Fri 30 Jul 2010, 8:01

SeaShell Travel Seychelles

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Fishing in Seychelles

You do not have to venture far from Seychelles’ shores to break fishing records in the archipelago. International sport and recreational fishermen enthusiastically return each year to these waters that already boast world records for stripped bonito, bonefish, giant guitarfish, bigeye trevally, bluefin trevally, giant trevally, moustache grouper, humhead maori wrasse and dogtooth tuna.

under the sea

Seychelles has some of the richest fishing grounds in the world. The abundance of wahoo, sailfish, dorado, tuna, rainbow runner and trophies such as marlin, make for an unforgettable big-game fishing experience for both the seasoned and novice fisherman alike.

Traditional bottom-fishing produces a dazzling array of grouper, job fish, snappers and emperors, rewarding you with some of the finest tasting fish on offer anywhere in the world.

Seychelles has become the epicenter of salt-water fly-fishing and casting your fly lines on the magnificent shallow flats of the Outer Islands will afford you the chance of landing several energetic silver bonefish to challenge the record books. Blue-water fly-fishing is also becoming increasingly popular, providing the ultimate challenge of landing large pelagic fish on relatively light tackle.

Fishing types

Whether you are an experienced sports fisherman or an enthusiastic beginner, you will be thrilled by the opportunities that Seychelles’ fish-rich waters offer.

Try your hand at big-game fishing and the unforgettable experience of trolling in pristine, azure waters from a range of modern fishing boats. Experienced crew will help you exceed your fishing expectations beyond your imagination.

Alternatively, you can try fly-fishing in the shallow waters surrounding the Inner Islands or even practice the art of blue-water fly-fishing.

The traditional technique of bottom-fishing will land you a catch of spirited coral-reef fish and grace your table with some of the tastiest fish in the world.

Meanwhile, Seychelles’ Outer Islands offer the experienced fisherman the opportunity to enter the record books in remoter waters, far from the more commonly visited fishing grounds.

Big-game fishing in these virgin waters provides the ultimate challenge as does fly-fishing from the fish-rich flats of the St. Francois, Poivre and d’Arros atolls.

Blue-water fly-fishing in the waters surrounding these lost island worlds can yield extraordinary results as can bottom-fishing expeditions in the deeper waters where the monster coral fish dwell.

Not to be missed is the excitement of night-fishing for pickhandle barracuda or shark off a variety of island locations.

Fishing Seasons

In Seychelles, fishing can be enjoyed on very much a year-round basis that is divided into specific seasons, each one suited to a specific type of fishing and each one full of promise for the expert fisherman and novice alike.

For instance, big-game fishing is an all year-round activity, whereas the months of November to May are more appropriate for bottom-fishing and fly-fishing.

Throughout Seychelles the ocean is subject to currents with speeds of 0.5 up 1.5 Knots that develop with trade winds. There are two opposing wind patterns in Seychelles, blowing seasonally either north-westerly (December to March) or south-easterly (May to September).

The north-westerly trades often have intermittent rain squalls and stronger winds during the period December to March. These are sometimes associated with the presence of tropical cyclones over the south-west Indian Ocean. Luckily, however, all of Seychelles’ islands lie well outside the cyclone belt, with the exception of the most southerly outer islands.

The south-easterly trades are drier and tend to blow more consistently throughout the day and into the night, reaching its peak in July/August.

In the months of April and November there are calm and sometimes windless periods when the trade winds change direction. These light and variable wind periods are accompanied by calm seas and clear waters.

The effects of the tides are more noticeable within the Inner Islands than the ocean currents and are generally less than a knot, increasing up to 2 knots in channel between islands or close to underwater ridges.

Tides are semi-diurnal and asymmetrical with about 6 hours between high tide and low tide. The tidal range around the Inner Islands can get as high as 2 metres at spring tides and as low as 0.9 metres at neaps. Tides give rise to currents that can be strong in the channels leading to lagoons, which may empty completely at low tide.

Swells are generally moderate with waves of up to 1 to 2 metres becoming higher only in strong winds on open water.

Currents and upwelling moderate with waves of up to 1 to 2 metres becoming higher only in strong winds on open water.

Currents and upwelling around Amirantes Bank often cause choppy conditions in s small area.

Weather forecasts are available by calling Seychelles Radio (coast station) on VHF channel 16 and normally switching up to channel 26. Boats may also place a radio link call via Seychelles Radio.

Equipment Rental and Purchase

One of the advantages of fishing in Seychelles is that no fishing license is required for recreational fishing.

While there are a few retail outlets that cater for the basic needs of the fishermen, visiting fishermen should bear in mind that local fishing tackle shops may not be as common as they may be used to back home and may not stock favorite items or brands. In order to avoid disappointment, it is advisable to bring along an adequate supply of tackle as there are no specialized fishing equipment hire or servicing establishments.

Nevertheless, each charter operator will cater for their individual fishing charter. We advise professional fishermen to check equipment availability with their fishing trip operator prior to booking.

Air Seychelles offers a free sporting equipment allowance of 10kg, which applies to diving, golf, fishing and surfing equipment. The equipment is weighed separately and if the weight is less than 10kg no supplement will be payable. If the weight exceeds 10kg, the equipment is added with the other checked luggage and any excess weight above the specified baggage allowance will be payable. To profit from the sporting equipment allowance on connecting flights to Praslin, visitors must travel exclusively with Air Seychelles and the Praslin sector must be reproduced on the same ticket as your international sector.