The republic of Maldives lies to the southwest of Sri Lanka over 868 kms just south of the equator. Maldives is an archipelago of islands consisting of some 1200 islands grouped into 25 atolls. Of total land area 21% of which consist of coral reefs, lagoons and islands. An estimated 0.5% is dry land.

Most of the north and central part of the Maldives is made up of two separate chains of atolls separated by an inner sea with a depth ranging from 300 meter to 500 meter. In the south, the atolls form a  single chain and are separated by wider and deeper channels.

Maldives is regarded as the paradise on earth. But little did you know that Maldives is also one of the worlds best destinations for Game Fishing.

 

What’s the Weather?

The weather in the Maldives consist of two monsoons throughout the year, Iruvai Monsoon starting from the late December through March, consisting of 9 nakaiy or periods. Hulhangu Monsoon starts from April through early December, consisting of 18 nakaiy.

Iruvai is mostly known to be the hot and dry season and Hulhangu, the wet season. However, the calendar distinguishes these monsoons not by rain, but by the direction of wind. Iruvai brings in North-East wind while Hulhangu brings in South-West wind.

During the South-West monsoon, the current flows into the atolls from the South-West carrying with them a high concentration of planktonic food providing a true feast for all marine life. The increase of plankton in the water can reduce visibility significantly, however the presence of fish and marine life of all sizes starts to multiply setting a perfect stage for the upcoming North-East monsoon.

 

HOW’S THE OCEANIC CURRENT?

Oceanic currents are largely influenced by the direction of the monsoon winds. These currents brings nutrient rich waters to the surface catalysts a spark of marine life in the atoll food chain. The nutrient rich currents flows from North-East to the South-West during the iruvai and from the South-West to the North-East during the hulhangu. By the time they reach the side of the atolls they spark feeding frenzy for the large manta rays, whale sharks and other large marine life. Hence, the stage is perfectly set for all types of fishing.

 

LETS GO FISHING

Hold your horses. You might want to read through the Maldives rules and regulation before we can prep you for some game fishing time. Maldives does not require you to have a permit or license for sports, game or recreational fishing. However, there are few restrictions that you must keep in mind when fishing in Maldives.

• Fishing for Sharks (miyaru), Napoleon wrasse (maa hulhunbu landau), Whaleshark (fehurihi), Turtles (vela) is strictly prohibited and hefty fines applies.
• Fishing near or on designated marine protected areas, such as biosphere reserve in Baa Atoll is prohibited.
• Nets are permitted after obtaining permission from the island office.
• Gun, explosive and poison for fishing is strictly prohibited.
• Spear gun is prohibited.
• Fishing from the reefs of the resorts depends on the concession of the resort and are usually prohibited.
• Policy of catch and release or keep your catch depends much on the fishing charter.
• Third party fishing charters can be arranged or booked by resort / guesthouse guests and are usually cheaper and professional than the in-house service. The guest only need to inform the concierge of the time of departure and arrival prior to the trip.

What are the types of fishing available?

We always say its all about having fun under the sun and under the Maldivian sun, you can expect to find one of the biggest and toughest monster pelagic in this world. From Marlin (hibaru), Sail Fish (fangandu hibaru), Tuna (Kanneli), Dorado (fiyala), Dogtooth Tuna (woshimas), Wahoo (kurumas) and of course GT (muda handhi).

Reef Fish

Normally fishing at depths of 10 meters near the shallows of the reef is excellent for some popping, beach casting and Maldivian style line fishing. You can expect to catch from the inshore flats and reefs large GT’s, Snappers, Grouper (Faana), Job Fish (giulhu) and Emperor (filolhu).

Since its on the reef with sharp corals, strong braided line and monofilaments are recommended. Keep away from the expensive lures for these types of fishing unless you’re in the mood of giving them freely away.

Usually a good fishing day on the reefs will burn around 4 – 6 hours of the day. You can expect to start a trip from early morning at 5:30 am, to noon or around sunset for some night fishing.

Inshore Fishing

Perfect for casting, popping, medium to heavy tackle jigging, trolling and live bait fishing, you can expect to dwell in depths of no more than 30 meters deep. Maldivian inshore inhabits thousands of large and powerful predators from reef fish, Barracuda, Emperor, Job Fish, Grouper, Snapper and GT.

Ideal for a fishing trip of 6 – 8 hours, you can expect charters to start the trip from 530 am. Like they say early birds get the worm. This will usually include morning trolling, accompanied by popping and jigging. Inshore fishing is great for skilled anglers, looking for some good bicep workout.

Offshore Fishing

From a depth of more than 30 meters, 20-50 miles offshore, the deep brings the biggest, and baddest (not a word) big game fishes for the most extreme anglers. You’ll come face to face with the mighty Black Marlin (kalhu mas hibaru), Sail Fish, Dogtooth Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado, GT and Wahoo.

You can begin the day at 5:30 am with Offshore trolling, then switch to heavy duty jigging with popping and finish off with live bait fishing, perfect to end an 8 hour trips. Mind you, offshore fishing is not for the faint of heart so make sure you bring your A-game for this fight.

Sunset and Sunrise Fishing

Usually sunset fishing starts at 5:30 pm on speed boat or boat (Maldivian Dhoani) to witness the spectacular Maldivian sunset. If you are lucky you can expect to see dancing dolphins right alongside your vessel.

Night fishing starts when the sun goes down, for some fun filled traditional line fishing using chum. You can expect to catch red snapper (raiy mas), job fish and one-spot snapper (filolhu) on a good night.

Sunrise fishing is a morning trolling that usually starts at 5:30 am. Some charters use lines and hunt for kawakawa (latti) along the shore lines looking for bait schools where nervous fusiliers (mahi muguraan) bundled up just below the surface.

Fishing Charters

All resorts and guest houses have speed boats, boats and small dinghy for fishing. Word of caution, usually when they say deep sea fishing, its within a depth of 15 meters or go trolling for few hundred meters from the house reef with third grade rods, reels and lures. Look out for these tell-tale signs. If you can negotiate your way to a price where you surprise yourself for an 8-hour game fishing trip then you know they are going to offer you half-baked service. For shared trips, they will over crowd the vessel to the point where no guest in the vessel can enjoy or yet catch any fish. You’ll find that the crew is the same person that served your drinks in the restaurant or is the snorkeling instructor having no experience in fishing whatsoever.

Lets be frank, game fishing is not cheap and you need to make sure that you get the largest bang for the buck. We recommend you hire a professional fishing charter if you truly want to experience the Maldivian game fishing like it should be.

Time to Fish.

In maldives where sun is literally around 365 days a year, there is no bad day to go fishing. While there is no off-season in the Maldives, Big Game Fishing is best November – April. At the end of the day, its about having some fun under the sun, enjoying the fresh air and having a good time in the true Maldivian outdoors.