Stillwater · Volcanic · Hokkaido, JP

Lake Kussharo

130713 Lake Kussharo Teshikaga Hokkaido Japan01s5

Lake Kussharo is Japan's largest caldera lake, a vast cold sweep of water in the Akan-Mashū highlands with hot springs welling through its sandy shallows.

Fair · White Spotted Char
Chironomid pupa / buzzer · 10–14
A side-water session, not the main event
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
49% confidence
limited data

Lake Kussharo is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindS 13 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Chironomid pupa / buzzer
Chironomid pupa / buzzer10–14
Static or slow on a long leader — the staple stillwater chironomid.
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
S 13 km/h
N
S
from the south
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp15.9°C
Air temp19°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Head to
Wind driftS wind
Northern end

A southerly has held for 12 hours, running warmer than the water (19°C air against 16°C water). Expect fish at the northern end — the bank it is blowing into — where the drift piles food, colour and warmth together. This reads the upper water, though — a bottom bait at range feels it far less than a floater or a fish in the margins. Treat it as a tiebreaker between good swims rather than an override — features and angling pressure usually count for more.

How to fish it · for White Spotted Char
When
Spring and autumn cold windows
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 5 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Claret DunHatch
2
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
White Spotted Char fly box
Chironomid pupa / buzzer
Chironomid pupa / buzzerTop
10–14 · Buzzer
Static or slow on a long leader — the staple stillwater chironomid.
SF
Smelt-fry baitfish streamer
8–10 · Streamer
Strip it for fish chasing fry or in coloured water.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Local rules and any access charges apply; confirm the current water-specific rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 1
Lake Akan
24 km
White spotted char · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. 130713 Lake Kussharo Teshikaga Hokkaido Japan01s5
    Japan's largest caldera lake by surface area.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Lake Kussharo is Japan's largest caldera lake, a vast cold sweep of water in the Akan-Mashū highlands with hot springs welling through its sandy shallows. Amemasu and rainbow trout cruise its long shorelines, fished in the cold spring and autumn windows much as on neighbouring Akan — big, open, atmospheric stillwater.

Under the surface

Kussharo is the largest caldera lake in Japan, a broad sweep of cold water in the Akan-Mashū highlands where hot springs bubble up through the lakebed sand and steam drifts off the shallows in winter. It holds amemasu and rainbow trout along its great shorelines, fished — like its neighbour Akan — in the cold clear windows of spring and autumn.

Wading: Vast open caldera lake, wind and sudden weather — boat/shore

  • Lake
  • Volcanic
  • Stillwater
  • Shoal
Why this score
  • autumn conditions with overcast skies and breezy wind.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Char spring → late autumn

    Hokkaido is largely open-access here, with managed/charged zones the exception. Species surfaced in prose only. Legal status: guidance_not_permission.

Related guides
Thermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts