Fishing Spot Japan

White-spotted Char fishing in Kinugawa system

May, June and July are the prime months. A cooperative day permit is required.

When

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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?

A cooperative day permit is required. Typically ¥1,000–2,000, and more for ayu.

Water
Freshwater
Prefecture
Tochigi
Region
Kanto
Getting there
2 h from Asakusa 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 permitTochigi Kinugawa Fishery Cooperative
    Tel 028-666-8899. Buy the ticket BEFORE you step into the river — bought on the bank it costs exactly double. Day tickets: all-species incl. ayu ¥3,200, non-ayu ¥1,700, coarse fish ¥1,000. Its rights also cover the Daiya, Ara, Kokai, Gogyo, Ta and Sugata Rivers, so one co-op governs a very wide area.

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.

Size limits and closed seasons

Not yet transcribed for this prefecture. The cooperative’s permit rules and national law still apply.

About White-spotted Char

Lives higher up the valley than yamame. The headwater fish.

Japanese
· iwana
Scientific name
Salvelinus leucomaenis
Typical size
20–40 cm (8–16 in)

How it is fished here

Tenkara, Fly fishing

Tenkara — Japanese fixed-line fly fishing. A long rod, a line, a fly — no reel. Developed by professional mountain-stream anglers and now followed internationally.

Elsewhere

White-spotted Char is also listed at Lake Akan, Niseko mountain streams, Kitakami River system, Lake Chuzenji, Nagara River (Gujo). Everything caught in Kinugawa system.