Largemouth Bass fishing in Lake Kasumigaura

Japan's second-largest lake. Watch for the sailed hobiki-sen trawlers, which exist nowhere else.

May, June and July are the prime months. No permit is required.

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. Legally treated as a sea area under the Fisheries Act, so the inland permit system does not apply.

Water: Freshwater
Prefecture: Ibaraki
Region: Kanto
Getting there: 1 h from Ueno to Tsuchiura, then a short walk

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 permitLegally treated as a sea area under the Fisheries Act, so the inland permit system does not apply.

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 Largemouth Bass

Introduced. Japan produced the world-record-tying 10.12 kg fish from Lake Biwa in 2009.

Japanese: ブラックバス · burakku basu
Scientific name: Micropterus nigricans
Typical size: 30–60 cm (12–24 in)

Invasive Alien Species — moving or keeping this fish alive is prohibited.

How it is fished here

Lure casting

Elsewhere

Largemouth Bass is also listed at Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Nojiri, Lake Biwa, Lake Ikehara. Everything caught in Lake Kasumigaura.