Although these 13 hot spots aren’t the only places in the world to go for great sailfishing, they’re among the best bets to find the best sailfishing in the world. By any measure, in various respects, each deserves close consideration.

Note that the destinations have been ordered not by relative merit, since our goal is not to rate these spots but to help you compare them and what each offers. I’ve divided them into three groups per the oceans where you can find the best places to catch sailfish, within each grouping more-or-less based on distance from the United States.

Atlantic Ocean

Florida — Southeast to Upper Keys

While some of the best sailfish action occurs in remote or exotic locales, in fact, you don’t have to travel across the globe for great fishing. The Florida Keys winter/spring fishery can offer world-class action, at times truly spectacular. Consider a winter tournament with 24 boats tallying 424 sailfish releases over two days. Serious sail anglers look for north winds driven by frontal systems. The conditions get pretty rugged but that’s when you’ll find sails in abundant, scattered packs tailing down-sea. From Stuart north, anglers generally troll ballyhoo; to the south, live baits fished under kites or slow-trolled are the norm.

Why You Should Go: Hot sailfishing without leaving the country from January into May. The run to fish is often within 10 miles; for some areas (Palm Beach and adjacent) it might be just two or three. No shortage of charters, marinas, etc. At times, many exciting sight-casting/pitch-baiting opportunities.

But… Most sails run 30 to 50 pounds, so fish light. Weekends might get a bit crowded in popular areas offshore.

Contact: Capt. Randy Yates in West Palm Beach; Capt. Ray Rosher in Miami; Capt. Greg Eklund in Islamorada, Florida Keys (Note: There’s a wealth of many excellent skippers/charters up and down this coast.)

Mexico — Isla Mujeres

Just off the Yucatan Peninsula, this small, personable island is a short ferry ride from Cancun. For many years, its waters have produced fabulous underwater photography showing hordes of sailfish decimating huge bait balls; anglers look for just such scenarios during the January-to-June peak season for sails.

Why You Should Go: When bait abounds, action on the grounds can be dramatic and ferocious. Long runs to fish are rare. Minimal time commitment or cost is required to get here, generally (just two hours from Miami).

But… Winds can be blustery and seas rugged when sails are thickest. Isla sails are generally of modest size. Fishing live baits is illegal for foreign boats, so most troll ballyhoo.

Contact: Capt. Anthony Mendillo Jr. at Keen M International

West Africa — Senegal

On the Cape Verde Peninsula, this westernmost, French-speaking city offers the potential for great action all summer and well into the fall.

Why You Should Go: Anglers can rack up big numbers of sails off Senegal while enjoying a relatively safe and very exotic African experience. Charters generally work at modest rates and the run to fish is often short.

But… You’ll need a day plus to travel to Dakar, and $3,000 to $4,000 for round-trip airfare from Miami makes it rather costly among Atlantic sailfish hotspots.

Contact: Atlantic Evasion

West Africa — Angola

When it comes to Atlantic sailfish, Angola has long been associated with big fish since the current all-tackle world-record Atlantic sailfish of 142 pounds, 6 ounces, was taken here in 2014, along with most of the 100-plus-pound records. This is one reason that interest in Angola remains high among sailfish enthusiasts. Globe-trotting anglers say these sails fight noticeably harder than Pacific sails of similar size.

Why You Should Go: Triple-digit sails aren’t at all unlikely. Seas are usually flat and the run to fish short; sport-fishing pressure is light. Blue marlin in the 500-pound range prowl the same waters (and frequently take sailfish baits).

But… Not a place for numbers like Guatemala or Malaysia, but an angler can expect two to eight shots typically, and 10- to 20-shot days are definitely not unheard of (and these are big fish). While good to check the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories for the latest, in recent years Angola has been listed as a level 1 (“normal precautions”).

Contact: Iain Nicolson in Luanda)

Pacific Ocean

Mexico — East Cape, Baja California Sur

Baja’s East Cape doesn’t offer sails in numbers like some Central American hotspots; however, it’s close and easy to reach, and generally has far better odds for big sails than most people realize plus, of course, outstanding mixed-bag fishing.

