Bangshi Expedition – part- 3

The Eid-ul-Azha vacation started from 04 November, 2011 in Bangladesh. There had been Eid rushes everywhere around the country because of the great festival, one of the two biggest religious festivals of Muslims. Anyway, I was planning for fishing in Bangshi river after the unsatisfied tour of Dhamrai. Its not that we couldn’t catch fish. We did catch fish at Dhamrai. Shawkat Bhai came from Chittagong for this fishing competition. The organizers apparently cheated us by informing us that there were big catlas in the pond as well as other big fishes like rohu, mrigal etc. Unfortunately all was bogus. Whatsoever, planning of going fishing just before the Eid day was settled. Read More...

Angling at Dhamrai, Bangladesh on October 28, 2011

Great angling day at Dhamrai, Dhaka, Bangladesh with Syed Shawkat Hossain, Nasim Hasan and Nadim Hasan. View More...

Bangshi Expedition – part- 2

On October 30, 2011 I went to try my luck to Lankar Char, just opposite to the Hemayetpur Tannery Project. The day was superb hot. Humidity was tremendously high. Over that there was a 3 KM walk to the location with the hot sun over head. The water level of Banghshi  river still was very high. Anyways, all the effort ended with a broken line after waiting the whole day under the burning sun. I don’t know if it was a fish or something else. I just saw something suddenly took my bait and pulled the line drastically with serious strength and went inside the nearby bush. It stuck my line with underwater branches. After a fruitless try for pulling the line back, it simply broke. Thus ended the first Bangshi Expedition of this season. Read More...

Bangshi Expedition – part- 1

Bangshi is one of the most important rivers in Dhaka district. Since my childhood angling in Bangshi river at Savar has been always exciting to me. I was born and raised in a village beside Bangshi. The Bangshi which we see today is just a decayed reminder of a wonderful river which once was full of life and strength. This river was full of different kinds of fishes and exotic animals like Ganges dolphins. I have seen fishermen catching hilsa (not in a huge quantity though) from this river even in mid 80s. Anyways, as a dweller of Read More

Game Fishes of Bangladesh

Baghair

a 100 kg Baghair, caught from a tributary of the Padma near Bogra District in March 2011.

Bengali: বাগাইর/বাঘাইর
Native English: Dwarf goonch
Scientific Name: Bagarius bagarius
Inhabits rapid and rocky pools of large and medium-sized rivers. Feeds on insects, small fishes, frogs and shrimps. Predatory and also omnivorous fish. Breeds in rivers prior to the beginning of the annual flood season. Can be grown more than 200 pounds with an untold amount of strength. Inhabits in all the major rivers of Bangladesh. It has some stories of man-eating habit. This fish has been declared as endangered by United Nations because of the habitat change due to pollution.

Ayr/ Aor

Ayr aka Giant River Catfish

Bengali: আইড়
Common English Name: Giant river-catfish
Scientific Name: Sperata aor
Other known names: Long-whiskered catfish (English); Ayre (আইর) and Aor (আওর) (Bangladesh); Aar, Aar-tengara, guji, Kanti, Gaga-tengra, Daryai-tengara, Alli, Addi, seengala.
Habitat: Bottom living fish. Commonly found in freshwater and brackish water. Some common habitats are rivers, khals, canals, beels, ponds, lakes, ditches, inundated fields, reservoirs etc. Very common in Bangladesh. Can be more than 1.5 meters in length. Vulnerable in Bangladesh due to habitat loss because of excessive industrial pollution.

Boal

Boal/ Wallago attu

Bengali name: বোয়াল
Common English: Wallago Attu
A species of catfish in the family Siluridae, or “sheatfishes”. The fish is commonly known by its genus name, wallago. Found in large rivers and lakes, it can reach 2.4 m (8 feet) total length. This south Asian fish is found from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan to Vietnam and Indonesia, and is also reported from Afghanistan. Its common to find huge frogs and fishes inside its stomach, when cut for cooking. It has been claimed that in some areas of Thailand the natives fear the species because of its believed habit of eating small ducks, dogs, and small children. It is a common target fish among the native anglers of Bangladesh. This fish has no known enemy and feeds on almost anything. Aggressiveness, strength and ferociousness have made this fish one of the best target fish to extreme anglers. From mid September to mid July is the best time for boal fishing.

