Squid fishing in Hong Kong: techniques, bright lights on a fun social outing from Sai Kung – don’t forget to say you’d like your catch cooked
- It’s the season for squid fishing, and trips can be booked any summer evening from piers in places such as Sai Kung and Central to bring relief from the heat
- The technique for catching them is easy to master, and the sunset trip makes for a sociable evening out. Eat your catch grilled on board at the end of the night
Ambling along the waterfront in Sai Kung in Hong Kong’s New Territories, one of the makeshift counters from which various junk boat services are sold catches our eye.
It piques our interest despite bearing just a phone number, a scrawled price – HK$200 (US$25) – and washed-out photos of squid in a bucket and an aged vessel.
The ticket seller beckons us over with his only arm. After we hand over our money he tells us to be back by 6.45pm to make a 7pm sailing, and hands us each a Sang Kee Boat Service sticker.
Every year roughly from April to September, squid are in season in Hong Kong. Squid fishing, or squidding, is a perennial local activity that mercifully takes place when the heat of the day has subsided.
After grabbing an early dinner in the town we stock up on soft drinks for the trip, and return to the quay to wait for our junk.
The sea breeze works its cooling magic as the rest of our fishing squad – less than 20 people in total, mostly couples – assembles and our double-decker junk motors up to the pier. The wooden vessel looks as though it’s seen better days. Old tyres hang from the hull for protection.
