Kuwaiti Fishing Calendar: A 12-Month Table

If you want a fast answer to which fish belongs to which month, keep this as your short reference: every month lists the fish you can expect and one quick note on weather and wind. No long explanation, just lines that save you thinking before you load the boat.

The table is a rough guide based on usual trips in Kuwait Bay and along the nearby coast. Water temperature drives everything, and because the Gulf warms and cools in steps, the start of a season can shift a week or two either way. Use it as a starting point and adjust it with what you see on the water.

The 12-month table: fish and weather notes

• January: zubaidi at peak, mullet and saboor; the coldest weeks of the year, shamal winds blow, so fish slow and keep the bait pinned.
• February: zubaidi, mullet, mead; cold continues with spells of rain, check the conditions before you load the boat.
• March: hammour start to open up, saboor and mead; the air warms gradually but the wind stays changeable.
• April: hammour, saboor, kingfish at the tail of the run; the water settles and this is the best month to mix shore and offshore.
• May: saboor, hammour, nagroo; qaiz begins, so fish dawn and avoid the middle of the day.
• June: hammour, saboor at dawn and dusk; heat and humidity, and short trips beat long ones.
• July: hammour in deeper water, saboor at night; peak heat, and the coolest night hours are the most productive.
• August: shrimp season opens, hammour, saboor; hot and humid, and the humidity is heavier than the heat itself.
• September: kingfish start, saboor, shrimp; late in the month the weather improves and the water releases its heat.
• October: kingfish, nisr, shrimp; early autumn is one of the best stretches of the year.
• November: zubaidi begin to move in, kingfish, shrimp; the water cools, and this is the most balanced month overall.
• December: zubaidi, mead, mullet; the cold creeps in, so get your winter gear ready.

What to take from the table before you launch

The table tells you what to target, not exactly when. Pair the month with the tide, because the tide decides the timing inside the day.

• Check sea state and wind in the morning; if the wind is strong, postpone instead of forcing it.
• Pick a tide stage that suits the species; the first of the rise or the first of the fall usually beats slack water.
• Stick to two or three months you know well instead of trying everything.
• Log every trip, and after a year you have your own calendar.

This is where one reference covers you: the B7R app is free on Google Play, with tide tables for Shuaikh and Shuaiba ports, sea state and weather, a fish guide, a catch log, seasons, navigation tools and an SOS button for emergencies.

It changes from year to year

Seasons do not run on a printed date. One year zubaidi arrive early and the next they are late, and kingfish sometimes run hard and sometimes pass quickly. Currents, shamal winds and water temperature all play a part.

The practical rule: start with the table, then let the sea correct you. If a month looks weak, do not cross it off, try a different tide stage or a different mark.

Download the B7R app free on Google Play and keep it with you on every trip: get it here