Well, I thought I would open a topic about fishing in Vietnam.... This may interest some "fishing forums cross readers" lurking what sort of fishing happens here. I often read on other forums "any fishing in Vietnam?".
Well let me write about "my" fishing..... Lots a locals like fishing with very heavy floats, and I am not sure they get much. Not meaning I get more...
I am located in Saigon where I have my pilot house boat. :D
Although 30 nm upstream from the sea, we are still in tidal waters (up to 3.5 meters!). Water is slightly brackish. That dense river network is also connected to the Mekong basin, although it is not the Mekong basin.
So you may find most of lower Mekong fishes.
Rivers show quite strong tidal currents. 2-5 kts, some places more. Bottom is usually clay. Due to strong current and clay/silt basin, waters are very muddy. Lot of water hyacinths floating by due to a certain level of eutrophisation.
Rivers are quite over fished. The few fishes caught (bottom sinker) are cat fishes (Pangasianodon, Hemibagrus, Plotosus), some young sea breams, eels or others. Soup sizes. What is so exciting? nothing... except to go by boat.
Well yes, there are some exciting aspects:
+ some of the most exciting (but rare) species are supposed to live in these waters such as giant mekong, giant fresh water sting ray,... Just to know they may be somewhere around you is exciting. Reality is probably much different.
+ some places are very deep and escape to traditional commercial fishing. It is not uncommon to read depths of more than 25 meters. I even spotted one 41 meters deep spot (unfortunately in the middle of the port channel).
+ There is a quite consequent mangrove between the city and the sea. Difficult to get in by boat, but knowing what this environment represents is still exciting...
+ And after all, it is not as polluted as some would think.
That was for fresh / brackish waters.
For brackish / sea waters?
Well I so far just identified 2 spots near shore. Lots of venomous cat fishes (Plotosus from 20 to 60cm), quite easy to get, and than seconded by medium sizes sea breams (up to about 30cm).
For trolling, I have never been successful. Continental shelf is far off shore and over fishing leaves few targets. I however already spotted dolphins and big fishes.
And that's it.
