For Visiting Anglers
Fish Tokushima with us.
Shikoku, Japan — the Pacific side
This page is for people who want to come to Japan to fish. Not fishing as a side trip — fishing as the reason.
Tokushima is on the east side of Shikoku, facing the Pacific. Within an hour’s drive you have mountain-stream trout, black bream in the city canals, sea bass off the rocks, and pelagics from the surf. No boat. One light rod, from the shore.
We are a few people who live and fish here. We can guide you, or just point you in the right direction. Write to us — it’s fine to keep it short.
Why Tokushima
From the shore, no boat
Rocky points, surf, harbours, estuaries, mountain streams — all connected by road, all within an hour. One rental car covers it.
Not crowded
None of the queueing for spots you get near Tokyo or Osaka. Standing on an empty rock at dawn is a normal morning here.
The species rotate
Trout in the stream at dawn, bream in the city at night — that is one day. The lead species changes with the season, so something is always on.
When to come
Peak months, tallied from five years of our trip reports and our trip log. The full picture is on the calendar.
- Sea bassApr, Jun, Sep, Nov
- MebaruMar, Apr, May
- Black breamJun, Jul
- Stream troutMar, May, Jun, Jul
- PelagicsApr
- AjiJan, May, Sep, Nov
Getting here
- Airport
- From Kansai International (KIX), the airport bus takes about 2h50m to Tokushima. If your city has a direct flight to Tokushima Awaodori Airport (Taipei does, seasonally), that is closer. From Korea, KIX or Takamatsu Airport (Seoul–Takamatsu flights, then about 1h by bus or train) both work.
- Getting around
- A rental car gives you the most freedom; public transport doesn’t reach the fishing. If you book a guided trip, we can pick you up.
- Where to stay
- Around Tokushima Station is convenient. For the south coast, there are family-run inns in Kaiyo town. Ask us — we’ll suggest places.
- Permits
- None for the sea or brackish water. Only the mountain stream (amago trout on the Kaifu River) needs a day permit, ¥2,000, bought in the fishpass smartphone app.
- Tackle
- You can come empty-handed — rods, reels and lures can be rented. If you bring your own, one UL rod for the stream and one ML rod for the sea is enough.
- Language
- English is fine. For Chinese or Korean we’ll lean on a translation app, but on the water hands do most of the talking anyway.
Guided trips
You don’t have to book a guide. Tell us when you’re coming and what you’d like to fish for, and we’ll point you the right way.
A few things we ask
- We don’t publish our spots. If we take you somewhere, please don’t post it in a way that identifies the place.
- Catch and release by default. If you keep fish, only what you’ll eat.
- In harbours, the fishermen come first. Don’t fish near ropes or boats. Take your rubbish with you.
- Streams and rocks answer to the weather. Some days get cancelled by rain or swell. Leave a spare day in your plan.
A letter, in Traditional Chinese
給台灣與香港的釣友
你好，我是小林，住在日本四國的德島。
我不是為了觀光客寫這封信，而是寫給「想來日本釣魚」的人。如果你在找的是一個不擁擠、從岸邊就能釣到魚的地方，德島也許適合你。
這裡開車一小時之內，有溪流的山女鱒（アマゴ）、市區運河的黑鯛、礁石上的海鱸、沙灘的青物。不需要船，一支輕竿就夠。海釣不需要釣魚證，只有溪流需要（一天 2,000 日圓，手機 App 就能買）。
我們可以帶你去釣（有嚮導行程），也可以只告訴你方向。英文可以溝通，中文的話我會用翻譯 App，不過在水邊，手比嘴巴更會說話。
有一件事想先說：我們不公開釣點。如果我帶你去了某個地方，請不要在網路上標出位置。這是我們能一直在那裡釣魚的原因。
什麼時候想來、想釣什麼、釣了幾年、幾個人——寫這些就夠了。用中文寫也沒關係。
期待在德島的水邊見到你。
— 小林 大介（HL Fishing）
A letter, in Korean
한국의 낚시인께
안녕하세요. 일본 시코쿠의 도쿠시마에 사는 고바야시라고 합니다.
이 편지는 관광객이 아니라 「일본에 낚시하러 오고 싶은」 분께 씁니다. 붐비지 않고, 배 없이 육지에서 고기를 만날 수 있는 곳을 찾고 계시다면 도쿠시마가 맞을지도 모릅니다.
차로 한 시간 안에 계류의 산천어(아마고), 시내 운하의 감성돔, 갯바위의 농어, 서프의 회유어가 있습니다. 배는 필요 없고, 가벼운 로드 하나면 충분합니다. 바다낚시는 허가증이 필요 없고, 계류만 필요합니다(하루 2,000엔, 스마트폰 앱으로 구매).
가이드로 함께 갈 수도 있고, 방향만 알려드릴 수도 있습니다. 영어로 소통할 수 있고, 한국어는 번역 앱의 도움을 받겠지만, 물가에서는 말보다 손이 먼저 움직입니다.
먼저 한 가지 부탁이 있습니다. 저희는 포인트를 공개하지 않습니다. 제가 어딘가로 안내해 드렸다면, 위치를 알 수 있는 형태로 온라인에 올리지 말아 주세요. 그래야 저희가 계속 그곳에서 낚시할 수 있습니다.
언제 오고 싶은지, 무엇을 낚고 싶은지, 낚시 경력, 인원. 이것만 적어 주시면 충분합니다. 한국어로 쓰셔도 괜찮습니다.
도쿠시마의 물가에서 뵙기를 기다리겠습니다.
— 고바야시 다이스케 (HL Fishing)
Write to us
Just say hello — no plans needed yet. A rough idea of when you might come or what you’d like to catch is plenty. We reply within a few days, in English or Japanese.