The Adventure Starts Here

Fishing in the Maldives

The Dave Lewis fishing holiday Experience…

SPECIAL ESCORTED DEPARTURE WITH DAVE LEWIS, 21st January 2012. Cost £2545 pp (plus flights).

Just 2 places available...

8 nights accommodation 6 full days fishing. Fully guided.

In recent years I have been fortunate and travelled to fish at many truly magnificent destinations around the world, but in all of my travels I have yet to find somewhere that has inspired me as much and left me with such an intense desire to return as the remote, exotic and truly idyllic Indian Ocean Atolls that are the Republic of The Maldives. Well known as a luxury tourist destination with many top quality resorts and hotels, the fishing operation I experienced is generally located around the extreme southern end of this mid-ocean Atoll chain at South Huvadhoo Atoll.

Almost an hour's flight south of the capital Male, just north of the equator, the trip is based aboard a five star mother ship operation, the 'Sultan of Madivaru', which moves around remote and invariably uninhabited islands to locate the very best fishing of the moment.

Fishing is either aboard a large purpose built 'Dhoni' that provides an ideal and stable platform or two small skiffs. Angling options consist of jigging in the deep water adjacent to the deep drop offs outside of the coral reefs, casting surface poppers either within the sheltered lagoons inside the Atoll or again in the deep blue waters outside the reef, trolling lures or baits, saltwater fly fishing either wading extensive virgin flats or aboard the smaller skiffs, or fishing cut bait; what else is there?!

Likewise there is a truly huge selection of fish to be targeted; during my all-too-short week I guess we saw around 30 different species. Jigging typically produces a variety of hard fighting snappers, groupers and other reef fish along with the main players that include hard fighting dogtooth tuna, various species of trevally, including GTs, tuna and even, occasionally, bill fish. Casting surface poppers is an exhilarating way to catch GTs that can exceed 100lb, plus dogtooth tuna, snapper and groupers and perhaps best of all, the incredibly hard fighting yellowfin and big eye tuna that are so prolific in these rich, unspoilt tropical seas.

Trolling will produce all of the usual pelagic species one can expect to catch in tropical oceans around the world, notably dorado, wahoo, various species of tuna, barracuda and, of course, bill fish including very large sailfish and both black and blue marlin. It is NOT uncommon to raise 4/5/6 sailfish at a time with sails coming close to the boat. Flyfishing for sailfish is an option.

FISHING; Surface popping and vertigal jigging. This is ultimate sportfishing and you really have to put in the effort, but the rewards are there. It is intense and physical fishing in the extreme. Good fly fishing and drop shot fishing off the more sheltered inn atol islands offers a more relaxing sport. We have experiences GT's to 90 pounds, Wahoo to 50 pounds and Sailfish to 150 pounds.

Maldives Sample Itinerary

Special Departures for groups of 1 to 12 persons. You may either join one of our group departures or pre-book your own group exclusively. The ideal group size is 8 to 12 persons. Maximum 10 for serious all male anglers or 12 if couples. This fishing adventure cruise is ideal for anglers and spouses.

The flats fishing is truly stupendous, again for a wide variety of species that typically include many types of trevally, trigger fish and even bone fish and the elusive milk fish. As for fishing cut bait, the honest answer is I just don't know... I ran out of time!. The Maldives Adventure caters for all styles, popping, jigging, drop shot fishing, trolling and fly fishing.. The Maldives has it all.
The accommodation and food are fantastic; the climate perfect; the boat crews excellent; the snorkeling as good as it gets anywhere; and we barely saw an insect let alone got bitten by one! If anyone knows a more complete angling destination for what can only be described as a world-class fishing vacation, please let me know!

Includes

Fully guided from Male. Full board on ship. Specially designed fishing boats and tour guide. All trolling tackle. Includes domestic flight to south atol region. We occasionally access the north atoll region (cruise).