Deep Sea Fishing, Kenya

DEEP SEA FISHING

The season starts in late July and runs through to early April.

There are 2 monsoon winds that prevail on the Kenya Coast:

The Kusi (southern monsoon), which blows from April to November.

The Kaskazi (northern monsoon) that blows from late November through to March.

These winds play a big part in the migratory patterns of most Game Fish, therefore different times of the year are better for certain species.

Malindi is world renowned for “Sailfish” which is the smallest yet most acrobatic of the Kenyan Billfish family. Sailfish are great fun with their difficult takes and searing runs. They are found throughout the season, but the best period seems to be October, November and December. The smaller game fish tend to follow a similar pattern to the Sailfish due to their similar feeding habits. One may catch 6 or 7 other species of Pelagic game fish whilst targeting Sailfish or Marlin. The 2004/2005 season saw the most sailfish caught in one day – 24 on one boat and this beat the old record of 22 in one day.

Three of the Marlin family occur on our coast, Black, Blue and Striped. Black Marlin can be found throughout the season. They roam shallow and deep water and have been caught up to 850lbs. The Blue and Striped Marlin inhabit deep blue water. They appear for a short time in August and September, but the most fruitful time is from December to March.

Broadbill Swordfish, the “gladiators” of the sea are caught at night throughout the season; the best time seems to be over the new moon. Kenya’s best night saw 12 Broadbill caught and Kenya’s biggest Broadbill to date was caught in March 2000 weighting 326lbs. Pound for pound the Broadbill is probably the hardest fighting fish in the sea. Kenya sport fishing boats are leading the way in finding new methods for fishing for Broadbill at night.

The Indian Ocean is home to the largest of the Shark family, namely the Great White (never caught on rod and line). Tiger, Bull, Hammerhead, Silver Tip, Black Tip, White Tip, Mako and many others also roam the Indian Ocean. Malindi holds the world record for Silver Tip, Spinner and Black Tip Sharks. Over the last three seasons a new method of fishing for big shark, namely Tigers, has been used and those wanting to fish for these there is a real opportunity to catch a fish of a lifetime.

Yellow fin Tuna, as far as power to size ratio goes, are certainly the strongest fish in the sea. Malindi has experience some incredible Tuna fishing these past three seasons. The biggest to date is a fish of 105kgs although bigger ones have been lost. The Tuna season seems to run from late July through October.

Fly Fishing – for the Fly-Fishing enthusiast Malindi offers many opportunities with Sailfish on fly being one of the ultimate.

One of the best things about fishing the Kenyan waters is the wide range of different species of fish that can be caught. When the billfish are not running as should be there is always a chance for a Giant Trevally (Karambesi), which have been caught up to 50kgs and are one of the strongest fish in the sea. Wahoo, said to be the fastest fish in the sea, with speeds up to 40kph and are a delight to catch. Kingfish, Barracuda, Dorado and Black Runner (Cobia) are just some of the other game fish found in the Kenyan waters. The smaller Kawa-kawa, Skipjack and Frigat Mackerel although used as bait also put up a good fight on light tackle.

Tag & Release of Billfish are encouraged. If the fish is in good condition, the skippers are happy to let them go. All tagging information is then sent to the African Billfish Foundation who then track recaptures. Kenya to date has Tagged more fish than most countries in the world. The furthest is a Striped Marlin caught off Australia.

Drinks are provided on board, packed lunches are not provided and should be ordered through the hotel. Gratuities are not included, if the client’s are satisfied they can leave a tip for the crew, ask the skipper what is a fair sum.

Fishing days can either be short (7hrs) or long (10hrs), normally starting at 6.30am. Clients will be collected from the Driftwood. It is recommended that clients fish long days between January and March in order to target Marlin.

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