A light winter snowpack, the same conditions that have had guides watching water levels downstream, has opened the Oku-Kinugawa headwaters a full month ahead of schedule. Hiro made the most of it last weekend, making the journey up to fish water that rarely sees an angler this early in the season.
At 1,300 meters, the landscape still belongs to winter. Snow lingers in the shadows and along the north-facing banks. Cell phone signals don’t reach here. This is genuinely remote mountain water, the kind of place where you’re fully committed once you’re in. No notifications, no noise from the world below. Just moving water and the fish.
And the fish delivered. The Oku-Kinugawa headwaters hold wild iwana (char) in numbers, and they were willing. It’s the kind of fishing that rewards those that make the extra effort to travel there.
Note: Our friends at Nikko Tenkara (Hiroyuki Ishii & Takashi Sakauchi) have offered to send us brief updates on their fishing and guiding season in Japan. If you are visiting Japan and have interest in their tenkara guide services, visit their website at nikko-tenkara.com. Tell them Tenkara Angler sent you!
Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.
Discover more from Tenkara Angler
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.