Off the beaten track: Prawn Fishing in Singapore

Name a kid that doesn’t like fishing, I bet you can’t. Even my girly girl loves the idea of going and fishing for fun. Singaporeans are no different, let's face it, fishing is fun. A true local spin is to fish for fresh water prawns. While the days of “kampong fishing” where children would run down to the local river and fish for prawns no longer exists, clever Singaporeans have filled the gap by creating prawn fishing ponds.



If you are looking for an unusual way to spend a morning in Singapore with your family and seeing a side of Singapore that the tourists often miss (there are no prawn fishing ponds on Orchard Road or at Sentosa Island…I’m just saying) you should head out, rent a rod and enjoy a few hours of fishin’.




We have gone to a few different prawn fishing facilities and I will list them below but the drill is basically the same at all of them. You can rent a rod, which come with the bait- chicken liver and you are given an hour (or more depending on how long you pay for) and a basket in which to keep your prawns. Remember, these are real prawns heads, tails and pincers attached so a parent may need to help take the prawn off the line.At the end of your hour you are able to take the prawns with you or you can BBQ them right on site with BBQ pits provided. Most of the ponds have local style eateries located next to them and you may even be able to take your prawns and have them cooked for your lunch or dinner. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. My kids love to know that they caught lunch.





A few final thoughts-

Most of the ponds are open 24 hours but early mornings tend to be more family friendly and fewer crowds.

These are “farmed” prawns and the ponds are frequently restocked through out the day.
Experts say the best method is to find a deeper pond and move the bait frequently to catch more.

Some ponds often through in a whopper or two in order to increase your chances.



Here is a list of prawn fishing ponds in Singapore and the first two are ones that we personally have gone to and would go back again. I have not been to the others, but have friends who have. As mentioned they are all very similar.

East Coast Prawn Fishing 1020 East Coast Parkway 65 6227 3330
Hai Bin U Enterprise Prawn Fishing, 603 Sin Ming Ave 65 6554 1986
Jurong Hill Prawn Fishing & Beer Garden , Old Crocodile Farm, 241 Jln Ahmad Ibrahim #01-16 65-6265 2598
Farmart, 67 Sungei Tengah Rd, Choa Chu Kang 65 6767 0070