Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1882 — Fishing in Japan. [ARTICLE]

Fishing in Japan.

Fishing in the rivers and streams of the Main Island is not considered as a sport by the Japanese, but as a means of livelihood, and therefore “the gentle angler ” will not receive much encouragement from the brotherhood in the Land of the Bising Sun. Salmon trout, trout an ai (a small but game fish) are “ educated,” on some rivers, to take the fly. The Japs work with very small flies, fine tackle, slight bamboo rods, with which they are very successful. Altogether, however, the game will be found scarcely worth the candle on the main land, but capital sport with the salmon trout can be obtained in several streams near Satsuporo, in Yezo, during May and June, with a genuine British fly/ The most important export from Yezo is in dried salmon, which are netted in incredible quantities in various rivers of the northern part of the island and in the southern Kuriles; but sport in these rivers among the dense masses of fish is out of the question, even if the proprietors of the fishings would allow tneir fish to be poached. The Japanese seaboard is everywhere picturesque, and the seas abound with fish, giviug employment to the crews of thonsauds of fishing-boats. When sailing along the coasts, numbers of large black whales and sharks, both large and small, will be seen, the latter being caught by the fishermen, as their fins are counted a delicacy and the skins serve many uses. The hilts of all tho old swords are covered with white shark’s skin. —The London Field.