Fishing in Niseko

Many people's image of fishing is standing in a peaceful, gently-flowing river, casting flies into the same spot for hours on end and pondering the meaning of life. And you can certainly do that here in Niseko... but not with two energetic boys in tow!

Instead your best bet is to head to one of the local fishing holes. Nice big ponds full of fish and with someone nearby to provide you with a rod, bait, net and all the other essentials (and presumably to pull you out in case of disaster!).

So it was that I headed off to Saison Club, located between Niseko Village and Annupuri, about a 10 minute drive from Niseko Hirafu. Saison club has a variety of activities to do in the summer including camping and segway treks - as well as a really great little restaurant called M's Cafe.

90 minutes of fishing time will set you back 2,500 yen for an adult and 1,500 yen for a child. Everything is provided and you can even get them to grill up your fish if you want to enjoy the fruits of your labour!

For us, this was about the experience more than the reward, so off we went and what do you know...success with the first cast!

Fishing with two boys (aged 3 and 5) is basically an exercise in fear-management for a dad.

• Which boy is going to fall in the fishing hole first?
• Which boy is going to get a hook caught in his head?
• Which boy is going to cry when the fish bleeds?
• Which boy will get sick from eating the bait while you're not looking?

But it's all worth it when they grin and smile after catching the fish, give it presents (small stones and pieces of leaf) in the bucket and then cheer when you release it back into the pond. (None of the above happened by the way...!)

All-in-all, a great way to spend a sunny Saturday morning in Niseko!