Event: Fishing in
Hong Kong |
Fishing in Hong Kong: an informational overview about fishing in the big city
Date: |
8/21/02 |
Location |
Hong Kong,
China |
Season: |
Summer
(month of July) |
Reviewer: |
JIP |
Introduction: For me, a trip to anywhere near water wouldn't be
complete unless I explored the local fishing life that region offered, especially in a
place that was once known as a great fishing port. Each year many people
travel to Hong Kong(HK) for three reasons. They shop, eat good
food, and enjoy the energetic nightlife a beautiful lit city has to
offer. But to people who fish, Hong Kong offers more than enjoying
yourself in the city. Fishing in Hong Kong can be very entertaining and I
was able to experience and learn some of the local hot spots and methods of the sport of fishing.
In this article I will provide you with an overview about fishing in Hong Kong.
Where to fish: I would have to say most people in Hong Kong fish in
saltwater, and since HK is surrounded by the ocean, locating a fishing spot is
quite simple. One can easily access the ocean or harbor which is just a
couple of minutes walk from either a MTR(subway) or bus station. Fishing
from the harbor can be done in many places between Kowloon, from Kwun Tong to
Tsim Sha Tsui or further), and the Hong Kong Island.
The
fish that are caught off of piers, docks, and harbors range from finger size to
palm size, but depending on where you go, you can land larger fish. One
Angler at a dock near Lantau Island landed a nice 2 pounder while I was touring
the island
Sticking
to Hong Kong Island, saltwater fishing can be done all around the
perimeter. Where there's water, there are fish. Moving to the
opposite side of the island is Stanley. Stanley is a tourist attraction
site that provide good scenery, a place for people to spend a day enjoying the
nice beaches, BBQ, and other water sports, and of course the Stanley
Market. People in Hong Kong also come to Stanley to fish because the
environment is more relaxed, a place away just far enough away from city life.
Fishing
at Stanley Bay is quite nice. You can fish almost anywhere you have access
to and at the same time enjoy the beautiful scenic views
Accessing
the water in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island is easy, but if you want to
venture further out you can get better fishing action. There are two
places that are recommended by local Anglers and fishing tackle shops... Sai Kung and Lamma
Island. Sai Kung Peninsula embraces much of the New Territory's Eastern
seaboard. Sai Kung town lies slightly South of the peninsula. Sai
Kung, being less developed than other parts of Hong Kong, still retains the
pleasant features of a fishing village and provides people with fishing charter
boats for all sorts of fishing(also squid fishing), great seafood, and much more.
Unlike
Sai Kung where one can reach by car, bus, or taxi, Lamma Island is located a
short boat ride South-West of Hong Kong Island. Guess what the main
occupation on Lamma Island is? It's FISHING! Like any other island,
fishing can be done all around. Some local Anglers like to book a boat
ride from Aberdeen(on HK Island) to Lamma Island for rock fishing. Such
ride would cost $200 to $400HKD(around $26 to $52USD).
Another
nice place to fish is on Lantau Island, accessible by ground transportation.
Like other places around Hong Kong, one can fish anywhere they have access to.
There are also some nice beaches there where locals fish from. While on
the island you can also visit other attractions such as the Great Buddha and a
nearby old fishing village .
Tai
O, a traditional fishing village located on Lantau Island. Fishing has
been in some of their families for many generations
Like
I said, saltwater fishing is more popular in Hong Kong, but HK does offer
freshwater fishing as well. There are 17 reservoirs in Hong Kong that one
can fish in during the non-spawning season. There are many types of
fish found in these waters, but the most common fish found are Silver Carp, Big
Head, Mud Carp, Tilapia, Edible Goldfish, and Wild Carp. While speaking to
local Anglers and tackle shops, they did tell me that there are big
mouth(largemouth) bass in Hong Kong, but not many. For tourists freshwater
fishing in reservoirs can be tough because you have to apply for a fishing
license in Hong Kong. That license can only be obtained at the Office of
the Water Supplies Department and applications are only accepted in August of
each year.
Where to find tackle: Now that you know where to fish, we need to get you
some tackle. I didn't bring my own gear to Hong Kong, so I went hunting
for local tackle shops to see what they had to offer. There are many
places in Hong Kong to find fishing tackle, but you have to look around.
There are many small stores that sell fishing gear and other sporting
goods. One place you can find these stores are in Mong Kok. Almost
all the shops you see that sell sporting goods will have some fishing
supplies. But if you're used to stores that just sell fishing tackle, I
have found something you will definitely like. It's not a little store off
the streets. This shop carries a lot of different types of gear for
different fishing techniques, and some of the stuff you can't find here in the
USA. Triton Fishing Equipment Co. is the largest fishing tackle chain
store in Hong Kong. They have 5 stores located in To Kwa Wan, Jordan, Kwai
Fong, Lei King Wan, and their largest store, the one I visited, in Wan Chai.
