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Türkiye
Black Sea Fishing Map
Home to Türkiye's richest waters for anchovy, bonito and horse mackerel. The season opens in autumn and peaks in winter.
Black SeaAll 392 grounds on the map
What sets the Black Sea apart?
Of the seas of Türkiye, the Black Sea is the one that runs in reverse. In the other three, fishing opens in spring and closes in autumn, while here the real season starts as winter comes on: more species in the catalog are at their peak in November and December than in any other month, and July – August is the quietest stretch.
The reason is water temperature and the rhythm of migration. In summer the surface water warms and the fish drop to the bottom; in autumn, as the water cools, shoals of European anchovy move in toward the shore and the predators come after them.
The bottom, and what it does to technique
Most of the Black Sea coast is sand and mud bottom. The rock-and-reef structure of the Aegean and the Mediterranean is very limited here. The consequence shows up directly in the techniques: only two of the species recorded on the site are linked to jigging — jigging comes last in this sea. By contrast the sabiki rig comes third, and in none of the other three seas does it stand out this far.
That the sabiki rig stands out is no accident: for Atlantic horse mackerel, European anchovy and European sprat, which travel in shoals, working several hooks at once is the most productive method. The bottom rig, meanwhile, is the first choice for species that hold on the seabed, such as whiting and turbot.
Month by month
- November – December: the peak of the year. Bluefish, Atlantic bonito and European anchovy are inshore at the same time.
- January – March: whiting and European seabass keep going; European anchovy is still there, but the shoals are breaking up.
- April – June: flathead grey mullet and Atlantic horse mackerel come inshore, and the variety widens.
- July – August: the weakest stretch. The fish are deep and shore fishing gets hard.
- September – October: the Atlantic bonito migration starts and the season opens again.
How it spreads along the coast
The Black Sea shore has fishing grounds on record in fifteen separate provinces, and none of them is clearly ahead of the rest — Samsun, Sinop, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, Kastamonu and Zonguldak are almost level, with five or six grounds each. That follows from a coastline that is straight and unbroken: with no gulfs and no islands, the fishing does not gather in one or two centers but spreads along the whole line.
At the western end, the shores of İstanbul and Kocaeli are the gateway of the strait migration; the bluefish and Atlantic bonito that drop down into the Sea of Marmara in autumn pass through here first.
01 / Discover the coast
Black Sea fishing spots 392
Choose a place, explore its details or go straight to its pin on the map.
A total of 392 grounds; the first 90 of them are below.
Matching grounds:
Show 84 more grounds
No matching grounds. Try another place or explore all grounds on the map.
02 / Species
What can you catch in the Black Sea?
Meet the species recorded in these waters. Open a species for its techniques, bait and fishing grounds.
Matching species:
Atlantic horse mackerel
Trachurus trachurus
Mediterranean horse mackerel
Trachurus mediterraneus
Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix
Garfish
Belone belone
Golden grey mullet
Chelon auratus
Thinlip grey mullet
Chelon ramada
Thicklip grey mullet
Chelon labrosus
Flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax
Leaping mullet
Chelon saliens
European sprat
Sprattus sprattus
European anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
European squid
Loligo vulgaris
European sardine
Sardina pilchardus
Meagre
Argyrosomus regius
Big-scale sand smelt
Atherina boyeri
Black goby
Gobius niger
Striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus
Greater weever
Trachinus draco
European flounder
Platichthys flesus
Atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda
Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Brown meagre
Sciaena umbra
Black scorpionfish
Scorpaena porcus
Tentacled blenny
Parablennius tentacularis
Giant goby
Gobius cobitis
Shi drum
Umbrina cirrosa
Red mullet
Mullus barbatus
Common sole
Solea solea
Tub gurnard
Chelidonichthys lucerna
Atlantic chub mackerel
Scomber colias
Pontic shad
Alosa immaculata
Common smooth-hound
Mustelus mustelus
Shore rockling
Gaidropsarus mediterraneus
Picarel
Spicara smaris
Turbot
Scophthalmus maximus
Atlantic horse mackerel
Trachurus trachurus
European conger
Conger conger
Whiting
Merlangius merlangus
Common stingray
Dasyatis pastinaca
No matching species. Try another name or see every species in the catalog.
In season · October
Black Sea fishing calendar
Species with a productive season this month. Seasonal data is a guide, not a guarantee of a catch.
Species counts peak in the Black Sea in Nov, Dec, May — the strip shows how many species are productive in each month.
- 36 Jan
- 35 Feb
- 36 Mar
- 36 Apr
- 37 May
- 35 Jun
- 34 Jul
- 34 Aug
- 34 Sep
- 35 Oct
- 38 Nov
- 38 Dec
The height of the strip is the number of productive species in that month; it is not a guarantee of a catch. The turquoise column is the current month.
What is caught in the Black Sea month by month
For each month, the species in season — the most seasonal ones first.
