A fishing store that sells you a hobby

An expat living in Mecca, Jashim was standing inside Tica Bangladesh, the official distributor of Tica products in Bangladesh. He came here to buy some fishing equipment before heading off to his hometown in Noakhali.

"Fishing has been my hobby for a long time. After watching Tica Bangladesh's videos on Facebook and YouTube, I sent my friends here to buy various fishing equipment. I landed in Dhaka today and immediately came here to buy some myself," he said enthusiastically.  

Shyamal Chandra Biswas has been a regular visitor of Tica Bangladesh for one and a half year. He had come to buy fishing yarn. "My house is on the banks of the Padma River in Faridpur. Since childhood, it has been my hobby to fish in Padma. I regularly buy yarn, rod, hook etc from here."

Growing up in a village in Bikrampur, fishing with their father was the favourite pastime for Mahbubur Rahman and his brothers. Even after growing up, that passion remained intact. 

Mahbubur used to look for fishing opportunities everywhere in the country and abroad and collected various modern fishing tools. In his search for good quality rods and reels, he ended up as a fishing tackle dealer.

Fishing is a serious hobby for many people. Hobbyist anglers (who fish as a hobby) in our country, belonging to different classes and professions, have their own Facebook groups and they often organise various fishing events. The market for fishing equipment is also quite large.

The Chinese brand Tica is preferred by most anglers for their good quality fishing tools. With the help of his two brothers, Mahbubur Rahman opened the Tica Bangldesh office in Mohakhali in 2014. 

"I found the Tica brand while searching for good quality hooks and reels," he said, adding, "around that time, I saw huge interest in Tica's products among Bangladeshi anglers. On the advice of my brothers, I started importing all the modern equipments."

At present, the man responsible for the day-to-day operations of Tica Bangladesh's showroom is Manager Nur Alam, who has been involved in this business for 21 years. 

In fact, before opening the shop, Mahbubur and his brothers used to collect fishing equipment from him and launched their own showroom with his help.

At first, their business began with only fishing rods and reels. Other sophisticated equipment has been gradually added to the cart, including hooks, lines, nets, swivels, tackle boxes, tents, fishing boats etc – everything a hobbyist fisherman would require. Apart from the shop in Mohakhali, they have another showroom in Elephant Road.

Fish baits are also found in the shop. They collect ant eggs from rural areas and store them in refrigerators. Depending on the season, these eggs are sold at Tk1,200 to Tk1,500 per kg. 

Reels cost between Tk1,200-3,000; fishing rods cost between Tk500-2,800; fishing yarns cost between Tk150-400. The price of hooks ranges from Tk10 to Tk60. There are different types of hooks depending on the size and species of the fish. "While going fishing, hunters usually carry 4-5 types of hooks," Mahbubur informed us. 

Popular actor Riaz is one of Tica Bangladesh's regular customers. According to Nur, another celebrity customer of their shop is cricketer Mustafizur Rahman. Various government officials, secretaries, members of the parliament and military officials are also their regular buyers, he added.

Tica Bangladesh gets customers from all over the country through its Facebook page and YouTube channel. "A few days ago, an elderly man from Kurigram bought rods and reels from our shop with the money he managed from selling goats," Nur shared with us. 

"Nowadays, many people give fishing equipment to their loved ones as birthday or anniversary presents. Parents are also trying to make their children interested in fishing to keep them away from drugs and other bad habits. Day by day, the hobby of fishing is growing."

Sales is good from April to October as the rainy season is the optimal time for fishing. But due to less rain, there has been less water in the water bodies this year. For this reason, even during the peak season, business was not good. 

Earlier this year, Mahbubur Rahman and his brothers started an initiative called 'Fish and Play' at their three fisheries in Sakhipur, Tangail. Interestingly, anglers do not have to buy tickets to catch fish here, instead, they have to buy the fish they catch.

Mahbubur said, "If anyone wants, they can spend the whole day fishing at 'Fish and Play' with friends and family. We have two employees there. One of them is a fish hunter at Dhanmondi Lake and a guard always accompanies the guests."

In addition to catching fish, there is a cooking facility in 'Fish and Play'. Many people also choose the place for a picnic spot. For fishing and roaming the site for a full day, the fee is Tk300. 

Before visiting the place, guests must contact and book in advance on their Facebook page. In future, Mahbubur Rahman plans to farm colourful fish for aquariums and species of some big fish. 

According to him, fish breeding is decreasing because water bodies are drying up, pesticides are being used in farming, and fishers are using current nets.

"Despite growing interest, the scope of fishing is diminishing. Water bodies are being destroyed and many species of fish are on the verge of extinction. As amateur fishers, we encourage others to protect the natural environment," Mahbubur said.