How July Fished on Lake Biwa
Spawning in the North Basin of Lake Biwa runs right through the end of June, so July is the month when it finally settles down. Through the first half we were mostly on early post-spawn fish. Through the second half the balance shifted towards what anglers in the US would call the aggressive post-spawn phase, and the fish kept improving as they recovered from the spawn — by the back end of the month we were landing genuinely fat bass.
The heavy fish sitting in current were the highlight. Once hooked they dig straight down and keep pulling, and a lot of our guests got their first real taste of how hard a Lake Biwa bass fights.
July is also the start of the hottest stretch of the year. Through the middle of the day the bass looked for shade — the shadow under the water intake towers, and big deep structure such as artificial fish reefs and brush piles. Baitfish mattered more than anything else: on the spots where bait and bass were stacked together, you could watch the feeding happening in real time on the LiveScope.
The drop shot did most of the work, fished with the Ano Straight 3.5″ and the Ano Slider 3.8″. Depending on the area we were working anywhere from about 3m down to 15m, switching between 1/8oz and 3/16oz sinkers according to the depth and how hard the current was running.
Beyond that we matched the rig to the guest’s experience and to the situation on the day: a Neko-rigged Swamp Crawler, mid-strolling and hovering-strolling with the Fish Roller and Super Fish Roller, a free-rigged long worm such as the MMZ, and the Coike 17mm.
Fish of the Month
Fishing Lake Biwa in August: What to Expect
One thing worth knowing about the North Basin: the season underwater runs roughly a month behind the season on land. It is August, not July, when the bass really start dropping deep in search of cooler water.
Once that happens, fishing the rigs above with a little more finesse is what turns follows into hook-ups — and that is exactly the kind of fishing we set guests up for. We will be guiding through August on the same conditions and the same techniques.
Fish With Us
Every fish in this report came from a guided day on Lake Biwa. We run English-speaking guided trips with hotel pickup, all tackle included, and no fishing licence required. If the fishing above looks like your kind of day, check availability for your dates and we will get you on the water.