Fishing in Beijing

Fishing in China can be a lot of fun, but eating the fish you catch can be dangerous since the lakes are usually inhabited with pollution simply due to their proximity to human life and day to day chemicals and pollutants. In short, fishing is a fun hobby, but catch and release may be your best bet in China. That being said, many of the smaller lakes in Beijing are stocked with fish for hobby catching, and you'll often see locals fully decked out in fishing gear, catching and releasing fish from local ponds and lakes.

The safest way to fish in China is with a guide, especially if you don't speak any Chinese and can't explain that you are releasing the fish you catch. The Fishing & Picnic Tour in Beijing is the perfect way to see the fishing hot spots with a local guide who knows where the fish like to feed. You'll also get to meet other fishing enthusiasts and get to experience a whole new part of China's capital. No one, no matter how great a fisherman, can walk into a new environment fishing for a new type of water creature and expect to pull in a stringer full of prize-winning fish. Sometimes you need a local to show you the new ropes before you can spread your wings and catch the lake's biggest. The fishing and picnic tour is your way into the fishing know-how in Beijing.

However, if you want to spend a relaxing afternoon alone at the park doing a bit of hobby fishing, grab you pole and a thermos of coffee and head to any of the city's major parks. Chao Yang Park has a beautiful lake where many hobby fishermen congregate along the fringes for afternoon or early morning relaxation. The parks are hardly quiet, and you may find the fish shy as a result. If you aren't near Chao Yang Park, Bei Hai Park is another good option, though you have to pay a meager sum to enter the park (5rmb).

There are several parks with lakes around the city, most of which have free entry or extremely affordable entry fees. Hou Hai Lake is one example of a free lake, but you may find the fish harder to locate here as paddle boats and loads of embankment noise and action have scared them towards the island in the middle of the lake-- hard to reach without a boat and you may be hard-pressed to find a driver to take you to the island to fish.

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