You might have this image of catching a trout near the DMZ or a stream that flows from North Korea- in today’s current political climate, that is a pipe dream. Twenty years ago (estimation) the provincial government tried to promote tourism and gave access to a few individuals to the highly secure areas that are close to the DMZ. No one (that I know of) has that access now, but good news; you don’t have to climb under barbed wire to catch a trout in Korea.

Another question I get is about a Korean trout “slam”. It isn’t much of a slam. You have cherry trout/salmon and lenok. You might want to include stocked rainbows. It is possible to catch all three in a day, but it would require a lot of driving- and I promise your guide won’t like the idea. The ideal month for a slam would be September. However, there is the very likely possibility of a late tropical storm around that time that would make all fishing impossible. Are there streams that hold both lenok and cherries? Yes, but they are tucked deep in the mountains and require a fair bit of hiking. The fish are also small, but these streams do exist. If you ask the same question to your guide and they say “no”. Respect their answer.

The first challenge was to get it on the airplane to South Korea. The rolling duffle is much larger than you think and is considered an oversize bag. I didn’t have to pay an extra fee, because Korean Air combined the total weight of my luggage and it was still under the limit for four bags, as my wife was flying with me. But I was told that this wasn’t the normal protocol.

My first trip out was a little awkward. Fly line management was an issue and positioning the boat to make a cast took some getting used to, but by mid afternoon proficiency improved. I took the stripping bib from the Stealth Pro and placed it between my legs, and that does a good job of managing the fly line on the deck. The little cup holder on the side of the seat gets in the way, but is nice for holding flies and also functions as a rod holder.

Poof! Just like that, 2023 is gone. Life has continued post corona, yet a sequence of international strife has taken its place. I didn’t travel as much internationally as I had hoped, due to the fact that air travel was three times what I was willing to pay for a few days of fishing. However, I did manage to catch a striped bass off the coast of Massachusetts while attending my sister's wedding. For the pre and post spawn bass bite in Korea, I found some nice water on the upper reaches of the Nakdong River near Sangju (closer to Andong than Daegu). A new stick, and Echo Carbon XL 2wt, was added to the quiver; and the result was a lot of dry fly fishing! I fished dries for nearly all of my trout this year.

Yeolmogo, lenok, or Manchurian trout are Korea’s treasured native salmonid, and the Korean lenok is the world’s southernmost population to boot. But you’re not going to find a lot of fishing information and dated info may have lost its relevance. The community college of Korean fly fishing is the most reliable way to learn about lenok, and passing through its levels is mandatory. If you are a newcomer to the Korean fishing community, you will be introduced to two rivers. The first is Dongnam Creek/Stream/River ( I have heard it referred to as all of these). This is a medium sized river that will fish year round. Fishing can be up and down, but usually has a good population of cherry trout and rainbows.

Larger fish are always at the lower section of the river. The trout streams in Korea flow straight out the the mountains (literally) and the water is cold, but the higher you hike and the more remote it becomes; the smaller the fish get. On the inverse, the further down you go and the more vertical you lose, the stream becomes warmer. So, it is about finding that middle area, and just like that suddenly you start seeing fish.

I like to keep tabs on conventional tackle shops for tying hooks, swivels, monofilament, and other fishing related things that fly shops don’t carry. Here are a few of the shops located in Seoul proper. Please note there are bigger shops located outside the city limits.

Pyeonghwa Fishing- Fairly large shop with a basement, where there is an adequate lure and soft bait selection. This shop is located within walking distance of Lotte Tower (the fifth tallest building in the world). This is a good shop if you find yourself in Eastern Seoul. I buy my heavy mono and offset hooks from this shop.

Click HERE for a google map link.

During the spawn is a good time to practice you finesse fishing. Scaling down the patterns and slowing down the retrieves can be the only way to catch them during the daylight hours. I have had the surprising success with sz 10-12 leech patterns designed for bluegill and trout. There are somethings you have to consider though when fishing light gear.

Your chances to actually land a big bass

Getting a bass to hit a small pattern is relatively easy, but landing them is a whole different matter. Smaller flies are tied on lighter hooks, many of which are barbless. It is very easy for a big bass to shake free. Make sure you are using quality hooks and keep tension on them throughout the fight. Don’t sweat it if they get off. It’s part of the game.

I teach English in Seoul, South Korea. It is a job I have come to truly love, and it affords me at least one day of fishing a week. Add my live wire wife, and I couldn't/shouldn't ask for more. Recently, my base human instinct reared its ugly head and drove me to retool my website in an attempt to achieve the semblance of scale for my modest supplementary language education business. Like with most things I take on, I was moving fast. Reacting rather than researching, and hoping that things fall in place. I pitched my plan to two individuals that were the easiest to access in the rolodex. Needless to say- they were skeptical beyond a doubt. Not only did they not share my vision, but they seemed to think I was trying to fleece them. That 20 minute zoom call left a bad taste in my mouth and put me in an even worse mood. That was on Monday.

Spring is just around the corner. The water temperatures are doing their best to break above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (fishing doesn’t get consistent till around 55 degrees Fahrenheit), but with nighttime lows still below freezing the progress is painfully slow. This winter, with covid, was a definite downer for me. The fishing was sub par due to the low water in the trout streams, and I was without my favorite six weight because of a broken tip. Enough with the negativity. It’s time to look on the bright side. I am going to predict that the black bass prespawn feed will start the last week of March and will continue into the second week of April. Realistically I will only have three or four trips to locate the feeding fish. Leading up to that I have a tradition to fish midges for cherry trout during the first or second week of March.

The big ones bite at night. This is what I was told by veteran angler Paul Baek. Paul is one of the most experienced bass anglers I have had the pleasure of fishing with, and he knows his home waters of Jeolla Province like the back of his hand. The journey started on Saturday evening as I made my way down to Nonsan from Seoul. From there I met up with Paul and he drove the rest of the way down to Jangseong. The plan was to fish Jangseong lake ALL NIGHT.

I made the trip out to Daebudo Island an hour west of Seoul. The Dokdo Sea Fishing Site was empty. In the summer they provide little shelters that you can rent, and I imagine people fish all through the day and night. Dokdo is another one of South Korea’s fabulous stock fishing sites. I have very little experience with saltwater fly fishing, and struggled a bit at first. The only other person fishing asked to used my net, which is a must have due to the size of the fish, after which he gave me a small yellow bead head woolly bugger. Magic. I caught fish after fish mainly rock fish and two hefty steelhead.

There are a number of streams that hold trout in Korea’s Gangwon Provence. The trick for a successful day of fishing is to be there when the water levels are optimal. Two days after rain is usually a good bet. Don’t be afraid to throw big bushy dry flies and if the run is suitable, an indicator with a large nymph will do the trick. As always, a guide is recommended and my friend Mr. Lee at Trutta has never let me down.

I have been observing the feeding tendencies of the bass at Yeomchi Reservoir, the place where I have spent the most time fishing this year. You have your “splashers”, “chasers”, and if your lucky you find yourself in the middle of a “hunting party.” Splashers will make impressive Shamu type leaps as they ambush the baitfish from below. When they crash down; if you’re fast enough you can get a cast near the splash and get bit.