Ege and Mediterranean Fishing Baits
Madya
One of the most useful baits in the summer months. To obtain it, one dives with goggles and searches, or it is tied to a bone with a string and thrown into the sea from a pier. The string is pulled early in the morning, and the mussels that have gathered on the bone are collected. Mussels broken with a hammer are used without needing to be dried. Due to its tough flesh, it is not spoiled by small parasitic fish and is extremely useful for catching large fish.
Sülünez
Generally obtained by collectors, it is collected by inserting a stick into the holes in the sand. It is a thin, long, shelled bait. It is used after being cleaned and lightly dried. Mamun Found in muddy delta areas where streams and rivers flow into the sea. It is somewhat laborious to collect; the selected area is surrounded by a net, and dug with a shovel. This area is about waist-deep, approximately 1 meter deep. The fleeing mamuns from the dug area stick to the net and are collected with a scoop. Mamun is used in all kinds of fishing, from sea bass to gilt-head bream; it is preferred to be used live. Crab is the bait for gilt-head bream fishing; it is collected with a scoop in rocky areas, especially at night. However, the crabs to be collected should be thumbnail-sized and kept on a sponge moistened with seawater in a plastic box. If we let them sit on a sponge with fresh water one day and salt water the next, their shells soften, and they are easily attached to the hook. Chicken meat is almost the main bait in the Mediterranean and Aegean; it is salted, stored in the freezer, and cut into small pieces to be used as bait. While preparing this, I process shrimp meat in a food processor and keep the chicken meat I cut for bait in this mixture in the freezer for 2 days. After salting, I lightly dry it and use it. This way, I have chicken meat that smells like shrimp. Sea anemone Collected by diving with goggles around pier legs or rocky areas. When broken and used, it has a tough flesh like madya; it is an ideal bait for catching black bream and sargos. Çimçim or Teke In the Mediterranean region, it is usually found in seaweed beds where the river flows into the sea and is collected with a scoop. It can also be obtained from fish tackle shops and is effective for catching sargos, black bream, and gopez. Sea cucumber Found on the sea floor; after peeling off the outer shell, the fleshy part inside is sliced and used.
