South Korea Fishing Advice

[Joshua Kang]

Hey guys, I will be going to Korea next summer for relatives. What tackle and baits should I buy when I get there? 

[IAY]

Doyo reels should be pretty nice. American folks will know them by the name of "Abu Garcia", "Pflueger". and "Lews"  . They really are sweet reels though.

[fishinfiend]

Only visit the tackle shops south of the 38th parallel lol

[camman]

I was there in September...didnt do any fishing but was surprised to see our hotel had about 4-5 fishing channels.  I watched some of them...some where showing the bass fishing from Japan, others were showing more ocean fishing (both from a boat and from the shore), also saw a few FW fishing for carp I believe....

[Lunker Huntin]

_{Good luck with getting gear there, pricy is all I can say. I was there about a year ago for a military op, thought hey I love lews reels and dobyns rods and they are both made in Korea so I can probably find a killer deal being as I am right where they are made......WRONG! I couldn't find either in very many tackle shops visited. Seemed like other brands were more popular (stocked) didn't recognize most of the reels or the rods, and good luck finding a one piece rod for that matter 2 piece rule down there I guess it makes sense for them for transporting issues (subway/train) the one thing I did notice In my adventures there is there are lots of places that have bass, but bass fishing itself isn't nearly as popular as it is here and in a lot of fisherman circles there viewed as trash and invasive. Bait fishing sure is huge there. Good luck}     

[dmzCPR]

Joshua,

 

I've been on a work assignment in Korea for the last 2.5 years. Started bass fishing this Spring. 

 

Pros:

*no fishing license required

*bass in nearly all bodies of freshwater

*eagerly take lures (for me, flukes & senkos are all I need. . .most of the folks like to use spinnerbaits and chatterbaits)

*all tackle can be negotiated for price or "service" (additional gratuitous gift if you purchase a lot or high ticket). you can also find some outrageously high end Japanese rods and reels here (at outrageous prices)

 

Cons:

*gear is expensive. but, you can find deals. there's one shop in north seoul called Shimtong Nakshi and they have one-piece Dobyn's Champion Extremes at  KR150,000 which is about $128

*there's all kind of trash in the water/shore you'll need to navigate

*folks will kill bass (see them dried up on shore or hanging from bush branches) cause they believe they eat up all their favored crucian carps

 

 

Most of the bass fishing is in the southern part of the country. Andong Lake is the premier lake with lots of tournaments and heavier fishing pressure as the guys who fish there know what they're doing. Most other waterways, you'll be surprised at the action you'll find. Most bass don't top out over 3-4lb but again, they eagerly hit lures if you know what you're doing.

 

There's an annual spring fishing show (you said summer, but if you come earlier) around early March at the KINTEX convention center and there you can find additional deals you'll need to haggle. I've bass fish all over Northern and Southern Cal.. .you're not going to catch a lot of monster fish, but the action's great! Good luck!

 

wl