Mr. Son has over 10 years of experience in fishing; when talking, he likes to use the phrase "fish hunting." According to him, while other anglers only need passion and proper equipment to go on a fishing trip, for his fishing group, besides hobby and preparation, each person also needs knowledge and extensive fishing experience that can only be acquired through a long career. "To get delicious and clean fish, we have to understand the seasonal growth habits of each type of fish, and we need techniques that not everyone knows. And most importantly, we have to be willing to travel far," he said.
Each season brings its own fish. Spring, when the weather is still cool and the water in most rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes is still full and calm, is the ideal time to fish for the "tieu" fish. "Tieu" are large fish that thrive from early spring until the end of April in the lunar calendar. They usually feed at night; when darkness falls, from deep water, schools of fish begin to spread out in all directions to find food, such as algae or small fish, shrimp, and prawns. This is also the golden time for anglers to cast their lines.
Mr. Son added: “The tilapia is a fish with very large eyes, a body covered in shimmering scales, and a wide mouth with strong teeth. Whenever prey appears, they will lunge like an arrow to catch it. The fish are very strong, and the type of fishing rod used is a spinning rod. Anglers must concentrate intensely; if they are careless and the fish bites and they don't reel it in quickly enough, the rod will be dragged a considerable distance. My friends and I often go fishing for tilapia in the Perfume River area near Thien Mu Pagoda or near Hon Chen Temple.”
As spring passes and the gentle breezes give way to the hot, dry weather of summer, anglers will shift their fishing trip to the northwest of the city to catch tilapia. Located about 12km from the city center, Khe Ngang Lake still retains much of its pristine, lush green beauty. Surrounding the picturesque, cool lake are verdant forests. Along the road leading to the lake, visitors can also easily spot small cornfields and rice paddies swaying gently in the breeze.
With its picturesque scenery of mountains and lake, and mountains reflecting and blending together, Khe Ngang Lake is beautiful in every season. However, for anglers, the ideal time to fish is during the summer, when tilapia thrive. Hoang Quan (Phuoc Vinh ward) shared: “I usually use cornmeal, cassava flour, and roasted rice bran as bait for tilapia. Around June and July, when the water level in Khe Ngang Lake has significantly receded, our group of five to seven people will gather, ride motorbikes to the lakeshore, divide up, cover ourselves with umbrellas, and sit down to fish. We choose to fish in the afternoon. At that time, the sun is setting, the water is less hot, and the fish will feed more actively. Fishing for tilapia is probably the easiest, because compared to other fish, they are very eager to bite. The group rarely returns empty-handed. The person who catches the most can catch more than ten kilograms each time.”
Fishing in spring and summer offers more advantages compared to fishing during the rainy season. However, the types of fish caught during the rainy season are more diverse, and regardless of the species, their meat is firm and flavorful; these include snakehead fish, carp, small fish like gobies, shrimp, and eels…
While summer fish often dive deep to the bottom to feed and avoid the heat, during the flood season, they tend to surface to breathe. They also often swim in schools close to the riverbank to avoid strong currents and eddies. Mr. Hoang Van Hung (Vinh Ninh ward) said: “Each type of fish has its own favorite bait during the flood season. For snakehead fish, you should choose snails, larvae, insects, or some types of crustaceans. Carp are attracted when the bait has a slightly pungent smell. During the flood season, there is often heavy rain, so we should avoid setting out on these days because the bait will easily become diluted, and the chances of the fish biting are low.”
Fishing is a hobby, a personal pastime, but escaping the city center to hunt for fresh, seasonal fish is an addictive passion. Each journey is not only about the sense of discovery, adventure, and the performance in each choice and maneuver, but also about the unexpected rewards after each conquest – baskets of clean, delicious fish with high economic value, providing the angler's family with a substantial additional income.
Many city dwellers now choose to commit themselves to long-term fishing trips. They arrange their schedules to best suit their needs, balancing their livelihood with enjoying the vastness of the open sky and the breezy natural surroundings.
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