Night squid fishing on Halong Bay

Experience night squid fishing on Halong bay

Small boat for night fishing

Designed for fishing fans, this is really an interesting experience to join. However, fishing tours offered by boat cruise costs quite a few if you are only in need for fishing, not the whole on board tour.

Therefore, this is a tip for travellers who only fancy having a go squid fishing. Here in Halong there are numerous fishermen willing to rent their boats for night squid fishing and the cost is of course so tempting that you may be curious.

Instead of sitting on luxurious cruise, you’ll see yourself on a small boat floating on the water as if you were a real fisherman.

Where to hire a boat for fishing?

Most of boats in Halong gather at the center of Hon Gai, just ask any local person the way to Halong market 1 near Clock tower. This is a famous spot so anyone there could show you the way. The place is the parking for most of fishing boats to transport seafood to the market so it’s a good way to ask for a boat here, the price for a 3-4 hour tour is up to 2 million VND, this is for hiring a single boat having rooms for around 6 people.

Though tiny, boats are still well-equipped with fishing rod, fake fishing bait, life jacket and even simple cooking stuffs so you can cook and enjoy the fresh squids right on boat, what could be funnier than catching and enjoying them right on the boat floating on the sea?

Fresh squid cooked on boat

Tips for a successful fishing trip

The first thing to be mentioned is the safety which you could rest your mind since it will be usually near Halong market so there’s no need to be stressful. The best time for squid fishing is from April to August which is the mating season. The trip would be from 6PM to 11PM. Also, it’s the best to choose the dark nights as people need to use light to attract squids. If you’re lucky, 0.5 to 1Kg would be a totally possible achievement for your trip. The only disadventage is that the tiny boats are only offshore so mostly caught are small squid but sometimes if you’ve got good luck, a big squid is also possible.