EXPLORING A JAPANESE TROUT FARM By Lance Sawa
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ut of nowhere I had a sudden urge to go trout fishing. Maybe not out of nowhere – I spent a lot of days back in California in the Eastern Sierra’s trout fisheries – but the long Japanese winter full of snow and ice had until then put a chill on my ability to target trout. The year before, flooded local rivers had hampered my attempts to
fish, adding to the pressure. So now I had an itch that only catching a trout would scratch. Those same local rivers were out of the question because it was the rainy season. The rain relentlessly fell day after day. This aided the snowmelt, which again flooded a local river to the point where it washed out the main bridge in and out of my area. I had to give up and look elsewhere. After researching online, I happened
to find a managed fishing area not far from Lake Kisaki, where I went smelt fishing for the first time (California Sportsman, March 2022). It looked large – and the fish within its waters were large as well. I had been fooled by pictures of large fish at managed areas in the past, only to find smaller fish when I arrived. But the online reviews seemed to show large trout here as well, so I took the chance on going
What’s known as one of the most impressive trout farms in Japan is located not far from author Lance Sawa’s home in Nagano Prefecture, to the west of Tokyo. Along with rearing fish for other operations, the facility offers plenty of angling opportunities in its own ponds. (LANCE SAWA) calsportsmanmag.com | APRIL 2022 California Sportsman
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