Hamada is a harbour town on the Sea of Japan. Horse mackerel and squid bite from the shore, the breakwater and the boat, and best of all: in Japan you don’t need a licence to fish in the sea.
In the sea: no licence, no fee
Recreational anglers fishing in the sea in Japan with a rod or hand line need neither a licence nor a permit. You buy your gear, head to the coast and start.
Rivers and lakes are different: there, local fishing cooperatives (漁協, gyokyō) manage the waters and sell day or annual permits (遊漁券, yūgyoken). You can usually buy them at a tackle shop or a store near the water.
What is allowed and what isn’t
Shimane Prefecture allows recreational anglers, among other things:
- Rod and hand line
- Landing net and hand net
- Cast net, but only from the shore, not from a boat
Prohibited for recreational anglers are, for example, traps and pots, longlines, snagging hooks, trolling, and diving with equipment or spearguns.
Hands off shellfish, sea snails, sea urchins and octopus. On most coasts they fall under the fishing rights of local fishers. Anyone who collects them is poaching, tourists included. Penalties in Japan go up to three years in prison or 30 million yen.
In many harbour areas, fishing or even entry is prohibited. Look out for signs saying 釣り禁止 (no fishing) and 立入禁止 (no entry).
Egi: a lure with a history
Anyone fishing for squid in Japan uses an egi (餌木), literally “bait wood”. An egi looks like a small, colourful prawn with a ring of hooks at the end. Originally carved from wood, today it is mostly made of plastic.
According to tradition, it comes from Satsuma, today’s Kagoshima, in the Edo period: fishermen are said to have seen squid clinging to a torch that had fallen into the sea. The basic shape has hardly changed since. Fishing with it is called “eging” in Japan.
By the way, an egi also makes a nice souvenir for any angler back home.
Where, when, with what?
Which spots are good right now, where to get gear and what is in season: I’m happy to tell you personally, in German or English.
Sources: Shimane Prefecture – rules for recreational fishing (Japanese) · TSURI HACK – history of the egi (Japanese)