Madagascar

EXTRAORDINARY FISHING HOLIDAY ON MADAGASCAR

Dive into a sea of fishing opportunities, experience the unique nature and enjoy a 5-star feeling during your fishing trip to Madagascar.

The fourth largest island in the world is already waiting to be discovered by you in the Indian Ocean – east of Africa. From March to December, the “eighth continent” delights passionate anglers with pleasant temperatures and its breathtaking wealth of species.

The following sections will give you a taste of what to expect on your Madagascar fishing holiday. We tell you what varied fishing days await you, how princely your accommodation will be and much more about your fishing trip to Madagascar.

OUR TOP 10 REASONS FOR YOUR FISHING TRIP TO MADAGASCAR

• Extraordinary fishing camp on its own island
• 5-star feeling regarding accommodation, location, service & catering
• First class boats (32ft long, super motorised & with the latest technology)
• All fishing tackle can be rented on site
• All types of fishing possible: popper fishing, jigging, trolling, light tackle fishing
• Great social programme also for non-fishing companions
• Relatively easy arrival (Lufthansa + Ethiopian Airways via Addis Ababa)
• Only 1-2 h time difference
• German, English or Scandinavian speaking tour guide
• Flights & additional services (e.g. seat reservations, excess/sports luggage) can be organised directly by our external partners.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR FISHING HOLIDAY IN MADAGASCAR

This is how your fishing adventure begins:

With the international flight you land in Nosy Be on Madagascar in the afternoon. Upon arrival, you will be met by the operation’s driver holding a sign with the name Radama Fishing. During the 45-minute drive to the hotel in Manga Be (southwest of Nosy Be), you will gain some first exciting impressions of the island.

You can spend the rest of your arrival day relaxing at the pool or inside the air-conditioned rooms, preparing your tackle or taking a stroll through Nosy Be. Nosy Be is a pleasant town with some tourism – the main strip is a short taxi drive from the hotel, and it’s safe to go out for a drink and dinner in town, otherwise there is an excellent restaurant about one popper cast away from the hotel. The distance to the beach and the boats that will take you fishing the next day is about the same.

YOUR FIRST FISHING DAY IN MADAGASCAR:

You spend the first day fishing your way to the camp, so have you gear rigged and ready in the morning – the crew is ready to help if you need it. Your other luggage will be transported separately on the camp’s supply boat. Late afternoon you reach the RADAMA ISLANDS RESORT on Nosy Antanimora – keep the Speedos on top in the suitcase, because they will be the first thing you look for when you get there.

FISHING IN MADAGASCAR

You usually start the fishing around 7.30 am after a nice breakfast at the restaurant. Fishing is good close to the camp, but you can make it far and still be back by 5 pm. No day is the same – there are endless possibilities, just let the crew know if you have any preferences as to how you like to mix it up. The days travelling to and from the camp might be mostly popping, while the days at the camp might have more jigging. You can livebait if you want to – there are lots of billfish like marlin and sailfish around, and as many sharks as you have the strength to catch. If you don’t want to spend a minute not fishing, throw an X-Rap Magnum behind the boat and ask the crew for a bit of trolling as they roll out the shade roof over the boat deck for your lunch – you never know if the next day it will be wahoo sandwich.

If that’s not enough for you, you have the opportunity to throw a day of full-blown big game fishing into the mix – a serious quest for the abundant black marlin.

And hey – if you’re even more of a multi-species fisho and you think sleep is only for the weak, spend your evening wrestling big rays off the beach at the camp. So much fishing, so little time!

As for the casting, make no mistake – there are massive fish here like proper GT in the 30-45 kilo range, but usually you don’t fish extremely shallow areas, and the fish don’t particularly like gigantic lures, so this is a friendly PE6-8 (80-100 lbs braid) destination – you can leave the elephant guns at home. Besides GT, possible catches include all the other reef raiders like bluefin trevally, bohar snapper, different groupers, king mackerel, green jobfish, barracuda, sailfish etc.  A lot of the time is spent chasing bait balls like schools of fusilier. If some hungry critter is lurking around them, you will often know as soon as your lure hits the water.

In jigging, bring your A-game – the fish will make it worthwhile. Jigging is always a tradeoff, because lighter tackle will get you more bites, but if you take it too far, a big grouper will show you who’s the boss. Slow pitch jigging is amazing, but this is not the place to bring it: Too many sharks, too many big fish in general – you get destroyed all the time.

TYPICAL ITINERARY OF YOUR FISHING TRIP IN MADAGASCAR:

• Day 1: Afternoon arrival in Nosy Be, stay at the guesthouse.
• Day 2: Fish your way to the RADAMA ISLANDS RESORT on Nosy Antanimora.
• Day 3-6: Four days fishing from the camp.
• Day 7: Fish your way back to Nosy Be.
• Day 8:Transfer to the airport for the flight home.Longer trips and additional nights are possible – just get in contact with us.

THE RIGHT FISHING TACKLE IN MADAGASCAR

You can rent quality popping and jigging rods and reels (ZENAQ + SHIMANO Stella) at the camp: One set is 200 EUR, two sets 350. There is even a small tackle shop with a lot of good stuff on the island – so if you really want to, you can pretty much show up with just your hands in your pockets and still get ready to fish.

