Tami Kashiwabara of Nagano, Japan
B.A.S.S and ESPN may be scrambling for an interpreter this
October at the premier tournament of the Women’s Bassmaster
Tour when Tami Kashiwabara of Nagano, Japan walks on to the
weigh-in stage. Tami, a computer system engineer, is making
her fourth trip to the United States to compete in a bass
tournament. She has already won the hearts of former WBFA
anglers who had the privilege to fish with her in Kentucky,
Florida and Alabama this past year. Her English is poor but
her spirit is amazing and her determination to master bass
fishing in America is unstoppable.
Tami started fishing seven years ago
with her boyfriend Shinya who has also been her teacher and
biggest fan. Her home lake is Lake Nojiri, a dammed lake
formed by debris ejected from the volcano Mt. Kuroshime
located to the west of the lake. It is the main water source
for Nagano and is a very popular recreation and tourist
spot. It is also used for harvesting fish native to Japan.
Tami does not belong to a bass club in
Japan, but does belong to a trout club. Black bass and
smallmouth bass are prevalent on Lake Nojiri and other lakes
all over Japan, but are considered to be intruders. They
were first stocked in Japanese waters in 1925. Although bass
fishing has a major economic impact in Japan, the Japanese
Ministry of Environment has proposed that the country
eliminate all black bass. If the proposal passes, anglers in
Japan will no longer be able to enjoy the sport of bass
fishing as we do here in the States.
Tami has her own boat, a Skeeter SS90
and has only fished one bass tournament in Japan where she
finished third. She has been very fortunate to be able to
pre-fish the previous WBFA tournaments here in the United
States with several different women anglers. They say that a
day on the water with Tami is a “hoot”. She loves to joke
and laugh but is a very serious student when it comes to
learning how to adjust her fishing style to this country’s
rivers and lakes. Her biggest adjustment has been to learn
to cast with heavier line. In Japan, she uses 3 lb test
because the waters are crystal clear.
Tami is sponsored by Megabass, a
Japanese manufacturer of quality fishing tackle.
Denise Sesco from Hernando, Florida
with Shinya of Japan
Photos contributed by Tami
