Spearfishing in Armenia

[hyeparis]

I have just come back from a trip to Armenia, my homeland. Prior to the trip I had my cousin - who lives there - contact the customs and police there to inquire whether I can take spearguns with me and spearfish in the deep mountainous lake of Sevan, which is best known for trouts, ciscos and crawfish.
Both customs and police said it is ok to bring the guns as long as it rubber band guns. I took just one - 70 cm Beuchat. I didn't even take any papers on the guns with and I didn't have to apply for a visa since I am a Russian citizen. But even I had to - it is easy - visas get stamped right at the airport for 30 bucks or smth.
It takes 35 minutes to get from the capital of Armenia to the sandy shores of the Sevan by car. The highway is quite a good one - no holes or anything and the landscape is beautiful, albeit a bit burnt by the sun.
I have visited the Sevan thrice, each time rending a motorboat for about 25 usd per hour to roam the lake. I stayed on the right side - cause the wind was not as strong there while that shore also has white sand and green water for my family to enjoy. The food and drinks were real cheap even at shoreside restaurants - a meal would cost you less than 20 bucks and beers are like 50 cents a bottle or smth.
Unfortunately, the wind was still very strong and therefore visibility was about meter and a half at the surface near the shore. It does clear up to about 2 and a half meter at the bottom if the depth is 4 meters or more. I failed to find the place where I spotted nice trouts when diving 2 years ago - the water went up some 2 meters since then and I could not remember the shore since the rocks must had gone under water.
On the third and last day of my Sevan trips I found a good small harbor with depths of five to seven meters and bottom covered with kelp with sunken bushes and small trees on the sides. The bay is where the Razdan river outflows from the Sevan.
I managed to spear a couple of ciscos there as well as what what looked like small crucians there. On all three days I collected crawfish, which along with trouts, are prized all over former Soviet Union with crawfish even exported to EU. Real tasty stuff, especially when served with local beers - Kilikia or Cotaik.
Unfortunately, I could not find the trouts which local fishers have told me are lurking deeper than ciscos and are more commonly found in the bigger part of the Sevan while the smaller one attracts less fish since it is where all folks go to sunbathe, swim and ride aqua bikes. But I am sure, if I go there again, I will be able to spare time for checking out that bigger part of the Sevan. Unfortunately my camera sank off the Portugese coast in May so I cannot offer you any pics. But here is a link to info and photos of the Sevan.
Lake Sevan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Adrian]

Thanks, I'd never associated Armenia with spearfishing before, pity about your camera, we would have enjoyed your photos as well.