BLOG: African Addiction
I HAD only been back in England for three months when the yearning for blazing sun, azure blue water, silver white sand, coral reefs and screaming reels became too strong to ignore. My wife Natalie and I had been spoiled rotten by what we had seen and done on our wonderful 15 month sabbatical in Australia and New Zealand and quite frankly the undoubted charms of winter in the UK just didn’t do it for us anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love fishing in over here. Those roach, chub and barbel that have survived the attentions of crayfish, cormorants and otters are as lovely as ever and I still get a buzz from catching them in the beautiful surroundings of the English countryside. In June I shall be travelling north in search of my first Scottish salmon and the month before I will be heading south for a hefty Hampshire bass on a mate’s boat. These will be great days, how could they not be, but something happens to you when you get that bluewater bug. It’s a powerful addiction, forged in Australia, that needs to be fed and the only cure is to get out there and do it.
Luckily Natalie, who has probably had enough of sitting on cold, wet riverbanks, has discovered the joys of snorkelling in warm seas that somehow always seem to be handily close to some of the best big game fishing in the world !
Wonderful Watamu
A chance conversation with Fox International’s Andy Little, an ex UK coarse fishing expert turned big game enthusiast, resulted in me manically researching the accommodation and angling options available in Kenya’s Watamu Bay, home of the famous Hemingway’s Resort and one of the game fishing capitals of Africa. Now if you’ve got money to burn by all means book into Hemingways, have the luxury holiday of a lifetime and let the bank manager worry about the rest. Alternatively, it is possible to experience the same beach, the same idyllic surroundings and the same wonderful fishing for a budget that mere mortals can afford.
Watamu lies just south of the popular tourist destination of Malindi on the Indian Ocean and is about a two hour drive from the busy port of Mombasa. The area is particularly popular with Italians many of whom have bought properties as second homes or run beachfront resorts. Most of the coastline however remains completely unspoilt and the Italian presence does mean that some excellent coffee and sumptuous ice-cream is readily available in the local village.
There are two other resorts on Watamu Beach, just a stone’s throw from Hemingways, catering primarily for British and English speaking visitors. Natalie and I stayed at Turtle Bay Beach Club, an all-inclusive hotel offering superb service, friendly staff, great food, two pools, fantastic surroundings and a programme of activities to meet every need - all at a very reasonable price.
Turtle Bay had everything Natalie and I could ask for and more. We swam and snorkelled from the beach booked a trip on glass bottomed boat to the amazing Coral Gardens where we swam with parrot fish, silver drummer and all manner of brightly coloured creatures of the reef. The hotel organises sundown cruises by traditional African dhow on the nearby Mida Creek, two day safaris to Tsavo East Game Park, visits to the turtle sanctuary or to the historic ruins of Gede but most guests seemed to be happy soaking up the sun, cooling off in the pool and sipping cocktails on the beach. This was not an unappealing prospect to my wife which meant I had an open ticket to sort out some quality big game fishing.
Safe, secure and as good as it gets
Anglers are spoilt for choice at Watamu and after a quick search on the African Billfish Foundation website and it is easy to see why. This is the premier location for pelagic fishing in Kenyan waters and Kenya is one of only two locations in the world where a genuine Fantasy Slam of five billfish in a single day has been recorded. There are masses of features just a few miles offshore creating current diversions and that all important upwelling of food and nutrients on which the baitfish feed. Not far behind are the main three varieties of marlin – blue, black and the smaller stripies together with broadbill and countless sailfish. Add to the mix those saltwater speedfreaks the wahoo, some chunky tuna and the beautiful blue and yellow dorado and this becomes so much more than another ‘marlin or bust’ fishery.
Snapper of all varieties, huge GTs and steely blue Spanish mackerel (locally called kingfish) inhabit the inshore reefs. Thanks in part due to the pioneering efforts of the late Watamu regular and UK fishing commentator David Bird, another exciting species has been attracting attention in recent years. Back breaking amberjack in excess of 50kgs, probably the toughest fighting fish in the ocean are now appearing in catches by those brave enough to target these bruisers of the deep.
Kenya has had a bad press of late thanks to the activities of the Somali pirates but I have to say that my wife and I have seldom felt safer. The locals are friendly and welcoming and, knowing how important tourism is to their livelihoods, take a dim view of anyone annoying the visitors. The beaches are patrolled by security officers and the local and international military effort has ensured that Malinda and all but the most northern areas of the Kenyan coast are off limits for bad people. In fact there has been an unexpected bonus for the fisherman as, thanks to the pirates, the destructive Japanese long liners have been leaving this part of the Indian Ocean well alone. The pelagic fishing has improved to the point that there’s probably never been a better time to visit.
More info at..
Turtle Bay contact details: http://www.turtlebay.co.ke/
Find out how Martin fared in this African paradise in a forthcoming issue of Fisho.
We know he survived the pirates as he’s just posted his copy including some awesome pictures!
