BACKLASH
Q&A
MIYU FUKAE
Palestine, Texas
What’s it like traveling with your
husband, Shin, to every tourna-
ment? Is it hard or exhausting, or
do you love it?
It is a fun journey, like riding a roller
coaster every single day. To be honest, I
would say it is not easy, and it is chal-
lenging sometimes. But I love what we
do and our life.
Now, what’s the best part about
being out on the road for the Tour?
That we get to travel so much and
visit various lakes and towns. We meet
new and old friends, as well as learn
new things every day, everywhere we go.
While Shin is out fishing a tourna-
ment, what do you do during the
day?
I go to restaurants for breakfast with
other anglers’ wives and families. After
that I do grocery shopping, laundry and
check the schedule for the next few
weeks. I also love taking a nap.
96
I hear you’re quite the angler. Have
you ever thought of entering a
tournament as a co-angler?
I love fishing and might fish as a co-
angler if I can get a sponsor to let me do
it. However, I basically think one “gam -
bler” per household is good enough.
By Sean Ostruszka
You caught an 8-pounder at Lake
Biwa in Japan. Was that your
biggest ever?
No. That was the biggest of the year,
though, and my second biggest in my
life. I was so excited since I haven’t
caught one like that for a long time. My
biggest is an 8 1/2-pounder at Lake
Okeechobee several years ago. media, magazines or the website – just
like the other cameramen do.
Please tell me you gave him a hard
time for catching a fish like that.
Oh, yes, I did. I brag to him about it
any time I beat him, since it doesn’t
happen often. Your Facebook profile says “Self-
employed and loving it.” Your career
must be pretty rewarding, huh?
Yes, I have a company managing
anglers like Shin and consulting for
companies in the fishing business. I am
Shin’s wife, travelling with him and our
dogs, but at the same time he is one of
my business partners.
When you and Shin go fishing, do
you ever beat him?
I do sometimes, like the other day at
Lake Biwa.
Do you ever help Shin practice?
I used to do a lot more, but not so
much in recent years. I still ride with him
during practice, but I just sit back, relax
and take pictures most of the time.
I always see you with your camera.
How many pictures do you take
during an average tournament?
I am not sure of exact numbers, but
I probably take a couple of hundred per
tournament. I will use them for social
Did you enjoy fishing before you
met Shin?
Yes. I have been bass fishing since a
friend of mine taught me about 20 years
ago, and that was before I met Shin.
How did you and Shin meet?
I used to work at a fishing tackle chain
store in Japan, and I met Shin there. He
was not only one of the customers, but
the store also sponsored him.
Any superstitions or good luck
charms you give to Shin before or
during a tournament?
I know Shin wears blue shorts on
tournament days. So I will always give
him a pair on his birthday and make
sure he has enough of them cleaned
before a tournament.
FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2017