Kissu Fishing

June 20th, 2005

This weekend we really wanted to get into some kissu fishing, a truly relaxing way to enjoy the beach and get some fishing in. My counterparts were Yumi and Wayne who always enjoy catching anything that swims. The beach we went to was called Terayama and this area is just full of beautiful beaches for us to explore and fish.

If you have never kissed fish it's actually very easy to do. You just attach a special set up that is designed for kiss fishing. If you want, you could make your own but I prefer the store bought ones. Use a hook size of either #3 through #9 and a leader size of #2 or higher. For weights we used #6-8 in a diamond type shape that is perfect for casting out fairly far. Next you'll need a pretty sensitive rod, it's better to have a surf casting type rod. They are really good for casting out long distances and you can really feel the nibbles of the fish. We use rods that are 150-400, basically 150mm thick and 4 meters long. For the bait we use gokai or seaworms, just go to your local store and tell them you're going kissu fishing and the shop guy will set you up real good. (100 grams is good for 2 guys to fish for 4 hours.) Oh yeah one thing Wayne and I bought was a rod holder, it was only 1,200 yen but man it was great to have on the beach. You don't have to worry about having your reel in the sand and it's just plain easier to bait your hooks as it's resting on the holder.

Once your set up is ready simply cast your gear out and let it slowly drag on the bottom. Don't reel in fast, just nice and steady. When you feel the tug of a fish you've got one! It's great for kids and girlfriends.

Next choose a beach that has a nice a deep section to it. We found out on our last night that the area we were fishing wasn't the best spot because it wasn't as deep as where the boat dock was. If you can find deeper water you'll find bigger fish basically. A good hint is the finer the sand the shallower it is, bigger the sand the more deeper the water is. So we fished Friday and Saturday and had some great fun! We caught 10-15 kiss fish every night with an average of about 10-15 cm. Some lady came over and fished near the boat dock (which is deeper) and caught some really nice ones of about 25-35 cm. Remember these do not grow up to be 10 kg or anything. In Japan these fish are considered to be one of the best eating fish for tempura and I agree! If you cut them butterfly style and deep fry them with batter for 2-3 mintues they are awesommmmmmmmmmmeeee. So our choice of location was off a bit but the lady who fishes this area said next time fish near the boat dock and you'll find the big ones. I guess they dredge that area so the boats won't drag along the bottom.

Funny thing was every night we saw huge cuttlefish swimming by our area. Both times I got my squid lure out and we caught them. Wayne got the biggest on Saturday night and I'm sure he had a great time eating him. They are so easy to gut and prepare!! I think we'll be heading out to this beach more often and can't wait till we get that big kiss. So if you're bored and wonder where you should go this summer why not enjoy some kiss fishing?

Tight Lines,

Nigel Paquin