Fishing trips in Egypt

Fishing history in Egypt

For your own knowledge, Egypt considered one of the first places to introduce this activity (Fishing) from the very beginning on earth. It starts from the ancient Egyptian existence beside the Nile. In ancient Egypt, they used to catch the smaller fish with dragnets made from willow branches or basket traps.

They also used hooks and lines as an advanced fishing way, the fisherman couldn’t use the fishing rods and started putting clay to the hook using his finger to give the hook some weight.

The ancient Egyptian used to put bread or dates as bait in the hook and after catching the fish they used to clubbed it and put it in baskets to use later.

Fishing Spots in Egypt 

Egypt has many different places that you can go fishing from, fresh water at the great Nile river, saltwater at the red and Mediterranean seas, and so many lakes. Here is a part of the fishing spots in Egypt:

• The Nasser Lake
• Sharm El Sheikh
• Hurghada
• Marsa Alam
• The Nile
• The Mediterranean Sea
• The Gulf of Suez

The freshwater in Egypt present at the largest rivers on the planet, the Nile River.  This great Nile river passes through desert areas, its many branches forming one of the biggest river deltas in the world with an area of 24000 km2. There are more than 2,000 fish species in the Nile waters with so many different divers in colors, shape, and sizes.

Most of the fishermen prefer to go fishing at the Red Sea coasts which are located in Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, and Marsa Alam. Those 3 places are considered the best fishing spots in Egypt.

Then the Egyptian lakes are open to fishing for all the fish species, the fishing environment there has its own taste and you can find there so many kinds of fish that will amaze you.

Lots of many different places are allowed for you to fish in Egypt, from the fresh Nile water to the coastal areas with saltwater. You can start your trip by renting a boat and go for a big journey or even you can start fishing at the right of the dock. Fishing is much easier in Egypt as you can go fishing right next to your accommodations since lots of hotels are on the Nile shore.

Fishing at Lake Nasser

Directly in the Nile middle reaches there was a huge reservoir created in an area of 5120 km2 and with 130 meters depth called lake Nasser.

Lake Nasser is the largest human made lake in the world. This lake has spectacular fishing spots in a massive length with 310 m. If you’re looking for a remote place to relax and do your favorite hobby, Lake Nasser is the perfect place to do that.

Lake Nasser is a host for more than 32 species of fish plus Nile river crocodiles, people can catch about 80,000 tons of fish every year from this lake.  Lake Nasser was created in 1960 at the same time with the High Dam of Aswan.

The trolling rods used in the lake should be from 20 to 30 lb and between 7 and 9 feet, this is to be able to catch the bigger fish that weigh more than 200 yards of 30lb line.

You can find the largest freshwater fish in the world in Lake Nasser, it also has clear and beautiful water and you will definitely enjoy it’s view.

The Fishing Seasons in Egypt

To get the best out of the fishing experience in Egypt, you better go from January to March. But there is an exception for the Red Sea coasts, you can go fishing there at any time of the year as the temperature there is always high in winter and rains very rarely. So if you’re a professional or even a beginner fisherman, you will always find a place for your fishing hobby in the Red Sea cities of Egypt.

The Egyptian Fishing Equipment

In the ancient days in Egypt, fishermen used to catch fish with weir-baskets and dragnets made from willow branches. After some time they start using hooks, lines, and harpoons, these hooks are about eight millimetres and eighteen centimetres. They also used to have the bread or dates as bait.

Then the big nets start to appear and use it for commercial fishing to focus more on the quantity. For trolling, shore fishing and line fishing, the fishermen used the normal standard equipment as the other places in the world.

The trolling rods used for shore fishing should be from 10 to 12 feet with big reels to be able to hold at least 200 yards of line. The lines should be strong enough to catch the heavy fish found.

Types of fish in the water of Egypt 

Egypt has different kinds of water spots and each spot has its unique fish species.

You can find in the Red sea lots of interesting and unusual colors of fish, like Barracuda, Albacore tuna, Wahoo, Goatfish, Grouper, Sailfish, Trevally, garfish, and so many amazing marine fish species.

At the freshwater of lake Nasser you will find a massive fish species that will amaze you. Among these species are the Nile perch which is one of the largest presnovodnykh fish in the world that can weigh up to 170 kg. You can also find some other types like tilapia, African catfish, tigerfish, the famous Nile crocodile, and the legendary giant Vundu.

You can just come to Egypt and try your luck of which species you can catch everyday.

Fishing Tournaments in Egypt 

Fishing takes an important place in the Egyptian hobbies and there is a special tournament made only for the Fishing hobby called The bass tournaments. This tournament is very famous in Egypt and all the fishermen make sure to participate in it.

To be able to participate in the bass event, you have to be registered at a fishing association. These fishing events happen in a specific time every year to avoid damaging the bass population of the lakes and it’s totally prohibited for everyone to troll or jug at any ski areas.

You can enjoy your hobby with some competitors but without harming the environment.

Fishing rules and regulations in Egypt

Like any other activity there should be some rules and regulations to make sure everything is going right without infringing on harm to anything else.

So, the fishing rules and regulations in Egypt are:

• The fishermen are only allowed to fish for a limited quantity per day. This depends on the fish types.
• The fishermen are prohibited to catch any small fish.
• The boats should anchor away from the shoreline at least 100 feet away to respect the humans privacy.
• Swimming is not allowed except in the areas with security.
• Skinny dipping is totally prohibited
• The chemical treatments in all types are totally prohibited under any circumstances.
• There should be Night lighting within the permitted areas for some security issues

If you as a fisherman could break any rules at any circumstances, you may get arrested or you can get no entry to the lakes in the future.

Egypt is like a beautiful dream for all the fishermen in the entire world. You can easily go fishing with a little planning at the best water spots in the world and spend the best fishing vacation ever. In Egypt you will find very unique and a blast fish species to catch, whether you are a freshwater fishing lover or a deep sea fishing adventurer, you will definitely find what you love. If you still think that Egypt is nothing but sand and desert, you should have changed your idea by now!