Fish
Scomber japonicus ・ Scombridae (Mackerels, Tunas, and Bonitos)
Caught on sabiki rigs and shore jigs from summer into autumn. The eating season, when the fish is fat, runs from autumn into winter and does not match the catching season.
The classic blue-backed oily fish, its green-blue back crossed by many wavy black lines. Unlike the blue mackerel, its belly is plain white with no dark speckles, and its body is oval rather than round in cross-section. Growing to about 50 cm, it forms large schools in coastal surface waters, moving north in spring and south in autumn. It fattens from autumn into winter, the season for vinegar-cured shime-saba and miso-simmered mackerel.
Easily caught in numbers on a sabiki rig (a string of feathered hooks) from breakwaters, mainly spring through autumn when the schools move inshore. Mackerel spoil fast, so chill the catch in ice water at once.
It swims fast and higher in the water than horse mackerel, so a passing school tangles rigs. Bleed each fish and get it into ice at once: with this species, that alone decides how it tastes.
Waters: Sea of Japan, Northern Pacific coast, Southern Pacific coast, Seto Inland Sea
It mixes in while you are fishing for larger jacks. It responds to speed near the top, so drop to a lighter jig and run it just under the surface.
Waters: Sea of Japan, Northern Pacific coast, Southern Pacific coast, East China Sea & western Kyushu
Sabiki starter kit ・ Kit total ¥14,000–32,000
Always include the life jacket, and add the child version if you are bringing children. This kit alone is enough to start.
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This fish is dangerous to handle bare-handed.
Parasite
Anisakis larvae are common in this species and raw consumption is a known cause of severe abdominal pain. Gut the fish promptly, and if you intend to eat it raw, check the freezing and heating conditions published by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Killing and carrying your catch — the taste is decided at the pier, not the kitchen
Salt-grilled, simmered in miso, or cured as shime-saba. It spoils remarkably fast, so bleed and chill it the moment you land it.
Best eating: January, February, October–December
Some prefectures set a minimum size. Check the local fishery regulation before you go.
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.