Ojiya/Hiroshima/Isawa Bound PSKoi Spring 2019

[Euryth]

I have this thread on koiphen, but you need to know I have always bought the lowest price koi from Russ so others may have better mileage. I am glad he caters to everyone.
https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthre ... ight=kurtg

First off - WOAH! I don't know how I missed that, but great job growing those whales from minnows My koi are significantly smaller than yours lol, but it's great to see how their siblings have held up. Those Kobayashi Tancho Showa's look especially nice - I think I have a female, but her tancho mark became misshapen in QT not long after I got her hasn't lost any beni since then either.

I had been using the Koi Education and Evaluation section. I think progression threads are invaluable. Beyond being just plain fun, there's tons of information to be gleaned from how a koi turns out and the stages they go through.

I have a beautiful SU I got when in Japan. Now that I'm out of the hobby as a hobbyist,I think I've found a home where she will be taken to shows. When Russ gets back and rests for a bit I'll impose on him to pull her for an update. She was purchased as tosai and with not that much sumi so her updates should be fun.

I'll gladly start posting there and would encourage anyone else to do the same! Keep us updated on that SU - would love to see her

[KurtG]

Just a heads up for those of you Facebook members, Russ has some previews from Taniguchi.
There's an amazing Goshiki, already been sold, but is worth taking a peak at.

You know its bad when you saw that and check to see if you missed a sales thread and you arent even looking for another koi (i got 3 from this trip ).

[Marilyn]

I had to laugh, I can tell I'm getting tired when I start making typo's. Peek or peak? With that quality, peak isn't far off base.

Kurt, I just took the time to look through that update thread. Well done on those selections! They're doing so well in your care!
I love updates and could spend hours looking at them. The threads are often time consuming and might feel under appreciated response wise but I have had people tell me in person what the may not sign in to type. People notice and appreciate them!

[PinkRules]

I get it gentlemen, I've been there many a time.
Now I get to sit back and watch the ones that don't sell improve onsite.

You know the leftovers are often the best females.

maybe stop oogling leftovers and start converting your BE

so you can buy more fish

I buy too many fish even when the world is ending. That's not going to change.

BE will see actions this year; whatever that means.

[Russell Peters]

Well, I have some catching up to do after driving 8 hours to Isawa. I think I am behind in posting Tosai from three other breeders.

[Russell Peters]

Omosako was next on my list of breeders to visit. I missed visiting him in February when there were more choices for patterns that are up but it turns that many of the best ones I have purchased in years past did not have patterns that were up. You can't just pick a white fish though can you? No, it has to be a specific color and that color is influenced by the quality of the Sumi that is underneath. Most breeders will actually seine the entire pond of Tosai, sit you in front of it with a net, and tell you to go a it. I wish I had taken a picture of what it looks like to have 300 Shiro Utsuri Tosai in it so that you could see what I was up against. you can sit for hours and not see some of them this way but I think this is done by design.

Two years ago I had a talk with Takayoshi Omosako about his "white" Shiro Utsuri Tosai and he taught me something that made a huge difference. He said that the higher quality Sumi changes the skin so it reflects as a 'blueish' white. Couple that with sheen on better quality skin and you have a start. You also need to make sure the heads are good and the body conformation is there.

I sat for a good 15 to 20 minutes before I picked anything to let my eyes adjust to seeing the skin I was looking for. Once that happened then I could net the Koi, check for body conformation and to see if the head was broad, and finally decide if there was enough of a pattern underneath to take it. Sumi will develop where there isn't any but it is usually better to start with something. I think I ended up picking one Shiro, that has less skin sheen, because you could see an Inazuma Sumi pattern underneath.

[Russell Peters]

Here are some of the Tosai I picked.

[Russell Peters]

I had been trying to get some Omosako Kujaku for years but they were always sold out. This time there were quite a few left and I picked 5.

[Russell Peters]

How many of you knew Omosako bred GR Matsukawabake? I didn't.

[Russell Peters]

or GR Beni Goi?