Catching Giant Fish at Lake Shumarinai

Wild Hokkaido! • Season 5 • Episode 11

About this episode

In the legend of the Ainu, an indigenous people in Japan, there is a giant fish that is believed to be able to even swallow a bear. The name of the fish is Japanese huchen. In this episode, a French fishing guide tries his hand at fishing for Japanese huchen, which can grow up to 2 meters in length, at Lake Shumarinai in northern Hokkaido Prefecture. He uses lures of different colors and shapes to catch the giant fish called "fish of phantom," but will he be able to catch it? Later, we also show you footage of a Japanese huchen and reveal why it can grow so large.