Mountain-stream bait fishing from a River / Mountain stream
Masu Salmon: Feed the bait from upstream and let it travel at current speed without tightening the line. Check opening dates and permits.
Waters: Rivers & lakes
Fish
Masu Salmon ヤマメ
Oncorhynchus masou masou ・ Salmonidae (Salmons, Trouts, and Whitefishes)
Catch season
- Catchable
- Peak
Months for Masu Salmon are a broad Japan-wide guide and shift with region, temperature and conditions; prefer local reports and rules.
About
A row of oval parr marks runs along each side, with small black spots scattered over the back. Look-alikes are sorted by their spots: crimson dots mean amago, white spots mean the whitespotted char, and yamame has neither. It reaches about 20 cm and holds the water just downstream of the char's headwater zone. It is the stream-resident form of the cherry salmon; those that run to sea and grow large become sakuramasu.
Basics
- Scientific name
- Oncorhynchus masou masou
- Family
- Salmonidae (Salmons, Trouts, and Whitefishes)
- Japanese name
- ヤマメ
- Kana
- やまめ
- Waters
- Rivers & lakes
- Size
- 11 cm (max 20 cm)
- Time of day
- Dawn, Dusk
- Depth (tana)
- Near the streambed, drifting naturally behind rocks, below drops and beside the main current.
- Local names
- ヤマベ, ヤマベ
How to catch it
The emblem of mountain-stream angling. Most rivers open in March and close from October. Bait, lures, tenkara (traditional Japanese fly fishing) and Western fly tackle all work, and a day licence is required.
Kit for this fish
Stream bait-fishing starter kit ・ Kit total ¥13,000–35,000
- 4.5 m fixed-line stream rodAn approachable fixed-line length for ordinary open mountain streams. ¥5,000–20,000AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Stream bait-fishing rigA complete fixed-line rig with top line, main line, markers, shot and hook. ¥500–1,800AdFind on AmazonFind on Rakuten
- Fishing wormsGeneral river bait; never release unused live bait at the water. ¥400–900AdFind 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
- Cap and polarised sunglassesAlso safety equipment, protecting your eyes from a flying rig. Polarised lenses additionally let you read the bottom. ¥2,000–20,000AdFind 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
Before buying tackle, confirm the river permit, season and allowed bait and hooks.
Product links may be affiliate links. Prices move, so treat the ranges as a guide.
Eating
Food use varies locally. Check harvest rules and water quality, avoid raw consumption and cook thoroughly.
Best eating: March–June
Rules
Inland rules are water-specific. Check the fishery cooperative and prefecture for day or annual permits, closed seasons, minimum sizes, tackle, harvest and release 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.