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THE ENCHANTING ANDAMAN ISLANDS: THE BEST KEPT FISHING SECRET AROUND
A fishing Safari for Adventurous Anglers….and an Underwater Paradise Lost and Found.
We had been chartering our 40ft catamaran, Katrine in South East Asian waters for five years before we ventured out to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal four years ago. We were determined to find more pristine cruising and fishing grounds away from the hustle and bustle of millions of tourists and the local pillage and rape of most of the waters of South East Asia. And we can now honestly say that this is the last outpost – virgin fishing grounds and the best kept secret around.
For centuries the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which belong to India and situated in the Bay of Bengal, were shrouded in mystery because of their inaccessibility
Historically, they provided a temporary maritime base for ships in the 17th century, but long before that, Marco Polo who travelled and explored the European-Asia route in 1271 and 1295 wrote about the islands as “a very large island, not governed by a king, with plenty of spices”. Until the beginning of colonial rule the islands were populated by indigenous people and there are legends of cannibalistic tribes who terrorized early inhabitants
Then during the British colonial era the islands were used as an isolated prison for members of the Indian Independence Movement and regarded as the Siberia of British India. The British continued their occupancy until the Japanese Invasion and occupation of the islands during World War 2.
Vestiges of this bygone era are still to be seen on these enigmatic islands; relics of its stone age culture, aboriginal tribes who are protected by the government, a wonderful “Sound and Light” show which tells of the island’s colonial past, bunkers from the 2nd World War and more recently, evidence of the tsunami which devastated parts of South East Asia on boxing day 2004 .
Our first attempt to sail there was thwarted by the tsunami which happened a few days before we were due to leave Phuket, Thailand in December 2004. Waiting for the effects of the tsunami to improve, we left our next attempt to sail there, for two years. Then, once bitten, it has become our annual holiday- one we love to share with others.
Our cruise from Thailand to the Andaman’s is always an amazing experience in itself. Marked on the chart is a shallow reef called Invisible Banks eighty miles off the Andaman coast but the first time we came upon it, we were unprepared and totally flabbergasted to see the ocean breaking in huge skyward sprays over the reef in the middle of the ocean.
We time our arrival at the exposed rock and over the 15 mile long shallow bank, on our way to and from the islands to early morning or late afternoon and have never been disappointed. The first time, we weren't prepared for the monsters and gave most of our tackle away to Davey Jones, but that only happens once! Once prepared we reeled in the biggest fish we have caught to date – Wahoo, Blue fin Tuna and Rainbow Runners
And, of course, we are always looking to better our record.
The Andaman Islands are a true paradise in every sense of the word; virgin forests, white-sandy unspoiled beaches – many of which are uninhabited - beautiful coral and perhaps the best of all – a crystal clear ocean which has never been destroyed by foreign commercial fishing fleets.
On our first visit we met up with friends, Rob and Chantal who flew from South Africa to meet us at Port Blair, the main port of Middle Andaman Island . Rob is a keen fisherman while Chantal was eager to explore the coral reefs and enjoy the secluded isolation of the islands. They were a great team to share our first exploration of the archipelago with, and as it was all a new adventure for us, we spent the days looking for the best snorkeling spots, fishing as many shallows and drop offs as we could cram into the days, trolling with different lures, jigging for squid and diving for crayfish. It was enormous fun exploring the beautiful islands and we reeled in the G.T’s, Spanish mackerel, Pick-handled Barracudas, the Job Fish and the Coral Trout among myriads of other species. It was a fantastic recci with good friends and it decided us to return the following year to discover more islands and still more fishing spots.
The following year our charter guests were fishermen of the finest degree. Ken, his friend Dave and their ladies, Linda and Marcia came armed to the teeth with extra fishing gear and oodles of enthusiasm. Never before had we experienced such fishing passion! From early morning till late in the evening and sometimes into the night, we learnt more and more from these veterans of sea fishing. From fly fishing and drop-shots to trolling, we scoured the electronic charts on C-map looking for the drop-offs and likely-looking fishing spots.
