I thought I was only going to end up with pufferfish, but I was saved by a big sea bass at the end (12/13/25)

Joining me on the boat that day were N-Style, Tsurenee-Ojisan, and SAGE Aikokai.
We started at 7:15 due to the tide levels. It was a relief that the wind, which had been blowing hard for two days, died down just before we set out.
I wanted to try jigging again inspired by Tsurigami-san, and I also wanted to catch squid using tip-run, so we headed south.

First, we split into a jigging team and a tai-rubber team off the coast of Uraga to target depths of 40-65m.
I used a jig that had arrived just in time for today's fishing.

However, there were few baitfish reactions, and when we finally saw some, the only things biting were mackerel pufferfish. I think I caught 7-8 of them all by myself.

My precious jig, which I bought online, also had its line cut near the knot...
It didn't feel like a Spanish mackerel or a cutlassfish, so I think it was a pufferfish.

The tai-rubber team also lost some lures to cut lines, but SAGE Aikokai and N-Style managed to catch some sea robins.

That was everything for the first half.

We moved to switch to tip-run while the tide was still moving.

As soon as we started in our usual area, Tsurenee-Ojisan caught a golden cuttlefish.

What's more, after he bled the squid and put it in the cooler to resume fishing, he caught another golden cuttlefish right away. Amazing. This one was even bigger, I think it was close to 1kg.

Sorry I didn't take a picture.

I was also at maximum tension, moving the egi and waiting, but all I caught were 2 mackerel pufferfish 😖

Don't mackerel pufferfish have any natural predators? There is a problem with them increasing too much in Tokyo Bay.

After a long silence, N-Style caught a golden cuttlefish.
Sorry, there's no photo of this one either, as it was processed immediately.

After this, no one could make anything happen, and time was running out...

Ugh, I want to experience the pull of a fish that doesn't puff up 😭

Since I had only caught mackerel pufferfish that day, I asked if we could target sea bass on the way back to port, and with everyone's kind consent, we headed home.

As expected, the outgoing tide started to kick in, creating a flock of birds over the shallows.

The desperate overtime session begins!

When I cast a minnow, it wasn't exactly a feeding frenzy, but the Japanese sea perch were biting.

Sea bass really are great guys!

Watching the birds dive violently into the water, I could see a massive number of Japanese sea perch and medium-sized sea bass striking from below. It was the first time I'd seen something so incredible right in front of me. It was like a school of gizzard shad.

They rarely broke the surface, mostly just turning after preying on something near the surface.
I couldn't tell what they were eating by looking at the water or the birds, so it seemed like they were feeding on quite small fish.

At this point, I had been played with by about five Japanese sea perch, and just as I was about to call it a day, I got a tap on my X-80 Magnum +1.
The moment I hooked it, it thrashed its gills.
I shouted, 'Wow, it's huge!' It was a size that made the drag scream and line peel out for a while.

I asked the 'unlucky angler' who was fighting a Japanese sea perch behind me to help with the landing net. Sorry for interrupting your fun 😅

It made some intense lunges at the side of the boat, but I handled it carefully and successfully netted it.

I safely caught a sea bass that was exactly 80cm. I never expected to encounter a size like this here.

The hit lure was the X-80 Magnum +1.

Of course, I was happy to catch a lunker, but since it wasn't the target for today's fishing, I didn't feel like celebrating too much inside when I saw the other two taking home cuttlefish as souvenirs 😅

After measuring, I let everyone cast a little more, and that was time up.

With the relief of not ending up with just pufferfish, it was a good way for me to end the fishing trip.

Great job, everyone!
It was a bit tough, but please come play with me again!

Boat total

Cuttlefish: 3
Sea robin: 2
Sea bass: approx. 10
Globefish: lost count, but a lot

Today's hit lures

I won't be posting the mackerel puffer lure lol

The X-80 Magnum is a classic for this season and very popular. The second-hand market price has gone up so much that when you consider shipping, it costs about the same to buy it used as it does to buy it on Amazon.

↓ Today's Mercari screen

↓ If you check Amazon every day, there are days when you can buy it cheaper than on Mercari depending on the color

I was actually supposed to say I caught a winter yellowtail, but it ended up being a post centered entirely on sea bass 😅