Lake Shikotsu cheat sheet
Four wild fish, the himemasu fee and its short season (the trout are free), the fly rigs and the one light kit. One page to take to the water.
Lake Shikotsu
Wild trout and char fish year round, no fee, best in early summer and autumn; first and last light. Himemasu 1 June to 31 August only, closed the rest of the year for the spawning run. The lake never freezes fully.
Fee
Hokkaido has no national licence, and the wild trout and char need no fee. Only himemasu is paid: the Shikotsu Lake Fisheries Cooperative's permit (¥1,650 a day, ¥28,600 a season), bought online via FISHPASS, or through your guide.
Himemasu and salmon
The himemasu season is 1 June to 31 August and closed the rest of the year for the spawning run, so do not fish the breeding fish. The Chitose River salmon are heavily restricted: look-but-do-not-take unless a permit allows.
National park and clean kit
The lake is in Shikotsu-Toya National Park; stay to permitted areas and take your litter. Confirm any size or bag limits with the fee issuer. Clean and dry kit between waters.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | From the shore | From a boat | Best window and time | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow trout | Yes, margins and drop-offs | Yes, deeper in the heat | Early summer and autumn; first and last light | Streamer / nymph, or spoon/spinner |
| Brown trout | Yes, the clear margins | Yes, the drop-off seams | Shoulders of the season; low light | Streamer / nymph, or spoon |
| White-spotted char (iwana) | Yes, margins and inflows | Yes | Cooler water; through the day when rising | Dry fly / nymph, or small spoon |
| Himemasu (kokanee) | Rarely; it is a deep-water fish | Yes, the proper method | 1 June to 31 August only; at school depth | Wakasagi-style dropper, or trolling spoons |
Shore for the wild trout and char on fly or spinner; a boat adds the himemasu over the deep water in season. Fish the low-light edges; the bright middle of a clear day is slow.
The rigs
Floating line (or sink-tip) → tapered leader → tippet → a baitfish streamer, cast and stripped along the clear edge for predatory rainbows and browns
Perfection loop · surgeon's / blood knot · improved clinchFloating line → tapered leader → tippet → a weighted nymph fished slow and deep along the drop-off lip, where trout and char hold
Perfection loop · surgeon's / blood knot · improved clinchFloating line → tapered leader → fine tippet → a small dry fly to rising char and trout on a calm evening
Perfection loop · surgeon's / blood knot · improved clinchA short string of small hooks on dropper loops under a small weight, lowered to the school from a boat in season (the wakasagi rig scaled to the fish)
Dropper loop · Palomar (the weight)What you need
One fly outfit and a wallet of leaders, tippet and flies build the lake. A light spin rod and trout spoons are the simple option; a dropper string is the himemasu add-on in season.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Perfection loop | A neat loop in the leader for a loop-to-loop join. | Leader to fly line |
| Surgeon's knot | Joins tippet to leader, two lines of similar size. | Tippet to leader |
| Blood knot | The traditional line-to-line join for leader and tippet. | Tippet to leader |
| Improved clinch | A simple, strong tippet-to-fly knot. | Tippet to fly |
| Palomar | Ties a spoon or spinner on, and the himemasu weight. | The spin option and the dropper weight |
| Dropper loop | A standing loop in the line for a hook branch. | The himemasu dropper |
Learn the loop-to-loop and the clinch first; they tie most of the fly fishing. 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.