Zanzibar: holiday and fly fishing among corals, starfish, dolphins, turtles and Safari!
Intro
This year with Eleonora for the summer holidays we chose an alternative destination, which is usually chosen during the winter months, Zanzibar. We are in the tropics, but checking the calendar, the winds and the phases of the monsoons, from the end of June the season is good. We decided to book for the end of June and the first 10 days of July 2024.
The forecast said a maximum temperature between 26 and 28 degrees and the wind mainly from the south. Since our base is in the north east we should be covered from the wind.
The thing that makes us most curious is the phenomenon of the tides that everyone has told us about and of which we have read and seen photos in recent months. The area we have chosen should not be affected too much by this phenomenon, but we will see.
At low tide the ocean water retreats away from the shore for hundreds of metres, leaving the seabed uncovered on which you can walk instead of swim, until you reach the reef.
Obviously, all the saltwater fly fishing equipment could not be missing from the suitcase. This is a holiday trip and not a fishing trip, but if a feeding come out on shore do you want to not be ready to cast? And on the island among the various excursions offered, there will be some local who can take us for a few casts from the boat or to visit some reef, flat or sand bank.
As far as equipment and flies are usually, you can read relating to these topics on the Maldives blog, in fact I brought the same things with me, only being lighter in quantity of flies as it was a trip of discovery and not mainly for fishing.
You can find the flies to fish in this spot at the following link:
https://lavezzinifly.it/en/shop?c=saltwater-6491
Story
As soon as we arrive, among the chaos of the airport, we find Said waiting for us and after an hour through the streets of Zanzibar we arrive at our base, the Villa Kiva Boutique Hotel.
The structure is really nice and surrounded by greenery, from the entrance you have a view on the blue ocean and the white sand which is spectacular!
A few minutes on the beach are enough and we immediately meeting various local boys (known by tourists as "beach boys") who offer us various boat trips.
The island offers many itineraries, including snorkeling, dolphins, land turtles, a visit to Stone Town, the monkey forest and the possibility of reaching the continent to do Safari.
As soon as we arrive we are welcomed by the words of the island and of Tanzania: Hakuna Matata!
The sunrises on the island are spectacular, with the sun rising in front and the waves crashing on the reef, the locals fishing for octopus among the corals and the tide which is a really important factor to consider. We go from a beautiful flat with high waves only outside the barrier, to the tide coming in and covering the beach.
The range is really important with a change of circa 3 meters between the low and high peaks, this cycle repeats every 6 hours.
While walking you look how the local fishermen read the tides, in fact they fishing from the beach by casting hook and line and catching garfish and snapper by hand using a traditional technique.
The tide also influences snorkeling trips from the beach, in fact at the high peak it becomes difficult to go out to the corals, you have to find the right moment between halfway up or halfway down.
Starting to understand the times of the tides, on the second day I done the first catches of both small groupers and small snappers while wading between the corals. More than looking at the hour, here you have to look at the tides and read the moments carefully, understanding when and where to be.
After a few blind casts on the reef, the waves got bigger, forcing me to move from that area and therefore from that kind of fishing. Finding myself casting on the inner side I try between the corals, until the tide came in which caused the fish to get active and attack my fly, in this case the Crazy Charlie Tan Orange in size #6, which, having little chain eyes, is excellent in these conditions of not too deep water.
Trying to understand something more about how fishing works in this environment, or rather, what can be done with the fly, we gone with the boat near the reef during high tide. Here between the waves and the boat not ideal for fly fishing, I caught a barracuda! Small, but I had never caught this fish on fly before, it was a great satisfaction!
In addition to his form, he also appear like a true "sea pike" in his attack! I saw the shape start from the coral and follow the fly, it stopped, and on the next strip is on! Ps. Kim I thought to you in that instant!
The fly used in this catch was the Shrimp Tan Orange, which I had fit to search for groupers and snapper between the corals. We know that barracuda prefers imitations of baitfish, but evidently it doesn't disdain shrimp imitations either!
Knowing Abdillah we organized the trip to the protected area of Mnemba Island which was something unique, where we had the chance to see dolphins and swim together!
Furthermore, while snorkeling we saw many types of colorful fish including groupers, trumpet fish, trigger fish and many others.
Outside the protected area, where fishing is allowed, we found feeding and seagulls, but were very fast! Here we really need to say bonito very fast! But very very! Despite the not ideal kind of boat with the roof, the captain tried to put me in a position to cast but these fish were traveling too much so we didn't have time to get into fishing in the right way, in any case it was amazing to observe!
Note that while moving between snorkeling and the typical food restaurant, we spotted a marlin!
During the following days we do other trips to the reef among corals, starfish, fish, sand banks, are wonderful environments!
Among the various excursions we have also included the tour to Zanzibar city to visit Stone Town, the historic centre.
Here, through Musa's guide, we appreciated the city center, typical food and visited the fish and spice market.
We also took the tour to Nakupenda Bis and Prison Island.
The first is a smaller and more distant sandbank than the better known and full Nakupenda, here we enjoyed a beautiful view and amazing crystal clear water. The guys prepared a menù for lunch of fresh grilled fish with octopus, prawns and lobsters which was truly exaggerated! Fresh fruit is a must.
In the second part of the day we visited Prison Island, famous for the population of giant land turtles that populate it. It was wonderful to meet these animals!
To conclude we visited the prison that gives its name to the island and then come back. This is another tour that like Mnemba Island is really nice.
We left the Safari as our last excursion, we had been thinking about it for months and finding ourselves here we said: but when will it happen again? So we booked!
Departure at 5am and we go!
Among the availability of domestic flights, the Nyerere nature park, also known as Selous, was available these days. Here we had one of the most beautiful experiences we've ever had on a trip!
A truly wild environment, infinite spaces, lots of animals and incredible vegetation. Despite their size, the animals have incredible camouflage, both in terms of colors but also in terms of shapes. In fact, trees and branches are often confused with animal shapes!
Animals we saw we can mention: antelopes, giraffes, hippos, warthogs, elephants, lions, wildebeests, buffaloes, crocodiles, hyenas, baboons and a lot of various colorful birds!
We can certainly consider it the most beautiful experience we have had here in Tanzania and we highly recommend doing it to anyone who has the opportunity!
Conclusion
The trip to Zanzibar was one of the best we have done.
Truly exceptional water and land experiences. For those who want to take a trip into the wild it is an ideal environment. As for fishing, this location is famous for big game fishing in the open sea and by testing it myself I understood why!
You can include fly fishing among the various excursions, without having to make a specific trip for this technique. However, if you really want this, I recommend looking for other destinations.
Among the many positive notes, the period chosen. At this time of the season it is winter in Zanzibar, the average temperature was between 25 and 28 degrees and it was comfortable even under the sun in the middle of the day!
Below I leave you with some photos and video of this experience!
To fish together and experience these emotions go to the contact page.
Thanks for reading and see you next time :)
Matteo Lavezzini
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