Freshwater
Ayu
Plecoglossus altivelis
- Peak season
- Summer (June-September)
- Length range
- 10–30 cm
- Weight range
- 0.03–0.3 kg
- Typical depth
- 0–3 m
Habitat
Clean, fast-flowing rivers with gravel and pebble bottoms across Japan. Anadromous — runs upriver from the sea.
Behavior
Territorial herbivore that grazes algae off rocks and aggressively defends its feeding territory against other ayu.
Best techniques
- Tomo-zuri (live decoy ayu method)
- Fly fishing with small nymphs
- Dapping with artificial flies
- Ultralight spinning with tiny spoons
