Smelt Fishing | Lake Shinotsu

One of my favorite activities during the winter time is smelt fishing on frozen lakes.

We went to Lake Shinoro, 50 minutes away from Sapporo. You may think the vinyl greenhouses are for vegetable, but actually there are for anglers on the frozen lake!

First, we rented fishing rods, and bought some baits. The fee including rental equipment, bait, and hot spring admission is 1,500 yen! Reasonable, isn't it?
Yes, a famous hot spring site is near the fishing points. Actually this area is blessed with really recommendable high-quality onsen water!

Even through you don't know how to fish, don't worry about it!

The staff will show you how to do it.
The lake has three fishing points, and the north point is usually recommendable!

Let's go!!!

This is our vinyl house for fishing.
Inside of the house is.................

It has a small heater inside and very comfortable! You don't have to make a hole through the lake ice. What you have to do is to sit on the chair and enjoy fishing!
Sounds easy and fun, doesn't it!!!

When we looked at the lake bottom, several smelts were swimming! We were so excited from the beginning!
Here we go!

All: "How many smelts can we catch? Let's compete with each other!"

Five minutes later I hooked the first smelt! Yeah!!!!!

I've caught a Japanese dace, too (the bigger one).
We were going very smoothly!

I fished smelts one after another.................

This is my catch yesterday; seven smelts and two daces! We really enjoyed fishing on the iced lake!

Please pay attention, ladies and gentlemen!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
The record holder this year caught 308 smelts a day! I cannot believe it! We have to come back to catch more than 309 smelts a day to get a gift from the sponsor!! Hahaha!

Please take your catch to "Michi no eki (meaning roadside station) Shinsinotsu"!!

A restaurant at this facility will cook your fish free of charge!

I ordered them to cook my catch as tempura!!

Voila!
This is my catch! The bigger ones are daces and the smaller ones are smelts.

Yummy x 2!!! I love the tempura made of my catch!!! They are very fresh!

We were so hungry that we ordered something delicious here!

This is a special menu↓

We've found abalones in a fish tank! Look very wonderful!!!

First, we ordered venison steak!

Hokkaido is home to many shika deer and we eat the meat, too!

I love it!

Next, we ordered a BIG abalone!

We really love this gut! I ordered a big abalone because a big one should have a big gut, too!!! Hahaha!

Perfect!
We really enjoyed this very fresh abalone sashimi!!

Last but not least, we ordered a special prawn tempura bowl!

The bowl of rice is topped with 15 prawn tempura!!!

Hi, hip, hooray!!

After enjoying the dinner together, we took hot spring at the same facility.

We had a wonderful time!

■Where is Lake Shinotsu?

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■Tour Guide Information■

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