Representative image
Türkiye
Sea of Marmara Fishing Map
Bluefish, seabass and grey mullet are the main species. In the migration seasons it is the current of the Bosphorus that decides the fishing.
Sea of MarmaraAll 398 grounds on the map
What sets the Sea of Marmara apart?
The Sea of Marmara is a transition basin wedged between two seas, and its range of fish reflects that: the whiting of the Black Sea and the gilthead seabream of the Aegean stand side by side in the same catalog. It is the only sea in Türkiye where the two are recorded together.
What makes that possible is the strait. The cool, low-salinity upper current entering from the Bosphorus and the salty lower current coming in from the Dardanelles leave the sea in two layers. Fish pick one layer or the other according to species.
The rhythm of migration sets the fishing
In the Sea of Marmara the fishing calendar depends less on the season than on migration. Bluefish and Atlantic bonito run up to the Black Sea in spring and come back down in autumn; the real fishing is that downward leg. The month with the most species in the catalog is October, with November second — exactly the window the migration passes through.
So “the season” here is not one single stretch: in April – May the inshore species open up (gilthead seabream, common two-banded seabream, flathead grey mullet), from August on the migrants come in, and until November the two groups overlap.
Bottom structure and technique
The Marmara shoreline is mixed: hard current and rock at the mouth of the Bosphorus, sand and weed along the southern shores, deep muddy bottom in the gulfs. The order of techniques shows it too — the bottom rig and LRF take the first two places, but the sabiki rig holding third says that fishing for shoal fish is still strong.
Along the Bosphorus line, where the current runs hard, getting the weight right is what decides: you cannot work the same rig in a still gulf and in a current.
How it spreads along the coast
The province with the most fishing grounds on record is İstanbul, followed by Çanakkale. Then Balıkesir, Kocaeli and Tekirdağ; the shores of Bursa and Yalova are on the list as well. Being a closed inland sea means every point of the Marmara shore is reachable — unlike the Black Sea, open-water swell rarely stops shore fishing here.
01 / Discover the coast
Sea of Marmara fishing spots 398
Choose a place, explore its details or go straight to its pin on the map.
A total of 398 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 Sea of Marmara?
Meet the species recorded in these waters. Open a species for its techniques, bait and fishing grounds.
Matching species:
Atlantic horse mackerel
Trachurus trachurus
Gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata
Annular seabream
Diplodus annularis
Bogue
Boops boops
Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix
Saddled seabream
Oblada melanurus
Mediterranean horse mackerel
Trachurus mediterraneus
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax
Brown meagre
Sciaena umbra
Common two-banded seabream
Diplodus vulgaris
White seabream
Diplodus sargus
Salema porgy
Sarpa salpa
Picarel
Spicara smaris
Sand steenbras
Lithognathus mormyrus
Striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus
Golden grey mullet
Chelon auratus
Thinlip grey mullet
Chelon ramada
Thicklip grey mullet
Chelon labrosus
Flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus
Leaping mullet
Chelon saliens
European barracuda
Sphyraena sphyraena
Garfish
Belone belone
Mediterranean sand smelt
Atherina hepsetus
Meagre
Argyrosomus regius
Big-scale sand smelt
Atherina boyeri
Black goby
Gobius niger
European flounder
Platichthys flesus
Greater weever
Trachinus draco
European sprat
Sprattus sprattus
European anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
European squid
Loligo vulgaris
European sardine
Sardina pilchardus
Round sardinella
Sardinella aurita
Common smooth-hound
Mustelus mustelus
Common octopus
Octopus vulgaris
Leerfish
Lichia amia
Red mullet
Mullus barbatus
Small red scorpionfish
Scorpaena notata
European hake
Merluccius merluccius
Common sole
Solea solea
Atlantic stargazer
Uranoscopus scaber
Shore rockling
Gaidropsarus mediterraneus
Mediterranean rainbow wrasse
Coris julis
Comber
Serranus cabrilla
Comber
Serranus cabrilla
Tentacled blenny
Parablennius tentacularis
Black scorpionfish
Scorpaena porcus
Turbot
Scophthalmus maximus
Atlantic horse mackerel
Trachurus trachurus
Small-spotted catshark
Scyliorhinus canicula
Tub gurnard
Chelidonichthys lucerna
Atlantic chub mackerel
Scomber colias
European conger
Conger conger
Giant goby
Gobius cobitis
Brown wrasse
Labrus merula
Peacock wrasse
Symphodus tinca
Red scorpionfish
Scorpaena scrofa
Blotched picarel
Spicara maena
Common pandora
Pagellus erythrinus
Whiting
Merlangius merlangus
Shi drum
Umbrina cirrosa
Musky octopus
Eledone moschata
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Atlantic bonito
Sarda sarda
Damselfish
Chromis chromis
Common dentex
Dentex dentex
Sharpsnout seabream
Diplodus puntazzo
Common cuttlefish
Sepia officinalis
Pontic shad
Alosa immaculata
Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus
Common stingray
Dasyatis pastinaca
Painted comber
Serranus scriba
Little tunny
Euthynnus alletteratus
No matching species. Try another name or see every species in the catalog.
