IWANA ; Japanese Char, Salvelinus pluvinus

photo 1	photo 2	photo 3
photo 4	photo 5	photo 6

Japanese native trouts

Iwana and Yamame ( I tell you later about Yamame. ) are Japanese native trouts. They are in streams with cool and clear water. Iwana especially inhabit in the upper mountain streams in Japan. But they also inhabit in some of rivers in the lower places in Niigata. Because much snow fallen in the mountains in winter may make river water cool in other seasons.

Some of Iwana and Yamame go to the sea and grow up to big fishes. Such Iwana are called Amemasu and such Yamame are called Masu ( I tell you later ).

Iwana and Yamame eat insects and fishes as other trouts in your country. I fish Iwana with lures and flies. Bait fishing is also popular in Japan.

My iwana fishing

When I was young, before about twenty years ago, I often went fishing in steep mountain streams in native forests. There were a lot of Iwana and I'd really enjoyed my fishing with dry flies. But now I seldom go there. Anglers have been increasing, native forests have been destroyed, and many dams were built. I don't want to see the broken rivers of my good memories.

Recently I sometimes go fishing with lure tackles in the rivers in the country area . Iwana are not so many, but I have got some good ones occasionally ( in photo 2,3,5,6 )

In photo 1, larger two are Iwana and smaller three are Yamame. I got them in the Takane. The Iwana in photo 2 and 3 is a same one and I caught it in the Kaji. I am sorry I can not inform you of its beauty well. In photo 6, Tomoyuki is holding a big one, which I also caught in the Kaji. The fish in photo 5 is a same one. Its large white spots on the boby show that it is Amemasu, probably. They inhabit in the north of Japan, and Niigata is the south limit of their habitat.

As you know, over a hundred million people live in small Japan. There are twenty million anglers. I feel sad that natural trouts has been disappearing day by day.