Why You Should Go: An affordable option for shots at triple-digit sails, commonly 60 to 120 pounds, in waters very often very calm. A long season runs most of spring through midautumn. Super slams are possible with black, striped and blue marlin common here. Travel costs are reasonable, and fishing packages at resorts can be excellent.

But… Not a spot to rack up numbers. Charters often run some distance — 10 to 30 miles — to the fish.

Contact: Jen Wren Sportfishing and Hotel Palmas de Cortez

Guatemala — Iztapa

No spot in the world is more renowned for its sailfishing than Guatemala. That’s not surprising when given the often-phenomenal and at times nonstop action anglers can enjoy here.

Why You Should Go: On better days (and these are often), you can expect at least 20 shots and sometimes many, many more. And these are big fish – running 80 to 105 pounds for the most part. But wait, there’s more: Most of the time, the Pacific here is calm. Travel costs from the states will set you back neither an arm nor a leg. Outstanding boats and crews, experienced for light-tackle and fly-rod bait/switch action.

But… Expectations can run too high; even here there are no guarantees, and off-days do happen. The run to find fish might be quite close but at times could be 20 to 40 miles or more.

Contact: Casa Vieja Lodge

El Salvador

El Salvador offers sailfish action comparable to its neighbor, Guatemala, though far fewer boats fish these waters, which has been mostly off the radar for American anglers.Why You Should Go: During the long (October through March) season, expect 15 to 20 shots on a typical day, mostly with light winds and big fish (the same size as Guatemala’s). You’re unlikely to see any other boats fishing sails. Excellent concentrations of marlin at times.

But… Unlike Guatemala, good and reliable charters are few. The run to fish can be 30-plus miles.

Contact: Blue Sail Sportfishing Charters

Costa Rica — Los Sueños

From December through August (excluding May, which is often slower), sailfishing can be hot off the central Costa Rica coast. In fact, Costa Rica’s Pacific coast offers great fishing opportunities throughout the year, from Golfito in the south to Papagayo in the north, with an abundance of great resorts, marinas and charters.

Why You Should Go: Again, expect very big eastern Pacific sails to be the norm, up to 120 pounds and sometimes much larger. Ocean conditions vary widely by area and season, and while they can be rough, more often the Pacific is tranquil. Costa Rica prides itself on being accessible and inviting to tourists, with travel generally easy and safe. Plenty of options await for other big-game pelagics, in particular at times for tremendous blue marlin action around seamounts in the summer.

But… Seasonal incursions of cold or green water can shut down sailfishing at times anywhere along the country’s coast.

Contact: Will Drost at Maverick Costa Rica

Panama — Piñas Bay

Time it so you’re here when sails are whacking sardines (mostly likely to happen May through July), and you’ll enjoy triple and quad hookups. December and January are good alternative months for sails. Just watch out for grander marlin (both blacks and blues) here as well — Tropic Star boats hook ’em. Many line-class record sails, to nearly 200 pounds, have been weighed in here.

Why You Should Go: Calm waters, big sails and often very short runs to lines-in all make for world-class sailfishing when timed right. Staying at famed Tropic Star Lodge is a bonus. Quick flight down to Panama City at affordable rates. Outstanding boats/crews for anglers looking to sight-cast, pitching baits or casting flies to sails.

But… Fabulous lodge though no bargain rates, nor are there less-pricey alternatives in the area. Overnight in Panama City generally required en route and sometimes when returning to the states as well.

Contact: Tropic Star Lodge

Tonga — Vava’u

A search of Google Maps will show the geographically impaired that the Kingdom of Tonga lies northeast of New Zealand, about halfway to the equator. For most of us, that’s a long way to go to catch a sailfish, but some of the world’s biggest reputedly prowl these waters. Effort for the species remains minimal.

Why You Should Go: Not a bad place to look for a world record; the men’s 50-pound line-class record of 210 1/2 pounds was taken here, with sails larger than the all-tackle record 221 pounds (from Ecuador) probably caught but never weighed. The run to start fishing can be fairly short and often begins working along steep reef edges — where you may catch big yellowfin and wahoo as well (and of course closer to the reefs, dogtooth tuna and giant trevally).

