How September Fished on Lake Biwa
September still looked like summer from the shore. Air temperatures stayed high through the first half of the month and the surface of the lake held at around 25℃, but under the water the season had already moved on.
The North Basin runs about a month behind the calendar, and by September the bass that grouped up in deep water through the Obon period were settled there. That made the deep structure game the backbone of the month. We worked man-made structure and sunken brush piles with finesse presentations, mainly the drop shot and mid-strolling, the Japanese technique of swimming a jighead-rigged worm with a soft, rhythmic shake of the rod.
Bait fish tended to stack up around the rocky stretches off Okishima Island, and that is where we spent most of our time. The mornings were the feeding window, and lining the timing up with the right area was what mattered. When the two came together the big fish came in bursts, and those were the most exciting stretches of the month.
Fish of the Month
A six-pounder, taken mid-strolling off Okishima Island in the early morning. It came in the feeding window described above, when the bait and the light lined up.
Fishing Lake Biwa in October: What to Expect
Through October the water drops below 20℃, the weed begins to die back, and the bass start to range more widely. Radiational cooling in the mornings and warm afternoons set the turnover going, and the lake splits into water that is still clean and water that is not. Finding the good water on the day is what decides the result. It is also the peak of the year for smaller bass, so if you are not chasing size, October is one of the steadier months to fish, which is good news if this is your first visit to Biwa.
The job is to keep looking for good water at any depth, and when you land on it the fishing can be very good indeed. The range of methods opens up as well. Mid-strolling and bottom presentations carry over from the summer, and jerkbaits and crankbaits start to produce too, which makes October one of the more enjoyable months on the lake.
If you are wondering what a guided day actually looks like, from hotel pickup to your first Biwa bass, see how a day with us flows. October dates are available now.
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.
