Come discover the best fly fishing destination in the world: Japan!
Did you know that there is world class fly fishing for wild trout less than 2 hours from Tokyo? It’s true! In addition to introduced Rainbows and Browns, there are also two native trout species that are amongst the most wary and hardest fighting trout species on the planet: Yamame and Iwana.
Maki Caenis is the only bilingual (English and Japanese) fly fishing guide located within 2 hours of Tokyo and he can show you the wonders that Japan has to offer the intrepid trout fly fisherman.
Jump on a bullet train at Tokyo Station and 90 minutes later hop off at Sukudari Station in the stunning mountains of Nagano Prefecture. Maki will meet you there and you’ll be on the water in less than 30 minutes. And with a bit of View more...luck, you will be eating the trout you catch as sushi and sashimi that night!
Maki was born in Nagano, Japan, and started fly fishing at the age of 15. Maki has been guiding international visitors from more than 15 countries for more than a decade. Maki attended university in British Colombia and has also lived in New Zealand. Although his English is a little rusty, his fly fishing vocabulary is fluent – you will be guaranteed a great fishing adventure.
Come to Japan and see why Maki’s clients from around the world consistently rate high so highly!
Species
Rainbow trout, Brown trout, Iwana - White Spotted Char, Yamame, Amago
Maki San is by far one of the most professional fishing guides I've ever met. His attention to river conditions, fly life and rigging details were impeccable. If it wasn't under his guidance, I would... View more
Maki San is by far one of the most professional fishing guides I've ever met. His attention to river conditions, fly life and rigging details were impeccable. If it wasn't under his guidance, I would have blanked the day with only a visual appreciation of Japanese beautiful sceneries. The day ended with 4 beautiful Iwana and Yamame. They put up tremendous fights. Very much enjoyed the day!!
We are brand new to fly fishing, and visiting Japan. We spent 2 awesome days with Maki. He proved to be an excellent guide and an accomplished instructor. He introduced us to the proper use and... View more
We are brand new to fly fishing, and visiting Japan. We spent 2 awesome days with Maki. He proved to be an excellent guide and an accomplished instructor. He introduced us to the proper use and care of the equipment, the proper choices of leader, Tippet, and flies for the conditions and species targeted. He showed us Proper casting and presentation techniques, line management, proper playing of the fish, and how to properly handle and release a trout. He took us to an impoundment where we put these new skills into action. We caught plenty, and had a great day. We advanced to wooded streams where we learned to read the water and present properly. Success there as well. He has a lifetime of knowledge in the various patterns he ties. After guiding us he will be busy replacing his inventory! A great personality and kind person with a permanent smile as he teaches someone the sport he loves. His English is good, and you will not be disappointed with his service!
Its always a great idea to find a guide for your first time fishing in a new and different country, and recently I had the pleasure of fishing with the humble Maki Caenis.
Being only a couple... View more
Its always a great idea to find a guide for your first time fishing in a new and different country, and recently I had the pleasure of fishing with the humble Maki Caenis.
Being only a couple of hours outside of Tokyo city, it was an easy decision to include a visit to the Nagano Prefecture during our maiden trip to Japan.
It was our first time visiting the spectacular country of Japan and Maki san made every thing perfect and simple, tailoring a perfect day of fly fishing, exploring new crystal clear fast and slow flowing rivers to vastly contrasting and incredibly beautiful scenic impoundments.
It was a fantastic introduction to the fishing in Japan.
Japan is like a fantastic hidden gem, despite raining on the day, we had an awesome day with plenty of great quality fish landed!, with the trophy of the day, a spectacularly coloured 60cm FAT brown out of a tiny side stream.
His obvious passion for fly fishing along with his extensive local knowledge and excellent understanding of the English language makes him a perfect choice for your next Japan fishing trip.
I can not thank Maki san enough for one of the best experiences of a lifetime, I look forward to my next visit to Japan and fishing with my friend Maki san again in the future.
I highly recommend him, If your into fly fishing, I am confident you will have a great time!
I just recently returned from a trip to Japan and had the great pleasure in spending a day (albeit rainy) fly fishing with Maki-san. He is VERY patient and knowledgeable, especially with this... View more
I just recently returned from a trip to Japan and had the great pleasure in spending a day (albeit rainy) fly fishing with Maki-san. He is VERY patient and knowledgeable, especially with this beginner/novice! Maki-san was very welcoming and always receptive to my needs as a newer entrant to this wonderful sport! His english is very, very good and he makes you feel very relaxed and at home in his home country!
