Hello, Trazers! Greetings from a member of Trazy crew! 🙂
Today, I would like to introduce you one of the newest additions to the vibrant scene of Hongdae, an indoor fishing cafe where you can enjoy fishing with your friends!
Located in a neighborhood considered a home to “hipster hotspots” in Seoul, this newly opened indoor fishing cafe has emerged as the newest and trendiest hotspot in Hongdae!
Although most of the fishing cafes in Korea are designed for the locals, they can be a great place for foreign visitors and expats to have the chance to try fishing as well.
And since the weather’s getting colder in Korea, this can be the perfect time to head to this indoor fishing cafe and enjoy some hot fun in the wintertime.
You can try this amazing indoor fishing via Korea’s #1 Travel Shop, Trazy.com for $9 only, and this deal covers the fee for both your admission and fishing equipment. Since this place is popular, it’s highly recommended that you save your spots in advance!
When facing the front entrance of Hongik University, turn left and take the street where Paris Baguette and Starbucks are and go straight until you find this building in the picture above. For a map, click here.
The indoor fishing cafe is located underground – just follow the blue-lit steps!
Once you enter, you will find a huge pool in the middle where people are enjoy fishing. The whole place is dimly lit, not as bright as it looks like in the picture above.
You will be given a red plastic-covered electronic wristband upon check-in. This numbered wristband automatically tracks time of your stay and weight of all the fish you’ve caught. Mine was 15. 🙂
Take the apron near the entrance so you won’t get wet while fishing.
You will also be provided with a fishing rod, a bowl of bait, a net and latex gloves. Do wear the latex gloves when putting bait on the hook or when pulling the hook out of the mouth of the fish as it is pretty sharp.
When everything’s set, pull up a seat at the pool and put the bait on your hook.
Cast your rod into the pool if you’re ready! See how many you can catch!
For those of you who are fishing for the first time, just follow these basic steps:
- Keep your rod low – If you keep it too high, the string attached to the rod cannot endure the weight of the fish and might snap. This means that the hook will be left somewhere in the body of the fish and hurt the fish. 🙁
- Watch the fishing lure carefully – When the fish bites a lure, the colored fishing lure will move up and down. This can be very subtle, so focus and keep your eyes on the lure.
- Twist your wrist and pull up the rod– When you think a fish snapped at the bait, twist your wrist and then pull your rod. Use the net to place your fish and take the hook out of the fish carefully.
Look what I’ve caught after a few minutes of patience! Fishing is not so difficult after all haha. 😉
And if you need more bait, you can just grab a bowl from a pile at the corner of the pool.
After catching a fish, head to the front side of the pool with your fish. Here you can find a blue box and a screen with numbers. These are used for various games and events that are run at this fishing cafe.
The rules can be complicated for foreign visitors to understand, but you will be able to get the idea if you watch what the locals next to you are doing. The fishing cafe runs different games and events daily, so observe what other people are doing and take part in for fun.
On the day I visited, I took part in a game where the weight of the fish has to be the closest to the assigned point value.
Before you put the fish inside the blue box, make sure to touch the machine next to the box with your wristband to record the weight and press the button with a number ‘1’ or ‘2’ (each number represents different rules according to the game) on the machine. After the tallying, the fish is released back into the pool.
Those who win the game get prizes as well! See the pile of prizes?
Go ahead and try this fun indoor fishing if you are ever going to visit Hongdae during your stay in Seoul. It will be truly a unique experience for you!
Make sure book 3 days in advance for this activity if you want to go and have fun with your friends or family! To save your spots now, click here.
Enjoyed this travel review? Check out our previous travel reviews or our website, Trazy.com, to discover more latest, trendiest and newest things to do in South Korea!