But… During the best sailfish season (winter in the southern hemisphere), 15- to 20-knot tradewinds blow constantly. Also, given Tonga’s remote location, figure many hours of travel to get there (via Auckland or Sydney).

Contact: Capt. Steve Campbell at Blue Marlin Magic Sport Fishing Adventures

Indian Ocean

East Africa — Kenya

For decades, anglers have come to Watamu on the coast of Kenya in pursuit of western Indian Ocean sails. The warm northern Kaskazi winds blow October through March, maintaining water temps favorable for sails, and around shallow ledges (Malindi and Mambrui) and Watamu Banks, baitfish aggregate attracting sails as well as other pelagic gamefish.

Why You Should Go: Don’t like long runs to fish? Here, lines can go in as little as a mile from the beach. Seas stay calm mostly and crowds are nil. These waters are also known for nighttime swordfishing. Charters are cheap.

But… Not so cheap is the airfare to Nairobi, which will set you back in the vicinity of a couple grand.

Contact: Hemingways Watamu

Malaysia — Kuala Rompin

With conditions on the South China Sea off Malaysia’s ¬southeast coast seldom rougher than your average farm pond, Rompin is very possibly the world’s calmest sailfish hot spot. And hot it has been, since gaining fame as one of the best places on the planet for sailfish (running 50 to 80 pounds) within the past decade years (Sport Fishing was one of the first to feature the fishery in its March 2009 issue).

Why You Should Go: Enjoy quiet fishing, drifting live baits with engines off. Most days you’ll see birds and sails on top of the mirror-smooth sea, and enjoy many multiple hookups. Package trips include ground transportation (from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur), accommodations, meals (with to-die-for dinners) and fishing (including top-quality conventional reels) generally with guides who speak English fluently — and priced to make this one of sailfishing’s best bargains. Plus you’ll experience a ¬fascinating and hospitable corner of Asia.

But… The fairly short season lasts from mid-July through October. The shallow, expansive sea offers minimal bycatch of other large game fish. Some operations rely on traditional wooden, open boats that offer shade and space, and work well for fishing here; however, if your taste runs to convertible sportfishers, such operators are also here, now. Allow day plus and two grand for travel.

Contact: Dom Pereira at Billseeker Sportfishing (specializes in fly and light tackle); Blue Oceans Adventures (for larger boats)

Western Australia — Broome

Although known historically more for pearls than sailfish, in angling circles, this small city (pop. 18,000) on Australia’s northwest coast offers reliable odds for memorable Indian Ocean sailfish action during the season, beginning sometime in May and running into November.

Read Next: Top 100 Game Fish

Why You Should Go: Great light-tackle action; many skippers play the bait-and-switch game, so sight-casting opportunities abound. No worries about competition on the grounds here. It’s also a gateway to the amazing Kimberley in Australia’s far Northwest with breathtaking scenery and barramundi fishing. Also check out multiday trips to the incredible Rowley Shoals, 160 miles offshore.

But… Expect a long run of 10 to 35 or more miles over shallow waters to reach sailfish grounds. You’ll find good numbers of fish but of moderate size, running 30 to 70 pounds. And you’ll drop a couple thousand to get here, logging 30 to 40 hours of travel time (about 10,000 miles) from the U .S. each way.

Contact: Capt. Chris Nisbet at Broome Billfish Charters

The post The World’s Best Sailfish Spots appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Explosion of Huge Cubera

Since the Gabon government has imposed a 10-kilometer no-commercial-fishing zone along this coast, says Knausenberger, the population of African cuberas has exploded. “Huge cubera to more than 100 pounds are caught while throwing poppers and stick baits from shore.”

Where is Loanga National Park?

Timing the Tides for Surf Action

Guides here have tides dialed in, and it matters: Some beaches are best fished on the outgoing; others are best fished on the flood. Whenever one fishes, he’s assured of it being a solitary experience except for some of his mates on the trip.

Sharing the Waters — With Elephants

Loango National Park is home to more than 10,000 forest elephants. As they cross regularly from rain forest to open grasslands across the Ndogo Lagoon, “Anglers will experience some amazing encounters with these gentle animals,” says Knausenberger.

