Bluegill and LMB in Japan

[JBplusThuy]

Ran across this photo album on Google Plus, shows some nice bluegill and LMB caught in the Hiroshima area:

https://plus.google.com/photos/102509885580321866165/albums/5702860...

[dick tabbert]

Very interesting stuff. I wouldn't have thought I know they are famous for golden carp and coy and I guess they are quit pricey if the owner decides to sell them. Also I know they at least have blue gills in Viet Nam that's the only fresh water fish I remember seeing.

[JBplusThuy]

You were in Viet Nam? When? I used to live there. Where did you see bluegill? I've seen tilapia, and small tilapia look very much like bluegill. They also taste really good; somewhat similar to BG but with drier flesh.

[cal okeefe]

so does anyone know if blugill and largemouth bass are native to japan and other foreign countries??? 

or do u think they imported them from the USA or somewhere else????

[JBplusThuy]

They were imported from the United States (1920s or 1930s, IIRC). Bluegill are quite widespread today; sometime after leaving Japan I read that the moat around the Imperial Palace is pretty well infested with them and they were trying to find some way to get rid of them. Too bad fishing isn't allowed there :-)

[Derrick Bustle]

They brought the Largemouth and Bluegill in . they are using them for tournaments over there. and last year they designated them as a trash fish.

[Derrick Bustle]

They have actually began to over take all of their lakes

[Jeff Soto]

Bass fishing is a very big sport in Japan.  The 2nd largest bass ever caught was from Japan and the bait used was a live BLUEGILL!  I have made replica mounts of several huge (over 15 lbs.) Largemouth Bass that were caught in Japan.  Wonder if there's any giant Bluegills there?

[Leo Nguyen]

Wait, are they LMB or SMB? I see SMB, or am I a bit off with my bass?

[dick tabbert]

Leo I think your off your game there all I see is large mouth bass.

[Leo Nguyen]

I think I need new glasses *LOL* When I look at the bass with their mouths opened, the back of the mouth doesn't go beyond the eye. So, I chimed in as SMB.

[dick tabbert]

Leo they are Large mouth or spotted bass which is in the bass family but no small mouth even the coloration is wrong.

[JBplusThuy]

AFAIK there are no SMB in Japan, but I think they would do really well in mountain rivers if introduced. It's pretty unlikely that they will be. Just sayin'

Rainbow trout are also common in Japan, and browns are available in some places. Native species include yamame, amago, iwana, and sakuramasu. I recently read that a sakuramasu is a sea-run yamame, something of which I was previously unaware because the coloration is so different (they are silvery, like a salmon) in every sakuramasu photo I've seen.

You can see some beautiful yamame photos here:

http://tokyoflyfishing.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/cherry-salmon-yamam...

Yamame are pretty hard to catch, being wary and liking cold, clear water. I've only ever caught two: one wild and one stocked (captive, essentially). I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful fish, although the golden trout comes close.