Socotra fishing: Monster GT
Socotra, the best GT destination in the world is now possible to fish again.
A regular flight is operating from Abu Dhabi to Socotra.
ABOUT SOCOTRA
This island, about 120 km long, is considered the windiest in the world and is beaten by very strong currents, factors that make the sea impassable for about 7 months a year in the most productive spots. The island is also known for its many endemic dragon blood trees and numerous other species of plants, birds, reptiles, and insects that live only here, so much to be called “The Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”, and is recognized as a natural heritage of ' Humanity by UNESCO.
The island is not very populated by people, there aren’t any accommodations with the exception of a few spartan camps, and fishing villages are few and far from everything, sometimes reachable only by boat.
Thanks to these characteristics, often in beautiful places for fishing, with high cliffs overlooking the sea, sand dunes, or uninhabited islands, which transmit sensations enough to make us think about fishing in prehistoric times.
Wild Sea Expedition has dedicated over 10 years to the exploration of this place, but also to fishing in the Indian Ocean in general. We know every rock, current, and season which will take you to the incredible thing about this island… places that we explored and found will give you the average size of gt that attacks the popper and it has no comparison to the whole world! So in 90% of the cases, we have a fish over 40 kg behind our lure, and in the remaining 10% with fish over 30 kg, enough to embarrass even the most experienced.
This feature is certainly due to several factors: primarily the abundance of forage fish such as rainbow runners and fusiliers, combined with the lack of fishing pressure in these waters and strong currents that transport large quantities of nutrients.
In addition to the obvious fortunate position, in the middle of the ocean current that comes from the South favors the upwelling, which brings nutrients to the surface layers. For several months the winds are very violent, causing sea conditions often prohibitive, and thus preventing continuous fishing by local fishermen, who still do not have huge resources. In practice, you can fish well and be safe only for a little less than four months a year, from October to November and from March to April.
FISH & SEASON
Socotra is in the north Indian Ocean, so almost all the fish of this sea are present.
The most important sportfish is GT, but in October there is a huge migration of Spanish Mackerel, and a migration of pelagic crabs, that float on the water causing a continuous feeding by many kinds of trevally such as Golden Trevally, Yellow Spotted Trevally, Bludger Trevally, and Black Tip Trevally.
Many kinds of coral fish are present such as Red Snapper, Green Jobfish, Rusty Jobfish, Coral Trout, and different species of grouper and emperor.
From shore, it is possible to find Indian Permit, Bonefish, small Threadfin, Leerfish, Bream, and Bluefin Trevally.
On jigging it is possible to catch everything, amberjack is present too.
Sharks are also present but rarely hooked on lures, the most catched are Fox Shark on Jigging.
The best seasons to fish in Socotra are Autumn and Spring because in Summer and Winter the wind is very strong and the sea very rough.
BASE CAMP ACCOMMODATION
In Socotra, the only way to arrange a trip will be by touring a camp run by us.
The camp consists of 2 large tents for six people, one as a dining room and one as a camp kitchen, and for sleep, every fisherman has a big double tend equipped with mattresses, sheets and pillows, 1 tank of 2000 liters of fresh water, shower box, rods holder, a cook with a camp kitchen, an interpreter and a jeep always available. Satellite phones are also available.
About food, in Socotra the variety is very limited, usually, it is possible to eat pasta, rice, bread cooked day by day, beans, eggs, vegetable sauce, fish, biscuits, soft cheese, lamb, chicken, honey and sometimes Nutella. During the fishing season, it is possible to get some lobster. Usually, meat is consumed once or twice a week, because of the limited availability.
Soft drinks are included in the price, alcoholic drinks are allowed but not sales, and clients can bring their own drinks from other airports.
Concerning the boats, the only solution at present is the use of local fishing boats, fiberglass boats about 8 meters long and equipped with 40 hp engines. Every boat and group has its international guide.
The standard trips are based on 4 clients, fishing from 2 boats.
High-quality silent generator for electricity in our camp.
