2026.10.26

Omaezaki–Makinohara Surf Fishing Guide (Shizuoka): Where Enshu-nada Gets Rocky

minagiman

Most of my writing is about the western Enshu-nada coast — Hamamatsu, Iwata, Tahara, Irago. This time, the eastern end: Omaezaki to Makinohara in Shizuoka. The short version: this is the one part of Enshu-nada that is not all sand.

Contents

The exception on Enshu-nada
Two sides of the cape
Hamaoka dunes: relatively steep
Species and seasons
Spots
Important: sea turtle nesting
Omaezaki port
Safety and rules
Tackle
East vs west Enshu-nada
Minagiman’s take
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The exception on Enshu-nada

Shizuoka describes Enshu-nada as one of Japan’s longest sandy coasts, arcing gently east and west from the Tenryu River mouth, with dunes almost the whole way. But Japan’s Ministry of the Environment notes that while the coast from the Tenryu mouth to the Atsumi Peninsula is continuous sandy-beach habitat, only the area around Omaezaki has kelp and sargassum seaweed beds.

For anglers, that means sand species and rock species in the same area. Alongside flounder and flathead, Omaezaki lists hirasuzuki and ishidai (striped beakperch) — fish you will not see on the western sand beaches.

Two sides of the cape

Omaezaki City promotes Omaezaki Long Beach for having both the big waves of the Pacific side and the calm, shallow water of the Suruga Bay side. In practice: if one side is blown out, the other may still be fishable. On the straight western Enshu-nada, a storm usually shuts everything down.

Hamaoka dunes: relatively steep

Spot	Depth ~40 m out
Hamaoka dunes	~2.5 m
Omaezaki Sakashita–Melon-mae (~35 m out)	~1.6–1.7 m
Nakatajima (Hamamatsu)	~1.8–2 m

Figures from fishing-information sites, not official surveys. Hamaoka is described as relatively steep for Enshu, with pelagics and ribbonfish possible.

Species and seasons

Species	Season	Notes
Flounder	Peak Nov–Dec (Shizunami)	Dawn and dusk
Flathead	Summer
Young yellowtail	Summer
Warasa / buri	Late autumn	More fish when the westerlies strengthen in late autumn–winter
Seabass	Autumn (peak Oct)	Spring too
Hirasuzuki	—	Thanks to the rocks
Black bream	Peak Sep; spring Mar–May
Whiting	Jun–Oct (peak Jun)
Oonibe (meagre)	Unknown	Listed for Hamaoka

A local tackle shop notes fish gather when the westerly wind strengthens in late autumn and winter — a wind that is usually a headwind on the western beaches but helps here.

Spots

Spot	City	Parking	Toilets	Notes
Hamaoka dunes	Omaezaki	Free municipal, open 24 h	Yes	Steep for Enshu; pelagics, ribbonfish
Chihama beach	Kakegawa–Omaezaki	Yes	Yes	Continuous with Hamaoka
Sakashita–Melon-mae	Omaezaki	Several along the prefectural road	Yes (also out of hours)	Scattered submerged rocks; hirasuzuki
Omaezaki Long Beach	Omaezaki	Free municipal, 400+, 24 h	Several	Both sides of the cape; turtle nesting
Sagara Sunbeach / Sagara port	Makinohara	Large space north of the port	?	Shallow; river mouth next door
Shizunami beach	Makinohara	Yes (7–19; paid in summer)	Yes	Major surfing spot

First visit? Hamaoka dunes or Omaezaki Long Beach — free municipal parking open around the clock, plus toilets.

Hamaoka dunes: fine sand, flounder, flathead, seabass, yellowtail, amberjack, whiting, croaker and bream. The car park is shared with tourists — park legally and take rubbish home. Some tetrapods.
Chihama: effectively the same beach as Hamaoka; a good fallback when crowded.
Sakashita–Main–Melon-mae: shallow sand with submerged rocks and lots of snags. Avoid dragging jigs on the bottom; use floating minnows and fast-rising jighead rigs. Very popular with surfers — keep your distance.
Omaezaki Long Beach: best facilities. Whiting, bream, seabass, ishidai, flounder, flathead. Wear spiked boots on the rocks — never sneakers.
Sagara: surf, port and river mouth in one place. The south breakwater and several piers are closed.
Shizunami: famous surf break; flounder peak Nov–Dec. Avoid crowded times and give surfers space.

Important: sea turtle nesting

Omaezaki is the northern limit in Japan where significant numbers of loggerhead turtles come ashore to nest, and is a national natural monument (Omaezaki Long Beach and Shimomisaki beach). The patrol period is 15 May–31 August. Uncontrolled watching or entry for nesting turtles is banned, catching turtles or taking eggs is prohibited by ordinance, and photography and artificial lights should be avoided during nesting hours. On summer night trips, keep your headlamp low — never sweep it across the beach or over the sea.

Omaezaki port

Designated a “fishing culture promotion model port” in 2020, but closed and no-fishing areas exist. Always check the signs on site.

Safety and rules

Shizuoka Police: 48 water accidents and 21 deaths in the prefecture in 2025; always wear a life jacket for rock and night fishing.
Allowed gear includes rods, hand lines, nets, cast nets and trolling; abalone, sea cucumber and glass eels are banned.
Spiny lobster: closed 15 May–15 September, minimum 13 cm.
Keep about 200 m from working fishing boats, and never enter closed breakwaters.

Tackle

Part	Guide
Rod	9’6”–10’6” ML–M
Reel	4000
Line	PE 1.0–1.2
Leader	Fluoro 25–30 lb (thicker than in the west, for rocks)
Lures	Mainly floating minnows and fast-rising jigheads

East vs west Enshu-nada

	Omaezaki–Makinohara (east)	Hamamatsu–Tahara–Irago (west)
Habitat	Kelp and sargassum beds	Continuous sandy beach
Terrain	Sand mixed with rock, submerged rocks	Almost all sand
Sea	Different on each side of the cape — a backup	Straight; storms shut it down
Special species	Hirasuzuki, ishidai	Buri-class yellowtail
Special rules	Sea turtles (national monument)	—

Minagiman’s take

The west is about size and numbers; the east is about variety and options. If you fish western Enshu-nada, it is worth driving to the eastern end — it hardly feels like the same sea.