In season · October
Sea of Marmara 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 Sea of Marmara in Oct, Nov, Apr — the strip shows how many species are productive in each month.
- 42 Jan
- 43 Feb
- 44 Mar
- 53 Apr
- 53 May
- 47 Jun
- 47 Jul
- 48 Aug
- 53 Sep
- 59 Oct
- 54 Nov
- 45 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 Sea of Marmara month by month
For each month, the species in season — the most seasonal ones first.
- Jan
- Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, European hake, Atlantic stargazer, Whiting, Shore rockling and 36 more species
- Feb
- Pontic shad, Atlantic horse mackerel, European hake, Atlantic stargazer, Turbot, Whiting and 37 more species
- Mar
- Pontic shad, Shi drum, European hake, Atlantic stargazer, Turbot, Whiting and 38 more species
- Apr
- Pontic shad, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Shi drum, Atlantic stargazer, Turbot, Peacock wrasse and 47 more species
- May
- Pontic shad, Atlantic chub mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Shi drum and 47 more species
- Jun
- Atlantic chub mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Peacock wrasse, Brown wrasse and 41 more species
- Jul
- Atlantic chub mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Peacock wrasse, Brown wrasse and 41 more species
- Aug
- Atlantic bonito, Atlantic chub mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Peacock wrasse and 42 more species
- Sep
- Atlantic bonito, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic chub mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny and 47 more species
- Oct
- Atlantic bonito, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic chub mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Damselfish, Little tunny and 53 more species
- Nov
- Atlantic bonito, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Little tunny, Shi drum, European hake and 48 more species
- Dec
- Atlantic bonito, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, Shi drum, European hake, Atlantic stargazer and 39 more species
What bites in the Sea of Marmara 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 396 spots
- Mediterranean horse mackerel Sabiki rig · White, Silver, Clear 98/100 at 391 spots
- Flathead grey mullet Diopatra tube worm 95/100 at 384 spots
- Atlantic bonito Sabiki rig · Silver, Pink, Blue-green back 94/100 at 356 spots
- Gilthead seabream Shrimp 89/100 at 381 spots
- Common two-banded seabream Diopatra tube worm 89/100 at 238 spots
- Leaping mullet 89/100 at 344 spots
- Atlantic horse mackerel 88/100 at 381 spots
- Shi drum 88/100 at 302 spots
- Garfish 87/100 at 332 spots
- Atlantic chub mackerel 87/100 at 276 spots
- White seabream 86/100 at 324 spots
+31 more species
Good
- Thicklip grey mullet
- Grey triggerfish
- Axillary seabream
- Green wrasse
- European squid
- Atlantic stargazer
- Common eagle ray
- Mediterranean moray
- Ornate wrasse
- Common cuttlefish
+27 more species
Weak
- Red mullet
- White grouper
- Flying gurnard
- Blue crab
- Pearly razorfish
- Turbot
- Brill
- Red scorpionfish
- Atlantic lizardfish
- Greater amberjack
+7 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
Bottom30 species
LRF21 species
Float11 species
Sabiki10 species
Spin10 species
Trolling9 species
Jig8 species
Surf6 species
Popping1 speciesShrimp 29Sardine 16Worm 13Fish flesh 12Squid 12Mamun 10Anchovy 9Mussel 9Bread 8Horse mackerel 4Crab 4Live bait 3Sülünez 3Cuttlefish 2Seaweed 2Garfish 2Octopus 1Whiting 1Chicken 1Prawn 1Mackerel 1
Find your tackle ↗
Before you cast
Rules specific to this sea 1
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
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 Sea of Marmara?
73 species are on record in the Sea of Marmara: Atlantic horse mackerel, Gilthead seabream, Annular seabream, Bogue, Bluefish, Saddled seabream, Mediterranean horse mackerel, European seabass and others.
What can you catch in the Sea of Marmara in each month?
The month with the most species in season is October (59 species). By season: winter: Atlantic horse mackerel and European hake; spring: Pontic shad and Shi drum; summer: Atlantic chub mackerel and Damselfish; autumn: Atlantic bonito and Atlantic mackerel.
What can you catch from the shore in the Sea of Marmara?
The easiest species to catch from the shore: Atlantic horse mackerel, Gilthead seabream, Annular seabream, Bogue, Bluefish and Saddled seabream.
Which techniques are used for fishing in the Sea of Marmara?
The most common techniques: Bottom, LRF, Float, Sabiki and Spin.
Which baits are used in the Sea of Marmara?
The most common natural baits: Shrimp, Sardine, Worm, Fish flesh and Squid.
How many fishing grounds are there in the Sea of Marmara?
There are 398 fishing grounds on record in the Sea of Marmara; each has its own page with the location, the species caught and the conditions that suit it.