The Wan Chai store has two floors filled with exciting fishing tackle, some that
I have seen before and some that is very eye-catching to me since we don't carry
them here in the States. Visit
Triton
Fishing's website for directions. The staff that work at the
store I visited were professional and very knowledgeable. They can assist
you in choosing the right tackle to use in Hong Kong, where to fish, help you
book a charter boat, and much more. Also if you're in the New Territory you can
also visit Big
Fish Hunter located in Tsuen Wan.
Bloodworms
are a preferred bait for some Anglers and can be bought at a nearby store near
the waterfront. Just tell the shopkeeper the amount you want and you will
get your bait nicely wrapped in newspaper and a plastic bag
Let's go fishing: We found the fish, bought our tackle, and now it's time
to go fishing. If you want to fish at the harbor, docks, and piers here is
what I observed and experienced. Not every Angler fished the same way but
they all used one of the two baits: bloodworm or shrimp.
Three different fishing styles were observed while I was at Kwun Tong
Pier. Some people would use a spinning outfit(with a telescoping spinning
rod) ranging from light to heavy tackle with a weight and hook tied to the end
of the line. The bait would hang at the bottom and they would wait for the
fish to bite. With this technique Anglers landed different kinds of fish,
crabs, and even eels.
A
family outing brings joy and laughter to the children as their parents land an
eel at Kwun Tong pier located in Kowloon, Hong Kong
The
next form of fishing is quite popular in Asian countries. Instead of using
a rod and reel, they use a telescoping pan-fish pole where you tie a fixed length
fishing line to the end. The other end of the line is tied to either a
bobber, line, weight, and hook or weight and hook. Suspend the bait in the
water by either the bobber or by holding onto the rod. Then when the fish
bites quickly lift the rod which sets the hook and brings the fish out of the
water. I observed this style of fishing in many different fishing areas in
Hong Kong. Many people who perfect this technique can catch a bucketful of
pan-sized fish in just few hours.
Fishing
rods and reels? Who needs those when you have your hands. When I traveled
to Tahiti a few years back I noticed many people didn't use fishing rods and
reels while fishing from their boats. They used their hands, fishing line,
and hooks, and they do land huge fish out there. While fishing off piers
and docks in Hong Kong I noticed the same thing. Some people in Hong Kong
prefer to fish using their hands and fishing line, with the hook and weight tied
the same way as fishing with a rod and reel. The fishing line is kept
nicely wound in a hand spool that's made either out of plastic or
wood. They cast using their hand and some Anglers can actually cast a good
distance away. But the thing is, when you're fishing from the pier,
casting far is not needed. Most of the time they just drop the line into
the water and wait for bites. When they detect the slightest hits they
pull upwards to set the hook. So if you imagine, it's similar to fishing
with a rod and reel, except you do it with you arms and hands.
With
the
other types of saltwater fishing many Anglers in Hong Kong use similar
techniques we use here in the US. If
it's deep sea fishing off a boat or surf fishing, use your own techniques and
you will have fun
catching fish. I didn't see anyone using lures while I was there, but I am
sure I just missed it. The people I talked to they all used blood-worms or
shrimp.
Carp
fishing in Li-Jiang, China. It's a tradition that the men in this province
do not have to work (but some do). So many men have a lot of time doing
other things, like fishing. But in this part of China it's all freshwater
fishing since the ocean is thousands of miles away
What
if you don't like saltwater fishing, can you do freshwater? Of course you can,
but non-spawning season is between September 1 to March 31. Since I was
there in July I was not able to do any freshwater fishing and did not check out
the reservoirs because no one would be fishing at that time. But I did get
to do some carp fishing in Li-Jiang, China in a private pond in a village.
For tackle they used a similar setup as I described above using a pan-fish
pole. The villagers used both home-made bamboo poles and for the more
wealthy folks, they used fiberglass telescoping pan-fish rods. The
preferred bait used is corn. I was able to fish for only a brief period
since it started to rain really hard.
The
basic tackle that the Li-Jiang villagers use to catch carp... hook, fishing
line, split-shot, bobber, and a bamboo stick is all that's needed
Conclusion: With a little planning one can add a fishing trip or two along
with their vacation. I was away from local waters for one month, so when I
was in Hong Kong I definitely had to go fishing. That itch I had in my
hands to hold a rod and reel or maybe it was the aroma of the fishy smell in the
street markets in Hong Kong that woke me up before I went hunting for fishing
information. I was able to track down the fishing spots, the tackle shops,
and was able to do some fishing. All this while the weather was 100F and
extremely humid! But hey, hardcore Anglers always go out to fish when
there's an urge. Hong Kong is surrounded by water and it's quite simple to
find any spot to fish. As long as you're not keeping the fish, then it's
fine because you will see a lot of garbage floating around in the water and some
places are polluted. But as long as you're fishing and having fun, that's
all good. And while you're not fishing, you can go enjoy the extremely
active city life HK has to offer. The food is great, the nightlife is
wild, and you can shop until you drop, but don't forget to wet your lines.