Enjoy trout fishing in Chichibu! Challenging four spots for “Arakawa Winter Rainbow Trout”

To find winter rainbow trout fishing spots that can be enjoyed during the closed season, I headed to Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture. Until now, I had avoided Chichibu because it seemed like there would be many anglers there, but after looking at the fishery cooperative’s website, it seems well prepared and easy to fish, so it looks like a place where you can relax and enjoy yourself. What are the fishing grounds actually like?

Fishing Chichibu’s “Arakawa Winter Rainbow Trout” until the end of next February

Source: Chichibu Fishery Cooperative.

On the main Arakawa River in Chichibu, a well-known spot for mountain stream fishing, winter rainbow trout fishing (trout fishing) has been open since October. The areas where fishing is allowed are mainly close to the city, so access is good. With the mountain stream fishing season closed and looking for a new place to fish, I drove to Chichibu with high hopes.

Based on information from the fishery cooperative’s website, there were four spots that caught my attention

The Chichibu Fishery Cooperative’s website has a page introducing fishing spots, where you can find information on important entry points for mountain stream fishing and parking areas. I decided to narrow it down to four spots that interested me. Chichibu is known as a famous mountain stream fishing area, and I had somehow avoided it because it seemed crowded with rivals, but I actually wanted to try it, so I was excited.

1. Area for lures only near Bessho Sports Park

First I headed to the parking lot at Bessho Sports Park in the lure-only area. There was a large parking lot, and it seemed easy to stop by, so I came here first. I had never fished the main Arakawa River in Chichibu before, so I decided to first go check out the river.

As expected, the river was wide, but the water was surprisingly shallow, making me wonder whether rainbow trout, which prefer deeper water, were really here. Still, since it was a lure-only section and the number of rivals was limited, I had a good impression that it might be easy to fish here. At this point, I wanted to cast my rod at a more promising spot, so I headed somewhere else.

2. The easily accessible “Minano Area” right off the prefectural road

From my research beforehand, I had often seen the term “Minano Area,” so I went to the spot behind Minano Junior High School. It is located just off the prefectural road, making it another easy place to access by car. I was told that a fishery cooperative patrol person is stationed here.

While looking at the river from the parking area, I saw several anglers entering the river. The patrol person asked to see my fishing permit, and while I had the chance, I asked a variety of questions about the fishing grounds. I was told that this spot is catch-and-release (C&R) and that the rule is to fish downstream. Since the area along the embankment is deeper, it’s best to wade out toward the middle of the river and cast from there.

I also received tips on where large fish had been caught and advice such as, “If you’re using lures, fishing downstream might be easier,” which was very helpful. Thank you very much.

3. “Hinata,” named as a promising spot

I went to a spot called “Hinata,” which the patrol person had named as a promising location. After driving through narrow, winding roads, I finally arrived at the parking area. Rather than a public parking lot, it felt more like a riverbank landscape, which I really liked. At that point, I didn’t see anyone ahead of me, so it seemed like I’d be able to fish freely.

Though the brush was thick, I was able to enter the river easily by following the footprints of others. The water looked deep enough to safely make my way toward the center of the river, but since I’ve only ever walked in narrow headwater areas, I felt a sense of danger from not knowing what might happen. As I started casting lures near the bank, I felt a real sense that I was “finally fishing in Chichibu,” and I got very excited.

Even though the place had a good atmosphere for catching fish, I didn’t feel any signs at all, so I fished downstream. While walking through the shallows near the bank, one or two ducks suddenly flew up from under an overhanging roof of reeds, and I was startled! Then about five more flew up one after another, so it seemed I had disturbed a group resting there. Even while enjoying fishing, it’s important to keep an appropriate distance from wildlife.

4. At the very end of the evening, to the final spot, “Shimizu”

After the promising spots ended in failure and I kept circling around the area, it was nearing sunset. Finally I headed to the spot called “Shimizu,” which I had also been curious about. This was another pleasant place where off-road driving continued all the way to the riverbank. By the time I arrived, the sun was just about to disappear behind the mountains, and it was the evening prime time. Since this is the chance period when fish become active, I hoped I might catch one.

This spot also had a very good atmosphere, but the water was shallow and it was difficult to fish with lures. No matter how many times I cast, I didn’t even get a hit, and time ran out. I didn’t catch anything that day, but I felt that the fishing spots in the area were well managed by the fishery cooperative and were very easy to use, even for first-timers. It seems stocking is also being done properly, so I’m looking forward to what’s ahead. I’d like to keep coming here during the coming season.

It was a good day even without catching fish, since I enjoyed the scenery

Chichibu is a pleasant place with many spots where you can enjoy spectacular scenery even aside from fishing. One of the good things about fishing is that, in the process of looking for fish, you can discover places that haven’t been turned into tourist attractions. During the rainbow trout fishing season, I look forward to discovering attractive spots I haven’t seen yet, along with fishing.

Reporting and text by Kazuma Tanaka

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