Great Fishing in Lake Shikaribetsu

Miyabe Char

Native Japanese trout- Miyabe char
The Miyabe char is an endemic species here at Lake Shikaribetsu, evolving from Dolly Verden (Miyabe char is a subspecies of Dolly Verden). Over 10 thousand years ago, ancestral Dolly Verden were land-locked due to volcanic activities, then evolving in a unique way.

Miyabe Char

Miyabe char in Lake Shikaribetsu have three body colors (green, brown and blue) corresponding to their living habits/environments. Especially the blue one with pink and orange dots is extremely beautiful, called “jewel of lake”.

Cherry Salmon（Masu Salmon)

Native Japanese trout- Cherry Salmon（Masu Salmon)
Cherry Salmon（Masu Salmon) hatch and grow at rivers within their early stage of life, adapting to the habitats of lake. Within the lake, they feed on mainly small fishes predator such as Japanese smelts. When they become big and mature,they return to their native rivers around early-September to mid-October. Just after the opening (First stage), you may see cherry salmons are aggressively chasing lure/fly. They are active at this time. You can catch these fish at drop offs or relatively shallow zones.

Rainbow Trout

Fighter of the lake – Rainbow trout
Anglers are fascinated by their strong power
Rainbow trouts are introduced into the Lake Shikaribetsu several decades ago. Since then they reproduce through generations, and now they are recognized as "wild” rainbow trout. They usually feed on Japanese smelts around mid-June and switch to feeding on mayflies around late-June (First stage). Over-50cm-rainbow trouts are very powerful and they repeatedly jump in many cases.

Rainbow Trout

Second stage: Exciting Rainbow trout sight fishing game!
In the second stage (Fall season), big and powerful rainbow trouts are cruising near the shore. However, it is not easy to catch a big one because the water becomes clear and calm, while exclusively feasting on insects. In addition, precise casting skills will be needed. Fly fisherman may become addicted with such an exciting but difficult rainbow trout game once they catch one!

Flying tackle recommendations:
・Dry fly: around #18
・Leader & tippet: 4X or smaller

Miyabe Char is Endemic species

The population of the Miyabe char has seriously decreased due to overfishing and was protected as endangered species. Thanks to the preservation, the population has come back like better than*before. For preserving the Miyabe char to next generations, Shikaoi Town introduced the catch & release system from 2005. Also they set up various rules such as fish hook, seasons (50 days in a year) and the number of anglers (50 people per day).

Miyabe Char

Cherry Salmon（Masu Salmon)

Rainbow Trout

Great Fishing in Lake Shikaribetsu

The Miyabe char is an endemic species here at Lake Shikaribetsu, evolving from Dolly Varden (Miyabe char is a subspecies of Dolly Varden). Over 10 thousand years ago, ancestral Dolly Varden were land-locked due to volcanic activities and evolved in a unique way. Miyabe char feed mainly on plankton, which led to an increased number of gill rakers—an organ used for filtering food (plankton). Mr. Masamitsu Oshima named the fish Miyabe char after Dr. Kingo Miyabe, who discovered that Miyabe char could be distinguished from Dolly Varden by the number of gill rakers.

Miyabe char in Lake Shikaribetsu have three body colors (green, brown and blue) corresponding to their living habits and environments. The blue one with pink and orange dots is especially beautiful and is often called the “jewel of the lake”. The average size of the char is around 30 cm, but fish over 40 cm are often caught these days. Our record is 64 cm, and some anglers have reported seeing fish close to 70 cm, although none larger have ever been caught.

The population of Miyabe char once declined significantly due to overfishing and was listed as an endangered species. Thanks to preservation efforts, the population has recovered. To protect Miyabe char for future generations, Shikaoi Town introduced a catch-and-release system in 2005. Various regulations are also in place, including hook restrictions, limited seasons (about 50 days per year), and a limit of 50 anglers per day. For sustainable resource management, we kindly ask anglers to fill out catch data forms.

Seasons

1st Stage: May 27, 2026 – June 28, 2026 (7 AM – 3 PM)
2nd Stage: September 18, 2026 – October 4, 2026 (7 AM – 3 PM)
Limited to 50 anglers per day

Fishing License Fee

4,190 yen / day / person
Elementary and junior high school students can fish free when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Fishing Regulations

1. Lure or fly fishing ONLY (bait fishing is NOT allowed).
2. All Miyabe char must be released.
Bag limit: 10 fish per person, except for Miyabe char.
3. Only SINGLE BARBLESS HOOKS are allowed.

Optional Services

(Rowboat Hire) 2,500 yen for 2 persons
(Life Vest) 500 yen / person

Reservation

A reservation is required for fishing at Lake Shikaribetsu. Please inform us of your preferred date and the number of participants via the reservation page below.

Go to the Reservation Page

Go to the Reservation Page

Reservation Page

Access

・From New Chitose Airport (3h)
Doutou Expressway (Chitose-Higashi IC to Tokachi-Shimizu IC) → Route 274 → Route 85
・From Obihiro Airport (1.5h)
Obihiro-Hiroo Expressway (Koufuku IC to Memuro IC) → Route 54 → Route 274 → Route 85
・From Sapporo (3.5h)
Hokkaido Expressway (Sapporo-Minami IC to Tokachi-Shimizu IC via Chitose-Eniwa JCT) → Route 274 → Route 85
JR line is also available.

CONTACT US