- Jan
- Atlantic horse mackerel, Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel and 30 more species
- Feb
- Atlantic horse mackerel, Whiting, Shore rockling, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish and 29 more species
- Mar
- Atlantic horse mackerel, Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel and 30 more species
- Apr
- Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel and 30 more species
- May
- Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel and 31 more species
- Jun
- Turbot, European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish and 29 more species
- Jul
- European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish, Garfish and 28 more species
- Aug
- European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish, Garfish and 28 more species
- Sep
- European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish, Garfish and 28 more species
- Oct
- Atlantic horse mackerel, European conger, Picarel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Bluefish and 29 more species
- Nov
- Atlantic horse mackerel, Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, European conger, Picarel and 32 more species
- Dec
- Atlantic horse mackerel, Turbot, Whiting, Shore rockling, European conger, Picarel and 32 more species
What bites in the Black Sea this month
Ranked by this month’s research score at the spots of this sea. Bait: first choice in the sea’s typical water (Slightly coloured).
Very good
- Bluefish Stickbait · White, Silver, Clear 98/100 at 388 spots
- European seabass Topwater lure · White, Silver 95/100 at 390 spots
- Mediterranean horse mackerel Sabiki rig · White, Silver, Clear 94/100 at 312 spots
- Atlantic bonito Sabiki rig · Silver, Pink, Blue-green back 93/100 at 230 spots
- Flathead grey mullet Diopatra tube worm 92/100 at 380 spots
- Common two-banded seabream Diopatra tube worm 91/100 at 4 spots
- Little tunny 87/100 at 4 spots
- Comber 87/100 at 1 spots
- Leaping mullet 85/100 at 299 spots
- Pompano 85/100 at 4 spots
- Blue runner 85/100 at 4 spots
- Golden grey mullet 81/100 at 299 spots
+21 more species
Good
- Peacock wrasse
- Atlantic stargazer
- Painted comber
- White trevally
- Round goby
- Mediterranean moray
- Striped red mullet
- Knout goby
- Bluespotted cornetfish
- European conger
+31 more species
Weak
- Red mullet
- White grouper
- Turbot
- Brill
- Red scorpionfish
- Atlantic lizardfish
- Flying gurnard
- Pearly razorfish
- Blue crab
- Bullet tuna
+2 more species
A 0–100 score from season, water temperature, habitat and local records; a general trend, not a guarantee.
Your coastal field guide
Techniques & bait
Bottom15 species
LRF11 species
Sabiki9 species
Spin8 species
Float5 species
Trolling5 species
Surf4 species
Jig2 speciesShrimp 16Worm 11Fish flesh 10Anchovy 8Mamun 6Sardine 5Bread 4Horse mackerel 3Squid 3Mussel 3Live bait 2Garfish 2Octopus 1Whiting 1Cuttlefish 1Sülünez 1Chicken 1Prawn 1Crab 1Seaweed 1
Find your tackle ↗
Before you cast
Rules specific to this sea 2
Taken from the communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, not summarized. What binds is the official publication.
Regional closed season
Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.
Legal basis: 6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6 communiqué text
Regional closed season
Catching and retaining are prohibited during the stated period.
Legal basis: 6/2 md. 11/7 – Çizelge 6 communiqué text
Before you cast
Species closed to fishing
This list applies to every sea, not to this one alone. The catalog holds 53 protected species in total; if one takes your hook, return it to the sea unharmed.
Mediterranean monk sealCushion coralAlakır troutBluntnose sixgill sharkBatman loachWhite gorgonianWhite gorgonianOceanic whitetip sharkGreat white sharkBasking sharkTope sharkSmooth hammerhead
All 53 protected species ↗
Frequently asked
What can you catch in the Black Sea?
40 species are on record in the Black Sea: Atlantic horse mackerel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Bluefish, Garfish, Golden grey mullet, Thinlip grey mullet, Thicklip grey mullet, Flathead grey mullet and others.
What can you catch in the Black Sea in each month?
The month with the most species in season is November (38 species). By season: winter: Atlantic horse mackerel and Whiting; spring: Turbot and Shore rockling; summer: European conger and Picarel; autumn: Mediterranean horse mackerel and Bluefish.
What can you catch from the shore in the Black Sea?
The easiest species to catch from the shore: Atlantic horse mackerel, Mediterranean horse mackerel, Bluefish, Garfish, Golden grey mullet and Thinlip grey mullet.
Which techniques are used for fishing in the Black Sea?
The most common techniques: Bottom, LRF, Sabiki, Spin and Float.
Which baits are used in the Black Sea?
The most common natural baits: Shrimp, Worm, Fish flesh, Anchovy and Mamun.
How many fishing grounds are there in the Black Sea?
There are 392 fishing grounds on record in the Black Sea; each has its own page with the location, the species caught and the conditions that suit it.
