Japanese Fish caught in Sagami Bay, Tokyo Bay and Chiba

Albacore Tuna      Japanese Name: Binnegamaguro :

Albacore's distinct feature is it's very long pectoral fins, usually one third or more of the fork length, and extending past the insertion of the anal fin. 

Albacore has beautiful white flesh, and is delicious to eat., with a delicate taste. Known as "chicken of the sea".

It is a prized sporting fish which will take small lures and also live bait.   

Have a favorite recipe? Send it to ervin@kumakato.com and will put them on the recipe page that will soon come.

size:

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Skipjack Tuna   Japanese name: Katsuo 

Also known as Striped Tuna or Stripies.

Skipjack Tuna are dark blue or purple on the back and silvery on their lower sides and belly.  They have three to five prominent, dark longitudinal bands on their lower sides.  These tuna have fine, slender teeth, a strong median keel on the caudal fin base between two small keels, and barely separated first and second dorsal fins.,   They have a total of 53-63 gill rakers on the first gill arch.

 They normally inhabit waters with surface temperatures of 20ｰC to 30ｰC.  However, adults are sometimes present waters as cold as 15ｰC.  Skipjack tuna also need a dissolved oxygen level of 2.5 ml per 1 of sea water to maintain a minimum swimming speed and require higher levels when active.   This requirement generally restricts skipjack tuna to water above the thermocline and in some areas, may exclude them from surface waters.

The depth range of skipjack tuna can be from surface waters to 260m during the day, but at night it is much shallower.  Skipjack tuna are a schooling fish having a general tendency to school by size.

In tropical waters reproductively active female skipjack tuna spawn almost daily.   Ripe skipjack tuna eggs are about 1mm in diameter and transparent and buoyant.   Estimates of the number of eggs released at each spawning range from about 100,000 eggs for the smallest mature females to 2 million for the largest fish.  Skipjack tuna eggs hatch after 1-1.5 days.

Skipjack tuna are commonly caught by sport and recreational anglers.  Most fish are caught by trolling or casting small lures from a boat.  Catches are also made using flies or baits of whole, small fish or flesh strips.  Skipjack tuna are a very good bait for a variety of marine fish, with large skipjack tuna being used for the larger species of tuna and billfish.

Yellowtail Tuna   Japanese name: Inada

Also known as Allison Tuna and (Hawaii)

The caudal fin of the yellowfin tuna is distinctly notched in an "M" shape at the center of its fork.  Behind the second dorsal fin and the anal fin, the body profile of the yellowfin tuna is somewhat flat.  The ventral surface of the liver is smooth and the right lobe is longer than the central lobe.

Yellowfin tuna adults are distinguished by having a moderately long pectoral fin that is one third to one quarter the body fork length.  In juveniles there are about 20 broken pale lines crossing the lower sides.  In large fish, the second dorsal and anal fins may be exceedingly elongated and bright yellow.  Yellowfin tuna less than 75cm fork length (10kg whole weight) may be difficult to distinguish from small bigeye tuna. 

A beautiful and colourful tuna.  Blue to steel black above, silver to silvery gold on the flanks, silvery white below.  In fresh fish a band of bright gold or iridescent blue (sometimes both) runs along the upper flank, separating the dark back from the lighter belly area.

The stomach area sometimes carries oval, colourless patches and vague broken vertical bars of white.  These are more obvious in juveniles.

The yellowfins fins are bright yellow.  The finlets, in particular are canary yellow with black margins.

In Japanese waters fish of between 2 and 5kg. In other countries Yellowfin have been recorded in excess of 150kg.

Yellowfin is a very good eating fish.  It is extremely good as sashimi (raw fish).

Yellowfin Tuna are found close inshore, in clean warm currents.  They prefer clean water with water temperatures of 17-27ｺC.  They rarely venture into dirty, discoloured areas.

Yellowfin feed both on the surface, and well down in the water column.

Small yellowfin (2-12kg) will take trolled and cast lures, small live baits and sometimes freely drifted pilchards or cut flesh strips.  Larger yellowfin take small and medium live baits, up to and including live frigate mackerel, bonito and striped tuna weighing as much as 5kg plus.

Yellowfin are extremely powerful and demand the best in tackle and gaffs!

Have a favorite recipe? Send it to ervin@kumakato.com and will put them on the recipe page that will soon come.

 Adults are called "Buri"; the weight is from 5Kg to 20Kg.  BURI (Yellowtail) also unique names depending on its size ; "Shionoko" (up to 35 cm) and then "Inada" (, from 35 to 55cm in length ) , and then "Warasa" ( from 55 to 75cm in length ) and then "Buri".

