Top 10 Fishing Spots in Turkey
Turkey is one of Europe's and Asia's great fishing frontiers — a country of continental scale, spanning from the cool streams of the Pontic Mountains above the Black Sea to the warm Mediterranean bays of Antalya, from Aegean coves to the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates. With over 8,000 kilometres of coastline across three seas and a freshwater landscape that ranges from high-altitude glacial lakes to warm reservoir carp fisheries in the Anatolian interior, Turkey rewards fishing specialists of every discipline. What is lacking is infrastructure; what is present, in abundance, is fish.
Lake Beysehir — Endemic Anatolian Trout
Lake Beysehir in the Konya province of central Anatolia sits at 1,123 metres above sea level and covers 656 square kilometres, making it Turkey's third largest lake. Its shallow, crystal water holds the endemic Anatolian trout (Salmo platycephalus), a species found in no other lake on Earth. The trout are typically pursued by trolling or slow-retrieve lure fishing from small boats in the lake's deeper sections (maximum depth around 10 metres) and in the feeder streams that enter from the Taurus Mountains to the south. The endemic status of the species means regulations are strict and catching is subject to daily limits enforced by the Konya provincial fisheries authority. The lake also holds the invasive asp and large carp introduced in earlier decades.
Euphrates Headwaters — Mahseer Fishing
The Euphrates (Fırat in Turkish) begins in the mountains of eastern Anatolia, near Erzincan and Erzurum, and in these upper reaches the river holds populations of the Mesopotamian mahseer (Tor grypus) — a large cyprinid related to the Indian mahseer, capable of exceeding 25 kilograms. The mahseer is a powerful, deep-bodied fish that takes large flies and lures and fights with a speed and endurance that shocks anglers more accustomed to European species. The area around Keban Reservoir, where the Euphrates widens before the dam, is the best access point; the river above the reservoir in the Erzincan province holds the largest fish. Local guides in Erzincan can arrange float trips.
Black Sea Coast — Bluefish Migrations
The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) migration from the Atlantic into the Black Sea is one of the great annual fishing spectaculars of Turkey. Every autumn from late September through November, vast shoals of bluefish — known locally as lüfer — move through the Bosphorus Strait and fan out along the Black Sea coast. Istanbul's bridges and both shorelines host hundreds of anglers, and the fishing can be extraordinary: bluefish of 500 grams to 2 kilograms attack schools of baitfish with visible surface violence. On the Black Sea coast itself, the towns of Trabzon, Rize, and Samsun have strong fishing traditions; the large bonito (palamut) that precede the bluefish are another prize species.
Atatürk Reservoir — Giant Catfish
The Atatürk Reservoir on the Euphrates in southeastern Turkey is the country's largest reservoir, covering approximately 817 square kilometres. It was completed in 1992 and has matured into an outstanding fishery for wels catfish. The giant size of the reservoir means fish have grown exceptionally; catfish over 100 kilograms — yes, over 100 kilograms — have been reported from the deeper sections near the dam wall, which descends to 169 metres. Boat fishing with live-baited carp is the primary method; Adıyaman on the reservoir's eastern shore is the main access town.
Visstek Martin — Guided Sea Fishing on the Aegean
The Aegean coast of Turkey, running from the Dardanelles south to the Gulf of Antalya, offers some of the finest Mediterranean reef fishing in the eastern basin. Visstek Martin is a fishing guiding operation based in the Bodrum–Marmaris region that specialises in sea fishing for dentex, grouper, and amberjack on Aegean rocky ground in depths of 25 to 80 metres. The clear Aegean water here provides exceptional visibility; drone footage from these trips shows schools of dentex circling reefs in water so clear they look like aquarium fish. Summer months produce the largest dentex; bonito and amberjack run from June through October.
Çevlik Balıkçı Barınağı — Mediterranean Sea Fishing Near Antakya
Çevlik Balıkçı Barınağı (Çevlik Fishing Harbour) is a small working fishing harbour near Samandağ in Hatay province, close to the Syrian border. The harbour sits where the Orontes River meets the Mediterranean, and the nutrient-rich mixing zone supports outstanding bass and meagre fishing. European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to 6 kilograms are taken from the rocky points around the harbour on surface lures after dark, while the deeper water outside the bay holds dentex and large grouper. This southern corner of Turkey's Mediterranean coast sees minimal fishing tourism and offers outstanding quality.
Alabalık Tesisi — Trout Farming Regions of the Black Sea Mountains
Alabalık tesisi means trout farm or trout facility in Turkish, and dozens of such operations run in the cold mountain streams of the Kaçkar Mountains and Pontic range above the Black Sea coast. The Çoruh River valley between Artvin and Yusufeli is the finest wild trout territory in Turkey; brown trout and the native Kaçkar trout inhabit the rapids and pools of this spectacularly scenic gorge. A dam project has impacted the lower Çoruh, but tributaries like the Oltu Çayı and Tortum Çayı retain excellent wild trout above their respective lakes. Fly fishing here requires short, accurate casting into tight bends.
Bosphorus — Mixed Bag Sea Fishing
The Bosphorus Strait connecting the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea is 31 kilometres long and one of the most intensively fished stretches of water in the world. Shore fishing from the Asian and European banks produces horse mackerel, garfish, sea bass, and seasonal bluefish year-round. The autumn lüfer season is the most celebrated event in Istanbul's fishing calendar; boats anchor in the current below the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and intercept the migrating shoals. Fishing licenses in Turkey are issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; annual licenses are inexpensive and available online.
S. S. Yörükler Su Ürünleri Kooperatifi — Cooperative Fishing on Lake Van
Lake Van in eastern Turkey is one of the world's largest soda lakes — highly alkaline and home to only a single native fish species, the darekh (Alburnus tarichi), a cyprinid that migrates to the inflowing rivers to spawn each spring. The Yörükler fishing cooperative operates on the lake and provides access for visiting anglers to the unique spectacle of mass darekh spawning migrations in the Micingirt, Güzeldere, and Bendimahi rivers from April to June. This is not sport fishing in the conventional sense but a remarkable wildlife encounter; nets are used commercially, but rod-caught darekh on tiny flies or small spinners is possible during the spring runs.
Explore on the Map
Turkey's fishing geography is staggeringly diverse — Bosphorus bluefish, Anatolian trout, Euphrates mahseer, and Black Sea giants all within the same national borders. The interactive map makes it possible to plan a coherent route between the Aegean coast, the interior reservoirs, and the Black Sea mountain streams. Find the Çevlik harbour, Lake Beysehir, and the Euphrates headwaters all on Turkey on the map and begin planning a fishing journey unlike any in Europe.