TRIP SCHEDULE OPTIONS
STANDARD TRIP
The standard trip includes 6 full days of fishing, and it’s the best way to have the first approach with Socotra. In this journey, you will have your first contact with the reality of this world, and of course with the brutality of this fishing.
EXTREME ITINERARY
This will be probably the wildest, extreme and most amazing trip you will enjoy in your life, visiting some of the most remote frontiers for huge Gts. For this trip we don’t have a definitive schedule, because it has to be built time by time in accordance with the client request. It can be from 6 to 13 days, and also logistics, organization and costs can be different time by time.
HOW TO GET THERE
The clients have to provide their own international flight to Cairo or Dubai, Wild Sea Expedition will provide the flight from Cairo to Socotra or Dubai to Socotra.
SAFETY & HEALTH
Currently coming to Socotra is completely safe for tourists, and the direct flights from other countries make the travel easy and smooth.
About Socotra, the island is completely safe and pirate-free.
Regarding health, there aren’t tropical diseases like yellow fever or typhus in Socotra, and malaria has been extinct.
On top of that, there are two new hospitals managed by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, where is possible to have high-quality health assistance in case of emergency.
Clients must be covered by travel/medical insurance and medical evacuation.
VACCINATIONS
No vaccinations are required for this trip.
Visa
We do your visa with a copy of your passport by email. A passport must be valid for at least 6 months and with no visas for Israel.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
All the services in Socotra
NOT INCLUDED
Visa (provided by WSE)
Flights Cairo to Socotra or Dubai to Socotra (provided by WSE)
Tips
Extra for a single room in Socotra.
TECHNIQUE & EQUIPMENT
Popping
What we do in Socotra, is not popping, is extreme popping, and is the top of the top in terms of technique, experience, and brutality. Here every part of your equipment can be broken, from the hooks to the reels.
Due to the conformation of the fishing spot, sometimes the conditions became really extreme, first, the medium size of the fish is incredible, the water is shallow, and all around are present many rocks and wrecks, and everything is done during strong current conditions.
Now imagine hooking an over 60, and imagine what can happen to the tackle.
Because of this, everything in the equipment has to be extra strong: the rod has to be a PE 10, the shock leader up to 250 lb matched with a short bite tippet made of kevlar cord, to prevent the cut by the fish that suck down the lure. Fluorocarbon is not enough, sometimes it also happens to find a dead GT with a popper deep in the throat just after losing a fish for the leader cutting off the leader.
About the terminal, split rings have to be only the biggest from BKK. BKK Crusader single hook in size 8/0, 9/0, BKK Raptor size 3/0, 4/0, 5/0…BKK Split Ring - 51 sizes 8 and 9.
Tuff line 130 lb, power pro 170 lb, also if the strength seems, all these lines are the same.
About lures you must have some big and noisy poppers, our favorites are Craft Bait gt3, Fcl Labo ebi pop and extreme, Orion cono cone, and Patriot Design master bomb.
More than poppers, sinking sticks are always a good weapon, our favorites are Orion bigfoot and plug tropic, and we sell special handmade sticks specially designed and made for us.
At the end some big floating sticks can be a good choice when fish are lazy.
Light casting
Light casting can be done from the boat and from shore. From the boat, we suggest carrying a PE3 rod with some minnow and sinking lures to fish around rocks targeting Emperor, Groper, and Snapper, and some small stickbait and popper for bluewater fishing targeting Dorado, Spanish Mackerel, and different kinds of Trevally. From the shore, you can fish PE3 for bigger species, or go with a PE1-1,5 rod casting metal jig and small minnow for Bluefin Trevally, various species of Trevally, Threadfin, Bonefish, and Pompano.
Jigging
On Jigging it is possible to catch everything, every species of Trevally, Groupers, Amberjack, Jobfish, and Yellowfin Tuna. The best way is to bring two Jigging rods, a PE2-3 for shallower water targeting Trevally and rocky species in 30 to 60 mt of water with 80-150 gr jigs, and a heavy setup for PE4-5 for deeper fishing targeting Amberjack, Grouper, and Jobfish, with jigs from 150 to 300 gr.