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Eskimo-style fisher hooks season’s biggest fish in Lake Çıldır
Eskimo-style fisher hooks season’s biggest fish in Lake Çıldır
An Eskimo-style fisherman in northeastern Turkey has caught the biggest fish of the winter season - a freshwater carp of 5.2 kilograms as the fishing season kicked off in Lake Çıldır.
Located on the border of Ardahan and Kars provinces, Lake Çıldır is the second largest lake of the eastern Anatolian region, with an area covering around 123 square kilometers.
The ice layer covering the lake has reached a depth of 60 centimeters due to the severe weather conditions. However, it has lured many ice fishers in the region every winter.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, fisherman Yakup Topkaya said he captured the biggest fish of the season using the Eskimo method with the help of axes, shovels and fishnets.
He said the equipment was needed to break the thick layer of ice covering the surface of the lake.
“I have been doing this job for about 20 years. This is the first time that I caught such a big fish at the beginning of the season,” Topkaya said, adding: “I hope this fish is a sign that the season would be fruitful.”
Both professional fishers and amateurs are highly interested in fishing carp - dubbed “yellow fish” by locals - using the Eskimo method for fishing.
Lake Çıldır is also a very popular tourist destination as tourists to the eastern Anatolian region of Kars ride sleighs on the lake.
The Eastern Express has recently become a highly popular mode of transportation among local and foreign tourists who visit Lake Çıldır. The lake is 1,959 meters above sea level.
Tourists arriving in Kars with the Eastern Express also visit the Cıbıltepe and Sarıkamış ski centers, as well as the ancient city of Ani.
It takes 25 hours for visitors to travel to Kars from Ankara with the Eastern Express. (Photos: Anadolu Agency)
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