If you fish in Kuwait, you know some days the fish bite and other days you go home empty-handed. Often it's not luck — it's the season and the tide. This guide walks you through the Kuwait fishing calendar season by season, so you know when to go and what to target.
Winter, roughly November to February, is one of the best seasons in Kuwait. Cooler water pushes schools of fish closer to the coast, and that's when zubaidi — the most prized fish on the local market — shows up in numbers. Subaiti and sheem are active too, making winter the season for premium catches.
Early morning is your best window. Many anglers head to the shallows and islands near Kuwait Bay, where zubaidi feed. Use fresh bait and be patient — these fish are worth the wait.
From March to May, the water warms and fish activity picks up noticeably. Spring is peak time for shaeri, a firm favourite among Kuwaiti anglers. Longer daylight and comfortable weather mean you can fish almost any time of day and still get action.
Kuwaiti summers are brutal, and the fish know it. From June to August they move to deeper, cooler water to escape the surface heat. The smart play is to launch early or late in the day. Hamour (grouper) and kingfish are the stars of summer, and both put up a serious fight.
Summer also means heavier gear and more patience. Target the deeper ledges where hamour hold, or switch to night fishing when the air cools and fish come closer to the surface.
September and October bring relief from the heat, and the fish respond. As they feed up before winter, autumn offers steady, varied catches — often several species in one trip — and it leads into Kuwait's most loved event: shrimp season.
Shrimp (robyan) season is a cultural highlight. Families across Kuwait take part, fresh local shrimp is everywhere, and night fishing in shallow waters is the go-to method — a great way to get beginners hooked.
The single biggest factor in Kuwaiti fishing is the tide. Fish feed most actively an hour or two before and after high tide, and the strongest movement happens around the full and new moon. Those days consistently produce the best catches — which is why some days everyone comes back loaded and the next day nobody catches a thing.
Plan around the moon phase, then fine-tune with the tide times for your chosen day. For the best day of the month, aim right after the full moon or just before the new moon.
Here's the year at a glance:
To pick the perfect day, use the B7R app. It gives you tide times for Shuwaikh and Shu'aybah ports, sea conditions, a fish guide, a catch log, fishing seasons, navigation tools and an SOS emergency button — all free on Google Play.
Ready for your next trip? Download the B7R app and start planning your season. Get it on Google Play.