Shrimp fishing (釣蝦, diào xiā) means paying by the hour to fish for giant freshwater prawns in an indoor pool, then cooking what you catch on the spot. It is a pastime of friends, families and night owls, and many venues stay open late, some around the clock. Taiwan still has around 300 venues, and Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan are its hotspots. You don't need any experience: the venue lends you everything.
- What you catch Giant river prawns, known in Taiwan as Thai prawns (泰國蝦), raised in Taiwan since the 1970s
- How you pay By time, for a rod at a pool; male-prawn pools cost more than female-prawn pools
- Price Roughly NT$200 to NT$500 an hour, depending on the pool and the venue (see below)
- Hours Typically into the night; some venues are open 24 hours
- Find one Search 釣蝦場 台北 (shrimp fishing venue, Taipei) in Google Maps
How it works
You pick a pool, pay for a block of time, and the venue rents you a rod and bait. Then you sit at the edge of the pool, drop your line and wait. Giant river prawns are easier to land than they look, which is why beginners usually catch something. Some venues weigh the prawns in front of customers before they release them into the pool, and when someone hooks two at once, staff may announce the "double catch" over the loudspeakers, sometimes with a free drink.
When your time is up, you cook. Classic style is simple: the prawns go on skewers, get a coat of salt and are grilled. Venues have grills or countertop ovens for this, and many will cook your catch for you, often with a choice of dishes such as black pepper, garlic or sesame oil prawns. Many also run a kitchen with stir-fries and cold beer, so a session turns into dinner.
What it costs
Venues charge by time and by pool, and prawn prices have pushed fees up in recent years. In 2023, EBC News reported three hours at a Taipei venue costing more than NT$1,300. In April 2025, TVBS News reported one northern Taiwan venue cutting its prices to bring customers back: NT$600 for three hours in the female-prawn pool, and NT$1,000 for two hours in the big male-prawn pool. Prices are posted at the counter; check how the venue charges if you stay past your time.
A late-night thing
Shrimp fishing is what Taipei people do when the night is not over yet: after dinner, after a show, after the last MRT. The pools come alive at night, and the 24-hour venues never close. Over the years venues have added air conditioning and banned smoking to bring in families, so the old smoky image is fading. Go after dinner, take a couple of hours, and plan a taxi home if you stay past the last train.
Where to go
We picked six venues, with addresses, hours and what to expect at each. → Where to go shrimp fishing in Taipei
- Without a car: Quan Jia Le (全佳樂釣蝦場), about a five-minute walk from Xingtian Temple Station (Orange Line, O09), open from 16:00. Also by MRT: Nan Shen Qiao near Nangang Exhibition Center, and Xia Xia Ge by Muzha Station, which has an easier pool for beginners.
- For the traditional experience: take a taxi from Shilin Station (Red Line, R16) to Zhishan Road (至善路) in the Waishuangxi valley, the same road as the National Palace Museum. Zhishan Shrimp Fishing (至善釣蝦場) there is open 24 hours, and Fun Shrimp and Spring City are just down the road. → National Palace Museum
What to bring
- Cash. Small venues are local businesses; carry NT$100 notes. → Money and other basics
- Friends. A rod each, one table, and someone to keep score. As one writer put it, all you need is a rod, a can of beer and good friends.
- Patience. Some sessions start fast, some don't. That is part of the game.
- Clothes you don't mind smelling of the grill.
Food safety
In 2018, a national inspection of 47 shrimp fishing venues by the Executive Yuan's Consumer Protection Committee and local health officials found antibiotic residues or other quality problems in prawns at 14 of them. A toxicologist's advice at the time: rinse the prawns before cooking, cook them all the way through, and skip the heads, where residues collect. Good habits anywhere.
Good to know: tell the counter it is your first time and ask which pool to start in. A short first session, an hour or two, is plenty to learn the knack and still leave time to grill.
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Sources
How it works, venue numbers, the hotspots, cooking, weighing and "double catch" announcements, 24-hour venues, air conditioning and smoking bans: Taiwan Panorama, "The Joy of Shrimps" (November 2025), also published by Taiwan News. History, salted skewers and the beer and friends: Taiwan Business TOPICS (January 2022). Renting rods and bait, night crowds: Smithsonian Magazine (2016). Prices: EBC News (March 2023) and TVBS News (April 2025). Food safety inspection and Zhishan Road venues: PTS News (June 2018).
Checked October 2026.