A little of each town’s story

Wakasagi and ice fishing

From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within

A hole in the ice with a red float

Wakasagi is a smelt about 10 centimeters long; in Hokkaido it is also called chika locally. It lives in the Ishikari River and lakes such as Abashiri, Akan and Toya, and fishing for it through holes in the ice is a classic scene of the Hokkaido winter. On Lake Abashiri, nets are even drawn beneath the ice. The flesh is delicate, and it is usually eaten as tempura or kakiage fritters.

Sources: pref.hokkaido.lg.jp

This moment in the journey

Ice fishing on a frozen lake

For dinner, too, I wanted something local. So I headed for a lake frozen solid from shore to shore. Drop a short rod through a hole in the ice: my first try at fishing for wakasagi, the pond smelt. A red float bobbed in the hole.

I sat on a folding chair and stared at the tip of the rod. Everything was ready for tempura at home. What if I caught more than I could eat? Under a blue sky, low hills ran along the far side of the snowfield. Still in my gloves, I opened an alcohol-free beer and set it down on the snow.

I jiggled the line just above the bottom, then held it still. I stuck with it until I forgot how cold I was, but not a single wakasagi bit.

Watch this scene on YouTube1:55

Read this scene in the full journey