Drum African Style

A fairly common surf-caster’s surprise are drum like this Senagalese kob. They can exceed 30 pounds.

Crossing Ndogo Lagoon

One of the boats from Sette Cama Lodge (home base for anglers on these visits) crosses the lagoon with anglers ready. Sometimes these boats simply ferry anglers to spots up or down the beach; sometimes they permit anglers to cast in the lagoon.

Not a Crevalle

While these may superficially resemble jack crevalle, their dorsal and anal fins readily identify them as longfin jacks, found only along the central western coast of Africa. They can reach more than 50 pounds and are every bit as brutal when hooked as any member of the jack family. During spring tides, Knausenberger says, they may venture more than 12 miles upriver and bite with a vengeance.

Night Visitor — Tarpon in the Surf

Among the mix of several predators in Gabon’s pounding surf, lurk tarpon.

Ferry to a Sandbar

“We had to find ways to reach the best fishing spots,” says Knausenberer. Currents and tides conspired to create a sandy bank in the Ndogo River mouth, separated by a channel too deep to cross on foot. “So we used a kayak to put anglers on the sandbar. The effort was well worth it, since fishermen experienced some amazing action out there.”

On the Cusp of the Night Bite

While fish feed along the beaches 24/7, most of the time dusk and dark offer the best fishing, here.

Gabon’s Amazing Birds

Anglers encounter many species of birds while fishing and while en route to/from the water. This is a hadada ibis.

Cubera Can’t Resist Mullet on A Circle Hook

While big snapper will join other predators in smashing poppers and stick baits, it’s always hard to beat fishing a dead mullet — a major prey item in these waters — with a circle hook, the rig that accounted for this fish.

Gabon: Giant Threadfin Central

The fantastic giant African threadfin may reach more than 100 pounds, and are found in this area of the coast in great numbers. Plugs or jigs with soft plastics, fished slowly, work best for the threadies, feeding on fish and crustaceans that wash out the river mouth.

Forest Buffalo: Shy but Formidable

These large bovines generally mind their own business as they graze or swim across the lagoon. Nevertheless, giving them a wide berth is a good idea since they can be dangerous if disturbed, and, says Knausenberger, every year at least a couple of people are killed by buffalo in Gabon.

Storm Over the Atlantic

Fishing generally heats up in the rainy season, and threadfin are particularly active after heavy rains.

The Underappreciated Guitarfish

The past season, says Knausenberger, proved a banner one for guitarfish in the surf. That’s good news for anglers, he says, since guitarfish are impressively tough opponents when hooked.

Lagoon Alive with Hungry Longfins

When tides are right, longfin jacks roam the lagoon attackinng anything that moves. “These jacks are amazing fighters on light tackle,” Knausenberger says. The IGFA all-tackle record of 36 pounds, 6 ounces, was caught in nearby Angola in 2015.

For many other articles and galleries on fishing both sides of Africa, see Sport Fishing‘s Africa page.

The post An African Fishing Adventure appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

FOR MOST BIG-GAME ANGLERS in the West, “Angola” might not leap to mind in a discussion of the world’s best billfishing destinations, but that is, more than anything, a reflection of just how little sport fishing occurs off its thousand miles of coastline. A look through IGFA records will show that when it comes to Atlantic sailfish, Angola dominates, including the all-tackle record of 142 pounds, 6 ounces off Lobito in 2014, and the majority of Atlantic sailfish line-class records as well.

Angola — Little-Known Billfish Hot Spot

The photos in this gallery capture the excitement and drama of game fishing off Angola, and demonstrate the skill of Roderick Jongschaap, of the Netherlands.

About the Photographer

An angler since the age of 4, Roderick Jongschaap was born in The Netherlands and spent most of his childhood roaming rivers and lakes. When his father moved to Angola, he started fishing its waters; since peace came to Angola in the early 2000s, he has spent his holidays there chasing billfish. “That moment when a large blue marlin shows itself for the first time, hundreds of pounds of raw power going fully airborne is unforgettable,” Jongschaap says.

Jongschaap believes dynamic, stop-action photography like his will play an increasingly important role in big-game fishing “as gaffs (and dead billfish at the dock) are replaced by tag sticks and release knives,” in Jongschaap’s words.

