River fishing for salmon is strictly regulated here. Anglers must apply for permission several months a head of the actual season. In most cases applications can be made by postcard or via the Internet. Only a limited number of permits are issued for each river, so it is best to apply as soon as the application period opens. Some Japanese skills are required as only Hokkaido’s Churui River has applications in English.

The target of Japan’s salmon anglers is the chum. It is the second largest of the Pacific salmon, and considered by many to be pound-for-pound the best fighter. In addition, Hokkaido offers some world-class fishing for the small but scrappy pink salmon. Both species can be caught on flies, lures, or bait.

Fly-fishing outfits for chum salmon should be 8 to 10 weight with a sinking tip line. Rods should be at least 9 feet long. Some anglers prefer 13 to 16 foot two-handed rods. These longer rods can give better line control and casting distance, but can be tiring to use. For pink salmon, use 6 to 8 weight tackle. Red is the fly color of choice in Japan, but depending upon the conditions, pink, purple, and black can also be effective.

For lure fishing, spinning or casting gear can work equally well. Rods should be 7 1/2 to 9 feet (230 – 276 cm.) long. The usual choice of line is around 16 pound test nylon or fluorocarbon monofilament. The overwhelming favorite lure is a spoon. For most situations, 17 to 21 gram spoons will get down to the fish. On larger, swifter rivers, spoons as heavy as 40 grams might be used. Blue and red are the most popular colors. All lures must have single hooks. Many anglers attach a pink or red plastic squid (tako bait) to the spoon as an added attraction.

In Japan, bait fishermen prefer long very soft-action rods. Many choose 4.5 to 6 meter-long spinning rods, which are typically used for porgy (kurodai). Others favor 8 meter or longer poles without reels that are employed for catching the little smelt-like river fish called ayu. The standard bait is a slice of saury (sanma), a fish readily available in any supermarket. To make their bait more enticing, some anglers spice up it by marinating the slices in grated garlic.

It was a over decade ago right after a salmon fishing trip to Alaska that I saw a notice in a Tokyo tackle shop announcing sport fishing for salmon in Hokkaido’s Churui River. Since that time, I have been able to catch one of my favorite game fish here in Japan. With a little advanced planning, you too can enjoy catching salmon in Japan.

General Rules for Salmon Fishing in Japan

• Anglers must get a fishing permit in advance and register at the stream when they fish.
• With the exception of the special section of the Churui River, catch and release is forbidden. This includes fish that have been foul hooked.
• Anglers are required to report their catch. Catch and keep limits vary from place to place, so you need to know the regulations for the river that you are fishing.
• Bait, lure, and fly-fishing are all allowed, but only with single hooks. The use of treble hooks is prohibited.
• An angler may only use one rod at a time.
• Gaffs are not allowed, but short-handle landing nets are permitted.

Salmon Fishing Rivers in Japan (based on 2008 data)

Many of the resources listed below are in Japanese, so online translating tools such as Yahoo! Babel Fish may be helpful.

Other Japan Fishing Information

ANA Hokkaido Salmon Fishing Package
Teddy Saito – English speaking guide for salmon, trout, char, and taimen fishing in Hokkaido

This article was written by long-time Tokyo resident and life-long fishing fanatic, Alan Bergman. The images are from his personal collection.

The Tama River begins in the mountains of Yamanashi Prefecture and flows 138 kilometers eastward through Tokyo Prefecture emptying into Tokyo Bay next to Haneda Airport. The lower portion of the river forms the boundary between Tokyo and the neighboring city of Kawasaki.

Rapid post-war urbanization made the Tama River uninhabitable for many types of fish. Pollution control measures, the fitting of weirs with fish ladders, and the river’s official designation as a wildlife protection zone have greatly improved conditions, and have lead to a return of many species. Among them is the Far Eastern dace or maruta in Japanese.

Among anglers there are a number of fish that have been called “the poor man’s salmon” – easily available fish that offer some of the great sport of catching that aristocratic fish, but without the time, travel and expense required to pursue salmon. My nominee for the Japanese title is the maruta (Tribolodon brandti).
The Far Eastern dace is a member of the minnow family, but a minnow with pretensions. Like salmon, maruta spend most of their adult lives in saltwater migrating upriver to spawn and like salmon, they can be caught by sports fishermen with flies and lures. These mega-minnows grow to over 60 centimeters in length and are strong hard-fighters.

For much of the year the Far Eastern dace is silver-colored, but when spawning season arrives, this fish dresses for the occasion. Its color darkens and the maruta develops a black racing stripe with bright orange trim.

I found fishing for maruta very similar to stream fishing for pink salmon in Hokkaido and Alaska. Dace favor similar stretches of fast shallow water and the deeper pockets above and below them. As with salmon, it is necessary to cast above a school of fish bringing the fly or lure through it while keeping a tight line. The dace are more interested in spawning, so the fly must come with in a couple centimeters of the fish’s mouth if you hope to get a strike. Pulling the line up through the school from behind will result in snagging fish in the back or tail.

On a 3 hour Tama River fly fishing outing, I landed 43 maruta from 40 to 58 centimeters long. I also caught 4 carp which were following the spawning maruta to feed on their eggs. I was joined by my friend Ramon who met me at the river. There were several anglers on the Kawasaki side, but we had the Tokyo side to ourselves. Even though he is a beginner at fly fishing Ramon managed to land 11 fish.

Ramon kept fishing after I left. Afterwards he claimed that one of the dace that he caught looked bigger than the Japan Game Fishing Association record, a 2 kilogram fish from the Tama River, but because he didn’t know about the record at the time, he released the fish without weighing or measuring it. Ramon may still be a novice when it comes to the catching part of fishing, but he is definitely well on his way to mastering the storytelling part.

Far Eastern dace can also be caught with lures. Six pound (2.7 kg) or eight pound (3.6 kg) class spinning gear is a good choice. While they can be caught on plugs and spinners, spoons get the best results. Use a 5 to 7 gram spoon in silver or some combination of silver. Daiwa Chinook spoons and Daiwa Crusader spoons are good selections. Replace the treble hook with a single hook. Single hooks are less damaging to the fish and are less likely to get hung up on rocks.

The dace is a food fish in China and parts of Europe, but in my opinion, as table fare, the maruta is a fish that is probably best to release. They are extremely boney. If you want to cook dace, some style of deep-frying that will soften the bones such as tatsuda-age would be the way to go.

The breeding season for maruta is March through May. The main part of the Tama River’s spawning run seems to coincide with the blooming of the cherry blossoms. The best fishing spots are from around the Tomei Highway bridge up to the Shukugawara weir. By public transportation the area can be reached from the Nambu Line’s Kuji, Shukugawara, or Noborito Stations, or the Odakyu Line’s Noborito or Izumi-Tamagawa Stations. The river is about a 15 minute walk from the stations. If you are in Tokyo when spring rolls around, give Japan’s poor man’s salmon a try.

This article was written by long-time Tokyo resident and life-long fishing fanatic, Alan Bergman. The images are from his personal collection.