White-spotted char (iwana, amemasu)

A char with a gray-brown to olive back covered in many white or cream spots (some forms with orange spots too), and pale-edged lower fins. Sea-run fish (amemasu) are silver with big white spots.

8–14 in in streams; sea-run fish 18–26 in.

Sea-run fish reach about 2½ ft and over 10 lb.

Insects, small fish, frogs and, at sea, small fish and crustaceans.

Lives in the coldest, highest headwaters, above where yamame live; sea-run fish return to Hokkaido and northern Honshu rivers.

Found from Japan & South Korea and Russia, Mongolia & Kazakhstan. Cold mountain streams of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kurils and the Russian Far East; Hokkaido lakes like Shikotsu and Kussharo hold big amemasu.

Cold mountain streams of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kurils and the Russian Far East; Hokkaido lakes like Shikotsu and Kussharo hold big amemasu.

1–10 ft.

1–6 ft.

Spring to September; most rivers close in autumn for spawning.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

No tide in fresh water; rising or steady water levels after rain are usually best.

Overcast days and slightly colored water.

Stream insects and worms, where bait is allowed.

Small spinners, minnows, dry flies and tenkara flies.

Tenkara rod, 3–5 weight fly rod or 5–6 ft ultralight spinning rod.

Small barbless hooks.

3–6 lb fluorocarbon.

4–6 lb tippet.

Climb the headwaters and drop dry flies or small lures into plunge pools and behind boulders.

Iwana hold in the slowest water right behind rocks — put the fly there first.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Excellent: salt-grilled on a skewer by the fire, a mountain classic in Japan.

Steep, slippery headwaters, sudden rain floods, and bears, hornets and mamushi vipers in the mountains.

River tickets from the local cooperative are required, with closed seasons and size limits; some headwaters are catch-and-release. Check local rules. Sea fishing in Japan and South Korea needs no license for visitors, but local fishery cooperatives set rules; rivers and lakes require a day or season ticket (in Japan, a yugyoken) from the local fishery cooperative, and many rivers have closed seasons.

Wild native iwana are fragile; release them in small streams.