The One about a man living in Shizuoka catching a 30 kilogram giant croaker that was nearly 5 feet on the bank

A man living in Shizuoka City caught a giant fish, a “giant croaker,” measuring approximately 1.5 meters in length, off the coast of his hometown. The “legendary fish,” weighing over 30 kilograms, was caught after a three-hour struggle in the darkness. The man described it as a “miracle” and is now aiming for even greater heights. The giant croaker, a member of the Sciaenidae family, lives in warm seas and can reach 1.5 meters in length. While it mainly inhabits Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures, it has recently been seen in Shizuoka Prefecture as well, possibly due to rising sea temperatures caused by global warming.

■ “A miraculously caught giant croaker” On May 19th, Soichiro Maeda (39), a beekeeper living in Shizuoka City, caught a giant croaker measuring approximately 1.5 meters and weighing over 30 kilograms off the coast of Miho, Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City. The astonishing catch bit a lure intended for flounder and sea bass around 3:30 a.m., and a struggle of about three hours ensued before it was finally landed. “I was fishing for flounder and after catching a few, I hooked a giant croaker. It had swallowed the lure whole and the hook was bent and twisted, it was truly a miraculous catch.”

■”A battle in a restricted area” Maeda, who has been fishing for over 30 years, also works as a fishing professional, giving fishing lessons all over the country. However, he recalls that it was extremely difficult to go against a giant fish with the tackle he uses to target flounder and the complex topography of Suruga Bay. “The topograp

hy of Suruga Bay, including breakwaters and drop-offs (slopes from deep to shallow areas), makes it difficult to bring a large fish close and catch it with your own hands. Unlike shallow areas where both fish and people can move freely, it was a battle in a restricted area.” ■”Second time” catching a 1.5-meter class giant croaker This was the second time Maeda had caught a 1.5-meter class giant croaker. In 2023, he also caught a large one weighing about 35 kilograms off the coast of Miho. Mr. Maeda says that the giant croaker is one of the largest fish ever caught from the shore in Japan. “It’s a ‘phantom fish.’ Its population is small, and it rarely comes close to the shore, so you don’t encounter it very often. Seeing it alive is a privilege only anglers have, so it’s a phantom fish that only anglers who have fought their way through can get their hands on.”

■What does a 1.5-meter giant croaker taste like…? Mr. Maeda has a 9-year-old eldest daughter, a 6-year-old eldest son, and a 5-year-old second daughter. As an angler and a father, his goal is to continue catching fish bigger than his children. “It’s quite difficult to catch fish other than the giant croaker, but luckily giant croakers live in the local waters of Shizuoka, so I don’t know how many more years it will continue. When my child grows to 170 centimeters, I’ll catch a 180-centimeter giant croaker. That’s all.” The giant croaker has mild white flesh, and Maeda-san said he and his family enjoyed eating it as sashimi, grilled with salt, and deep-fried.