Perspective: Where are we again?

Article by; Brent Poultney ( African Waters )

Photos by; Brent Poultney, Tim Leppan & Robert Pljuscec

As guiding in South Africa goes, there is no formal training or ways to get into it, you just somehow land in the thick of it. It’s February, year number 5 and season number 15 or 16 guiding for African Waters, I think, somewhere around there and once again I found myself in an airport drinking terrible coffee and eating food that is probably laden with MSG’s, traveling to yet another far-flung African destination. Am I going back, for 3 months, really? It seemed quite daunting at first, no African Waters fly-fishing guides had ever been there for that long, but due to Covid and the current situation, we had to bite the bullet.  Stuffing my face with the cheese-covered slice of whatever that was, it was time to board the flight from Cairo to Port Sudan, here we go, let’s do this. It’s SUDAN TIME.

Let’s go back in Time (The Introduction).

It all started 4 years ago when I was still fairly new to guiding and had just done two Lesotho seasons and one in Tanzania, when I managed to work my way up the ranks in the company and accompanied Stuart Harley, my head guide at the time, to Sudan. When you think of tropical saltwater destinations, you think of palm trees, waves, and getting a “cool tan”. Well, the videos at the time do not prepare you for what you are going to experience at all. From the sights and sounds to the fishing. A culturally rich and diverse hustle and bustle greet you once you enter the streets of Port Sudan, a seaside town, that is the entry point for the various tourist and business activities in the area, namely supply delivery, exports, diving, and sightseeing. Tuk-tuk’s (a 3-wheel passenger vehicle) constantly whiz on by all day long and as you step out of the vehicle you are greeted by smiling people and smells of various spices. A typical friendly North African setting, where markets take up entire streets and you can go from door to door getting your daily goods.

We were now ready to board the vessel the ‘Scuba Libre’ with our 100kgs of gear, we had to sail North, to be able to prepare and start the season. This is where I met Nicola Vitali ( an interesting man, just go look at his story on YouTube) the owner of Wild Sea Expeditions, who paused and said “ Aah another South African” in his thick Italian accent, before turning around and resuming to speak Arabic to one of the crew.

We were abruptly reminded that this was Africa, and everything happens at its own organic pace, waiting for supplies to be delivered, repairs to be made and the crew to assemble. We left 3 days later.

As we made our way out of the port, I remember being mesmerized by how flat the sea was, something foreign to us in South Africa, as well as the hues of blue that I had never seen before anywhere, that stretched along the coastline as far as the eye could see, playing yin and yang with the rugged and stark terrain of the Nubian Desert, just like my relationship with the place. This was an alien place for me, I knew saltwater back home, but this was something different.

To cut a long story short, I basically fell in love with the place. Even though is tests you in every way possible, as a guide, an angler and generally as a person, sometimes to the point where you question why you are there. It is one of those places that you simply have to make time to visit, it creates a true impact in your mind, a sense of exploration and wonder. Every time you head out onto the water you may see something new, I guess that’s why I have been coming back season after season and why I love guiding there.

Why the Love? (In Short)

There are too many reasons to put on paper as to why I love the place so much, here is a little window as to how we see it from a guide’s perspective and why clients are sure to have a memorable experience every time they go there.

The Fishing

· You have endless flats in the North upon which to walk, the tides don’t affect the fishing and have about a three-day turnaround. Basically, you can fish all day long, sight fishing while the light is good, and do some teasing when the light fades.

· There are Triggerfish everywhere, I really mean this, on a good day you can see up to 100 Triggerfish in a day and have 40 shots at least. You can’t beat this anywhere in the world.

· You never know what you are going to get in a day from a fishing perspective, the fish are not predictable, sometimes you find yourself casting to a Triggerfish and a massive Gt swims up to you and you are left with your jaw on the floor. You always have to be ready to move quickly as an angler.

· The quality of sight fishing can be compared to many of the top destinations around the world and it makes up probably around 80% of your fishing during a trip. Now that is my kind of fishing.

· The place has not been completely figured out yet, this is probably the biggest draw card for me. Because we are fishing such a vast area in the North and the South, there is always something new to learn about new places and the fish themselves. Nicola discovered a new place in the North that is incredible, it has been right under our noses and produced two world record Triggers and has a healthy population of GT’s. This is an example of how special the place truly is.

· The Red Sea (Sudan specifically) is probably one of the last remaining areas along the African continent’s coastline that produces fishing of this caliber.

Culturally & Other

· The culture is different from almost anywhere else and is so rich from a historical standpoint. It has the oldest pyramids in the world, among other interesting historical sights.