Chital

Chital/ Clown Knifefish

Bengali: চিতল
English: Clown Knifefish
Scientific name: Chitala chitala
Found in Bangladesh and other countries in Southeast Asia.They are also considered delicacies in Bangladesh especially due to their immense size. They can grow upto 6 feets and weigh upto 25 kg. Inhabits freshwater rivers, lakes, beels, nullahs in the plains, reservoirs, canals and ponds. Feeds on aquatic insects, mollusks, shrimps and small fishes. Lays eggs usually on stake or stump of wood, male fans them with tail, keeps them aerated and silt-free, guards them against small catfish and other predators; complete give-away to fishermen; female not observed at egg posts; moderately important food fish in Bangladesh and South-East Asia. Spawns once a year during May to August. According to IUCN the conservation status of Chital fish is considered as ‘Near Threatened’. Anglers have a great spine breaking fight if a medium sized chital is hooked. It is called one of the most prominent game-fishes of Bangladesh.

Kalibaus

Kalibaus/ Orange-fin labeo

Bengali: কালবাউস
English: Orange-fin labeo, Karnataka labeo
Scientific Name: Labeo calbasu
The species occurs throughout Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Southern China. Inhabits in rivers, rivers, lakes, beels, and ponds; in slow-moving waters of rivers and it is essentially a bottom feeder that feeds on plants, filamentous algae and diatoms. Can weigh upto 5-6 kg. Very strong fish to give a great fight.

Katol

Katol/ Indian Carp

Bengali: কাতল
English: Indian Carp
Scientific name: Catla catla
Katol is the only member of the genus Gibelion, of the carp family Cyprinidae. It is a fish with a large protruding lower jaw. It is commonly found in rivers and freshwater lakes in Bangladesh, India , Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan. Body short and deep, somewhat laterally compressed, its depth more than head length; head very large, its depth exceeding half the head length; body with conspicuously large cycloid scales, head devoid of scales; snout bluntly rounded; eyes large and visible from underside of the head; mouth wide and upturned with prominent protruding lower jaw; upper lip absent, lower lip very thick; no barbels; lower jaw with a movable articulation at symphysis, without a prominent process; gill rakers long and fine. This fish is the main target of most anglers in Bangladesh. It can weigh more than 50 pounds. It is a very strong fish and can give an exhausting fight.

Mohashoul

Mohashoul/ Golden Mahseer

Bengali: মহাশোল
English name: Golden mahseer
Scientific name: Tor putitora
Mohashouls (also widely known as mahseer in India and Nepal) inhabit both rivers and lakes, ascending to rapid streams with rocky bottoms for breeding. Like other types of carps, they are omnivorous, eating not only algae, crustaceans, insects, frogs, and other fish, but also fruits that fall from trees overhead. The first species from this group were scientifically described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, and first mentioned as an angling challenge by the Oriental Sporting Magazine in 1833, soon becoming a favorite quarry of British anglers living in India. The golden mahseer or mohashoul has been known to reach 2.75 m (9 ft) in length and 54 kg (118 lb) in weight, although specimens of this size are rarely seen nowadays. In addition to being caught for sport, mahseer are also part of commercial fishing and ornamental or aquarium fish. In Bangladesh this fish is about to go extinct because of habitat change due to the change of river flow. Still can be found in streams of Sylhet, Sunamgonj, Mymensingh and Netrokona alongside the Bangladesh-Indian borders. IUCN has already declared it as an endangered spices.

