The ban on smelt fishing on the ice was lifted from the 23rd at Lake Iwato on the outskirts of Morioka City, and it was crowded with many anglers.
Lake Iwato, located in Yabukawa, Morioka City, is known for its frozen surface during the winter, and you can enjoy smelt fishing on the ice.
This year, the ice thickness exceeded the standard of 15 centimeters, so the ban was lifted at sunrise.
On the morning of the 23rd, 23 of the 34 observation points in Iwate Prefecture were the coldest this season, and Yabukawa, Morioka City, where Lake Iwato is located, also observed the lowest temperature of the season -20.8 degrees.
In the severe cold, the anglers who came before sunrise hung fishing lines from holes in the ice inside the tents and caught smelts about 10 centimeters in length one after another.
A man in his 30s who visited from Takizawa City, Iwate Prefecture said, "I can catch the most fish on the first day when the ban is lifted, so I want to catch 100 fish today."
On the other hand, every year there are incidents where anglers get carbon monoxide poisoning by using a fire in a closed tent at Lake Iwadong.
Around 8:00 am on the 23rd, a man and woman in their 30s who were fishing in a tent reported that they were feeling unwell, and were then transported by ambulance.
Superintendent Hayato Sasaki of the union called out, "You need to be especially careful on days when the weather is extremely cold. Please enjoy fishing without closing it completely."