See more of Jongschaap’s fabulous fishing photography on his web site and his Facebook page.

The post Billfish Go Airborne Off Angola! appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

A Speck in the Middle of the Ocean

Quite simply, Ascension is one of the most isolated islands on earth, a A tiny dot in the middle of the southern Atlantic Ocean roughly midway between South America and Africa.

Epic Struggle

Sondal Benson traveled halfway around the world just to chase Ascension’s jumbo yellowfin on poppers. No fish came easy, in particular this 250-pounder, landed out of a rubber ducky.

Swimming With Monsters

I went to Ascension not simply to catch the mega tuna there, but to film them. The beast in this shot is close to 300 pounds. It swam around with me and my cameraman for more than an hour. It’s impossible to explain just majestic these tuna are in the water, their sickle fins running all the way back to their tail.

The Edge of the Ocean

When it comes to remote, Ascension is it smack bang in the middle of the Atlantic between Brazil and the Congo. Nothing more than a rock … it doesn’t even have a boat ramp!

Brutal Battle

After swimming with a 300-pound yellowfin for hours, my producer forced me to fight one for another 3 hours, which was nowhere near as much fun!

Huge Tuna on a Popper

You know the fishing is insane when the cameraman Brad Cone, who has caught nothing bigger than a flathead (a small, popular inshore fish in Australia) lands a 210-pound yellowfin on a popper out of a dinghy during the only morning he fished. Unlike all the other hooked tuna that swam out to sea, Brad’s fish headed inshore towards the beach. Lucky bugger!

What Lurks Below, Around Ascension

Apart from filming an episode for Al McGlashan’s Fish’n With Mates series, I wanted to score some amazing underwater still photos of big yellowfin in clear water. When I shot this image, out of the blue (water), this tuna swam past, with the sun catching it perfectly to give me a classic split-water shot.

A Maelstrom of Jacks

It wasn’t just the tuna that had us mesmerized in the waters around Ascension. Inshore we saw some amazing baitball action, with hundreds of amberjacks and black jacks harassing bait. To get their attention all we needed to do was take the hooks off a Halco Roosta Popper and start working it back, and we had an immediate audience.

Watch that Gaff Hook!

Fighting a huge yellowfin out of a rubber ducky is seriously tough, but at least when it comes to lifting it aboard the inflatable, you’re a lot closer to the fish. (Mind, you you want to be careful with that gaff!)

Blind-Casting Poppers for Yellowfin!

Another 230-pound yellowfin caught on a popper, and within a mile of the shoreline in just 300 feet of water. Ascension is the only place on earth where tuna anglers don’t chase birds. Instead, just pull up off the island and start throwing poppers — and its only a matter of time till you get bit!

Tagging Tuna

Aussie angler Mick Dundee puts his back into a school-sized yellowfin: It will be tagged for research. Anglers have been working in with Ascension Island Conservation to tag these fish in an effort to learn where they go. The Fish’n With Mates crew managed to tag 19 tuna while filming on the Island and already some of the fish have been recaptured in the same spots suggesting they are holding around the island for extended periods.

Looking for Hooks

Spending days in the water with these tuna gave me, as an underwater photographer, a unique opportunity to study their behavioral patterns. What was really interesting was how they shied away from an exposed hook much more than they seemed to worry about the size of the leader.

Fish of a Thousand Dreams

The fish that dreams are made of — and justified traveling three days just to reach Ascension. Best of all, the four-hour battle was filmed by our camera crew.

Inshore Action, Too

Inshore around Ascension, the fishing was just as hot as offshore, with literally hundreds of amberjacks and black jacks cruising around the rocks. It was almost impossible to not catch them with jigs or spoons, even off the rocks.

Behemoth Above

I snapped this classic shot of a massive yellowfin close to 300 pounds after it snatched a bait clean off the surface. Seeing that happen from underneath offers a unique perspective.

Memorable: Our First Ascension Tuna

Not our biggest tuna but the first one we caught after traveling halfway around the world in pursuit of much biggest yellowfin, so was a starting point!

