Today was what I’d call an all-around great day. One of my friends, who comments here from time to time under the name ‘hacker’ works a weird schedule where he rarely has the weekends off so we almost never have a chance to go fishing together. By a twist of fate he was off today so we made plans to head out for some fishing and and to shoot the breeze. We headed out at 5 this morning and made the rounds of a few lakes we know and ended up catching quite a few bass, although today the fish weren’t biting as good as they’ve been the last few days. One of the lakes I like to fish, Idong lake, is the weirdest lake: The crappier the weather, the better the bass bite. If it’s sunny and calm, you’ll have to work your ass off to catch fish, but if it’s overcast and/or windy, the bass bite all day long. My theory is that the water in that lake is so clear that when it’s calm and sunny, the bass can see your line and hook and aren’t fooled into biting but when it’s windy and/or overcast, they only see the lure or worm itself and are more apt to strike.
We spent a few hours at Idong (where someone ended up taking an unintentional swim*, and no, it wasn’t me 
), then hit a smaller lake nearby where we didn’t have any luck, then drove up to the lake near the Mirinae Shrine. I’ve driven by that lake before but have never gotten close or fished in it. I couldn’t believe how clear the water was - it reminded me of a swimming pool. As we were sitting on the shore, we could see bass swimming all over the place, some at least 2 pounds or better but they wouldn’t hit anything we offered (See my theory above about super clear water). Thirty minutes after we got there, some guy came up in a boat and tried to charge us 10,000 won to fish there, which is ridiculous, so we politely declined and packed up our gear. By that time I was tired, a little sun burned and jonesing for a cup of coffee so we called it a day. I didn’t take any pics of the fish we caught today and only took one pic of Mirinae lake (below). The lake and shrine are way back in the hills, away from everything (there’s only one road leading in and out of the area) so it’s real quiet and peaceful. If I were to stay here in Korea forever, I’d build my house in an area just like that.
* I’ve posted pics before of the rock and cliff shoreline at Idong and I’ll be the first to tell you how treacherous it is. The entire bank is steep and littered with loose rocks which give way every single step you take and when you’re trying to navigate the cliffs, it’s twice as bad because you’re dealing with the cliffs and the loose rocks.
I really envy you .. I tried to find somewhere to fish today near Osan. Limited to the travel capacity of a bike, my coworker and I were able to get a good view of the river from afar and that’s about it, let alone a secluded lake. I’d be satisfied with finding a navigatable path to the river at this point.
I’d be satisfied with finding a navigatable path to the river at this point.
LeBaige, go out the ROK gate of Osan Air Base and take a right, and then another right at the very next intersection. Follow that road until you reach a flashing yellow light (approximately a mile). At the flashing yellow light take a right and follow that road all the way to the end (approximately two miles). You’ll be at the river. I’ve never fished down there but it looks real good in some spots.
Nomad – Thank you for being so kind. BTW I got home and put a new battery in the phone and it started to come up. Who knows maybe it will dry out.