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A Day on the Water: Catching and Cooking Japan’s Tastiest Squid The perfect day for a fisherman often starts before dawn. The preparation is a ritual: the ice is ready , the gas tank is full, and the gear is meticulously laid out. Lures, rods, and reels are all set for an adventure. For Daiki of “Fishing Life Awaji” today’s target is a prized catch at the very beginning of its season. The Hunt for Reef Squid Welcome to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! Daiki is heading out in early October, just as the squid fishing season kicks off. The goal is to catch the reef squid, known as …

Read more “Finally the Season Opens! Catching the Best Squid to Eat in Osaka Bay (TIPRUN EGING)”

Jigging for Giants: A Fishing and Shabu-Shabu Adventure Welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji with your host, Diki. Today’s mission is an ambitious one: targeting a variety of prized fish including yellowtail, amberjack, snapper, and groupers. The method of choice is jigging, one of the simplest yet most effective ways to fish. A Day on the Water Out on the water, the conditions are promising. The depth is around 40 meters, and the fish finder shows activity from the bottom to the middle range of the water column. The first catch of the day is a regular-sized yellowtail. Soon after, another fish hits, this one feeling much …

Read more “Freshest Fish Hotpot (Shabu-Shabu) Directly From the Ocean in Japan”

The Silver Dragon of Osaka Bay: A Guide to Catching and Cooking Beltfish The day begins before dawn, with a quick breakfast before heading to the boat. Today’s target is a special one—something long, silver, shiny, and incredibly delicious. It’s one of the most popular fish to catch in Japan, with a season that runs from summer through fall. Gearing Up for the Hunt To catch this elusive creature, a specific setup is required. The gear for the day includes: The bait is a frozen sardine, which is attached to the Tenya jig and secured firmly with a thin wire. With the rig set up and the boat launched, it’s …

Read more “Belt Fish Season Starts in Osaka Bay & Best Ways to Eat This Fish”

Summer Heat and Tough Bites: A Multi-Rig Fishing Adventure Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! It’s the end of July, and the weather here in Japan is super hot and humid. The intense heat means fishing time is limited to just two or three hours before it becomes unbearable. A Versatile Rig for a Short Trip To make the most of the limited time, I’m using a special multi-target rig today. It’s a combination of a Tai rubber jig at the end of the line and a three-hook sabiki rig positioned above it. This setup is designed to attract different types of fish simultaneously: the sabiki …

Read more “Easy & Delicious! Japanese Fish Tartare that Anyone can Try”

Catching and Cooking Prime-Season Jack Mackerel Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Daiki, and today I’m heading out to catch Jack Mackerel, or Aji as we call them in Japan, using my original handmade sabiki rig. Now is the absolute best season for them; they’re delicious and perfect for cooking. The plan is simple: catch a lot of them, aiming for a good size of around 30 cm. Finding the Fish Jack Mackerel typically hang around fish reefs over sandy bottoms. I started at a spot just outside the marina, but there were no bites and the current was too slow. To find better conditions, …

Read more “Catching the BEST Sushi of June: Japanese Jack Mackerel (Aji) In the Best Condition”

Planning the Perfect Catch: A Red Snapper Fishing & Cooking Guide Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Daiki, and today, I want to show you how a little bit of planning before a fishing trip can lead to amazing results. The Strategy: Using Data to Find the Fish Before every trip, the first thing I check is the current forecast. This tool shows me how fast the current is moving and when its direction will change throughout the day. For Red Snapper, the best fishing time is right after the “current turnover”. Today, that’s happening at 7:00 a.m.. So, my plan is to be at …

Read more “GUARANTEE a Catch! My Secret Checklist for Catching Japanese Red Snapper & Raw-Egg Kaisen Don”

Kayak Fishing for a Tasty Surprise Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Daiki, and today I’m out on the kayak again. My target is the delicious Jack Mackerel, a fish that, personally, I think is even tastier than Yellowtail and Red Snapper. A Day on the Water The fishing spot is about two miles from shore, with a water depth of around 38 to 40 meters. I’m using a sabiki rig, which has small lures that imitate white bait. My fish finder is showing a great signal—lots of white bait in the middle of the water column and signs of Jack Mackerel near the bottom. …

Read more “Kayak to Kitchen: FRESH Saba Sushi & Poke Don! (Catch & Cook)”

A Kayak Adventure for Japan’s Tastiest Grouper Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Diki, and today I’m out on my kayak. I’ve traveled all the way to the Japan seaside with one specific goal in mind: to target a prized fish known as Ako, the orange-spotted grouper. I make this trip every year because this fish is incredibly delicious, and I’m determined to catch a good-sized one to cook up something special. Jigging, Fighting, and a Surprise Catch My plan starts with jigging. I’m using an 80g silver metal jig around a fish reef where the water is about 100 feet deep. The fish finder …

Read more “Ultimate KAISEN DON with AKO Grouper from Kayak Fishing in the Sea of Japan!”

A Deep-Sea Adventure in Osaka Bay Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Daiki. It’s just after dawn, and I’m heading out to the deepest spot in Osaka Bay, where the water depth reaches around 550 feet. Today’s mission is to drop a line into the deep and see what we can catch. Fishing the Abyss Deep-sea fishing requires a simple approach. There are no complex techniques; you just drop the rig to the bottom and wait for a bite. The key is to drift the boat along with the current, which allows the line to stay straight as it descends into the depths. My drift …

Read more “Simple & Delicious Japanese Fish Roe Recipe: Fresh From Osaka Bay’s Deepest Spot!”

From a Great Fishing Day to a Delicious Cooking Night Hey, welcome back to another episode of Fishing Life Awaji! I’m Daiki. The other day, I had a fantastic fishing trip with guests from the United States and France. We had a lot of bites and catches, and afterward, we all enjoyed making fresh sushi together. A Tale of Two Targets That day, we started out targeting Red Snapper. We hopped from spot to spot, but we just weren’t getting any bites. I realized it just wasn’t the day for snapper, so we switched our strategy and started jigging for Yellowtail instead. That turned out to be the right call! …

Read more “Tourists Try Making Sushi from Fish They Caught Themselves!”