Sea Bass Fisihing in Tokyo Bay

Sea bass is a very popular target fish for anglers in Tokyo. It is accessible and a great game fish to catch. Please let me explain about this fish for you.

Photo from this link.

The species and distribution

What we call sea bass can be seen in many parts of the world. Among them, there are two species of sea bass in Japan. They are called suzuki, or Japanese sea bass, Lateolabrax japonicus, and hira-suzuki, blackfin sea bass, Lateolabrax latus. Along the coast of the South China Sea, there are hoshi-suzuki, spotted sea bass, Lateolabrax maculatus. All are under Lateolabrax family, often called Asian sea bass, which are dwelling in the western side of the pacific ocean.

The Japanese sea bass is all over Japan. In Tokyo Bay, the most sea bass you see is Japanese sea bass. It can live in a wide range of environments, from the coast line facing the ocean to the river up to 10km from the sea. Since blackfin sea bass can live in the areas where strong sea current is washing the coast, it is less here. When you see Tokyo Bay in a map, you can imagine the salt content in the water is low, and many rivers are flowing into it to give nutrients. Though it is not the environment that open ocean dwellers, it is very rich in fish species. As you may know, deep inside the bay is Tokyo, or the heart of Edo, where the rich sushi culture was born. This was supported by the richness of the sea near there. 

Under the name of sea bass, there are European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labras, in western and southern coast in Europe, northern Africa and in the Mediterranean sea. This species is under the same order, Perciformes, but different from Asian sea bass. Both sea bass species are predatory. Some say that European ones are more active during the night compared to Asian ones. But European sea bass can be caught during a day, and the difference is not so outstanding. 

As a similar shaped fish, there are striped bass in the east coast of the U.S.. This species is rather close to European sea bass than Asian sea bass. On the west coast, they have white sea bass. But this species is even farther, and the classification difference between striped bass and white sea bass is much bigger than that of striped bass and Asian sea bass.    

Rich population 

Despite the fact that there are about 10 mil human population around the Tokyo Bay, it still keeps the fertile environment somehow. The amount of commercially caught Japanese sea bass can be as much as 5 tons per day, in its high season. From the commercial fishing data, ports of the west side of Tokyo Bay are the biggest portion by fish amount. However, from an angling point of view, there are plenty in the north and east of the bay. 

Behavior

Looking at geographical areas, naturally, the shore environments in which they are living are various. There are wave washing rocky coasts, tidal flats and piers. Their swimming ability is very high and it allows them to live in these various areas. And their adaptability list continues. It is said that they can survive in the low water temperature of 2.5 degrees centigrade and the highest temperature can be as high as 30 degrees. From some records, there were a few sea bass caught nearly 100 km up in the river. They can sustain in the water with quite weak salt. One aquarium (Saitama Aquarium) successfully experimented to have kept sea bass in pure freshwater, with keeping 23 degree water temperature, for all year round! They are able to adapt to various environments with their appetite for many types of baits. Japanese sea bass is feeding on these baits; smaller fish, sea worms and crustaceans. Last but not least for angling, they have a very good recognition of colors. Since it lives mainly in the relatively shallow sea, where ray of sun reaches at. And it requires this ability to live in various environments or to feed many kinds of baits.

Image from https://aqua.stardust31.com/suzuki/suzuki-ka/suzuki.shtml

Seasonality and main baits

It is said that sea bass travels in a wider area, to search for better baits. 

In spring, when many sea worms such as Gokai, Ragworm, Hediste diadroma, Hediste atoka, Hediste japonica) and Isome (Eunicida) are spawning. They go away from the bottom of the sea and swim around, under a certain phase of tides in spring. It is a great chance for sea bass to get easy-to-have nutrition. Some species of ragworms are spawning over winter, from October to April, and for others May to July. The timing for better temperature for sea bass is meeting this time frame of spawning, to make the best chance for angling. That is the springtime. 

You can view the video of this spawning in the link below.世界初？水中映像。大量トリックバチ抜け！【閲覧注意】捕まえます。

From the late spring to summer, the school of Ayu is coming close to the river mouth. Ayu sweetfish is born in a river in the late autumn, grows up in the sea for the winter and spring, and starts to go up again to its mother river in the summer. The time for these baby fish to school around for preparing the journey in the refer is the game time for sea bass. 

