Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Mountain Trout Festival
•  
• Hwacheon Market
•  
• Seondeung Street
•  
• Makeshift stage
•  
• Ice fishing place
•  
• Fishes
•  
• Finish

Ice fishing

Next morning, I parked the car at the entrance to Hwacheoncheon Stream and walked for long. This ice fishing place is divided into two places, one is for on-site ticketing and the other requires a reservation. The place we parked the car was close to the on-site ticketing fishing area so we had to take a long walk in the morning. Thankfully, we could see so many things that we would've missed if we didn't walk.

Different kinds of shops were open, especially we saw there was Sancheoneo eomuk(fish cake) that you could never see anywhere else.

One of street foods popular in winter to get over the cold weather is gunbam(roasted chestnuts) that you need to blow on them to cool them. I could not understand what 'gift coupon available' means but later I found out 5,000 worth gift coupon is given to each visitor who buys an entrance ticket. You could use it to roast trout, get raw fish sliced or buy food or agro-fishery products.

On the big ice wall, Larva which is a popular character among kids was carved hilariously.

Through the on-site ticketing place to the one for reservation, you could see a lot of special events. The panels were also prepared like any other tourist attraction.

The “Bbeongyiyo!" sounds very friendly.

Different kinds of bicycles were waiting for us as well.

This is new for me. It is a device, a white bear doll looking like a robot walks with soft steps and leads rickshaw. The character looks so friendly probably because he looks similar to the character from coca cola ad.

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at fishing area only for people who made a reservation. I guess we walked about 1km from the entrance where the event was held. I think the guide working in the parking lot should confirm the reservation at the entrance and then show the directions to customers. It was a weekday morning so we kept a proper distance between each spot and enjoyed ice fishing.

There are a few things you need for ice fishing. A folding chair (5,000 won), a plastic fishing rod and a scoop net (offered for free) should be prepared at least. A plastic fishing rod has a small minnow-shaped bait so you could just put it in the ice hole.

At first, you gotta make a round hole with an ice-hole instrument. The ice was thicker than I had expected so it takes some time.

I had a doubt that what a 5,000 won plastic fishing rod could do but it could do its job without any problem.

The minnow-shaped bait is tied to the end of this fishing rod and I think trout goes crazy to eat the bait when you pull the fishing rod so fast then let it loose.

I put the plastic fishing rod into the hole I made and seduced trout by waving it like fish. The secret in this process is that you got to make it look like a real fish by waving it up and down and left and right.

Be patient and you will feel you have something in your hand, like some pressure. At that exact moment, you have to pull it out to catch the fish.

It makes me chill to feel that in my hand because it's my first time fishing. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough fish because I heard about it from tourists on the news but perhaps, that day was my lucky day. I couldn't stop listening to people giggling and shouting.

I saw a sign that only 3 trouts are allowed for 1 person so I finished it in an hour and it made me feel like an angler.

This kid had a sulky look sitting on ice because of no luck in catching fish. See how desperate of him laying his face down on cold ice and looking in the hole? But within 10 minutes, this little fisherman felt a trout biting and he was so happy with his father.

I guess adults are no different from kids when they can't catch anything.

Judging from this little girl's skills, she is like be a professional angler who's been enjoying fishing for decades.

Fluttering fish right outside the water would be the reason that people love fishing in this cold winter, don't you think so?

My family also was showing off our fish like fishermen who just returned with a full load of fish.

Three of us were posing for photo like golden medalists with nine fishes.