Hi everyone, this is Kanamori.

It’s been quite a while since my last update! While I used to focus mostly on boat fishing and rarely fished from the shore, this year I’m planning to make shore fishing my main focus. I hope to introduce you to the diverse variety of fish you can catch right here in Taiwan.

Today’s story is a bit of a side quest. During a recent trip to Taichung, my main target wasn’t biting. I really didn’t want to go home empty-handed (or “bozu” as we say in Japan), so I decided to try some float fishing in a local river.

River fishing—both with lures and bait—is very popular in Taiwan. As many of you might know, Tilapia (Wu-Guo-Yu) are everywhere here. But the variety doesn’t stop there:

  • Upper to Middle Reaches: Mahseer, Pale Chub, and Carp.

  • Lower Reaches to Estuaries: Barramundi, Sea Bass, Tarpon, Snakehead, Catfish, and more.

This time, in a river right within Taichung City, I spotted a strikingly bright orange fish and decided to go after it. I started with minnows and spoons, but when those didn’t work… I turned to my “last resort”: bait. After a few drifts, I caught it quite easily!

At first glance, it looks exactly like something you’d see in a tropical fish store. It’s called a Blood Parrot Cichlid (血鸚鵡).

According to my research, this is a man-made hybrid originally from Taiwan, created by crossing the Flamingo Cichlid and the Severum. They are even sold as ornamental fish in Japan. It’s quite rare to see such beautiful, vibrant fish swimming freely in the wild in Japan, isn’t it? This might be a unique fishing experience you can only find in Taiwan.

If you have some extra time while visiting, why not give it a try? I’ll be sure to report back the next time I catch something interesting!

#TaiwanFishing #RiverFishingTaiwan #TropicalFish #TaiwanFishSpecies