Did you know that Lake Hamana is called the “Lake of the Sea”? The reason for this is that the nutrients from the mountains and the ocean that flow from the river mix together, attracting more than 800 species, creating a unique natural environment as a brackish water lake that creates biodiversity.

“Fishing” is one of the ways that anyone can easily experience the charm of “sea lakes.”

You can do it empty-handed! A fishing experience that you can easily do without any equipment

On this day, I came to “Arai Sea Fishing Park” in Arai-cho, Kosai City. As a beginner and empty-handed, the first place I headed to was the Imagire Shop located within the park grounds. This is a “small convenience store of the sea” that serves as a base for anglers, selling everything from selling bait to renting fishing gear. I rented two fishing rods, a Sabiki fishing rod and a bait fishing rod with a reel, and immediately headed out to sea.

First, we fished for small migratory fish such as horse mackerel and sardines. It is a method of fishing that involves simply dropping a line into a basket containing fish and waiting for the fish to hook onto the hook. When you catch a fish, you can eat it as soon as you put it in, but when you can’t catch a fish, you can’t catch it at all. That’s why when I occasionally catch a fish with a bell, I’m so happy that I can’t help but feel like a kid again.

Next, in order to aim for a slightly larger fish, we tried bait fishing with “Blue Isome” and “Ishigokai” on the hooks. When I saw the tip of the rod respond with a thudding sound, I quickly reeled in it, but there was no fish, let alone the bait I had worked so hard to hook. Apparently, it is necessary to hook a hook into the mouth of a fish called “Awase.” I didn’t know the timing at all, but through trial and error, the hook hooked by chance, and I was able to catch a sea bream! (Although it is extremely small size…)

Cook on the spot! No matter how big or small, the fish you catch yourself are delicious!

As a result of losing track of time and immersing myself in fishing, I was able to catch a good number of fish for a first time, although they were all small fish. Now, when you catch a fish, you have decided what to do with it. The key is to enjoy that “life”.

In fact, only on weekends, if you bring the fish you caught to Kaikokan Kirakuichi Shokudo on the grounds of the Sea Fishing Park, they will cook it for you on the spot. This time, I asked for all the cooking methods I could think of: fried, tempura, fries, grilled with salt, and bone crackers. The taste of the fresh fish I caught for the first time was overwhelmingly delicious. I realized that the real pleasure of fishing is enjoying the delicious fish you catch yourself.

Fishing can be enjoyed empty-handed, but there is a lot more to it when you actually try it. It was a day full of immersion in experiencing the charm of fishing at such a “sea lake.”

Why not go out to the sea lake yourself?

 

Imakiri Shop

https://www.imagireshop.com/

 

Kaikokan Imakiri Experience Village Kaikokan | Kosai/Arai Tourism Association [Official]

https://hamanako-kosai.jp/location/733/

 

Surrounding fishing information

「https://www.ishiguro-gr.com/fishing-post/detail.php?id=166」