No matter if it’s pirahnas, battle with a black marlin, or shrimp gathering while riding a horse – fishing always give a ton of positive emotions and a deep dive into the atmosphere of that place, you’ve chosen for fishing. And you don’t even have to speak about best places for fishing where you can catch your dinner yourself.
Top 10 best places for fishing
1. Salmon, Umba River, the Kola Peninsula, Russia
Alaska Brown Bear is catching salmon.
Northern lights, deer, snow – the Kola Peninsula is always a place of a real winter fairy tale. But when the spring comes, this Arctic heaven becomes the heaven for salmon lovers. Every May visit the valley of Umba river, spreading on to the 123 kilometres around the Kola Peninsula, to try and catch the most beautiful, and big Atlantic salmon on the Earth. Fish spawns up to 5 times a year; which gives almost an infinite amount of fish. But there are the cons: Umba is placed far from the civilisation, and to get here, you need to invest a lot of work. Besides, fishers need to share a river with the biggest fish lovers – bears.
Season of salmon catching in Umba lasts from May to the end of October; should release all the caught fish immediately.
2. Giant black marlin, Kerns, Australia
Sailfish Leaping
On the Great Barrier Reef in Australia everyone, who wears a mask and a tube, can participate in the “Finding Nemo”. But to catch a real legend requires hard work. Giant black marlin is one of the most wanted catches on the planet: it can weight 750 kilos and swim with the speed of 130 km/h, This fish easily makes even the toughest fishers in the drained lemon, and their hand after a couple of hours with the rod – into jelly. The place of 250 km between Cairns and Lizzard Island counts as the best place to catch this fish: in the local waters was caught more black marlins, then in the other parts of the world altogether.
Season of catching marlin in Kerns lasts from the start of the September and to the end of December.
3. Catfish, South of USA
Catch of the day
Hungry? Try noodling! Or bare hand fishing. Noodling, of course, is not the most elegant way of fishing: all you need to do is to put your finger in the hole underwater, wait, until the catfish bites you, and then take the fish out from the water. Noodling has its cons ( catfish has a lot of teeth, and you can’t always know what hides in the hole), but that trick is useful not only for masochists: American Indians were a high qualified fishers, and in many southern states, this method of fishing became a tradition, passed through generations. You don’t have to noodle alone, find some countryside fishers on the Internet, or the followers of the Indians traditions, and go fishing with them.
Noodling is a legal way of fishing in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. The season lasts from May to August.
4. Taimen, the waters of Aigues-Ours river, Mongolia
Trout action – Large one with 57 lbs
When you hear about Mongolia, your first thought will be yaks, hermits and a very salt tea. But far away from the post of central Asia, is more famous with its steppe, not the rivers, is one of the last homes of the biggest fish in the salmon world – taimen. A wild monster man-eater (known by locals as a river wolf) taimen can grow up to 2 meters in length, and can weight up to 90 kilos; this fish is not for the weak. This fish lives up to 50 years giving a brave fishers time, to prepare and catch the fish of their dreams.
You need to release the taimen after you caught it. The catching season in Mongolia lasts from June to November.
5. Pirahnas, waters of Amazon, Brazil
Piranha in Peruvian Amazon
It can happen to everybody: you spend a few hours watching a B rated movie about the pirahnas, and bam – you have an aquaphobia! Because swimming is not an option for you anymore, why won’t you take revenge, and spend your free time, hunting demons, that made you nervous? You should visit Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state Amazonia, and join one of the many tours, in which you can catch pirahnas (and sometimes even eating them afterwards). A piece of raw meat, thrown in the water, attracts a lot of fish. But their sharp as razor teeth can easily chop off not only the steel hooks but also fingers, so be careful! And remember: the only survivor in that story, should be you.
From July to October, there is a dry season in the waters of Amazon, and that is a dangerous time for pirahnas fishing because at that time the fish is hungry and aggressive.
6. Shrimps, Oostduinkerke, Belgium
Garnaalfeest Oostduinkerke 2013
If you are in search of unusual and beautiful pastime, come to Oostduinkerke, in the south-west coast of Belgium, where shrimp catchers use in their work not the boats, but the healthy horses, on which they gather the fruits of the Northern sea. This tradition is 500 years old, and not that long ago became a UNESCO “nonmaterial cultural heritage”, and believe me; it is beautiful. Fishers on the powerful horses, ar pulling the net and a wooden cart (to scare the shrimps off at the surface), galloping right in the sea, as the cold waves are breaking upon them. The horse fishing is a work for specialists, but if you get lucky, you may ride in the cart with them.
Horse-shrimp fishing season in Oostduinkerke lasts from February to May, and from September to November.
7. Big tigerfish, waters of Congo river
To get the real adrenaline, you should visit Congo, to catch the African equivalent of pirahna – big tiger fish – a horrifying monster with an awful temper. There were accidents of this fish attacking a human, and some say that they can catch birds in the air, by jumping out of the water. Growing in length of 1,5 meters and a weight of 70 kilos, Mbenga (as locals say) will not be an easy target for you. Dangerous battles lasting for hours with this fish gave it the status of one of the most significant trophies in the fishing world.
If you want to fight Mbenga, you, for your security, better order an organised excursion. The best time for it – a dry season in Congo, which lasts from June to October.
8. Under ice fishing, Brainerd, USA
Ice fishing people
You like to dig holes in the ice and look in them for hours? Then the city of Brainerd, Minnesota – is the place of your dream. Every year Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is big the gest fest of that type in the world and attracts more than 12000 candidates, ready to freeze in ice and to want to catch not only the fish but a prize of 150000$. The creators of the fest dig 20000 holes in a Gull Lake from which the candidates will catch many pikes and perches.
9. Squid, Halong Bay, Vietnam
Golden sunset in Halong Bay
The word “squid” doesn’t make people think of something good, but after a night in the Halong Bay, their position changes. Dozens of junky boats cursing in the green water of bay during the night, here is where the slimy little cephalopods, they are the part of the favourite local dish – squid sausages. To join this fest, the only thing you need is a bamboo stick, net, and light for attracting the squid. Anyone can catch around 30 squids in only a couple of hours. Quiet bay, filled with beautiful reflections of lamps, will give you a meditative, romantic night.
Squid season in Halong Bay starts in April and lasts until January. Regularly caught the biggest ones in October – November.
10. Salmon-trout, Rio-Grande river, island Fire Land, Chili/Argentina
Brown Trout Release
Experts in fly fishing won’t lie, when it comes to the salmon, Fire Land (Tierra del Fuego) becomes a hot place. Archipelago can be proud of the best place in the world for catching the salmon-trout, coming to the sea. The average weight of fish in the region is something around 4 kilos (one of 50 caught fishes can be more than 11 kg.), and there are around 70000 more fishes like that in Rio-Grande. It’s hard to get there, but if you see a giant salmon statue in front of you, you are in the right place.
Despite the vast amount of fish: you still need to release all you fish you caught here. The fishing season lasts from December to the middle of April.