Also during the warm seasons, they are feeding on various food sources. Sardines, Japanese halfbeak, Japanese jack mackerel, small mullet, squids (swordtip squid, bigfin reef squid)  crab, shrimps, etc.

Later in the season, they look for the adult Ayu fish after spawning to come down the river. The Ayu in this timing is named specially as Ochi-ayu. For these adults exhaust all their energy for mating and spawning, they are drifting down barely alive. These fish are very easy prey for sea bass. This is happening around September to October. To get close to these food sources, sea bass tends to go further up rivers at this timing.

The appearance of Ayu in summer and Ochi-ayu are significantly different. And it makes anglers select the different colors of lures.

Ayu in summer (from https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/557863)

Ochi-ayu (from https://www.yamaria.co.jp/maria/staff_blog/detail/1436)

Types of fishing

In the fishing for sea bass in Tokyo Bay, both bait and lure fishing are popular.

One of the traditional ways is boat fishing with shrimp.

Image is from this link.

Traditionally, it was done with such a rod without a reel.

Image is from https://edowazao-kuniichi.com/saku.html

With this rod without a reel, one jerks the rig or hooks the fish with the rod, then, he retrieves the line with hands. 

Another popular way to catch sea bass with bait is float fishing from the shore. It uses a big float with installed light or chemical light.

Lure fishing for sea bass

The sure way to get Tokyo Bay sea bass is to go guided boat fishing. A captain can bring you to the place where sea bass are at a certain timing. The popular tackle setting is 6 to 7 feet, casting weight is about ½ to an ounce, with a braided line of 0.13 to 0.17mm and a leader of 0.33mm to 0.40mm. 

Of course, the use of lures depends on bait which sea bass is eating, and on the type of place it is staying.

If sea bass is following the bait fish, or making chase, then the approach is horizontal. You are likely to be successful with keeping certain depth, and pulling the lure horizontally. It is a little similar to black bass fishing, while you are fishing for sea bass, facing the situation like in the image below.

Image from this link. 

It is great fun to think about how you let your lure go through.

One of the general rules is that when the bait fish is Japanese jack mackerel, then the depth is deeper and if the bait is Japanese halfbeak then the depth is likely to be shallow. And when you are lucky enough to meet the sea worms spawning, then presenting lipless minnow in shallower depth with slow action can be an option. When you feel sea bass stays in deeper range, your selection can be vibration or metal vibration lures.

Another case is that you approach vertically, when the fish is swimming in a deeper range. In such cases, you drop your jig to the depth, and give jerking actions or jerk and fall actions. 

Lure fishing from the shore involves casting, from the pier, often under the city light. 

Image of Shibaura wharf park, from this link. 

One of the important points in shore sea bass fishing in Tokyo is casting. It is advantageous to cast longer distances and precisely at a structure. For this reason, shore anglers select longer rods (8 to 10 feet) with enough power to cast ½ to 1 ounce lure. The popular main line is a braided line, 0.15mm to 0.20mm, with a leader (nylon or fluoro) of 0.33mm to 0.41mm. Since it is likely for lines to be rubbed on the edge of structures, in many cases at the right below your foot, a leader is thicker than the one used for boat fishing. 

In shore fishing, also, the key is to identify the kind of bait sea bass is feeding. This shows the way to present your lures and makes you select the correct lure. Now you know several kinds of bait for sea bass, all you need to do is to know which one is in the water in front of you. Seasonal pattern gives you the first hint, and the anglers around you (it is most likely that you see other anglers who enjoy various kinds of fishing in Tokyo) can show you other hints. If you are standing by a canal that has the water of big rivers such as Tama-river and Arakawa-river, then you may remember Ayu sweetfish. These rivers are the mother river of Ayu, and baby fish or adult fish may be near you, depending on the timing. 

If you have a chance to visit Tokyo, would you like to enjoy sea bass fishing? If you want to know more details, please let me know.