Japan Angler

Bay of Plenty New Zealand

Written by expatangler
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Things went well the past winter -so well I haven't had much of an urge to hit the water until just recently. The long awaited live aboard expedition to New Zealand didn't dissapoint in anyway. Hitting the water with Yoichi Mogi and his crew I cut my teeth on handling big yellowtail on topwater plugs. To my knowledge we were the first Japan based group to take the technique outside the country, and I'm told our catch made some ripples in the international topwater community. My biggest fish was in the 30 kilo range. We had no means of weighing the fish on the boat so we had to go on estimates based on length and girth etc. The biggest one I caught certainly felt the 30 kilos our captain figured him to be. At a point called Volkner Rock, just off White Island Mogi san nailed a Kingie estimated at over 40 kilos. More impressive than it's size was the fact that the old guy had the fish on deck less than five minutes after hooking him. On that particular day I go so worn out from fighting fish I lost confidence in my ability to actually boat one that size, so I eventually threw in the towel. Talk about an awesome trip. My Outdoor Japan column for the March issue has a detailed write up for those who'd like to read a bit more about the trip I took down there. Check out www.outdoorjapan.com and look for a story titled 'Conquering Kiwi Kings'. More pics in the pics section coming soon. Peace and Tight lines
Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 May 2009 )

Sport Fishing Charter and Noriai Boat Links

Written by expatangler

Saturday, 15 November 2008

Over the last four or five years I’ve been spending a pretty disgusting amount of time and cash on sport fishing in Japan. Most of what I’ve done has been in the Kanto area, but I’ve taken my share of Ensei (Expeditions) to other parts of the country, and learned some basics about the culture and politics of fishing here, which I think apply to pretty much any locale.

I’ll write more on that later, but for now here’s a list with some links to a few saltwater lure boats I frequent enough to write an informed opinion on. I’m breaking down these outfits by location and type, plus writing a few comments. If you've been thinking about jumping on a boat but didn't know where to start maybe these links will help.

A word for all my linguistically challenged fisher-brethren, please forgive us lowly English teachers for not being successful in bringing about a bilingual society including fishing boat captains. None of the guys who run these operations speak English, but of course it doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate you business. More details to come!

North Tokyo Bay:

Kaido Kyu-Edo River	Seabass	Probably the most experienced and knowledgeable seabass outfit in Tokyo Bay.
Colors Ara River	Seabass	Flexible and knowledgeable Capt.
Yoshinoya Kiba	Seabass, Rock Fish, Light Jigging	Biggest noriai operation on the north end of Tokyo Bay. Very loyal customers.
Friendship Minami Funabashi	Seabass, Jigging, Light Jigging, Dorado	Fast and comfortable vessel. The captain frequently makes runs to the mouth of Tokyo Bay.
Bassmate Haneda	Seabass, Black Porgy	Good Capt and excellent equipment. Good structure fishing action.

Kawasaki Yokohama

Real Kawasaki	Seabass	Capt fishes the ports and terminal areas around Kawasaki. Good structure fishing action.
Top Knot Isogo	Seabass	Also has an operation in Nagoya.
Joy Marine Higashi Kanagawa	Seabass, Light Jigging, Jigging	Very famous multi target operation.
Watanabe Yokohama	Seabass, Light Jigging	The most popular Japanese style noriai boat operation in the Yokohama area.
Tradewinds Kawasaki	Seabass, Light Jigging, Jigging, Dorado	Very famous for light jigging and rubber jigging for sea bream. Takes trips to the mouth of Tokyo Bay

Sagami Bay

Hiromi Maru Hayakawa	Dorado, Skipjack, Jigging	Popular for Dorado and skipjack action in the summer. Capt is a nice guy buy has a short fuse.
Asahachi Maru Hiratsuka	Dorado, Light jigging	The ‘Hiratsuka Mafia’ as I like to refer to them are members of a small cooperative that get a ton of business during the summer and early autumn. They have good facilities, parking, decent boats, and a pretty good array of other fishing options if lure angling isn’t your thing.
Shozaburo Maru Hiratsuka	Dorado, Light Jigging
Shojiro Maru Hiratsuka	Dorado, Light Jigging
Joyfish Marine Hiratsuka	Dorado, Jigging	Australian built Catamaran with a spacious cabin operated by a laid back Capt. A good choice if you don’t like being on Noriai boats. Charter only.