Korea’s East coast offers plenty of inshore casting opportunities. I decided to put the fly rod down and picked up spinning rod setup designed to cast metal jigs (30-40 g).
Donghae- Samcheok 5/1/23-5/9/23
The last week of April and the first week of May is peak season for the bass spawn, and (in my opinion) the best time to fish for cherry trout. Their colors are bright (they get darker as the season wears on), and the insect hatches are prolific. Mid morning was the best time. Small caddis flies (brown, slate, and black) fished well in the morning. I was fortunate to have a significant amount of rain two days before my trip. Size 18 brown cdc duns fished well in the slower water. I had to be very stealthy in my approach and the first cast was the most important.
Read moreWeecheon 4/18/23
I had to sit out a thunderstorm from 10-11:15pm. While I was in the car, I was reading up on bass behavior after a thunderstorm. Many people suggested ‘power fishing’. I started off with a diving frog, and had a few small blowups. I changed to a walking style deer hair minnow pattern. It is a hybrid streamer/topwater. The fish weren’t looking for big pops, but rather a slow wake. The walking style pattern was hot all day. The water temp was 59F and I imagine the bass will start going on beds later this week. I haven’t caught any fish on ‘big baits’ this year. It seems 2-3 inch size is the way to go.
Read moreNakdong River 4/4/23
This Spring has been unseasonably warm, and the cherry blossoms began their bloom early. As did the bass fishing. The bass were staging and holding to structure. There was no action on flats with dead vegetation. Overhanging trees, bushes or weed line provided opportunity of topwater action. There was one memorable bite where I was working a deer hair diver parallel to a fallen tree.
Read moreNakdong River 3/26/23
Chungju and Andong Reservoirs flow into the Nakdong River, which eventually flows to Busan. The Nakdong is partitioned into several parts. I have fished the southern river, but never the northern section. Near the town of Sangju several confluences meet and the current is slow enough to use the tube. There are bass boats that buzz around, so keep your head on a swivel. The first thing I noticed was the abundance of structure. Every bank has stumps, fallen trees, and brush piles. I started the morning fishing the wood. The water temp was in the low 50’s (it got up to around 55 F).
Read moreGyeongcheon Lake 3/21/23
Fly anglers are wind adverse. However, bass fishing on calm days with blue bird skies can be a death sentence. I knew they day would be tough without any wind. The evening temps have also been fluctuating, and to make matters worse- the water level at Gyeongcheon is 15 feet lower than normal. The water temps got up to 55 F, but it I didn’t move any fish with the fly (they wouldn’t chase)
Read moreAndong Lake 3/14/23
The water temps started at 44 F in the main lake. I parked at the Seobo port boat ramp. The water was extremely low; lower than the length of the ramp. Launching the tube was still possible as the end of the ramp slopes down. The main lake never reached 50 F, which is usually the my target for when bass start the chase flies, and I didn’t see any active feeding. It was a tough day.
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