Rui/ Rohu

Rui/ Rohu

Bengali name: রুই
Common English: Rohu
Scientific name: Labeo rohita

Rohi or Rohu (Labeo rohita, Bengali: রুই) is a fish of the carp family Cyprinidae, found commonly in rivers and freshwater lakes in and around South Asia and South-East Asia. It is a herbivore. It is treated as a delicacy in Bangladesh, Nepal and the Indian states of Orissa, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It is called rahu in Nepali.In Hindi it is called rehu (rawas is the Indian Salmon, which is quite different). It is called rohi in Oriya, rui in Bengali, rou in Assamese and Sylheti, rohu it self in Malayalam, and is reared in Kerala. It is popular in Thailand, Bangladesh, northern India and Pakistan. It is a non-oily/white fish. During the early stages of its lifecycle, it eats mainly zooplankton, but as it grows, it eats more and more phytoplankton, and as a juvenile or adult is a herbivorous column feeder, eating mainly phytoplankton and submerged vegetation. It has modified, thin hair-like gill rakers, suggesting that it feeds by sieving the water.

This is one of the most targeted game fishes in Bangladesh among anglers. This fish is known locally as ‘the king of fishes’. Found in freshwater bodies, rarely in brackish water; some common habitats are- ponds, ditch, canals, beels, floodplains, haors, baors (oxbow lakes), rivers, lake etc. Niche is middle layer of water body. this fish as bottom feeder fish. Feed on both natural and supplementary feeds. This fish feed on plant matters including decaying vegetation and also well habituated in taking rice bran, wheat bran, mustard oil cake and other supplementary feed under aquaculture system. Naturally breeds in flowing water bodies, especially in rivers, and floodplains during rainy season. Breeding time recorded between July and September from Chalan Beel (Bangladesh). Bhuiyan (1964) reported breeding time of this fish is in the month between July and August and described this fish as a prolific breeder.

This fish can grow up to 1 meter in length and can weigh up to 15 kg. It is a very strong fish and a perfect game fish to test the limit of your tackles.

Mrigel/ Mrigal

Mrigel/ Mrigal carp

Bengali name: মৃগেল/ মিরকা

Common English: Mrigal carp

Scientific name: Cirrhinus cirrhosus

Native to large rivers in the Indian subcontinent. Inhabits fast flowing streams and rivers. Can tolerate high levels of salinity. Feeds on plankton, but also grazes on algae. Spawning occurs in marginal areas of the water body with a depth of 50-100 cm over a sand or clay substrate. Can grow 1 meter in length and weigh up to 25 kg. A very active fish with enormous strength.

Angling in Bangladesh: "www.anglinginbangladesh.com" has been launched!!!

For increasing demand of information related to angling in Bangladesh we have launched www.AnglingInBangladesh.com. We want this site to be the voice of Bangladeshi anglers. Every interested angler of the world is cordially invited to join this community through www.AnglingInBangladesh.com. You are welcome to create profiles, blogs and contents to share with the rest of the world. For any kinds of queries or suggestions please feel free to email directly to admin@anglinginbangladesh.com.

Club Angling in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh there are few but prominent opportunities of club level angling as well. Bangladesh Amateur Angling Association (BAAA) is one of the oldest angling clubs located in Dhaka City with there office at Kalabagan. The Dhanmondi Lake once was a great place for hobbyist anglers for fishing. But after ‘90s everything changed dramatically as pollution destroyed everything. And the lack became abandoned. BAAA became just a name.

Syed Shawkat Hossain Catches a Katla from Bhatiari Lake, Chittagong

On the other hand in present years Chittagong is playing a very important role to promote and continue club level angling. The authority of Chittagong Golf Club organizes angling competitions round the year and anglers from the whole country participate there with great enthusiasm. In Chittagong, Bhatiari Lake and Chittagong Railway Colony Lake are two great angling spots where club anglers try their luck. Foy’s Lake is another great place in Chittagong City where many anglers go fishing. But here you need a good connection to fish.

Tangail City Corporation, Jessore Municipality Authority and many organizations organize angling competition country wide all the year round. There is a reservoir in Jamuna Resort, Jamuna where anyone can go and enjoy fishing for about 4000 BDT per person. The resort offers foods and accommodation as well if anyone wants to enjoy fishing with family and stay night over there. It is a highly secured resort with world class facilities. One can also hire a boat from here and try his luck in the mighty Jamuna river.

