From my cabin I was woken by a scuffle outside. It was still early and only half-light outside but already there was some action. A few of the ‘early birds’, were up on deck and getting tackle ready for the day’s fishing. I did not want to miss out so I joined the early morning scuffle. This became the routine for the next 7days. Late nights and early mornings! No one said it was going to be easy.
It was not long before all of the ‘party guests’ where on deck – rod in hand withimpending fun to ensue. The iPod radio was already providing the perfect island tunes and clear skies and windless days lay ahead. Not wanting to be left out, the fish soon started playing their part.
The incredible clear water in the Maldives make it a wonderful place to dive and snorkel but this sometimes plays against fishermen; as the fish very quickly see the difference between the real deal and the lures we were using.
We often had fish racing up to ‘stick bait’ or a ‘popper’ to only at the last second, turn away. The excitement of fishing with surface lures is always the take! There is nothing like watching a big fish racing up to a stick bait and hammering it hard, with water splashing all over the place.
The clear water made it easy to spot fish from a long way off, so it was great fun to hear shouts of encouragement and support from all over when a fish started tracking down a lure. If the angler was able to “convince” Mr. Fish to eat, the whole deck erupted in shouts and high fives. After the fight photos would be taken fish revived and then the story retold. This is what makes this a great pass time. The say a fish has a brain the size of a pea and its memories only last 3 second, yet you spend years remembering that one that got away.
During the remainder of our trip there where many such moments, it was great to be in paradise and enjoy a birthday bash with some mates and on top of it all catching some really nice fish.
We needed some lunch and it was not long before a few Bohar Snappers, found their way to the kitchen, for our Sri Lankan chef to work his magic. The food on this trip was truly amazing and once you’ve seen the tiny little kitchen he worked from, you actually could not believe the quality of food that came from it. With the amount of casting and fishing you do on a trip like this you need the sustenance to keep you going!
We cruised from one little island to the next fishing likely spots, sometimes we were in the company of schools of dolphins and big manta rays. We often anchored down for lunch and then took the time to swim and snorkel, in my opinion this is the way to see this piece of paradise. There are many Five Star resorts in the Maldives, but that means that you stay on one island for the length of your stay. When you do a live-aboard trip you get to see a lot more of the area and are able to explore a lot more.
Back to the fishing….
The clear water called for a change in tactics, the poppers was not as successful as in places like the Musandam in Oman or the Andaman Islands and the fish where wising up.
The large stick-baits where also less successful so it was plan C.
Nick from OCEAN ACTIVE in Dubai was first onto the winning formula. Sizing down his tackle and using a Smith KGS 7,2 Ft rod and a Stella SW 8000 he started casting small Orion stick baits between 40&70g and soon started pulling some really good fish. Bluefin Trevally’s, Giant Trevally’s, Bohar Snappers and groupers all ate these lures.
Some of the other guys change to smaller lures as well and lots of fish where taken.The fishing was really good and lots of fun on the lighter rods. FC casted a needle nose plug and made a few fast retrieves and got rewarded with a nice Bohar Snapper, too big for the dinner table. The change to smaller lures was just what the doctor ordered and more and more fish made a brief visit on deck. It was also interesting to note how certain lures delivered fish early in the mornings but was unsuccessful in the afternoon and vice versa.
I was staring at my fishing bag looking at the large collection of “Big” poppers and “Big” stick baits, and wanting to kick myself for leaving the lighter and smaller stuff at home. But so you learn, what worked a year ago did not work now. Luckily I had some soft plastic baits as a backup.
Whenever we had a change to fish over some of the shallower reef areas we fished light Shimano Aero-cast rods with small 3-7 inch soft plastic lures. This was a lot of fun and once I manage to land six fish (four different species) in six casts using a 5-inch Riptide “Opening Night” Jerk Shad.
Throughout the next week we landed may good fish, the longer the trip went on the more the muscles ached in the mornings when you woke up. I don’t want to even guess how may thousands of cast was made during our time there, but it was worth the effort. I am sure that most of the guys had at least one memory from this trip that will stay with them for a long time. This is another reason this is such a great way of doing a fishing trip.
There was the night we got kicked out of a Marina somewhere in the Northern Maldives for playing board games to loud; there was the night that Cambo and Aqua-boy challenge each other to eating Habanera Chilies; (the following morning just as funny, watching them suffer) They combined later again for a memorable occasion; when a nice big snapper went into the reef one of Cambo’s rather expensive lures. Aqua-boy was asked to retrieve it as a joke. He immediately put on a mask and snorkel jump overboard and disappeared under the surface. He came up a minute or so later with the lure and the fish. This fish was not going to be filled under the one that got away file. One fish caught twice!
There were many more memorable moments some not for the printing press but things that made this a truly fantastic fishing trip, holiday and birthday bash. 
Forty in Paradise, will I do it again? For sure just next time with a lot smaller lures!
About the Maldives:
The islands of the Maldives lie in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, 435 miles South of Sri Lanka. The entire country is made up of 1 192 islands. The temperatures range between 24 and 33 degrees year round, with a dry and wet season (June to August). The best times to visit will be from December to May.
Getting there:
There are various options to get to the Maldives from the UAE we used Emirates Airlines and Air Sri Lankan. Emirates fly daily direct to Male or via Colombo in Sri Lanka. Air Sri Lanka fly daily but only via Colombo. There are also other Airlines that serve the Maldives from other GCC states, check with your travel agent.
Want to do a trip like this?
This entire trip was planned and arrange by Nick Bowles from Ocean Active in the Dubai Garden Center (www.oceanactive.com). It really pays to let the professionals arrange these trips, as there are many things to consider. Nick and his team do wonderful work and I’ve done enough trips with them to trust them with this. Pop in to their shop or e-mail nick@oceanactive.com
Published in June 2011
