Lake Ashi (Ashinoko) cheat sheet
Every fish, the ticket and the rules, the rigs and the one box of tackle. One page to take to the water.
Lake Ashi (Ashinoko)
The lake is open 1 March to the 3rd Sunday in December. Trout fish best in spring, autumn and winter. Wakasagi runs from 1 October.
Ticket
You need the Lake Ashinoko fishery cooperative day-ticket, ¥1,800 bought ahead (¥4,000 on the bank), at a lakeside souvenir shop, convenience store, boat-rental shop or online (ashinoko-gyokyou.com, 2026).
The rules that matter
Soft plastics are banned (plastic worms and soft lures not permitted, so spoons, spinners and hard lures only). Open 1 March to the 3rd Sunday in December. Wakasagi from 1 October. A rowboat needs no licence; an engine boat needs a Japanese boating licence (class 2+).
Eat / release
Trout and wakasagi are good eating (wakasagi as tempura). Keep trout within the cooperative's limits (18 cm minimum, 15 a day combined). Treat cherry salmon as restricted. Wet hands, unhook carefully.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | From the shore | From a rowboat | Best time | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow trout | Yes, the western side, points and inflows | Yes, the deeper water in summer | First and last light; spring, autumn, winter | Dry fly / nymph / streamer, or spoons and spinners (light spin) |
| Brown trout | Yes, the eastern side, shaded margins | Yes | Low light; spring, autumn, winter | Streamer / nymph, or spoons and spinners (light spin) |
| Cherry salmon | Yes, the inflows and open water | Yes | Cold-water months (check the rules) | Streamer / nymph, or a spoon (light spin) |
| Bass (summer) | Yes, the shallow warm bays | Yes | Summer and autumn, warmest water | Hard lures only on the light spin outfit (no soft plastics) |
| Wakasagi | Yes, straight down off the shore | Yes, over a shoal | From 1 October, through the cold months | Wakasagi rig |
Shore is a full trip here (trout, summer bass, wakasagi). A rowboat needs no licence and adds the deeper water and the open smelt shoals.
The rigs
floating fly line → 2.7–3.7 m tapered leader → 4X–6X tippet → dry fly
Improved clinch (fly) · perfection loop (leader) · surgeon's / blood (joins)floating fly line → tapered leader → tippet → nymph below the surface
Improved clinch (fly) · perfection loop · surgeon's / blood (joins)floating line or sink tip → short stout leader (0X–2X) → streamer on an open loop
Non-slip loop (fly) · perfection loop · surgeon's / blood (joins)PE 0.6–0.8 braid / 4–6 lb mono → short fluoro leader → spoon or spinner
Palomar (to the lure)fine braid PE 0.2–0.3 → shikake of 5–7 tiny sode hooks (#1–#2) → 3–5 g weight
Palomar (to main line and weight)What you need
One light fly outfit covers the trout on the fly; one light spin outfit covers the spoons, spinners and hard lures; the wakasagi rod is the one extra. No soft plastics, they are banned.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Improved clinch | Tippet to a dry fly or nymph. | Dry fly, nymph |
| Non-slip loop | An open loop at the streamer for movement. | Streamer |
| Perfection loop | The leader loop, leader to fly line loop to loop. | All three fly rigs |
| Surgeon's knot | The leader and tippet joins. | All three fly rigs |
| Palomar | The lure or the wakasagi rig to the line. | Spoons, spinners, hard lures, wakasagi rig |
Learn the perfection loop and the improved clinch first for the fly; the Palomar ties the lure and the smelt rig. Wet every knot before you pull it tight.
This one page is the printable I take to the water.
Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.
I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.