Leaving our pick-up point at the harbour in Port Blair, the fishing rods were out before we were through the harbour channel heading to explore virgin fishing grounds and uninhabited islands of the south, and within half an hour we had our first G.T. on the line. Our lunchtime stop a few hours later, in a secluded little bay on the shallows of a coral reef had the guests over the side with masks and snorkels and whoops of joy at the spectacle - myriads of tropical fish in a kaleidoscope of colours, and spectacular coral.
But it was seeing their first chase as we ate lunch in the cockpit of Katrine
that really got the boys going. Ken caught sight of the first sign of movement
off our port bow – just a few ripples to begin with, and then large violent
swirls that broke the dead calm, as the baitfish ran for their lives. Suddenly
the sea was boiling as the game fish crashed at the surface in a feeding frenzy.
It took a few seconds to have the dinghy in the water and the guys were off into
the pandemonium and reeling them in. They’d had their first taste.
The weather was perfect as we explored every nook and cranny, every bay and drop-off for the boys to increase the tally of fish species. Words like White Streamers, Poppers and Drop Shots rolled off the tongue and dominated the conversations and the fish were hauled in – every shape and size - to be photographed and for most, to be released. Selecting a few of the most delectable every day for the table (Rainbow Runners took precedence on the menu followed closely by Coral Trout and Spanish mackerel) - the rest were tagged in the memory bank and released to fight another fisherman another day.
And finally when all good things have to come to an end, I asked Ken what his thoughts in hindsight were on Andaman Island fishing, and this is what he wrote:
“The potential for fly fishing I think is huge. For Kingfish or Travelly the possibilities are endless. There are some huge Giant Travelly in those waters and they take a fly very readily. In addition there is a wide range of other Travelly such as the Blue fin, Greenspot and Yellow Spot to target. Most of these Travelly should be fished for on the shallower reefs with a drop off such as at The Twin Sisters.
On these shallower reefs we caught a wide range of reef fish such as the Swallow Tail and Tomato Rock Cod, Parrotfish, and Soldiers.
The deep water fishing for the true Barracuda, Rainbow Runner, Tuna and Bonito was also extremely good. Other possibilities which we did not catch would be Wahoo and Billfish.
The fly tackle to use is a rod of at least 10 weights and a reel with at least 500m of backing. The best line to use is a fast sinking shooting head and also a floating line for poppers. The best flies we found were Clouser minnows and Streamers in the 2 to 4/O size. Also the black whistler worked well for low light conditions.
For those who do not fly fish a spinning rod for drop shot fishing and throwing a plug worked really well in the shallow reefs for Travelly and reef fish. In the deeper water throwing a spoon such as the Onde Onde spoon or deep water jig did the trick.
The beauty of being on a yacht is that you are on the water at the ideal fishing time at first light and in the evening when most fish are feeding actively.”
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And so our Andaman experiences just get better and better! The more we sail there, the more we long to return and our adventures further and further a-field have been far beyond our expectations:
We have found the best places to dive, the best coral to snorkel, the best islands to see Manta Rays, dolphin, giant pelagic and schools of wrasse. We have scoured the drop-offs, the eddies and quiet waters for all types of fishing, and on our last visit, we discovered The Banks- the ultimate experience!
Looking at our c-map we noticed some shallow banks about 60 nautical miles off the west coast of the Andaman Islands so decided to explore. We left Twin islands at five in the afternoon to negotiate the shallows and coral bommies that surround the island and through the narrow pass between the two. The sail through the night was brisk and we arrived at South Banks in the early hours of the morning as the sun was rising. it didn't take long for the rods to be out and we spent the day trawling around the edge of the banks amazed at the clarity of the water (we could see 30 metres down as clearly as looking through glass) and hauling in the fish. We stopped in shallows for a rest at mid day and dived down to get a few crayfish for lunch, then carried on to Middle Banks where we fished until we dropped. And if we thought we had caught big fish before....these were monsters!
The sea was calm and conditions perfect, so we dropped the anchor and stayed overnight. It was phenomenal to be out in the middle of the ocean looking around for 360 degrees at a circle of horizon - nothing in sight except Katrine, the sea and the sky. It was totally awesome.
Have a look at our photo gallery for more.
Don't hesitate...contact us now and we will tell you the best way to reach us, as once again, we will sail to the Andaman Islands, for an experience of a lifetime and a holiday you will never forget.
CHEERS!