Fishing in Tamsui

Commercial fishing is no longer allowed in Tamsui River for food safety reasons. The water is still heavily contaminated by industrial and human wastes from up-streams. Recreational fishing is also banned, in theory anyway. It is understood that any fish caught will not be used for human consumption.

It was very different, however, between the end of Tamsui as the biggest seaport in Taiwan and the beginning of Taipei MRT operation, Tamsui was a leisurely-paced town with its residents going about daily activities that included fishing in and along Tamsui River.

Only the 榕堤 still brings back memories for old-time Tamsui-lang. It is one small section along the River, near the end of the walkway distal from the MRT Station, a cool spot with old giant 榕 trees providing shades even in the harshest of all summertime. This had always been a popular fishing spot for children and adults alike.

Short fishing poles with reels were fairly rare at that time; they were really for deep-water fishing. You could row yourself out on a sampan to the middle of the River and cast out the line until the hook-and-sinker sank to the riverbed and waited for the fishes to bite. Most people stayed on shore.

For shoreline fishing, long skinny bamboo poles without the reels were used. The baits were usually fresh earthworms or seaworms. The latter were aplenty on the riverside after the tides receded. One simply dug around the sand to find them and collect them in a tin can.

To assemble your own fishing pole, the art of knot-tying is crucial. It was done by using a piece of sufficiently long size AA nylon thread (so the sinker could rest on the bottom of the River), a steel hook, and a lead sinker.

First, a fish hook was selected - its size depended on
how ambitious you were, or more practically,
what kind of fish you wished to catch

You'd also need a lead sinker, the bullet type with a metal ring
were preferred to those olive-shaped with only a tiny hole drilled through
the center from top to bottom

How to tie the hook using Size A thread

This copper double ring was used to link the hook and 
the sinker on one end,
and the other, to the tip of the fishing pole

And what kind of fish could one catch in Tamsui River? See here.