Fish
Oncorhynchus keta ・ Salmonidae (Salmons, Trouts, and Whitefishes)
Months for Chum Salmon are a broad Japan-wide guide and shift with region, temperature and conditions; prefer local reports and rules.
The fish Japanese simply call "salmon." At sea it is silvery, with pale radiating streaks across the tail fin. After several years in the ocean it returns to the river where it hatched; at spawning time a reddish-brown mottling called buna spreads over its flanks and males develop hooked jaws. Its roe is sold as sujiko and ikura.
In Hokkaido, autumn akiaji fishing is a local institution: anglers work beaches and river mouths with a float-and-lure rig or a bottom rig, mainly in September and October. Taking salmon within rivers is prohibited.
Chum Salmon: Ordinary river angling is prohibited for some runs and regions. Confirm whether capture is legal with authorities and the cooperative before choosing tackle.
Waters: Hokkaido & Sea of Okhotsk, Northern Pacific coast, Sea of Japan, Rivers & lakes
Freshwater lure starter kit ・ Kit total ¥17,000–50,000
First check the permit, lure and hook rules, and handling requirements for invasive fish.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
Food use varies locally. Check harvest rules and water quality, avoid raw consumption and cook thoroughly.
Best eating: September–November
River capture of salmonids is often closed to ordinary anglers. Fish only in an authorised area, programme or facility, and confirm permits, closed seasons, minimum sizes and legal capture with the prefecture and cooperative.
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.
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.