About Al McGlashan

Al McGlashan — the angler at right in the photo just above — a longtime contributor to Sport Fishing, is one of the world’s foremost photojournalists and videographers of fish and fishing, as his photo below, from a series that went viral a few years ago, demonstrates.

The intrepid photographer shot an entire amazing sequence of a huge mako attacking a hooked striped marlin, from just a short distance away. The Australian-based McGlashan shares his passion for fish and fishing with an international audience of fans, in particular these days via his TV series, Fish’n With Mates.

The post Ascension Island Yellowfin Tuna Frenzy appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

THE NUBIAN FLATS — Fly Fishing Paradise in the Red Sea

For a third season, Africa’s Tourette Fishing has guided groups of fly-fishing enthusiasts with an adventurous streak to an area of the Red Sea in northern Africa that it calls the Nubian Flats. in northern Sudan, with countless islands and vast expanses of shallow-water flats, all essentially never fished. Despite the unrest in South Sudan, Tourette fishing has found northern Sudan to be “inviting, friendly and safe,” which helps explain why they’ve finished a third successful season there. As for what anglers catch in these waters — the photos in this gallery tell the story. All were taken by Tourette Fishing photographer Mark Murray, whose skill with a camera is readily apparent.

Also check out a gallery from last year on fishing the Nubian Flats.

Sinister

Trophy Bonefish

Infinite Flats

Giant of a Giant — Trevally on Fly

Queenfish on a Rampage

Tigers of the Nubian Flats

Beyond the Flats — Dogtooth Tuna

Walking the Remote, Empty Flats

Bluefin Trevallies — Blue on Blue

Fly Reels — Rack ‘Em Up

Giant Trevally — The Guide Takes a Turn

A Triggerfish Take

Underrated Batfish

Yellow-lipped Emperor

Sudanese: Uniformly Friendly

Menacing Teeth on a Yellowmargin Triggerfish

Giant Trevally: Tackle Tester

The post Fishing the Red Sea appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

You also might enjoy this video of tuna fishing in Panama.

The post The Drama of Marlin Fishing in the Cape Verde Islands appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

A Brace of Giant African Threadfin

Giant Jacks Put the Hurt on Anglers

Releasing a Huge Tarpon in the Gabon Surf

Cubera Snapper Surprise

Gabon’s Longfin Jack, Crevalle Cousin

Fishing With the Elephants

The Underrated, Exciting Guitarfish

Gigantic Seatrout

Feeding Frenzy Off the Beach

Double on Fly in the Estuary

BARRACUDA HAUNT THE LAGOONS

Giant Threadfin: Active After a Storm

Lure Maintenance — Full-Time Job in Gabon

Sunrise Over Loango National Park

Dawn Action in the Surf

As Night Falls, Big Cubera Snapper Move In

The Bite is On!

Lures Fish Fast and Hard

Gabon Beach Tarpon

Anglers Share the Beaches with Elephants

Giant African Threadfin Promise Prime Sport

Hard-Fighting Guitarfish

Circle Hooks Rule for Fishing Gabon Beaches

Trophy Longfin Jack on a Live Mullet

Casting at Sunrise on a Gabon Beach, Far From the Real World

The post Big-Fish Battles on Gabon’s Breathtaking Beaches appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Nubian Flats Giant Trevally on Fly

As long as there are new fishing frontiers to explore — and those seem to get fewer every year — there will be anglers who’ll heed the call.

Knowing that, Tourette Fishing — an African-based anglers’ outfitter — has for the past couple of years been offering adventures to explore what it calls the Nubian Flats — vast, uninhabited, untouched coastal shallows of the Red Sea in the northern Sudan.

Rob Scott, with Tourette, says: “Until recently, North Africa, and especially the coast of Sudan has never been considered a viable fishing destination.

Where in the World Are the “Nubian Flats”?

“Political unrest in neighboring Southern Sudan has cast an image that has been badly portrayed and dampened the potential for Sudanese tourism. Along the Red Sea coast of Sudan there are countless islands and wide expanses of shallow-water flats. These offer the adventurous fly angler a treasure chest of fly-fishing opportunities. In 2013, Tourette Fishing began the long process of exploring as much of the coast as possible in order to evaluate the fly-fishing potential.

