Go TENKAEA with us?,2026 Day 2
– Reunion –

A Sudden Encounter

The morning sun streamed into our room from the clear blue sky, and we woke up.
As we were walking down the corridor towards the elevator for breakfast, a door to a room opened.
It was Michael.
He, too, was on his way to breakfast.
What a coincidence!
And so, having reunited in the corridor, we had breakfast and set off for our destination, Lake Logan.

Walmart

Walmart, the world’s largest supermarket, probably has everything except a house and a car, from food to household goods. For us, it’s like an amusement park.
This time, I decided to buy a fishing license here.
In the US, fishing licenses are often issued by state, and can be purchased at fishing tackle shops, supermarkets like Walmart, or online.
You present your ID, register your address and phone number, and the license is issued. It’s a very well-managed system.
In Japan, licenses are issued by river, and often by section of the river. Moreover, fishing permits are often just “purchased with money,” more like tickets than licenses.

After purchasing my license, I looked around the store, and what caught my eye was “Deer Corn.” It must be deer bait, but what is it used for? In vast America, do people keep deer as pets…? Thinking about this, I asked Michael.

“Do people keep deer as pets in America?”

Michael laughed.

“That’s bait for hunting. You scatter it around, and then shoot the deer that gather.”

I see… Pets and hunting are complete opposites…
Even so, they sell two kinds: a cheap one and an expensive one.
I suppose the more expensive bait attracts more deer…

Tuckaseegee Fly Shop

We arrived in Waynesville, the town closest to Lake Logan, about an hour’s drive from Asheville.
Tuckaseegee Fly Shop, located here, is not only a fly fishing shop, but the owner also works as a guide and is very knowledgeable about the fishing scene in this area.
Here, Brian, another member of our travel group, joined us. Being a local, he’s also very familiar with the fishing scene around here.
They are reliable companions.
At Tuckaseegee Fly Shop, Takashi bought a T-shirt, and Michael bought a hat and several flies, and incredibly, he gave us some of the flies he bought as a gift! He said he liked ant-type flies, and these were of that type.
And something I’ve always wondered about is how Americans seem to love hats.
They wear hats all the time, everywhere, and we actually receive a lot of them as gifts.
Because of that, our house is a hat paradise.

Reteat House

This lodge is located on the shores of Lake Logan and has more than 10 beds. It’s a fantastic lodge with several showers and toilets, a great kitchen, and a living and dining area.
And best of all, a river flows just a minute’s walk from the lodge, where you can fish for rainbow trout and brown trout.
To put it mildly, it’s an “amazing” lodge.
We arrived around 2 PM; the official check-in time is 3 PM, but they kindly allowed us to check in earlier.
Everyone except Michael was scheduled to arrive in small groups from evening to night.
We didn’t just put down our luggage and take a rest… Takashi and I immediately went fishing.

The scenery was absolutely stunning.
Just like in Japan, America also has beautiful autumn foliage, and the colors of the trees are stunning.
The water and sky were incredibly blue; it was a perfect fishing spot.
Since we only had a short time, I caught a few rainbow trout and brown trout, and Takashi caught several brown trout.