Fish to catch in Korea

My friend Charles is heading to Korea for his friend’s wedding, and he plans to do some fly fishing while he is there. I thought it might be helpful for him to get a view of some of the fish he can expect to catch there. Here are the species I recommend targeting, and he can expect during the early spring season.

산천어 (Oncorhynchus masou)
Likely the most prized fish to catch, mainly because they are so pretty. They are smaller in size, but is representative of Korean trout. If you fly fish in Korea, you must meet this fish. You can find them in small mountain creeks.











열목어(Brachymystax lenok)
Another highly prized fish, and again representative of the Korean prize fish. These guys get a bigger in size and are aggressive when they take the fly. You can find them in small mountain creeks, usually in larger pools.









무지개 송어 (Rainbow Trout)
Not a native, but rainbows are always fun to catch. They run, they’re aggressive, and there’s a lot of them around.











강준치 (Culter erythropterus)
Some fly fishers ignore this fish, but to date these guys give the best fight and are sized to do it. Bigger fish, usually in larger, slow moving rivers. This is Gone Fishing's special.









끄리 (Opsariichthys bidens)
I don’t know what these guys are about, but they are super fun to catch. Aggressive at strike, and feisty fighters for their size. This is Ksanchun's special.













갈겨니 (Zacco temmincki)
Simply put, blue gills of Korea. They smell like watermelon. This is Soboro's special ... although he will deny it ;-)








쏘가리(Siniperca scherzeri)
I’ve never met these guys, but from what I hear they are the predator fish in these parts. All the other fishermen I meet just keep saying, “if you catch this fish, watch your hands. They have spikes all over their back”. I guess lots of people get spiked by these guys when they thrash around.








Large Mouth Bass & Blue Gills
They have been introduced in the late 70s as game fish, and since then have caused a lot of destruction of the eco system in Korean waters. They are sought after as game fish, but there are many concerned with these and other invasive spieces.

* 사진에 관하여: 제 친구가 한국에 처음으로 낚시를 하러 간다고 해서, 바쁘게 사진을 찾아 올리느라고, 허가 없이 사용한 사진이 많습니다. 일단은 죄송하다는 말씀 드리고, 만약 내렸으면 하는 사진이 있으시면 답글로 열락주세요, 바로 내리겠습니다. 용서해주세요.