3 different tuna caught on same trip

Sea bass:                 Japanese Name: Suzuki 

Japanese sea bass is a major target fish for salt water lure fishing in Japan. They have beautiful silver body, reaching 70 to 80 cm in length. Japanese sea bass more than 80 cm is rare and called 'lunker class'. They live in the ocean, and often enter  rivers to eat bait. You catch them twenty-four hours a day and all year long. Best times to catch is around sunrise and sunset. According to Mike Flowers, they are available all year round.

Have a favorite recipe? Send it to ervin@kumakato.com and will put them on the recipe page that will soon come.

Mahi Mahi  Japanese name: Shira

Also known as Dorado, Dolphin fish

Dolphinfish have a tightly compressed, deep body and a steep frontal slope.  In males and older fish, the 'forehead' has a pronounced crest or hump.  It has a long dorsal fin which runs from the top of the head to the butt of the tail, the dorsal fin has no hard spines.  It has a deeply forked, long lobed and wide tail.

Dolphin fish are brilliantly colored fish that light up with irridescent blues, greens, gold, yellow and orange colors.  They are an excellent sport fish, that fight hard and can leap from the water.

They are taken on lures and live baits, and are usually found around floating objects at sea.

Dolphin fish are excellent eating table fish.

Size: up to 36 Kg

Season: Early June till end of October, best months are July - Sept.

Have a favorite recipe? Send it to ervin@kumakato.com and will put them on the recipe page that will soon come.

 Mackerel Japanese name: Saba

Size: To 50cm and 2 kg

Season: Mainly Summer

Taste, Texture  Strong fishy flavor, oily. Fine texture. Blue Mackerel is very good smoked. 

 Octopus  Japanese name: Tako

Octopus are cephalopods with 8 arms.  They have no fins.

Octopus inhabit sea grass beds in bays and coastal waters as well as coastal reefs.

All octopus have a short life cycle in which each female produces 1 egg mass and dies soon after the eggs have hatched.  They are solitary animals and are often very active during daylight.  They live for approx. 18 months.

Octopus appeared approx. 500 million years ago.

By day, when hungry fishes prowl, an octopus hides in its den: under rocks, in holes or empty shells or shallow depressions on the seafloor. But under the cover of twilight, an octopus turns hunter, stalking crabs, shrimp and snails.

When it finds prey, the octopus pounces. Holding on with suckers, it cracks the shell with its beak and injects poison. It usually returns home to eat the meal.

An octopus explores with its tentacles and suckers. The suckers can taste the difference between sweet, sour and bitter, and can feel if something's rough or smooth.

To grab a crab, an octopus draws up the centers of its suckers to create a vacuum. Octopuses have tremendous gripping power. It takes 18kg of pull to release the grip of a 1.4kg octopus.

 Squid Japanese name: Ika

Adult squids spawn in spring and then die.

Fishing spots

You can enjoy squid fishing in Sagami Bay area. Squids like rocky shores and bay areas.

Tackles

Squids eat lobsters and small fishes.. Popular lure that is used is called an Egi which means "Wooden Lure". Those are make of wood, covered with cloths and imitating lobsters. The length of the lures are almost 10 cm.

There are several sharp hooks in the tail of a Egi. The squid will be hooked on these. .

Methods

Squids are nocturnal,  therefore squid fishing in evening is best, night and early morning. But sometimes you can get squids in the daytime.

Cast a Egi into the sea and sink it. Jerk and retrieve slowly. Then a squid will hold a Egi with its hands. If the surface of the Egi is smooth and hard, a squid will let go a Egi soon. So Egis are covered with cloths. Squids like those rough sense of touch.

When a squid holds a Egi, you will feel that your rod becomes heavy. Then retrieve slowly. A squid is soft. If you retrieve fast, the skin of the squid will be cut.

Flounder Japanese name: Hirame

The Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), or hirame, is the most highly prized of the Japanese flounders. Also known as the bastard halibut or olive flounder, it is a member of the family Paralichthyidae (the large-toothed flounders).

Red Sea Bream Japanese name: Tai

The red sea bream is a porgy (family Sparidae) that Americans say tastes similar to red snapper. High-priced in Japan, it is used on special occasions, such as weddings and festivals.

Horse Mackerel  Japanese name: Aji

Aji is very popular and is fished everywhere in Sagami Bay. Size: usually from eight to thirty cm in length.

Fishing method

The most common method of Aji-fishing is "Sabiki". or small lures. Sabiki is casted with a sinker and is jerked, then fishes bite at Sabiki.

Grouper       Japanese Name: Hata