zenaq FS53-J15. Thanks to this high-power jigging rod, it easily absorbed the resistance of over 1000g. It truly made me realize that utilizing an electric reel in deep-sea fishing is a perfectly viable option.

We rotate fishing positions from the bow on each drift. For those challenging with an electric system, here's a tip: if you hold it by hand, the winding power of the Beast Master can be too strong, and your body might get pulled, making it tough at times. Therefore, we recommend using a super strong rod keeper ("Lark") that firmly secures the rod to the boat's gunwale. If you prepare your own Lark head, you can flexibly adapt to rotations.

Jig & Tackle System / Today's Gear

Heavy tackle lined up along the gunwale. We search the abyss while rotating positions.

This time, it was a welcome tide that allowed 900g class jigs to firmly reach the bottom, which hasn't happened in a while. The main jigs used were Sea Floor Control (SFC) 900g and 1100g. Depending on the conditions, 900g 'Spunky', 'Messiah Semilong', and 'Ark' were also fully usable.

For the main line, we used Sunline's new "ULT" evolved version, Amazer (PE #3). Since this line is slightly thicker for strength, if you're spooling it onto a manually operated Ocea Jigger 4000, it's safer to estimate the line capacity as "1100m + α." (Please note that 1200m will not fit on the spool).

The Hunt Continues / The Romance Never Ends

Oilfish off the coast of Southern Izu