Fishing in Mangystau

Fishermen's Secrets

Fishing is one of the most popular leisure activities in Aktau. Shore fishing is the most popular fishing method in the Caspian. From the coast, you can catch almost any fish that is in the sea. The reason is that most of the fish living in the Caspian, even occasionally, swim close to the coast. The Caspian seawaters could be an excellent present for the fishermen that like to fish in the sea by boat or yacht, away from the coast and closer to the unspoiled elements. Separately, it is worth mentioning another form of leisure that is gaining popularity - spearfishing, which combines the favourite hobbies of many people - fishing and freediving.

The Caspian Sea is the perfect choice for fishing. More than a hundred species of various fish are found here. It is also worth noting that apart from the species that originally lived here, now, fish that were brought here from other places live in the Caspian as well. The most common are: mullet, vobla, kutum, carp, grass carp, pike perch, sprat, bream, perch, pike, catfish, silver carp, whitefish and others. A wide variety of valuable fish species could be fished in the Caspian Sea, including five species of sturgeon and Caspian salmon, which is, in fact, one of the subspecies of brown trout.

Fishing features

Fishing on the Caspian coast of Mangystau has its distinctive features. In each region of the Caspian, the coastal water area, and the coast itself, are slightly different from each other. While the northern coastal part of the Caspian Sea is somewhat monotonous and abounds in shallow-water spills overgrown with reeds and other aquatic vegetation, the coast of Mangystau distinguished by the presence of more convenient places for coastal fishing. In the case of fishing in the North Caspian, in the Atyrau region, an almost indispensable requirement is the use of boats for fishing. This is due to both dense aquatic vegetation and shallow depth. As for Mangystau, there are excellent conditions for fishing from the shore, both for the bottom, float gear, and for spinning. It is worth noting that due to the large size of the waters, it is recommended to hire experienced guides and anglers on your first trip. The coast of the Caspian Sea is traditionally famous among tourists and therefore you can find many different options for a vacation here. Local fishing organizers can offer all kinds of leisure activities. This can be offsite fishing with accommodation in a hotel, a yacht with full board, a tourist base or camping on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The main factor in favour of using the services of experienced guides and tour organizers is the fact that the vast bodies of water near the coast are quite difficult to navigate without the appropriate experience. When preparing a trip, you should always remember that the Caspian Sea is home to the rarest fish species that are prohibited for amateur and industrial fishing. Before fishing, you should familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of recreational fishing in the region.

Environmental features

One of the main problems for the aquatic world of the Caspian Sea is illegal fishing - poaching. If we take into account the industrial scale, first of all, this is the sturgeon catch. The Caspian is home to more than 90% of the world's stocks of certain species of these fish. The greatest threat to them is poaching. Besides, offshore oil is being produced in the Caspian Sea, which creates certain environmental risks and problems for the ecosystem.

Who is allowed to fish in the Caspian Sea?

During the fishing season, the following types of fish are considered the most popular to catch:

Gobies are considered one of the most common fish species in the Caspian Sea. They can be identified by a rather wide head, large eyes that are quite close to each other, two wide dorsal fins and a suction cup below. A rather large number of species of gobies live in nature: in addition to those common in the Caspian water area, there are such aboriginal species as the Caspian bighead and the Caspian sandpiper - but it should be noted that they are all similar to each other and the main differences are in the number of scales and rays on the fins as well as in the form of colouring.

For catching gobies, fishermen in the Caspian Sea mainly use bottom or float gear. According to the fishermen, it is quite easy to catch gobies and even beginner amateur anglers can catch quite a large number of gobies within a very short period. For bait, it is recommended to use small pieces of meat, fish, liver, squid or grape snails. Fried gobies are especially tasty.

At the beginning of the last century, several species of the mullet family were launched into these waters as an experiment. In the local waters favourable for this species of fish, two species - singil and ostronos - began to multiply very quickly, and very soon their population reached a size that allowed commercial fishing to begin. Caspian mullet is quite short a weaving and flathead and a contented long body with large silvery and shiny scales. The length of the Caspian mullet reaches an average of twenty to fifty centimetres.

Fishermen say that catching this fish is quite difficult, as it is very mobile. Because of this, even experienced fishermen recognize it as an honourable trophy. In the Caspian, mullet are caught with float or bottom tackle. Fishermen usually use a variety of bait, plant or animal origin (they say that the most effective is the sea worm). Also, many fishermen note that it is in the Caspian Sea that it is very exciting to hunt mullet with a speargun.

White carp is another valuable fish species that has been artificially inhibited in the Caspian waters. This is a fairly large fish - its length often reaches one meter. The grass carp has a wide head with large and powerful fins. The colour of the fish ranges from greenish to grey-yellow, with silvery or golden barrels and almost always a light belly. The grass carp is a very cautious and shy fish, which, among other things, is very strong and, once hooked, fiercely resists.

Usually float and bottom tackle is used to catch the White Cupid. Algae, corn grains and stalks, red stalks and leaves are usually used as bait. Cupid meat is very tasty, dense and healthy, and you can cook a variety of dishes from it.

Another valuable Caspian fish, which is very difficult to get, is asp. A feature of the asp is a largemouth, a protruding lower jaw, and a dark blue-grey back with silvery sides, a light belly and small, but very dense scales. The length of the asp can be up to eighty centimetres. Larger specimens are sometimes found.

Usually, spinning is used to catch asp, using large, heavy artificial lures that allow the fisherman to make a long cast. Sometimes, usually in early spring, when the fish is still lazy, you can also use a fishing rod with a float to catch asp. In this case, beetles and other insects can be used as bait. Asp meat is quite tasty - it is very often smoked, dried or dried.

Where to fish in Mangystau

Some of the most popular places for fishing are the following places: the presidential residence area and one hundred and third kilometre. Besides, you can fish well not far from the "Soldier" and "Warm" beaches, the village of Baskuduk, up to the forty-third kilometre, and Akshukur. The city's rocky sea path is also great for fishing.

You also need to know how much fish you can catch in order not to violate the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Each person is allowed to catch up to five kilograms of fish, with no more than five hooks. Recall that sturgeon fishing is prohibited since they are listed in the Red Book.