adventure experience

Smelt fishing

[Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture] Enjoy smelt fishing, a specialty of Lake Iwato! You can rent all the equipment

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  • Last updated: 2024.05.1

Every year, smelt fishing is popular with tourists, including many families and couples

Smelt fishing at Lake Gandora is known to be easy even for beginners to achieve results. The lake is so rich in fish that this is why we will introduce smelt fishing at Lake Gandora, which is famous nationwide.

Fishing equipment available for rental

Even if you don't usually fish and don't have any fishing equipment, you can rent out most of the equipment you need for smelt fishing at the Lake Gandora Rest House

You can rent a complete set of fishing equipment including a fishing rod and bait for 2,000 yen. You can also rent a drill for drilling holes in the ice (1,000 yen), a tent for sheltering from the wind (for three people: 4,000 yen), a large sled (500 yen), and rain boots (500 yen)

However, you cannot rent cold weather clothing such as gloves and knit hats, or chairs and mats to put inside the tent. Lake Gandora is particularly cold because it is located at a high altitude. Please make sure to take proper measures to protect yourself from the cold in advance

The smelt you catch will be made into tempura

If you catch smelt, you'll want to try the fresh fish right away. If you have your own tent, you can cook it on the spot, but if you're using a rental tent, cooking it there and then is prohibited due to the smell

However, if you rent a boat, you can have the smelt you catch made into tempura at the restaurant in the rest house. It's free, so be sure to give it a try. The fresh smelt tempura is said to be absolutely delicious

In addition to smelt tempura, the restaurant also serves hot dishes such as udon, curry, and oyakodon, perfect for warming up after a day of smelt fishing

A tent is essential on bad weather days

On a nice day, you can enjoy smelt fishing without renting a tent. However, on a windy and cold day, it's very difficult to do it without a tent. On a bad day, it's best to enjoy the fishing while sheltering from the wind in a tent

The caught smelt are soaked in lake water and then placed in a cooler box

If you leave the smelt you caught as they are, they will quickly freeze due to the cold outside air

When you get home and wash some frozen smelt under tap water, you might be surprised when they suddenly start moving

After catching them, don't just leave them there, but let them soak in the lake water for a while. This will allow the smelt to spit out mud and food from their mouths. After that, it's best to put them in a cooler with lots of ice

Summary of Lake Iwato's specialty, smelt fishing

At Lake Gandora, smelt fishing is usually held from mid- to late January until the end of March

However, area maps are available and fishing spots are listed, so even first-timers can feel at ease. We especially recommend finding fishing spots yourself. It's fun, like a treasure hunt, and that's the real joy of ice fishing for smelt

INFORMATION

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