Mountain-stream bait fishing from a River / Mountain stream
Red-spotted Masu Salmon: Feed the bait from upstream and let it travel at current speed without tightening the line. Check opening dates and permits.
Waters: Rivers & lakes
Fish
Red-spotted Masu Salmon アマゴ
Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae ・ Salmonidae (Salmons, Trouts, and Whitefishes)
Catch season
- Catchable
- Peak
Months for Red-spotted Masu Salmon are a broad Japan-wide guide and shift with region, temperature and conditions; prefer local reports and rules.
About
Very similar to yamame, but scattered orange-red spots on the body are the giveaway. It lives in mountain streams on the Pacific side of western Japan.
Basics
- Scientific name
- Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae
- Family
- Salmonidae (Salmons, Trouts, and Whitefishes)
- Japanese name
- アマゴ
- Kana
- あまご
- Waters
- Rivers & lakes
- Size
- 22 cm (max 33 cm)
- Time of day
- Dawn, Dusk
- Depth (tana)
- Near the streambed, drifting naturally behind rocks, below drops and beside the main current.
How to catch it
A mountain-stream fish of the Pacific side of western Japan. Most rivers open in March, and anglers use drifted bait, tenkara fly fishing, or lures.
Kit for this fish
Stream bait-fishing starter kit ・ Kit total ¥13,000–35,000
- 4.5 m fixed-line stream rodAn approachable fixed-line length for ordinary open mountain streams. ¥5,000–20,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Stream bait-fishing rigA complete fixed-line rig with top line, main line, markers, shot and hook. ¥500–1,800AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Fishing wormsGeneral river bait; never release unused live bait at the water. ¥400–900AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Fishing pliers / hook removerEssential protection from venomous spines and sharp teeth. Most injuries happen when someone unhooks a fish bare-handed. ¥800–4,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Cap and polarised sunglassesAlso safety equipment, protecting your eyes from a flying rig. Polarised lenses additionally let you read the bottom. ¥2,000–20,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Life jacket, adult (Japan Craft Inspection approved)The first thing to buy, and worn on piers, rocks and boats alike. Boat fishing requires the government-approved type marked with the cherry-blossom stamp. ¥5,000–20,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Before buying tackle, confirm the river permit, season and allowed bait and hooks.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
Eating
Food use varies locally. Check harvest rules and water quality, avoid raw consumption and cook thoroughly.
Best eating: March–June
Rules
Inland rules are water-specific. Check the fishery cooperative and prefecture for day or annual permits, closed seasons, minimum sizes, tackle, harvest and release rules.
Closed seasons and size limits — how to find the numbers, which differ by prefecture
Other fish taken the same way
Other fish from the same kind of place
Seasons and rules vary by place and time. Check current local information before fishing.