The scenery and countryside are beautiful and the people are fantastic.
I would highly recommend Maki-san for any fly fishing plans you have in the Nagano Prefecture.Thank you very much Maki-san for the great day of fishing and I look forward to seeing you on the west coast of Canada soon!
Maki provided an outstanding service for the two days I fished with him. He is certainly passionate about fly fishing and Japanese nature/wilderness,
He is patient, knowledgeable and has excellent equipment that's suited well for the fishing you are doing. His custom rods are really superbly crafted and perform really well!
He has a great demeanour and personality, is easy to get along with, fun to be around and his English is very good.
I went fly fishing with Maki-san in August 2014 and in short: it was an AMAZING experience. I cannot recommend Maki-san more highly. Fly fishing for native Yamame and Iwana is such a blast. I'm... View more
I went fly fishing with Maki-san in August 2014 and in short: it was an AMAZING experience. I cannot recommend Maki-san more highly. Fly fishing for native Yamame and Iwana is such a blast. I'm definitely going back again next year, it was that good! Maki-san is an incredible guide with a vast amount of invaluable local knowledge.
Had a great time in Nagano prefecture with Maki. He went out of his way to make my stay enjoyable. He is very enthusiastic about his craft and very knowlagable. I learnt a great deal while fishing... View more
Had a great time in Nagano prefecture with Maki. He went out of his way to make my stay enjoyable. He is very enthusiastic about his craft and very knowlagable. I learnt a great deal while fishing with Maki. Great guy, great guy, highly recommended.
I had a great time fishing with Maki - he is dedicated to making your trip a memorable one. He was a big help during the planning process and when I arrived, he was ready to find fish! I wanted to... View more
I had a great time fishing with Maki - he is dedicated to making your trip a memorable one. He was a big help during the planning process and when I arrived, he was ready to find fish! I wanted to see a variety of waters and types of fish, so we fished river/stream/lake and caught Haya, Yamame,and some nice Rainbows. I learned lots and have a better understanding of the fishing that Japan has to offer. I hope I have a chance to visit again someday. Thanks, Maki.
I fished with Maki a couple of years ago during a late winter ski trip to Hakuba. I've written before about the incredible and intricate river systems in Japan. You are not likely to find a better... View more
I fished with Maki a couple of years ago during a late winter ski trip to Hakuba. I've written before about the incredible and intricate river systems in Japan. You are not likely to find a better man to guide you on them. Easy-going. Patient. Fully dedicated to the client and his or her success . . .Fishing with him again, during a more appropriate season, is top on my list of angling priorities.
Fishing with Maki was great. He speaks English well and is really enthusiastic. We fished small rivers, more like streams and the countryside was amazing. He is extremely skilled in wading these... View more
Fishing with Maki was great. He speaks English well and is really enthusiastic. We fished small rivers, more like streams and the countryside was amazing. He is extremely skilled in wading these flood waters and is very patient. We were fishing mostly alone but it did not phase him when another 5 people turned up who had never fly fished before. We went to a lake and everyone had fun though Maki was running around all the time undoing knots, replacing flies etc and was half dead at the end of the day.
Highly recommended, I will be going again
Maki was awesome! He really went out of his way to make sure my fishing trip was great. He is very friendly and knowledgable. I would recommend him to anyone... I look forward to going back....
Maki was awesome! He really went out of his way to make sure my fishing trip was great. He is very friendly and knowledgable. I would recommend him to anyone... I look forward to going back....
We went to fly fish in Nagano prefecture which Maki.
We arrived very late but he was waiting for us at the hotel to welcome us.
The next morning we did a bit of leader preparation with... View more
We went to fly fish in Nagano prefecture which Maki.
We arrived very late but he was waiting for us at the hotel to welcome us.
The next morning we did a bit of leader preparation with very good japanese leaders and tippet that Maki is selling online and went to a Stillwater starter: We hooked a couple of nice rainbows and Maki made a beautiful ink print of it on Japanese paper.
The next day we went fishing in a river and missed a few fishes. The lunch in a tatami room overlooking the river was extraordinary.
The third day was spend on a lake in the mountains surrounded by a forest of beautiful straight, tall trees. The weather was wetter and we missed many fishes but enjoyed taking a few small ones anyway.
We invited Maki for very enjoyable dinner and ended the stay with a very relaxing Onsen in from of t
Japan 
