Monday

Fishing in Taiwan

After 4 days of marathon meetings, getting near any water front was more than a chance to fish.

My good friend and I went to visit Taiwan and met Caddis, the fly fisher in the country. Caddis was kind enough to take us to near-by streams in spite of his previous engagement (Thanks Caddis).

The first place was Jingmei River which runs along the borderline between Taipei City and Taipei County. The river was a bit muddy due to a few days' worth of rain fall, but we were able to witness rising on the surface of the river right away. Carp is the fish that we tried to catch there. Carp fishing here is almost a sight fishing: you attract the fish to the surface with bait (usually diced bread) and watch the fish surface. Then, find the fish that you want to catch and follow the target. Once you pinpoint the target, cast carefully with "toast" - specally made hook mimicking a dice bread.

We didn't have much luck there but sort of semi-mastered the carp catching protocols. The next move was to a stream near by National Taiwan University of the Arts (I maybe wrong). Hank and Cash, Caddis' friends joined and guided us at the river. There we managed to catch some Ookuoyus, which according to Hank the easies fish to catch around. Later in the afternoon, while I was trying to catch those Ookuoyus with my 2wt rod, Hank finally succeeded in landing a mid-size carp.

It was a short day trip to outside of Taipei but was really gratifying to try different ways of fishing and to meet local species. Thank you Caddis, Hank and Cash. Thank you for your hospitality and your kindness to spend a weekend with us.

Caddis and me
Hank and gone fishing
the carp

4 comments:

  1. Soboro,
    next time you and Yoonho come to Taiwan, we can arrange a headwater fishing trip.
    And I will show you how easy to catch a lot(I mean really LOT'S) 吳郭fish(the litte fish you guys caught)...
    I'm so glad to know you guys.

    Hank

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  2. Caddis, Hank, Wesley-

    It was good seeing all of you again, and thanks for all the hospitality in Taiwan. Let’s do some of the things we discussed as it relates to fishing activities across Asia, and I look forward to seeing you in Korea next spring. Keep in touch friends.

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  3. Yoonho and Soboro,

    the better pronounciation of the fish you caught that day is Ookuoyu.
    And the university you fished nearby is National Political University.

    Soboro, next time I will take you to headwater to try Taiwan Kuuri. It is not as big as the one in KR. But, it is still fun. Remember to bring your small gear next time.

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  4. Caddis & Hank,

    Once again thank you for your hospitality. It was good to meet you finally and I look forward to seeing you again in Taiwan or Korea soon.

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