Zhubei farm offers family ‘fish fighting’ and cooking experience

Have you ever seen a fish fight? A small business in Zhubei offers tourists a chance to try out this traditional local pastime. Visitors can catch grouper by getting different fish to fight each other. Afterward, the whole family can cook the fish caught at the venue, and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Let’s go to Zhubei Leisure Farm Park for a taste of the unusual experience.

Hang on with all your might: the bamboo pole shakes uncontrollably. It’s a catch! A small fish is tied to the fishing rod and is “fighting” a larger fish. Local people invented the new fishing method: “fish fighting.”

Chen Yen-cheng
Fishing company
This bamboo “fish fighting” experience was a way for the local country kids to amuse themselves. In their free time, they would chop down a bamboo pole: a thicker or thinner pole, depending on if they want to catch a big or small fish today.

No hooks are needed here. Small fish are tied straight onto the fishing line and sent to “fight” with the larger fish. As families enjoy fishing together, gasps mingle with laughter. Parents and children can have a shared sense of achievement.

The big fish are giant grouper. Successful fishers take their spoils straight to the kitchen. Parents show the children how to wash and cut the food, and together they serve up this delicious and appetizing dish.

Chen Yen-cheng
Fishing company
Actually the people in the park come here at the weekends to let off some stress, from the fish fighting, to getting to know the fish, catching them, and then cooking and eating them. It’s a real journey with zero jet lag!

Tourist
I think everyone really pulls together in the cooking and it’s great.

This traditional pastime has become a family day out for visitors in Zhubei, with something for everyone, from fishing to cooking.