“It didn’t take long to see the massive potential, as the flats were home to incredible numbers of triggerfish, bluefin, GTs, bohar as well as shots at bonefish and permit.

Despite the bad reputation of the country, Sudan is a very inviting, friendly, and safe place to travel, and for years has been the center for an exploding diving industry. In the future there is no doubt that the Nubian flats of the Red Sea will become a well-recognized flats destination as fly fisherman experience the magic of the Sudan coast.”

The U.S. State Department does have a Sudan travel warning in effect since June 2015, though it does agree that the greatest risk is in the south Sudan (these flats are in the north). Certainly, any American traveler will want to review this information, though Scott insists, “There’s always a travel warning [for Sudan]. Unfortunately, the whole country gets lumped together, but northern Sudan — where we visit — is a completely different country. It’s probably one of the safest places I’ve visited (and I visit a lot of places).”

Whether one decides that visiting the Sudan is currently a viable option or not, it’s interesting to see the potential of this untouched and fascinating area in these excellent photos.

The (very blue) Red Sea abuts the Nubian Desert of northeastern Sudan. The land is as dry as it looks, receiving a scant 5 inches of rainfall in an average year.

Tourette’s adventures to fish the Nubian Flats depart by boat from Port Sudan (into which regional airlines fly).

U.S. anglers are used to spotting the tails of feeding bonefish or permit or redfish. But here, the aggressive, hard-fighting yellowmargin triggerfish are a dominant flats predator, attacking anything that it might eat. That certainly includes the flies anglers throw their way.

A quick pre-release photo shows clearly the crab fly that fooled this colorful trigger in the warm, clear, sandy shallows.

Smaller targets such as triggers and permit often end up in a landing net before they’re released.

Fabulous gold-tipped permit rewarded this angler fishing water barely deep enough to cover the fish’s back. There are definitely larger permit here but, like permit everywhere, they’re elusive and spooky.

“One cool thing about my job is that I get to meet interesting people from all walks of life,” says photographer Mark Murray, shown here with Nubian friends. “I got to spend some time mixing with the locals and got invited onto their boat for a cup of local chai. Its experiences like these that stick with you for the rest of your life.”

The photographer’s photo-sorting station is visible in the foreground, while anglers and crew relax over drinks in the salon.

The group heads out on the Nubian Flats, leaving the mothership at anchor early on a hazy morning.

A dry spit from the Nubian Desert juts out in the Red Sea as an angler explores the coast.

A big yellowmargin triggerfish displays a remarkable pattern over its dorsal surface.

This first of three sequential shots shows angler Peter McLeod hooked up to a big trevally as guide Federico Castignolli watches the fish try to work down, into the hard edge where the flats drop off in a coral shelf.

With skill, hard work and luck, MacLeod has managed to work the big trevally up onto the flats where he now has a real chance to land the trophy.

A tough catch in any conditions, the challenges here made this release all the sweeter.

Fly rodder works the flats as the sun sinks toward distant Nubian Desert mountains of Sudan.

Trevally this size, especially on fly tackle, is worth crowing about.

“If there was a hole in the flat,” says Mark Murray, “a triggerfish would find it.” As a result, “Swim goggles became a very important piece of guiding equipment.” Here, guide Stu Harley is recovering fish and fly from a hole in the sand.

The stunning blue of a bluefin trevally contrasts with the dark ferocity of a giant trevally. Double and triple hookups happen often on the pristine Nubian flats.

The post Flats Fishing the Unexplored Coast of the Red Sea appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

AFRICAN THREADFIN

WHERE IS GABON?

TARPON IN THE SURF

AFRICA’S WILDEST COAST

SAVAGE IN THE SURF

LONG, LEAN & MEAN

QUIET MOMENT

MIXED BAG OF BRUISERS

GABON “SEATROUT”

CHEAP GEAR NEED NOT APPLY

POPPERS AWAY

TARPON CITY

LURES TAKE A GABON LICKING

HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR JACK TODAY?

ESTUARY ACTION

LUNCH BY THE JUNGLE

MIDDAY BATH

A MERE PUP

NIGHT LIFE

HOOKED UP

GOODBYE GABON

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