Alvin Cheung
I'm Alvin, a 18 year-old who is based on the East coast of +852 Hong Kong. My full name corresponds to the kanji 張博行, in which 張 is the surname. Last year, I became a kōkō sotsugyōsei and got into university.
My career
I grew up bait fishing since 2012, then into lure fishing in 2019. When I started fly fishing roughly mid 2021, never once did I imagine it’d change my life forever. I wouldn’t call myself fly fishing until 2022 when I met my sifu (instructor) on the river. He was the one who introduced me to everything from the basic principles of fly casting to the methodologies. Hard to not admit that I sucked at self-learning fly fishing and casting!
What is fly tying to you?
In 2021, I got into fly tying… And I'm probably more talented at tying than actual fishing. The crafts and the Shokunin spirit behind the art are what I like, and that allowed me to spend more time on the vise than on fishing. As Ed mentioned in the Facebook post, I'm a detailed-oriented tyer who doesn't mind spending an hour on trimming a gamechanger to the perfect shape. Afterall, I tie flies for myself and friends. No rush. As my fly tying skills improve, and combined with observation, I'm starting to understand why certain aspects of a fly are made in a very specific way. In other words, the design of a fly takes a lot of thought, field testing, observation and refining. I enjoy the process of fly design and wish to meet more and more tyers within and outside TFFCC.
Since 2022, I've fished with anglers from all round the world in Hong Kong during their visits, which was made possible through the Fly Fishing Hong Kong Facebook page. To me, fly fishing in Hong Kong equates to high cost, low reward. The fishery itself is pretty overfished with no regulations, and people would take whatever they catch. I'm not saying there's no good water in Hong Kong (will be highlighted below), but in general, it's pretty miserable.
In my early days of fly fishihg, Inwas a small creek dry fly specialist. Nowadays, I call the saltwater flats my habitat.
At home, I'm usually redfishing with a fly rod as much as possible, but I also catch chinu, kibire, snakeheads and other species on light spinning rods.
So somehow, I persisted even with countless blanked sessions. The people I've met are all friendly and the fly fishing community feels like a home. Fly fishing packs everything into a package with everything I want (nature, brotherly kindness, crafts, observation, entomology, you name it…) and I'm here to stay.
What's Japan like on your scope?
To me, Japan is a jack of all trades… a mere 3-4 hour flight from HK and the costs are quite reasonable. There's anything from coldwater trout to tropical saltwater flat. For me, it's the cost factor that matters the most (broke uni student moment again). Okinawa is very accessible through DIY and I can expect myself going there at least once per year. Been wanting a titan triggerfish for a while (probably since my 14s) so I wish I can make it happen there. For trout, no plans so far but I've been to the area around Mt. Fuji last year and the trout streams do look quite pristine in person. I used to watch a ton of Japanese trout fishing videos on YouTube. But nowadays I'm more hooked up on tropical saltwater flats, especially the adrenaline rush, the challenge, the sheer excitement it brings. But I do understand why trout has its share in fly fishing and the serenity it brings to an angler. Perhaps I'll make a trout trip to Japan or somewhere in China in the future.
Carp fishing is starting to get my attention though. At the end of 2025, I was lucky enough to land a 70cm+ specimen in Tokyo. I'm starting to fall in love with how technical and spooky they can be, yet far from impossible to trick on a fly rod. Plus Hong Kong has them too, so my takeaways from Japan will come to a test when I'm back. I know a few carp spots and will definitely get one in Hong Kong in 2026.
What can you do for the club?
I've been trying to find a way to contribute, and not living in Japan is already miserable enough. However, Ed reminded me that I can help with exploring East Asia (especially Mainland China) destinations. Throw politics aside, they have great nature and I can name a few destinations and species that's on my list. My native language is Cantonese but my English and Mandarin (Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese accents) are also native level. I hacked into a couple Mainland fly fishing groups on Wechat and also connected to a bunch of ppl. I might have to write an article specifically discussing the species and locations (to avoid making this article exceed 3000 words). More than happy to bridge Japanese anglers to Mainland Chinese's endemic fly rod species. Species such as various trout, mahseer, or other cyprinids (carp relatives).
Speaking of that, it's sometimes a bit of a shame for me to only be able to speak 3 languages (many of my mates can speak 4 or above). Many Hongkongers are capable of JLPT N1 and N2. The HK society is heavily pro-Japanese as opposed to Mainland China. Japanese food, Japanese products, anime, and fishing gear. And here I am, at a Japanese fly fishing club not speaking Japanese??? I’m feeling honoured to learn a language for something I love (fly fishing). Not to mention there seems to be a connection between Cantonese and Japanese. That always amazes me when I stumble across a word or phrase with nearly identical or identical kanji and pronunciation. I'm also open to any online TFFCC gathering/event on fly fishing/tying or anything. Hopefully that compensates for where I'm based in.
This year, I'll go to Okinawa again (last year was amazing) for a DIY TITAN TRIGGERFISH. And maybe to China once for exploratory angling. In that case, the Chinese species that has been on my list for a couple of years would be the Chinese red mahseer (Tor sinensis) and Chinese golden mahseer (Neolissochilus benasi), both of which are endemic. I know they're in the rivers flowing to Vietnam and neighbouring SE Asian countries. Determined to make it happen. Mahseer is such a fun and gorgeous and technical fish though, so it's definitely gonna be fun to catch one. Another bonus is that it doesn't cost nearly as much as an exotic fly fishing trip. For me as a broke Uni student, that's good news.
Many more to say, but I guess I'll end here.
Tight lines. I hope everyone has a FISHY 2026.
My SNS
Instagram: cbhhookedup
Facebook: Alvin Cheung
Feel free to contact me anytime, anywhere. Cheers in advance.
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