ANGLING IN BANGLADESH

Category: Articles

  • Bangshi Expedition – Another Fishless Day

    Bangshi Expedition – Another Fishless Day

    Fishing in the Bangshi RiverOn 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.

    Bangshi River FishingOn October 12, 2011 a man caught 5 boals from Roopnagar, opposite side of Savar Bazaar. There were news coming from here and there about catching boals (Wallago Attu) from Bangshi river. In fact, the season of catching boals has just started. The angling season in Bangladesh generally starts in October until the downfall starts in April/May. Anyways, a man caught another 2 boals the next day. Without thinking I took decision that I would go fishing the very next day which was yesterday. I took my preparation with great enthusiasm.

    Only those who hunt for boals can tell how painful it is to do things workable for boals. Nothing bothers me except the stinky, half rotten minnows which require to be boneless before putting on hooks. At 7:30 PM I went to my location. It was just beside a fishermen s village. A great location for boals. Last year about 40 fishes were caught from this very location. I also caught 1 from here last season. Anyways, at around 8:00 pm I set three lines. At this stage there is nothing actually to do but calling God.

    Soon mosquitoes found me with great pleasure and started to make the best use of me. The clock stroke  10:30, but there was still no trace of fish. Instead I was observing that the current was getting stronger. At 11:30 I changed the baits and wait there until 2:00 AM. At this point I decided to change my location and moved to 500 yards away in another location. After setting the lines I had been  I became a little upset as well as disappointed for my fruitless(actually ‘fishless’) start of Bangshi Expedition. But don’t worry, this expedition  will be carried on until we get an exclusive story to tell.

  • Some facts to keep into account

    Some facts to keep into account

    River Fishing
    Fishing in Bangladeshi River

    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.

    By;Nasim Hasan

  • This is the Death of a Country

    This is the Death of a Country

    Dhalwshwari Pullution
    Untreated water is being discharged into the Dhalwshwari river from a nearby factory.

    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.

    River Pollution
    River is almost blocked with garbage.

    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”

    By: Nasim Hasan

  • Angling in Bangladesh

    Angling in Bangladesh

    Angling in Bangladesh
    Fishing in the Kaliganga River, near Savar

    Bangladesh is a paradise for anglers. 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 Snakeheads, Giant Catfish, etc. are the main target fish of freshwater angling.

    River Network of Bangladesh
    The River Network in Bngladesh
    Photo Courtesy: banglapedia.org

    There are hundreds of angling locations 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, and the Surma River in Sylhet are all good locations worth mentioning. Besides, there are some harder-to-reach locations well worth the effort. To say, Boga Lake in Bandarban District is one of the least explored locations in the country. It is a freshwater lake at the height of about 2000 feet, at the top of hills. It has some giant fish that adventurous anglers go after. The poor communication system is a problem to get there. In the Rangamati district, there are plenty of hot spots for angling. You will fall in love with the beautiful Kaptai Lake and can enjoy the fishing all day and night.

    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 at 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.

    This article is also available in the following links:

    http://www.fatfisherman.com/links_geo/asia/bangladesh.html

    http://bdanglers.blogspot.com/2011/04/angling-in-bngladesh.html

  • Bangshi River Expedition

    Bangshi River Expedition

    Fishing in the Bangshi River
    Fishing in the Bangshi River during monsoon.

    Bangshi river 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 riverside village, angling became a favorite activity of free times. I caught fish in this river uncountable times in different methods. Those good old days have long gone. Pollution have taken everything. Like many rivers of Bangladesh, the Bangshi river also has become a victim of industrial pollution, river grabbing, siltation and many other man made factors.

    Ruhu caught from the Bangshi River
    Ruhu caught from the Bangshi River

    The river has already lost it glory. During dry season it becomes so densely polluted that no life form can be found in this river. But during monsoon when fresh water emerges and washes the pollution away , many spices of fishes enter this river for spawning. They stay in the river and surrounding flooded water-lands until February. During this time pollution comes down in the Bangshi river from various sources and slowly fishes disappear. So, anglers get a chance to try their luck in the Bangshi river during this time. This year I have planed to explore this river a little bit more extensively than previous times and for unveiling some of it’s hidden treasures to the readers.