Breakwater Fishing Basics and Safety Rules

You can park and walk onto a breakwater, which makes it the easiest place to start sea fishing. The sea has more hazards than fresh water, so put safety first.

Fish you'll meet

Gobies and greenlings bite all year, mackerel and horse mackerel arrive in schools, dark-banded rockfish come out at night, and Korean rockfish hide between rocks. With experience you can try for black sea bream, called the flower of sea fishing in Korea.

Stay off the tetrapods

The four-legged concrete blocks piled on the outside of a breakwater are tetrapods. They are round, slick with algae and very slippery, and the gaps between them are deep. If you fall in, it is very hard to climb out alone. Korea's coast guard designates accident-prone tetrapods as restricted zones, and entering one brings a fine that is set to rise further under an amended law. Fish only from the flat top of the breakwater.

What to bring

• Life jacket: wear one even on a breakwater. It can save your life if you fall in.
• Non-slip shoes: wet concrete and rocks are far more slippery than they look.
• A weather check: swells can wash over a breakwater even on a clear day. If there is a weather warning, stay home.
• A cooler: keeps your catch fresh, and makes a handy seat.

Size limits and seasons

Many sea fish have minimum sizes and closed seasons. Release small fish right away. See our guide to closed seasons and size limits.