Fishing in Kitakami River system

Do you need a permit?

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

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 permitKami-Kitakamigawa Fishery Cooperative 上北上川漁業協同組合
  Licence 内共第19号, covering the upper Kitakami. Species named in its permit rules include ayu (tomozuri only), yamame, iwana, eel, ugui, carp and crucian carp. Iwate is unusual: the prefectural inland federation issues one common permit honoured by most co-ops in the prefecture, so a single ticket covers a great many rivers. Buy it before you fish.

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.

What we have checked here

A starting point, not a full species list. Plenty else swims here. These are the fish we have paired with the rules that govern them.

• Cherry SalmonヤマメMay, June and July are the prime months.
• White-spotted CharイワナMay, June and July are the prime months.
• SweetfishアユJuly, August and September are the prime months.