Dropper-rig bottom fishing from a Boat / Charter
Japanese Sandfish: Remove slack after bottom contact, lift clear and work short movements. Release small fish carefully.
Waters: Sea of Japan, Hokkaido & Sea of Okhotsk
Fish
Japanese Sandfish ハタハタ
Arctoscopus japonicus ・ ハタハタ科
Catch season
- Catchable
- Peak
Months for Japanese Sandfish are a broad Japan-wide guide and shift with region, temperature and conditions; prefer local reports and rules.
About
Scaleless, with irregular brown blotches across the back, a large upturned mouth and conspicuously big pectoral fins. It normally lies buried on sandy-muddy bottoms 100-400 m down, moving into the shallows to spawn from late autumn into winter. Because that run coincides with thunderstorms it is also called kaminari-uo, the thunder fish. It is the base of shottsuru fish sauce, and its roe is prized as buriko.
Basics
- Scientific name
- Arctoscopus japonicus
- Family
- ハタハタ科
- Japanese name
- ハタハタ
- Kana
- はたはた
- Waters
- Sea of Japan, Hokkaido & Sea of Okhotsk
- Size
- 30 cm (max 55 cm)
- Time of day
- Dawn, Daytime
- Depth (tana)
- Near bottom, using short lifts matched to the seabed.
How to catch it
When the fish crowd inshore to spawn around December, breakwaters in Akita and elsewhere on the Sea of Japan fill with sabiki anglers. No chum is needed, just drop the rig at your feet.
Kit for this fish
Dropper-rig starter kit ・ Kit total ¥14,000–36,000
- 1.8 m dropper-rig rodShort rod for pier or boat dropper rigs; match sinker rating to local or boat instructions. ¥3,500–14,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Spinning reel, size 2500The most versatile size for pier fishing: one reel covers sabiki, float fishing and eging. ¥4,000–15,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- PE braid, 1.0-gouFor wind fishing for cutlassfish and small jacks. The quarry has teeth, so always finish with wire or a heavy leader. ¥1,500–5,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Two- or three-hook dropper rigReady-made bottom rig; choose hook size for the target and bait. ¥300–1,200AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Cut fish bait (saury, mackerel, sardine)For hole fishing, cutlassfish and larger rockfish. Salting the flesh firms it so it stays on the hook. ¥300–900AdFind 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
- Cool box, 15-20 LFor carrying fish home cold. Take plenty of ice; in summer a poorly insulated box is not fit for the job. ¥4,000–25,000AdFind 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
Where the boat operator specifies sinker and rig sizes, follow those instructions.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
Eating
If retained for food, chill immediately and follow established local handling with thorough cooking.
Best eating: January, February, October–December
Rules
Before fishing, check prefectural fishery rules, regional size and season limits, protected areas, and harbour or charter retention rules.
Closed seasons and size limits — how to find the numbers, which differ by prefecture
This article organises general information and is not legal advice. Rules differ by municipality and by fishery cooperative, and they change. Always check the current rules for where you are going.
Other fish taken the same way
Other fish from the same kind of place
Seasons, sizes and eating quality are general guides. Rules change, so check the latest prefectural, fishery-cooperative and site rules before fishing. This app provides general information, not legal advice.