Some facts to keep into account

Bangladesh is a land of rivers. It is also the biggest delta of the world. Since the prehistoric time the people of this country has been depending on these rivers for their own survival. Fishes have been an essential part of Bengali foods. There is a saying 'rice and fish make the Bengali'. And there are not so many countries where fishes can be in such wide varieties. So, catching fish has always been a part of Bengali lifestyle. Angling in Bangladesh has its own charm and excitement. Some of the biggest Asian rivers have flown over the country. The country has more than 300 kilometers of shoreline. An UNDP survey in recent year published that about 6.5 percent of Bangladesh is permanently waterland, 20 to 25 percent deeply flooded and 35 to 40 percent shallow wetlands which occasionally go under water during monsoon. Country with this amount of water-land creates a huge opportunity for angling and our objective of this blogging is exploring chances and sharing our experiences and knowledge with the fellow anglers.

The angling season is about to begin here in 15 to 20 days. Most rivers are now full of life and strength because of monsoon water flow. Fishes have already hatched their eggs by now and they are about to start feeding in a very short time. Anglers are taking preparation for the emerging angling season. Some have already prepared their ground baits and have kept them under the process of seasoning for better performance. There is one thing which most Bangladeshi anglers regret about is that in Bangladesh we do not have any all-in-one tackle shop at all. It is really pathetic that there are only about 6 to 13 tackle shops in the whole country. We can't find quality equipments in those shops. Mostly Chinese and Korean low grade products that we are bound to purchase as there are no alternatives. Some enthusiastic anglers collect famous branded equipments through different channels, but sometimes it requires a significant amount of money.

If someone wishes to give a try in Bangladeshi waters, I personally recommend to bring his equipments extensively. Because if he thinks to buy any particular item from Bangladesh, it is almost obvious that he will not get it. For example, if you like any particular flavor or recipe for carp fishing, please come with a little extra amount of your bait items . Because going out of baits is more painful than returning without any fish.

This is the Death of a Country

It is now monsoon in Bangladesh. In most rivers water level is rising. As a result the riverside low lands are going under water in most of the parts across the country during this time. These monsoon water flooded low lands are called ‘khal’, ‘bil’, ‘haor’ etc. in Bangladesh. These places create Bangladesh an ideal place for fishes to hatch their eggs. Generally the breeding season of most fishes in Bangladesh starts from mid April to late July. As new monsoon water emerges, fishes come too to complete their life cycle. In this country most riverside low lands are used for cultivating paddy. Farmers cut the crops just before the monsoon and when these lands go under water they provide enough food and shelter for fishes for hatching their eggs and raising hatchlings.

In Bangladesh fishing during this time is prohibited by law. Because fishes go to shallow waters for hatching and raising their hatchlings and fishes are the most vulnerable during this time. As Bangladesh is an agricultural country and most of the people in this country live bellow the poverty line and as there remain very few scopes for farming related jobs during monsoon, a large number of farming people become involved in fishing during this time to maintain their family. Graved female fishes become their primary targets. Because they are easy to catch and they are sold in a higher price. This way many species of Bangladeshi fishes have already gone extinct and many are into the pipeline.

Pollution is another reason for the extinction of many species of fishes. No one will believe how a whole country can be turned into a massive garbage field in just 20 years. The wind of globalization hits the country in late ‘80s. Government of Bangladesh invited foreign investor with very liberal policy to invest. As a result rapid industrialization took place both in government and private sectors. By the new millennium thousands of industries established around the country. The pioneer of these sectors becomes the RMG (Ready Made Garments). Cheap labor, very liberal government policy, infrastructural advantages managed to bring foreign invest in a massive scale in this sector. This certainly has changed the economy of Bangladesh dramatically. An agricultural country turns into an industrial country in a short time. This creates a huge employment opportunity countrywide. Soon this RMG becomes the major contributor of the national GDP. But one thing had been overlooked for years and that is the question of protecting the environment.

