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.
The incredible thing about this island it's the marine biodiversity and XXL’s size of fish. 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.
FISHING AND SEASON
Fly fishing can be done in October, March, and April with good success.
What makes Fly FIshing absolutely unique in Socotra is the biodiversity and the variety of the fishing, making it a real last frontier for the ultimate fly fisherman. On top of the huge variety of species cacheable on fly, what makes it even more special is the fact the fishing has to be done only on #8 wt or #9 wt rod regardless of the species, making it more basic but also more challenging since on the same rod you can have shot at 25 different species.
This trip it’s still a pioneering trip, we only started to explore the fly fishing potential and we are sure to discover many new interesting things, also dredging will be a great way to hook something big.
To provide the best fishing we only take a few anglers on the best moon phase. Here is the list of the possible species to catch from the beach on a 9 wt rod: Parrotfish ( 4 different species), Bluefin Trevally, Yellow-spotted Trevally, Big Eye Trevally, Blue Barred Trevally, Bohar Snapper, Emperors, Green Jobfish, Bonefish, Permit, Milkfish, Titan Triggerfish, Blue Triggerfish, Three Spot Pompano, Indian Threadfin, Bream, One SPot Snapper, Brown Sweetlips, Needlescaled Queenfish, Spanish Mackerel, GT.
For further info you can read the article on the first Fly Fishing exploration here:
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 double tend equipped with mattresses, sheets and pillows, 1 tank of 2000 liters 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.
The standard trips are based on 4 clients, fishing from 2 boats.
TRIP SCHEDULE
At the moment for Fly Fishing we only offer two weeks to the most remote areas, this allow fisherman to spend time targeting the most uncommon and trophy species available in this ocean.
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 AND HEALTH
Currently coming to Socotra is completely safe for tourists, and the direct flights from other countries are making travel extremely easy and smooth.
About Socotra, the island is completely safe and pirates-free.
Regarding health, in Socotra, there aren’t tropical diseases like yellow fever or typhus, and malaria has been extinct.
On top of that, there are two totally 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.
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.
VACCINATIONS
No vaccinations are required for a trip to Socotra.
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 )
-Extra for a single room in Socotra.
- Tips.
RECOMMENDED TACKLE
It is quite easy finding schools of big Parrotfish while walking the beach plus Permit, Bonefish, and any sort of other Indian Ocean fish possible to catch on the Fly. For some reason, fish here are very selective and the best way to succeed is to fish accurately and finesse, no matter if you cast to a Parrotfish, a Bonefish, a Bohar Snapper or a GT.
TERMINAL AND BACKUP TACKLE
- Fluorocarbon spool in different size: 60 lb, 50 lb, 40 lb, 30 lb, 25 lb, 20 lb, 16 lb
- 1 x 8 weight floating line
- 1 x 9 weight floating line
- 1 x 12 weight fast sinking line
- 1 backup 9 or 10-weight rod
- 1 backup 12-weight rod
Bonefish and various Trevally
A 9-foot for an 8-weight fly rod with a high-quality saltwater disc drag reel. Load the reel with 200 or more mt of 50 lb braid. A high-quality weight forward floating line for tropical warm water is necessary for a good presentation.
Parrotfish and various reef species
A 9 ft for 9 wt weight with a very high-quality saltwater reel, loaded with 200 or more mt of 50 lb braid. Very high-quality and high-strength lines are necessary to pull hard the fish out of structures and stop them.
Offshore fishing
A 9 ft for 12 wt rod with a very high-quality saltwater reel, loaded with 200 or more mt of 60 lb braid. The fishing is done mainly with a fast sinking line.
PARROTFISH
#9 or #10 rod with matching reel and line. For spools of 25-30lbs fluorocarbon tippet, we use a butt-section of 70lbs mono, or «furled leader»
SUGGESTED FLIES
It’s critical that anglers carry the right selection of flies, tied in the correct way with the correct material, this will make a big difference in the strike rate.
Here is our selection of flies;
- Spawning Shrimp #6
- Surf Candy #4, #6 and #8 Sardine color
- Flexo Crab #2 and #4 in different weights Brown, Tan, Red
- Gotcha #4 and #6 Tan
- Velcro Crab Tan #2 x4
-. Avalon Permit Shrimp #2
- Clouser Chartreuse and White #2 and #1
- Mega Clouser extra heavy #4/0 and #6/0
