Barred Knifejaw fishing in Kushimoto & southern Kii

June, July, August and September are the prime months. No permit is required for recreational sea fishing.

When

Season grading is our editorial judgement, not a sourced figure. It says when the fish is catchable, not when the water is legally open — for that, read the closed seasons below.

Do you need a permit?

No permit is required for recreational sea fishing.

Water: Saltwater
Prefecture: Wakayama
Region: Kansai
Getting there: 3 h 30 from Osaka by limited express

How far our answer goes here

✓National lawApplies everywhere. Foreign-national gear limits, protected species, bluefin controls.
✓PrefectureMinimum sizes, closed seasons and legal gear. This is a floor — local rules add to it, never subtract.
~Sea-area / inland committeeDirectives that close specific waters or periods. We hold these for a few prefectures only.
—Cooperative permitSea fishing needs no cooperative permit. A Common Fishery Right still covers the shore — see the rule above.

Rules stack. Everything above the line we hold; everything below it you still need to confirm on the ground. That gap is exactly what a local guide is for.

Legal gear in Wakayama

○▲Hand line & rod fishing○Trolling○Landing net○Scoop net△Cast net×Fishing spear (excluding harpoons)○Rake / clam tool○Hand gathering

Sea areas only, as of 2026-03-31. Anything not listed — diving apparatus, spearguns — may not be used at all. Full table & footnotes

Size limits and closed seasons

Wakayama 和歌山県 VERIFIED

Set by the Wakayama Fisheries Adjustment Rules.

Applies to: Sea and inland. The source regulation covers both sea and inland waters. Cooperatives add further rules on rivers and lakes.

Closed seasons

Abalone incl. tokobushiあわび（とこぶし含む）	1 Sep – end of Feb	Off Kada the window is 1 Oct – 30 Nov instead. Abalone is also nationally protected.
Hen clamばかがい	1 Jun – 30 Sep
Spiny lobsterいせえび	1 May – 15 Sep
Sea cucumberなまこ	1 Apr – 31 Jul	Also nationally protected.
Tengusa seaweedてんぐさ	1 Oct – 31 Mar
Funori seaweedふのり	1 Aug – end of Feb
Ayu — seaあゆ（海面）	1 Jan – 25 May
Coral — red, pink and whiteさんご（あか・ももいろ・しろ）	All year
Rainbow trout, iwana char, amago — inlandにじます、いわな、あまご（内水面）	1 Oct – end of Feb	For rainbow trout this applies to the Kumano River system only.
Ayu — inlandあゆ（内水面）	1 Jan – 30 Apr	On most of the Kumano River system the window runs to 25 May.
Japanese dace — inlandうぐい（内水面）	1 Mar – 31 May	Kumano River system only.

May not be taken at or under this size

Abalone — seaあわび（海面）	10 cm shell length or under
Tokobushi abalone — seaとこぶし（海面）	4.5 cm shell length or under
Spiny lobster — seaいせえび（海面）	15 cm body length or under
Japanese eel — seaうなぎ（海面）	30 cm total length or under
Amberjack, juvenile — seaぶり（もじゃこ・海面）	15 cm total length or under
Rainbow trout, iwana, amago — inlandにじます、いわな、あまご（内水面）	10 cm total length or under
Japanese eel — inlandうなぎ（内水面）	30 cm total length or under

Prohibited methods

Wakayama sets a 30 cm minimum on eel — more than twice the national glass-eel threshold and higher than neighbouring prefectures. The inland trout closure runs October to the end of February, so the Kii Peninsula streams are a spring and summer fishery.

Source: Wakayama Prefecture Resource Management Division — restrictions on taking aquatic life. Covers sea and inland water separately. https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/071500/saihoseigen/_baks/index.html✓ checked 2026-08-26

About Barred Knifejaw

Crushes shellfish with fused beak-like teeth. A specialist rock-fishing target.

Japanese: イシダイ · ishidai
Scientific name: Oplegnathus fasciatus
Typical size: 30–60 cm (12–24 in)

How it is fished here

Isozuri (rock shore)

Isozuri (rock shore) — Fishing from rocky shorelines and offshore rocks, often reached by a drop-off boat (seto-watashi).