Thanks to the fact that waters of Kukkónia are rich in fish, fishing was a native occupation in the region, playing an important role in the life of Hungarians even before the conquest. This is indicated by our words hal, víz and háló (fish, water and net), which our ancestors brought along from their homeland into the Carpathian Basin. Rye Island branches of the Danube and its surrounding branches provided a living for many people.
Initially, people who lived in the region relied on the natural richness of waters and entrusted themselves to the graces of the Danube. Soon however, artificial fish farming also appeared. In Rye Island ponds, fish were raised for royal and aristocratic tables. Fishing rights were supervised by the king. Fishing flourished especially after the church erased fish from the meat ban list. In Rye Island, two well-known fishing centers were established: Komárom and Somorja. Fishermen, similarly to other craftsmen, gathered in guilds.
Once the most valuable fish in Rye Island waters was the Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso in Latin, and viza in Hungarian) which floated upstream from the sea into the quiet tributaries of the Danube. These massive giants were not simple to catch. The so-called vejsze was a special beluga-catching tool, pounded from reed and beaten into the mud at the bottom of the water. Once the fish swam into its labyrinth, it found no way out. Famous beluga traps of Rye Island were in Gúta, Szap and Aszód. The meat of this gian fish was a popular and expensive delicacy: the fish caught here were transported on carts to the butchers of Vienna, and served on the rulers' tables.
The number of belugas floating upstream on the Danube however, has decreased lately: animals were deterred by the noise of steam ships and other creations of the modern world. The last time a representative of these sea giants was seen around here, was in the waters of Baka, during the Second World War.
The exceptional abundance of the different species of fish in Rye Island waters, required a variety of fishing methods. Fishermen knew the fish well, having observed their way of life and behavior. They fished with a so-called varsa, a funnel basket trap, but also with various nets, and hooks. One of the most interesting methods is the so-called „kuttyogató”-fishing, used for rattling to catch a catfish. Sitting in his boat, a fisherman pinned a frog on his hook, then hung the bait in the water, and with his rattle, he gently splashed the water, producing a noise resembling the characteristic sound of frogs. The deceived catfish swam toward the noise and then bit the bait.
