I have been fishing for bass in Korea since early 2005 and for the first year or so all the local Korean bass fishers had that surprised look on their faces; as if to say “what is that and why is it fishing in our waters?”
I have been fishing for bass in Korea since early 2005 and for the first year or so all the local Korean bass fishers had that surprised look on their faces; as if to say “what is that and why is it fishing in our waters?”
Much has changed in a relatively short period of time, at least for me anyway. I live and fish in the very most southern parts of South Korea where there is not a large population of foreign bass fishers living. Up in the Northern parts of South Korea near the area of the capital, Seoul, there is a much greater population of US folks, mainly military, living and fishing. So to see a ‘foreigner’ fishing for bass up north is not a rare sight.
During my early days as a bass fisherman in Korea I only knew of a very small handful of places to catch bass and most of these waters were between two and three hours drive from my home, so I needed to find more. My first job was to find and join a local Bass Club. Since I don’t speak much Korean I knew this was going to be a tough task.
I managed to find a Bass Club; however, the closest bass club to my home was still based several hours away. With the help of my Korean wife, I joined via the internet and she introduced me to the other members, again via the internet only. The club meets once per month (12 months of the year) for a small tourney, but mainly just to get together and have a great time.
Shortly after joining, I was on the road heading to the first club meeting / tournament (I was nervous to say the least). Upon arriving I was met with lots of mixed emotions with the main emotion being “how do we communicate?” Each month the tension between us all grew less and less and we could communicate on low levels, but basically “bass talk” is quite an international language. I quickly moved up the ranks in the club to now be classed as a full time regular member (as apposed to a newbie). They have ratings of 1 ~ 10 (10 being a newbie). I am now at # 3.
I guess the point I am trying to get across is don’t give up on people just because they don’t come from the same background or because they speak a different language. We Bass-fishers share a passion to catch bass and together we can make great new friendships and learn more with this passion!!!!
Don’t be a stranger,
Bassinkorea
Steve Bell
..bass-fishing in Korea.