In just twenty years major rivers around the capital has become so toxic that the presences of any life form is impossible. The Buriganga which is the main river flowing beside the capital Dhaka becomes the reservoir of thick black contaminated water and its bed becomes a 6 feet layer of poly bags and human wastes. The same consequence followed the rivers of the major cities around the country. Initially there had been no provision of establishing of any Effluent Treatment Plant alongside any industrial project. This led the industries to discharge the industrial waste directly into rivers, canals etc. And now everybody is experiencing the consequence of their act. Few environmentalist groups are working in this issue but it seems no one has any kind of responsibility regarding this. To attract foreign investors, Bangladeshi government has established Export Processing Zones (EPZ) around the country without any ETP plant. Anyone can observe what the people of Bangladesh are paying for the multinational companies for keeping their profit margin intact.

However, all the discharged wastes come directly into rivers by downfall. The result is severe. Our rivers are becoming of no use at all. Species of fishes are going extinct very rapidly. And angling is becoming almost impossible for hobbyists to carry on. The angling season is starting in 2 months. Wishing all Bangladeshi anglers good luck. Ending with a quote of Albert Einstein:

“There are two things without any limits. One is

the universe and the other is the human stupidity”

Angling in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a paradise for anglers. Because there are more than 1000 big and small rivers in the country, from which the country takes its name 'The Mother of Rivers'.
In Bangladesh we do have enormous opportunities for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Wallago Attu (locally called Boal), Rohu, different varieties of Carp, different kinds of Sneakhead, Giant Catfish etc. are the main target fish of freshwater angling.

A 14.5  KG Chital fish ( Notopterus Chitala) landed by a local from the Jamuna, Sirajganj last year

There are hundreds of angling location around the country yet to be explored and to be put into focus for attracting tourists. Among them Chalan Bill in Pabna & Rajshahi, Hakaluki Haor in Sylhet and Sunamganj, the Brahmaputra River in Mymensingh district, the Jamuna River in Jamalpur and Sirajgonj, the Surma River in Sylhet are all good locations worth mentioning. Besides these there are some harder to reach locations well worth the effort. To mention, Boga Lake in Bandarban District is one of the least explored locations in the country. It is a freshwater lake at a height of about 2000 feet, at the top of hills. It has some giant fish that adventurous anglers go after. Poor communication system is a problem to get there. In Rangamati district there are plenty of hot spots for angling. You will simply fall in love with the beautiful Kaptai Lake and can enjoy the fishing all day and night.

A 100 kg bagarius(Dwarf Goonch) was caught and sold in the Poradoh Fair, Bogra, Bangladesh on February 9, 2011. The fish was sold in Taka 65,000 (US$ 1000 Approx). News: The Daily Kaler Kantha, 10-Feb-2011. http://www.dailykalerkantho.com/?view=de​tails&archiev=yes&arch_date=10-02-2011&t​ype=gold&data=Laptop&pub_no=427&cat_id=1​&menu_id=56&news_type_id=1&index=13

A 55kg black carp was hooked by a local angler on January 25, 2011 from Jessore Municipality pond. It was 5 feet 2 inches in length and 3 feet 6 inches in width. News - The Daily Kaler Kantho, January 26, 2011. http://www.dailykalerkantho.com/?view=de​tails&type=gold&data=Download&pub_no=412​&cat_id=1&menu_id=14&news_type_id=1&inde​x=3

I personally am a fan of wild fishing. I mostly like to fish in rivers or canals. And Bangladesh is indeed a place for wild fishing if you have good connections. I must mention the rivers of Khulna district, to be more specific the river of Sundarbans. Here you will find a variety of both freshwater and saltwater fishes around the channels. The Meghna River is one of the most prominent hot-spots for anglers for game fishing. Bhairab, Daudkandi, Chandpur, and Banks of Narayangonj are also exciting places for anglers. Jaflong at Sylhet is another spot for fishing. Here you can try your luck for landing huge Silver Mahseer (Locally known as Mohashol). There are also some wonderful locations around the Capital Dhaka. To mention but a few; the Tora Bridge and Chaira at Hemayetpur, Itabhara at Keranigonj, Kunda at Boliarpur, the Bongshee River at Savar, Kaliganga River at Singair, and some rivers at Nawabganj etc. There are also some private reservoirs around Dhaka where anglers can fish for a small fee. So, if you want more information about angling in Bangladesh feel free to email me.