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Fishing in Beirut, Lebanon! Lots of pics...


ccmtcanada

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I am typing this report from Beirut, Lebanon...I fly back home to Canada on Friday. The first time I came here I didn't have any spare time as work took up every moment. This time however I had a weekend with nothing to do, so of course the first thing I did was look up fishing charters in the area.

 

I found one on the web...a charter outfit with the Dbaye Fishing Club. My day started out at 530 am, when a taxi was to take me to the marina where they are located. It's always interesting trying to communicate with the locals here...especially if they don't speak English. Anyhow, the driver had no idea where the marina was, so he pulled over a few times to ask directions. A few times he stopped and asked the military who were stationed along the streets. It's a little un-nerving having someone armed with a semi automatic weapon lean inside the cab to talk. Eventually we found our way, and I was greeted by my captain for the day. After some traditional Lebanese coffee, we headed out to the boat. They have all new center console boats...with some serious motors attached to them. Here's a pic...

10boat.jpg

 

As we pulled out of the marina, the sun was just coming up...an amazing sight...seeing the sun come up over the mountains of Lebanon.

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As the sun came up, it was apparent that shore fishing is alive and strong in this coastal Mediterranean community.

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There was a little mis-communication in what fish I wanted to target. I wanted what they call King fish (Tuna) or Jackfish...some strong fighting fish that are in the 10 to 20 pound range. After seeing the setup my captain was giving me (light gear), I questioned him. He said that to get those fish, you had to fish at night. I was a little annoyed, but decided to make the best out of my situation. As it turned out, I was fortunate because for the first time in a few months, they had rain...and a lot of it...and yes at night. Rain I can deal with...it's always warm here (overnight temps of 25C), but what ended up happening was Thunderstorms Friday and Saturday night...pretty much all night long. If I had my charter booked one of those nights, they would have been cancelled!

 

Anyhow, on to the fish. I felt like I was fishing out the tropical fish tanks at most pet stores in my area! Great looking fish...all panfish sized...in an array of colours and shapes. I basically bottom fished...using shrimp as bait on smaller hooks. All the fish were caugh fairly deep to...in about 40 to 60 feet of water. The only fish I recognized was a puffer fish. I went to take it off the hook when suddenly it expanded! It was pretty cool to see. Didn't get a picture of it in that state, but here it is...

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I asked the captain what all the other fish were, but he gave me the Arabic names...and I gave up trying to memorize them...lol. Here are the pictures....

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I even managed to spot a jellyfish...the first time I've ever seen one up close like this. I thought I was fishing locally...at first it looked like a clear plastic bag...LOL.

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It's a great area to fish...the scenery is pretty amazing. I had to remind myself that I was actually the Mediterranean Sea!!

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You can make out a statue at the top of the mountain in the distance here. It's called "Our Lady of Lebanon"...and huge statue of the Virgin Mary, put in place by the French in the early 1900's.

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All in all, it's a pretty amazing place to fish. The scenery is amazing, and the fish you can catch are unlike any species from Ontario. If I get sent back here in the future, I'll book a trip at night...and go for these guys...the fish I was hoping to get!

King_Fish_Silver_Pomfrets_Tuna.jpg

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An excellent report Cliff!!! :Gonefishing::thumbsup_anim:

 

... but it looks like your captain didn't know diddley-squat about fishing. You were fishing the coral reef and caught the bait.. you just didn't send it back down for the bigger ones!

 

04fish.jpg

This some type of small Jack (maybe Jack Crevalle)... send him back down to the bottom on a heavier rig for Grouper, Snapper, and maybe a 'Cuda.

 

05fish.jpg

... another good baitfish, this one has lots of flash with the silver sides on it!

 

06fish.jpg

Squirrelfish, throw it back and be careful handling it, they're loaded with sharp spines!

 

07fish.jpg

Blanc Sea Bass, another excellent bait!

 

Your captain was also full of the stuff that stinks about fishing at night for the Tuna where y'all were fishing. Tuna fishing is good at night... but in 600 FOW!!!... and you need to out to 200 FOW for good Amberjack fishing.

 

I'm not trying to be a damper on your report or trip, just trying to help for next time. The next time you book a trip, ask how deep the water will be that you'll be fishing in and what will you be fishing for before you give them your money.

 

I really enjoyed your report, and it makes me want to haul- :asshat: down to the coast and catch some bait to send down for a big'un!!!

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Great report and pics Cliff :thumbsup_anim:

Sorry to hear that the charter you had booked wasn't what you had plan.... certainly a bummer but you still caught some species of fish that you had never caught before which is awesome and very colorful B)

 

I'm sure you'll lay down the specifics next time around!!!

Thanks for sharing

Leechman

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Wow .. thanks for the report Cliff... it took me back to the days when we lived in Malta ... not all that far up the Med from where you were ... what I can definitely tell you from my experience is that those mackerel / tuna family are VERY active in the morning and daytime ... not just at night ... this time of year you should also have been able to chase after Lumpuki ... which are also known around the world as Mahi Mahi or Dorado or Dolphin fish depending on who you ask ... they will chase almost any sort of streamer pattern and the secret is to get out a mile or two or three and look for floating debris ... they like the shade ... anyhow thanks again for the report boy you really got me reminiscing about how much I love the med.

 

Just for the record there are also swordfish, grouper, barracuda, amberjack and big-ass Tuna in those parts ....

Edited by camillj
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Thanks everyone! If I had more time to research and get to know some of the charters in the area, I'm sure it would have been a better kind of outing, but to be honest, I still had a great time out there. I just needed to get out of the hotel room, and a cruise on the Mediterranean did the trick!

 

If I get sent back here for work again, I'll know more...and look into more places...as it was, the one I found was the only outfit I could actually find on the internet for the area. I have seen more fishing clubs and charters since I've been here though...

 

Back in Canada Friday evening...going to be good to be home again.

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