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Event Article:
Fishing in Taipei, Taiwan |
Fishing both fresh and saltwater species in Taipei,
Taiwan
Date: |
1/23/03 |
Location |
Taipei,
Taiwan |
Season |
Winter |
Reviewer: |
Zander |
Introduction: One of my favorite fishing quotes "The best time to go
fishing is when you can get away" -Robert Traver, couldn't be more
pertinent then on my
recent trip to Taipei, Taiwan. While Taipei is best known for its bustling city
night life, it is good to see that anglers can find plenty of action in local
streams, reservoirs, and on the coastline. While the fishing styles may seem foreign to
some, the excitement of landing fish is universal.
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Local
anglers fish for shad and trout in local streams |
Fishing for sport: Fishing is a very popular pastime in Taipei, and with easy
access to the ocean saltwater fishing is excellent. The East China sea is home
to hundreds of species of commercial and game-fish including tuna, sharks, hairtail, herring, pomfret, scad, yellow croaker, large croaker, small croaker,
cuttlefish, jellyfish, shrimp, filefish, and crabs. Pelagic fish species include
sauries, horse-mackerel, sardines, and other scombrids and clupeid species.
Freshwater anglers can pursue species ranging from bass, carp, trout, perch, and
catfish.
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Large
rainbows inhabit streams that flow from the nearby mountains that feed
Taipei's watershed |
Stream Fishing:
Fishing for panfish and trout in small streams and rivers is extremely popular.
When I first saw anglers fishing in streams with long poles and bobbers it
immediately reminded me of fly fishing for steelhead. The only difference is
that these rods truly are panfish poles and have no reels. These collapsible poles
are extremely lightweight and have a metal loop on the end which anglers tie
directly to their lines. Casts are made with a simple flick of the arm. The
current will carry the small bobber downstream towards the fish. The minute the
bobber takes a dip the angler pulls up on the rod setting the fish, then
actually lifts the rod high up to pull the fish out of the water. While walking
along the river I noticed many anglers fishing while wearing motorcycle helmets.
What I later discovered was that these anglers wanted to me extremely mobile.
They would fish a rift or small pool for a period of time, then collapse their
pole to a 1 1/2 foot length and hop back on a motorcycle or scooter and head for
the next stretch of water.
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Shihmen
Reservoir is one of two large lakes that provide water to Taipei City |
Reservoir
Fishing: Taipei has two
large reservoirs that feed the entire city, but only Shihmen reservoir is easily
accessible and open to the public. Shihmen is a very large manmade reservoir
that was completed in 1964. While it is home some large carp, perch, and bass the
lake is continually plagued by extremely fluctuating water levels. Last summer Taipei
residents ran out of water during the most serious drought in a decade. I was
told stories by local residents that during the period you could walk straight
across the center of the Shihmen reservoir from shore to shore.
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Anglers at
Shihmen Reservoir fish mainly for carp and perch |
Most anglers
that fish at Shihmen reservoir do so from the shore with spinning gear and
elaborate bobber rigs. Underneath large bobbers I found some anglers fishing cut
up worms and liver on rigs consisting of as many as 6 hooks! Artificial lure
fishing and baitcasting rigs are a rare sight. Most anglers are content to sit
on the shore relaxing and socializing as they wait for their lines to go tight.
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Anglers can
rent outboard powered boats to cruise the lake or reach better fishing
locations on the lake |
Owning a
boat: Owning a powerboat in
Taipei is extremely difficult. Anglers have to go through a extremely difficult
permit process, and towing a boat in the city is near impossible. The only boats
that anglers can get on are charters or small rentals. On the Shihmen
reservoir small powerboats are available for hourly rental. This is not the case
on any coastal waters as Taiwan is weary of smuggling from nearby countries. Not once on my trip did I
see any boat that resembled a bass boat, in the most part the watercraft here are simple
in design and built
with function over form.
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A group of locals huddle
around a goldfish trough in a effort to land some fish |
Goldfish
fishing?: Six months ago MP
and I went shrimp fishing in local shrimp fishing clubs. On this trip I found a
fishing related activity that was just as unique. Because it is difficult for
most city dwellers to travel far to fish, why not bring the fish to them....in
this case goldfish! Taipei is well known for night markets packed with locals
and tourists looking for great shopping deals, good food, and entertainment. It
is here that I first encountered these goldfish stands.
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Zander
finally lands a fish without breaking the tissue paper net, unfortunately it
wasn't a lunker by any means |
Basically
hundreds of goldfish are put into a aluminum troth and for fifty cents you are
handed a plastic loop that is fitted with a piece of tissue paper that acts as a
flat net. The key to the game is to catch as many goldfish as you can without
breaking the tissue. In some booths catching large or certain goldfish will earn
you a prize, but for the most part most people just get to take home their
catch. It took some getting used to but I finally landed a few goldfish after
going through 2 tissue nets. I soon found being aggressive and going for the
larger fish usually resulted in a quickly ruined net. Much to the amusement of
the locals I practiced catch and release when I was done with my third net, and
poured the captured fish back into the troth. While definitely no substitute for
wetting actual lines I can't deny that goldfish fishing was certainly
entertaining.
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Many
Commercial fisherman use small single outboard powered v-hull boats |
Saltwater
fishing: Chartering a boat
is possible in the coastal marinas, but most anglers either fish from local
docks or enjoy surf fishing from the rocky coastline. The tackle for saltwater
anglers consist mostly of panfish type poles or spinning gear rigged up with
bobbers. I found that most anglers were extremely patient and would toss bobbers
out with worms, liver, squid, or shrimp attached to a series of flies or j hook
rigs.
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Local
anglers use panfish poles to toss bobbers on the edge of a commercial dock |
There are a lot of different species to fish for in Taipei but among the most
interesting are sizeable squid and octopus. I found anglers both fishing bait
under bobbers and trawling prawns through the water to attract this quarry. Most
anglers would position themselves near sea grass or sandbanks as these are
natural habitats for squid which feed on baitfish that find refuge in the same
structures. In the evening some anglers will bring out bright lanterns or
halogen lights and shine them into the dark water below. The artificial light
cast on the surface is enough to draw squid to the area as they are instantly
attracted to illumination. It is quite a sight to see these large squid surge
forward and engulf your shrimp bait with their long tentacles. When I first
tried fishing for squid I would often reel back my bait disappointed only to
find a few tentacles still attached, and the rest of the squid gone. Rather then
set your bait once it is hit the best thing to do is reel back slowly in a
smooth constant motion to bring in the entire squid instead of just snapping off
its arms.
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Catching
squid is quite exciting and takes a balance of patience and finesse |
Over fishing:
Over fishing both freshwater and saltwater ecosystems has been a major concern
in recent years. With a noticeable decline in both sport and commercial
fisheries the regional countries are just now beginning to implement stricter
laws that protect the ocean's fisheries. Locally in Taipei there are some
stocking programs, and fish farming has helped reduce pressure on natural
habitats. Unfortunately "Catch-and-Release" is not a practice that most anglers
in the region are familiar with.
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Zander holds
up a popular Taiwanese gamefish...Shark |
Conclusion: It was a absolutely great to experience local fishing
locations and techniques in Taipei. While very different then sport fishing in
the U.S., it was obvious that anglers in Taiwan benefited from the same
excitement that fresh and saltwater fishing has to offer. Many people don't know
that Taiwan has a wealth of game fish species that even include native
landlocked salmon. Fishing continues to grow as a major pastime in the region,
and if you are ever fortunate enough to visit the region you owe it to yourself
to do a combination of goldfish and big game fishing, from the streets of Taipei
to the deep China Sea.
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