Fishing for smelt on the ice at Akagi Onuma is usually held from early January to late March. This year, due to the warm winter and lack of snow, the ice was not thick enough.
Anglers were dropping lines into holes made in the lake and catching smelt one after another. ropes have been set up to prohibit entry to areas where the ice is thin, and in order to give people time to check the ice conditions, fishing is prohibited. The time is 2 hours shorter than usual.