Available all year, with the spring spawning run and the autumn feed-up the best windows. It is a wary fish that will not take easily even when it is right in front of you, which is precisely why it holds anglers for decades.
About
A silvery-black sea bream marked with fine dark stripes running the length of the body. The look-alike yellowfin seabream has yellow pelvic and anal fins, whereas this fish's fins are dark. It pushes into bays and brackish river mouths and sometimes runs right up into fresh water, which makes it a favourite with anglers. An indiscriminate feeder that takes shellfish and even seaweed, it usually starts life as a male and later turns female.
Basics
Scientific name
Acanthopagrus schlegelii
Family
Sparidae (Seabreams and Porgies)
Japanese name
クロダイ
Kana
くろだい
Also called
チヌ, ちぬ, カイズ
Waters
Sea of Japan, Northern Pacific coast, Southern Pacific coast, Seto Inland Sea, East China Sea & western Kyushu
Size
35 cm (max 60 cm)
Time of day
Dawn, Daytime, Dusk, Night
Depth (tana)
Anything from the bottom to mid-water. Dropping down the pier wall and drifting a fukase rig target quite different depths.
Local names
チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ, チヌ
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How to catch it
Taken from breakwaters and rocky shores with float-and-chum, vertical drop, and dango bait-ball rigs. Available almost year-round, peaking in spring and autumn; its wariness is what makes it a prized target.
Fukase (drift float) fishing from a Breakwater / Pier
Concentrate the chum on one spot and let the hook bait fall through it at the same speed. Bait thieves get there first, so throw a second patch of chum away from your line to draw them off.
A sit-down fishery in which you drop dango or chum straight beneath the raft to draw fish under you. The platform is stable and barely moves, so it offers serious fishing far more safely than the rocks.
Waters: Sea of Japan, Southern Pacific coast, Seto Inland Sea, East China Sea & western Kyushu
Kit for this fish
Fukase fishing kit ・ Kit total ¥45,000–120,000
Isozao #1.5, 5.3 mThe soft, long rod used for fukase fishing. Its through-action protects fine leaders while lifting big fish.¥12,000–45,000AdFind 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
Nylon line, 2-gou (about 8 lb)The standard for chonage and float fishing. Its stretch absorbs sudden runs and forgives an imperfect knot.¥600–2,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Fukase rig set (cone float, split shot, leader)A deliberately light rig that settles into the current. Moving a single split shot changes how it drifts.¥1,000–4,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Okiami krill (raw or boiled)The hook bait for float and fukase fishing. Boiled stands up to bait thieves; raw gets more bites.¥400–1,200AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Groundbait mix for chummingPowder mixed with krill so the chum throws well. Changing its density and stickiness delivers the chum to the depth you want.¥500–1,500AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Rope bucket for drawing seawaterUsed to rinse hands and chum and to keep fish alive. It is also how you leave the pier clean.¥800–2,500AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Landing net with 5 m handlePiers sit high above the water and heavy fish break off if you lift them. Having one changes what you land.¥4,000–20,000AdFind 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
Studded or felt-soled bootsOrdinary shoes slip on rock and tetrapods. Falls are the most common cause of accidents, so these are mandatory for rocky shores.¥4,000–15,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
Built on the assumption that you will stand on rock. Of everything here, the studded boots and life jacket are the two items never to compromise on.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
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.
