Fishing, South Korea

Ungcheon Dam 서중서류지

Mark Scrooby

 

Ungcheon

This dam in Ungcheon  (서중서류지) was the first dam I fished in Korea and I was lucky enough to catch a bass on my first outing there. This obviously meant I went back there as often as I could! It was also very easily accessible by bus from where I live with a bus stop right next to the dam.

Ungcheon
My first bass in South Korea

How to get there

From Yongwon or Jinhae the 315, 305 or 757 will all stop at the dam or within walking distance. I had first spotted the dam as it was on my regular bus route and as the weather warmed up I started seeing fisherman on the banks. A quick scouting trip to the dam confirmed that they were fishing for bass and my next stop was a tackle shop to get some gear.


 

Setting

This dam in Ungcheon is surrounded by farms and mountains so is quite beautiful at times. It also has loads of cherry blossom trees along one edge and both sides of the road leading up to it. If the crowds in Jinhae get too much this is a great area for a picnic and some cherry blossom viewing.

 

Species

I’ve seen a few carp in the Ungcheon dam as well as bass and blue gill. This dam is used for irrigation of the surrounding farms so water levels can fluctuate dramatically. I have had very mixed luck here and spent many fishing sessions catching  absolutely nothing. I have however picked up quite a few bass there ranging from 10 to about 30cm. The bluegill also reach a fairly decent size and I have caught loads on fly fishing gear as well as a few bigger ones on bass worms.
Ungcheon
Few of the fish caught here

There are usually a few Filipinos and Thai fishermen at this dam who fish for bluegill. They cook and eat them right there or sometimes take them home. If you catch anything they will ask you if they can have it. I don’t usually see any reason not to give them what I have caught as I don’t eat bass or bluegill and they are both species that were artificially introduced to South Korea as a food source.

 

Making friends

I also happened to meet a few local bass fishermen at this dam and have since become quite good friends with one of them and he has taken me on lots of fishing expeditions and introduced me to some new dams to fish at!

Ungcheon
I drew a crowd of onlookers with my fishing “skills”

The area is littered with irrigation dams and reservoirs and it is worth taking the time to explore them all. You might get lucky and find one that holds some bass.

Published by Mark Scrooby