Socotra October Season - Extreme Itinerary, No1

Dec 16

The bad weather from the previous week persisted for several days and worsened to the point that, in some villages, boats were pulled out of the sea for safety. This week, we moved to a new area that is more sheltered due to the wind direction. Thankfully, it’s somewhat more protected here, but the sea is still rough and challenging.

This trip was composed by the Malaysian team, led by our great friend Eidi from Anglers Garage.

The first three days were particularly tough due to relentless winds, peaking at 20 knots. The strong ocean currents created swells over 3 meters long, turning shallow areas into a deadly “washing machine.” Conditions were far from enjoyable, but honestly, better than I had anticipated.

Despite the harsh weather, the fish were active. However, fishing near structures wasn’t an option due to the dangerous swell. Instead, we worked calmer spots, gradually finding success as we landed some solid fish.

The sea began calming down a bit each day. By day three, conditions had improved enough to make fishing easier. On day four, we were finally blessed with stable weather, allowing us to venture further out and explore more distant fishing spots. That’s when the results started coming fast!

In our group of five anglers, three were experiencing their first-ever GT (Giant Trevally) trip. They all succeeded in landing their dream fish, and they were absolutely mind-blown. The two seasoned anglers, Eidi and Mohamed (a.k.a. the “Malaysia Tiger”), had an excellent run, each catching several GTs, with the largest weighing up to 40 kg.

The fish this trip were relatively uniform in size, ranging between 32–40 kg.

The highlight of the trip: A massive 200 kg Black Marlin struck a popper and gave us a 3.5-hour battle before the line finally broke. From the way it fought, we suspect it was foul-hooked in the face, causing it to pull insanely hard. All five of us took turns fighting the fish, but in the end, it won. During this drama, we also spotted two more Marlins free-swimming near the surface, likely drawn by the abundance of small Yellowfin Tuna in the area.