If you are bringing your own tackle, we suggest the following:

Popping

• Heavier popping rod rated around PE8, casting weight of up to 150-200 grams with a high-speed spinning reel such as DAIWA Saltiga or Certate 14000-XH or similar SHIMANO reels with braided line around PE8 (80-100 lbs.) and 150-170 lbs shock leader
• Lighter spinning rod rated PE4 to 6, casting weight up to 100-120 grams with a smaller high-speed spinning reel and braided line around PE4-6 (40-60 lbs.) and 80-100 lbs. shock leader
• Poppers ranging from 50 grams to 125 grams and stickbaits ranging from 12-25 cms, sinking and floating models

Examples of lures that have produced well:

• Halco Roosta popper, Rapala Magnum Xplode, HYBRIDA J1 Tropic, Gunz Tailwalk, Orion Bigfoot, Tackle House Shibuki and K-Ten Minnow. Natural colors usually work well, but you never know.

Jigging

• Heavier jigging rod rated around PE6 and jig weight up to 250-300 grams. Suitable reel – overhead or spinning – with power gear (not high-speed) loaded with braided line around PE6 (60-80 lbs) and 100-130 lbs shock leader
• Lighter jigging rod rated around PE4-5 and jig weight up to 200 grams. Suitable reel – overhead or spinning – with power gear (not high-speed) loaded with braided line around PE4-5 (40-60 lbs) and 80-100 lbs shock leader
• Shiny jigs ranging from 130-280 grams and a few softlures in the same weight class

Examples of lures that have produced well:

• Fisherman Andaman, HART Weepy, WILLIAMSON Vortex, Hot’s Drift Tune, Shout Shab Shab, Jigging Master Fallings, SevenSeas Hooker, Pela jig, Westin Crazy Daisy

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MADAGASCAR

• Fourth largest island in the world & often referred to as the “eighth continent”.
• Madagascar is about 1.6 times the size of Germany
• About 27.69 million inhabitants (as of 2020)
• Average annual temperature: 25 °C
• The currency of Madagascar is the Ariary.
• As a former French colony, French is widely spoken here.
• Madagascar is one of the least developed countries in the world.
• The Malagasy are considered particularly warm and hospitable.

STATE OF THE ART BOATS DURING YOUR FISHING TRIP

The boats are no nonsense 32 feet all new center-consoles with 300 HP SUZUKI – impeccably kept, practical and suitable for up to four anglers. It’s a two-man crew – one captain, one deckhand, some of them incredibly experienced people who had already been fishing for ages before the camp opened in 2007.

Electronics are up to date with the latest echosounder technology from GARMIN and VHF radios. There are plenty of rod holders and during fishing the rods are kept either on the side or on top of the roof to keep them out of harm’s way when casting. Your other stuff is kept safe and dry in a large compartment at the bow, easily accessible.

The camp also has two bigger boats. They are mainly used for transportation, or for trolling for billfish.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION ON MADAGASCAR

The RADAMA ISLANDS RESORT is located on its own island (Nosy Antanimora) in the Radama archipelago off the coast. Here you will stay in simple but clean and very cosy huts with fans and private bathrooms. You will live like royalty: When you get off the boat after fishing, you can already tell the restaurant staff on the way to the hut what you would like to be served later as a 3-course meal.

After a short swim in the pool or on the beach, you can take a seat at the bar and end the evening with a few drinks and plenty of fishy stories. Everything is already included in the price!
Of course, this also applies to the daily laundry service. Our on-site partner employs a total of around 40 people to look after your well-being – so nothing is left to chance here.

FISHING HOLIDAY ON MADAGASCAR WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY

Your wife or other non-fishing guests are always as welcome as you are. They will have the time of their lives if they like long walks on the beach, enjoy snorkelling or just a relaxing nap in the shade, accompanied by the songs of the cicadas.

Both relaxing and exciting experiences can be undertaken on site, such as hiking, diving, sailing, island hopping, relaxing in the pool or on the beach. You are also welcome to spend a few more nights at the guesthouse in Nosy Be before or after fishing.

THE BEST TIME FOR YOUR FISHING TRIP TO MADAGASCAR

The climate in Madagascar is tropical with temperatures normally ranging from 23 to 28 degrees. Rain showers are common throughout the year and the camp is usually closed during January and February because of rain.

Fishing is good year-round, while in the months of May to September, the presence of yellowfin tuna (usually school size up to around 40 kgs.) adds one more dimension to the fishing. Sailfish are present year-round but are most abundant in August to October.

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR MADAGASCAR FISHING HOLIDAY COST?

SEASON: March-December.

FLY TO: Nosy Be.

PRICE: From €3.400 (plus international flights)

INCLUDED:

• Six full days of guided fishing (four anglers on the boat),
• five nights at the resort (full board including softdrinks & alcoholic beverage),
• two nights in the guesthouse in Manga Be (bed & breakfast),
• all transfers on site.

NOT INCLUDED:

• International flights to Nosy Be,
• dinner & drinks on arrival and return transfer day in Manga Be,
• gratuities for boat crew & staff (Approx. €150 per angler),
• rental tackle,
• entry visa (approx. €10),
• personal expenses.

VIDEOS FROM OUR FISHING TRIPS TO MADAGASCAR

You can find more videos in the “ MADAGASCAR “ playlist on our YouTube channel.