· The reputation of the place among foreigners has a negative connotation associated with the conflict of the past. Also, they do not realize that North and South Sudan are essentially two different countries. Once you are there is it one of the friendliest places I have visited in Africa, I have had the privilege of going to West and East Africa, Sudan ranks right up there in terms of people being willing to help and being accommodating towards foreigners.

· The Birding that you experience on the coastline and the outer islands is really incredible. For one there are huge breeding colonies of Brown Boobies on some of the islands which is a true sight to behold. The red sea is also positioned along the migratory routes of a number of species ranging from Sooty Falcons to European Bee-eaters. Birds can be seen gathering in huge flocks on the islands taking a break in their arduous journey, which makes for a unique experience while fishing.

The Naughty Twin Sister (The Deep South Fishing). 

In 2019 there was a two-week trip that was run to the Deep South that proved to be one of the best fishing trips in Sudan to date. This created the incentive to establish a fishing season there that would take place in 2020, once again we were greeted with insane fishing on the fly and some of the most spectacular scenery in which to catch saltwater fish. We were quickly into the action and I soon realized that this was a special place. Oceanic and raw, this is hardcore fishing, every day you come back exhausted and fulfilled at the same time, both client and guide alike.

BOOOOOOM, guess what?  Corona decides to pull a hand brake on the fishing season and the planet, and we had to leave after only 3 weeks there. We just started figuring things out, where the Permit congregate, where the GT’s patrol, and just how aggressive the Triggerfish are. We had to sail, drive and managed to make it out on the last flight out of the country, although happy to have made it out, I believed I still needed to go back there and do a full season, I had left a piece of myself there or at least it took a piece from me. I knew I had to return and learn about a place that saw such little pressure and learn about its secrets. For a modern-day fishing guide, this is a rarity because so many places had been explored and guided, but this place had so much more to offer and we just left when we were only on page 3 of the book.

 Finally, the global Corona Virus pandemic had slowed down enough for us to string a season together in 2021, we all had butterflies as we couldn’t actually believe we were being allowed to fly back out there. We had all agreed as guides, that from the get-go we need to try new things to understand the fishery better, as we didn’t know if we would be sent running home prematurely with our tails between our legs. This approach saw an unquestionable amount of success in areas that were previously unexplored and untested which resulted in fish behavior that we had not seen before. Each guide brought strength in their own respective areas and proved that variation equals fish. We saw numerous Doggies being caught on brush flies, Bluefin Trevally, and a host of species being caught by swinging flies from the boat at speed and caught Triggers in various situations that were previously thought to be uncatchable. There is room for even better fishing to be had and knowledge to be learned, species such as sailfish, permit, and milkfish occur in large numbers, but they differ slightly in behavior to their Indian Ocean cousins. This leaves knowledge to be gained by anglers and future guides to figure out further tricks and techniques to capture these fish for years to come, which makes the South a truly special fishery.

Also diving that myself and Tim Leppan had while having some days off in the South were incredible for three reasons. One is that it is diving of that caliber is hard to experience anywhere else on earth, just by how pristine the biodiversity and the reefs are throughout the whole area, one of them being massive schools of hammerhead sharks, one of the highlights of the area. The second reason is that we managed to interweave diving into the clients itinerary where they are able to dive for at least an hour a day while still experiencing enough fishing to satisfy even the most determined angler. Lastly, we gained a perspective that few guides get to have, which was being able to study how the different fish behave within the different island environments from an underwater perspective. This all took into account wind, currents, underwater topography and generally how the fish interact with each other. Information that can be invaluable when targeting these vast different areas.

The South is no pushover, but if one is to depart on this adventure, they are sure to have one of the most memorable fishing experiences of their life. Finding yourself casting to fish in a multitude of situations and different environments will rank up there with any of the best destinations around the world. With an area this new there is always room for even more crazy experiences to take place and the fine-tuning of the experience by Wild Sea Expeditions and African Waters will definitely put this on the map as a premier destination.

Conclusion and Thoughts

This “little sliver”, The Red Sea, from an oceanic perspective, among many other, far-flung marine environments around the world, is constantly in the balance of needing protection from people in terms of pollution and over-exploitation and needing people to bring marine and cultural tourism that supplies the funding for the organization’s to ensure its protection. Like a broken record, the story from most marine sensitive areas is that they are under threat and need our constant help. It is a true privilege to have worked and interacted with this place on so many levels and it is inspiring to see the countries’ military patrol it with such attentiveness that it has allowed for reefs and fish numbers to flourish once more. To such an extent to which the dive instructors such as Francisco Paz and Giulietta Passera as well as Lorenzo Segalini the captain of the Don Questo have vouched for.

It is these stories that can shed light on how we can conserve and enjoy these places at the same time responsibly. One thing is for sure, I will find myself casting to a fish or diving somewhere out there in the Red Sea and its surrounds in the near future.