- Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 0 comments

Tarpon Fishing-Deep Sea Fishing in Mauritius


Surrounded by the south-west Indian Ocean, Mauritius is ideally positioned to access the many exciting species of fish that frequent the warm, tropical waters. Listed below are five of the most exciting creatures that you may encounter. There are a slew of private companies across the island that offer half or full day trips out to enjoy sport fishing in the area. In Mauritius, luxury hotels will usually offer their own services for you to enjoy this exciting activity too, so you will have every opportunity to take advantage.

1. Sailfish

With a fiercely elongated bill and a tall dorsal fin that stretches the whole length of its back, the Sailfish can appear fairly intimidating. Capable of moving up to 68mph they are also the fastest fish ever reliably recorded. Rarely larger than 90kg, they are still more than daunting enough to herd schools of fish or squid when they hunt in groups. They are well spread throughout the world, inhabiting all of the warmer regions, meaning that you stand a very good chance of encountering one on your Mauritius holidays.

2. Wahoo

A prized catch in any sport fishing environment, the flesh of the Wahoo is also famously delicate and regarded as quite a delicacy. Few Mauritius luxury hotels would object to you returning with one either, as an 80kg individual could doubtless feed a host of hungry guests! Swift and solitary, their back is an iridescent blue/green, while their sides are a shade of silver with blue bars. Like the Sailfish they too feed on squid and other, smaller fish.

3. Tuna

Tuna are not simply one species, but it is actually an umbrella term for a fairly wide variety of fish. Off the shores of Mauritius you're mostly likely to encounter Yellowfin Tuna, with a smattering of Bigeye and Albacore. Perhaps the most arresting thing, to the non-fisherman, is the revelation of just how big they are. Smaller species may be less than a metre in length, but Northern Blue Fin Tuna (or Thunnus Thynnus) can grow larger than 4m in length and up to 680kg in size. You thought that tuna sandwiches were something unheard of in the South Indian Ocean? Think again on your next Mauritius luxury holiday.

4. Shark

Species you may grapple with out in the South Indian Ocean include Mako, Hammerhead, Blue and Tiger Sharks. Many tour companies report abundant sightings and catches of Shark species once they're way out in the open water, with Mauritius actually holding the record for the largest Blue Shark ever caught. Of course, there's very little to do with a Shark once you've caught it, other than photograph and release it, but there are few creatures out there that will give you such a satisfying fight.

5. Marlin

Marlin are the legendary big-game fishing catch. Striped, Black and Pacific Blue Marlin frequent the waters around Mauritius and are big, fast and beautiful. Discernible by their spear-like snout, rigid dorsal fin and enormous size (sometimes up to 5m and 670kg), attempts to catch them often become the stuff of many a wild-eyed story and would certainly become the crowning achievement of any Mauritius luxury holiday.

Ricky Coates is a Mauritius holiday expert for key2holidays, an online tour operator offering Mauritius luxury holidays, as well as trips to Australia, Cuba, the Caribbean, Europe, Egypt, the Far East, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Dubai and the Arabian Gulf and South Africa. Key2holidays has a dedicated team of experienced travel consultants to share their knowledge and help you to plan and book your ideal holiday.

Article source: Ricky Coates

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- Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 0 comments

Tarpon Fishing -The Best Tarpon Fishing

The best tarpon fishing hotspot on the planet is no real secret to an avid tarpon angler. Tarpon can be found year round at this location but there are certain times of the year when their numbers can be so thick that you could walk on top of them so to speak, literally numbering in the tens of thousands. Which would thus enable any angler a fishing trip of a lifetime as these tarpon are considered giants. So just where is this secret garden of tarpon fishing, none other than Boca Grande Pass.

Below a video about Tarpon Fishing on Boca Grande.



Boca Grande is located on Gasparilla Island in the southwest portion of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. This small little community starts absolutely booming during the months of May, June and July when these tarpon hunters line up to take on their tarpon fishing adventure. Loaded with accommodations, restaurants and shopping venues, it's the perfect place to bring the family and sneak away on your own little adventure catching these great sport fish.

Boca Grande gathers its name from the Spanish word meaning "Big Mouth" and was used to describe the opening waterway of the pass, thus Boca Grande Pass. Back in the day, this pass was a thriving commercial platform and was utilized by cargo ships to haul processed phosphate from some of those very docks. That business slowed and is virtually non-existent since the opening of the Port of Tampa, and that's when tarpon fishing really kicked into gear.

During those special months when the tarpon stack up, it's really best to get a guide who knows what they are doing as the pass really gets loaded down with a ton of anglers. But with the sheer number of tarpon around, it doesn't really lessen any of your opportunities for catching one, just if your like me, I'd rather be fishing than untangling a mess from a first time pass angler trying to fish it alone. Could you do it yourself? Absolutely, you could bring your own boat and have a go at it, just remember a few little rules to play by and make not only your day an enjoyable one, but everyones day on the water enjoyable as well.

Rule 1: Start your drift at the top of the pass. Don't cut in and just line up with someone else that's already drifting. In other words, don't stop your boat in somebody else's drift line. All boats in the pass tend to drift the same way and in the same line. Just like back in school at the lunch line, no cuts!

Rule 2: When you finish your drift, don't just fire up your boat and go directly back up to the front. Be courteous and make your way back on the OUTSIDE of the drifting line.

Rule 3: Tarpon can spook. Don't throw a wake with your boat. Take your time and ease back into position.

Rule 4: Don't anchor IN th pass. This is an easy way to make everyones day absolutely miserable.

There you have it. Four simple rules to fishing one of the greatest tarpon hotspots in the world, Boca Grande Pass.

Chris Copeland is co-founder of South Florida Tarpon Fishing as well as an active angler. With more than 30 years of recreational experience fishing for all types of saltwater fish, one of his favorite types is tarpon fishing south Florida.

Article Source : Chris Copeland share