Fish
Thamnaconus modestus ・ Monacanthidae (Filefishes)
It moves in schools, so when they arrive you take several in a row. From breakwaters there are two runs, spring to early summer and late autumn into winter, and the liver is at its largest as the water cools from November to January.
Longer-faced than the thread-sail filefish, which is how it got a Japanese name meaning "horse face." It is blue-gray, and popular dried or in hot pot.
Fished from breakwaters and boats on a dropper rig baited with clam or krill. It is a skilled bait thief, so detecting the bite is the sport of it.
Start with the float set at about three fathoms and use chum to lift the school. Pinch the head off the krill, thread it right up the shank, and lift while there is still bait on the hook. Swapping to a small filefish hook changes how many bites you convert.
Areas: Osaka Bay
Waters: Sea of Japan, Southern Pacific coast, Seto Inland Sea, East China Sea & western Kyushu
Schools barge into a sabiki rig meant for horse mackerel. When they keep mouthing the lures without hooking up, thread a single krill onto the bottom hook and they take properly. The teeth are strong enough to part the main line.
Waters: Sea of Japan, Southern Pacific coast, Seto Inland Sea, East China Sea & western Kyushu
Float fishing starter kit ・ Kit total ¥13,000–30,000
Shares the rod and reel with the sabiki kit. The whole craft is in moving the stopper to find the depth.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
This fish is dangerous to handle bare-handed.
Sharp teeth
The teeth are strong enough to bite through leader and take the rig with them. Keep your fingers out of the mouth when unhooking.
Dangerous fish and animals — what to do when you are stung or bitten
Sharp spines
The first dorsal spine locks once it is raised, and this being the larger fish, the spine is heavier than a filefish's. Fold it down before you take hold, or use a fish grip.
Dangerous fish and animals — what to do when you are stung or bitten
Usually taken in a hotpot or simmered. Thin-sliced with the big winter liver whisked into soy, it gives away little to its more famous relative. Pinch the edge of the skin and it peels off by hand.
Best eating: January, February, November, December
Check the local prefectural fishery regulation.
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.