Shrimp Fishing

So part of the reason I'm here in Taiwan is to try new things and experience the way of life.
One of those things that is unique to Taiwan is shrimp fishing. It is exactly what it sounds like, you fish for shrimp.
Why the heck did you go shrimp fishing I hear you ask (Hi Angie). My friend Eddie was leaving for Australia and he wanted to go for a final get together farewell auf wiedershen goodbye.

It turns out that in Hsi Chi (place I live) you go shrimp fishing in a warehouse with 4 cement ponds. I mean of course you do. Where else would you go?
All the ponds are stocked with shrimp (you don't say!?) of varying genders and sizes. Isn't that exciting? You betcha. One pond is all female (the smallest), one all male (the largest), one is mixed and one has either crabs or lobsters. We were unsure because that pond was closed for maintenance and the remaining water was a seriously impressive shade of deep green. That and we didn't actually ask anyone.

So four of us (Esther, Angelo, Cyrus and myself) chose the female pond because it was the least expensive. Eddie, Sky, John and the two other guys whose names I can't remember chose the all male pond.
We are given a pole and some chicken liver for bait. You are also given a sharp little scalpel like instrument with which to cut up said chicken liver. Shrimp have tiny little mouths so just hucking in a whole liver wouldn't accomplish much apparently.


Chicken Livers

Without further instruction we set up camp around our chosen pond. I proceed to cut up liver and make a bloody mess. The pole we are given doesn't reel. When you catch something you just yank it out of the water and try not to get smacked in the face with a flying shrimp attached to a hook. There are two tiny hooks to be baited so Cyrus and I do so and sit back and wait.
We get nothing. Eventually Sky comes over and checks on us to see how we're doing. Turns out we're doing it wrong. Our hooks weren't touching the bottom of the pond, which is where all the shrimp congregate. If the hook isn't on the bottom they won't swim up to it. Shrimp are lazy according to Sky.
So Sky adjusts our line for us and tells us to drag the line slowly on the bottom to entice the big water bugs to eat the chicken liver. I do this and within a couple minute we have caught our first shrimp. It's a bluish shade and looks like a big water bug. It also has pincher's. When the hell did shrimp develop pincher's I'd like to know.


Here are the freshly caught shrimp in the sink.
So between the nine of us we caught maybe 10 shrimp. We would clearly never make it as shrimpers. Due to this we were given some sympathy shrimp by the owners since we suck so bad. They will be rinsed, salted and shoved unceremoniously and still kicking into an oven to be baked for our eating pleasure.
We were sitting around this pond watching other guys pull in baskets full of shrimp. It was pretty impressive. These guys were clearly bringing home dinner for a family or food for a few days.
Our platter of shrimpy deliciousness and some fried rice on the side.

The proud fishers and their catch.