Fly-Fishing in a Secluded Mountain Stream in Jozankei

Searching for undiscovered fishing holes.

Venturing towards headwaters away from inhabited lands.

Blocking the path are steep waterfalls.

Once those are cleared, they hunt for a massive catch.

Seeking elusive fish deep in secluded waters.

It's time to set off on an exciting adventure!

Wild Hokkaido!

Jozankei is southwest of Sapporo City.

In its vast forest, a stream's flow has carved a deep valley.

At the headwaters far away from the road, there's no sign of people.

In headwaters like this,

they say there's a chance to catch a very rare fish.

Fly-fishing guide Hugo is here to see if he can find the elusive fish.

The water is so clear.

You're going to have to be discreet so we don't spook the fish.

But with this weather,

and this kind of water, it's going to be amazing.

Today, he'll go deep into the mountains with Wataru Nara,

who has mastered traversing through mountains and their streams.

With dreams of encountering some elusive fish, their adventure begins.

First, they press forward through a mossy forest along the river.

Eventually, they reach an open riverbank.

Hugo stops here, and starts looking for something.

I am checking the size and what type of insects

I can find underneath the rocks

so I know which fly I can select after.

When fly-fishing, surveying the surrounding nature is important

so that you can choose a fly lure resembling the fish's food.

Isn't this one good?

This is the best. That's what I'm looking for.

Mayfly nymph.

We're going to try to imitate that one.

Ah, crane fly.

This one's a different fly, a crane fly.

Flies are designed to imitate

the appearance and movement of insects the fish eat.

Now for "SENSEI's Tips."

One of the greatest joys of fly-fishing

is catching a fish with your own handmade fly.

They come in a variety of styles.

Dry flies that float imitate insects

that have fallen onto the water's surface.

This nymph fly looks like insect larvae that drift in the water.

Each fly is like a work of art made from materials all around you.

How about making your own one-of-a-kind fly?

Upstream, is a large pool of water.

Do you see a fish?

It's a short distance from the main river but...

Big one!

...Can I try here?

They spot a fish and can't resist.

Hugo pulls out a traditional Japanese Tenkara rod,

which doesn't have a reel,

making it light and perfect for use while wading through the water.

First up, he'll try a dry fly that floats in the water.

Hugo carefully assesses where to cast his line.

He moves slowly so as not to disturb the fish.

From below the crystal-clear waters,

everything above is visible,

so be sure to avoid any sudden movements.

To cast the light fly at his target,

he transfers impulse through the rod.

He whisks it in the air, adjusting the angle and direction,

he lays the line down gently to not startle the fish.

A dry fly will float so you can see fish as they approach the fly.

The moment there's a bite,

you flick your wrist back to set the hook and catch the fish.

A fish shows up right away, but...

it swims away.

I scared him.

Hugo casts the fly again.

To avoid alarming the fish, he makes it float as naturally as possible.

He casts from various places,

aiming for the spots where the fish might be.

Finally...

he's snagged one!

Nice!

White-spotted Char!

Super beautiful.

The colors.

Small dots, like,

orange on the tummy, yet white on the fin.

It's a beautiful White-spotted Char

that appears to be dancing on the water.

This is the best moment for fishers.

He removes the hook quickly to not harm the fish.

It isn't barbed, so the fish can be released straight away.

Release?

Bye-bye.

I want to release the fish

so the next time I come to that river I can catch that fish again,

or I can catch his descendants, his kids.

I'm happy to release them, that's why I release.

They're still on the hunt for even bigger White-spotted Char,

so they continue upstream.

Next, a waterfall appears before them.

It is said that White-spotted Char,

they can crawl and climb rocks.

So that's why on top of that big waterfall,

there's a big chance we can find more of those fish.

Will there be any giant fish at the top of the falls?

Straight ahead.

Hugo follows Wataru's advice as he climbs steadily up the waterfall.

There are even more falls at the top of this one.

Go this way.

Although the path is a little dangerous,

the temptation to hook a big catch is too hard to resist.

So they keep going.

After several more waterfalls,

a large, open area appears in front of them.

Great.

It looks good. There's even some Mayfly flying.

Hugo decides to try his luck here.

This time, instead of a dry fly that floats,

he'll use a nymph fly that sinks.

The weight of the nymph fly makes it possible to hit his target

with just a single whisk of the rod.

Because it sinks to the bottom of the water,

it can attract fish living deeper underwater.

Hugo relies on the vibrations of the rod

to know if there are any fish too deep to see.

He keeps the line tense

and focuses on detecting even the slightest bite.

He camouflages himself into tree branches

to avoid frightening the fish.

But he's had no luck on the end of his line.

Forty minutes have passed. Hugo shakes his head.

That's a lot of climbing for fish to come here, yeah?

Maybe one fall OK. Two falls difficult.

Here there're five, six falls?

Too hard for the fish to come up.

I think so.

Let's go down.

Hugo decides that there's little chance

any fish have swum up to this point,

so he starts descending the waterfall.

He thinks there might be some fish at one of the earlier falls.

He casts his nymph fly randomly, using it to search under the currents.

Hugo gets a sense of the underwater world

through what he feels in his fingertips.

Then, a tug!

Because fish can easily slip off the barbless hook,

he maintains tension on the line as he pulls it in.

It's an impressive skill.

It's quite bigger.

This White-spotted Char is much bigger than the previous catch.

That's a really beautiful fish.

He releases it again.

Hugo still wants to catch an elusive giant White-spotted Char,

so he goes all in on hooking one

in the little time remaining before sunset.

He casts his line again and again into the water.

Just then...

something tugs his line!

This time, it's an unfamiliar, bright orange fish,

one that looks different to the White-spotted Char from earlier.

A Dolly Varden.

Hugo has caught a Dolly Varden.

It's a relative of the White-spotted Char,

and is found only in very few rivers in Hokkaido.

Yes!

Super beautiful!

The Dolly Varden has an orange-colored pelvic fin and red spots.

It is known as the jewel of the stream.

Even for Hugo, who has fished in Hokkaido for many years,

it's a very special catch.

I think it is only the third time I'm catching a Dolly Varden,

so it's a really rare fish.

Usually, you can find them quite high in the mountains like here.

That's why I'm really excited and really happy.

It's a small fish but it's a beautiful fish.

He's extremely happy to have caught a rare fish.

So let's put him back.

Full of gratitude for a great experience,

Hugo lets the Dolly Varden go back in the water.

I feel really good, it was an amazing day.

From now on, I think I'm going to try to

expand a little bit the rivers I'm exploring

and I'm going to try to combine shower climbing with fishing a lot more.

Because I really enjoyed it.

Mountain stream fishing deep in secluded areas

is a perfect way to experience the wonders of nature.

Wild Hokkaido!

Discover great activities in the great outdoors of northern Japan.

Join us next time for another adventure!