Restored Faith

Over the past ten years I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many venues along the coast of Mozambique, all of which have looked promising from a fishing perspective. Yet the sad truth is that the burgeoning population of the country and their dependence on the bounty of theocean has had a dramatic effect on these fisheries. No self respecting recreational angler could begrudge a man putting supper on the table, but this coupled with reports of illegal commercial fishing had made me quite despondent about this extensive coastline. So despite the incredible mangroves over which we choppered in, painting a wonderful contrast to the azure waters and coral islands of the Qurimbas, I was not overly optimistic. That was until I witnessed the abundance of marine life surfacing all around Quilalea Island. Crustaceans of every shape and size, shoals of baitfish with schools of juvenile gamefish chasing, all seemed to be thriving in close proximity to the island. Surfacing turtles and playful dolphins completed this picture of man and environment co-existing happily under one roof.Azura have established an exclusive retreat on Quilalea and gone to great lengths to ensure that their ecological impact is kept to a bare minimum from a tourism perspective, whilst actively protecting this marine sanctuary from any unscrupulous commercial operators. It is a real success story for conservation and a significant contributor to employment and growth of the local economy. Over the 4 days that I was fortunate enough to spend within this reserve, I experienced so many fishing firsts, that I had to remind myself I was not discovering a new destination. To see a Giant Trevally nonchalantly cruising the reef, less than 50 meters from our villa, was simply mind boggling. The fact that Abdul, our skipper, pointed this out with undisguised enthusiasm and without a hint of surprise was testament to what this jewel had to offer.

Arriving on a new Moon phase gave us breath-taking vistas of the tidal fluctuation, exposing flats that practically join Quilalea to the uninhabited neighbouring island of Sencar, itself a sight to behold with its gorgeous mangroves which also can be explored by kayak as one of the many excursions on offer.  The flats have prolific populations of colourful triggerfish and a myriad of other species that come alive with the ebb and flow of the tides. Within the depressions and channels that lend a deep blue to accentuate the pale shallow water, is a kaleidoscope of coral supporting a rainbow of schools of tropical fish in a frenzy of activity as they go about their daily routine. All of this can be seen from the deck of a cruising boat as you try and decide where to start fishing. Whilst waiting for the boat to be prepared, we threw a gentle 9wt rig from the protected bay and had immediate strikes from the junior Kingfish; yellow spot, big eye and bluefin all showing interest and then I had a shocking reality check. My next hit, was a freight train that just kept on going! Tightening my drag to the maximum did nothing to stop my line and backing simply disappearing off my reel, and the reef to which the suspected GT ran, did the rest. Left holding an empty spool and wondering what I had done wrong is a gut wrenching feeling, but spilt milk I was not about to dwell on. From that moment on, I fished with nothing but a 12wt rod! It felt like taking a machine gun to a knife fight for most of the reef species that I subsequently hooked, which were by catches in any case, as it was GT’s that now occupied every waking thought and I was not going to be left wanting when or if the opportunity presented itself. Ripping and stripping takes fine judgement when you have the intense currents created from the extreme  ebb and flow of springs tides. 500 grain lines are a minimum prerequisite, but nonetheless, to get your fly down to the fish takes a lot of practice and over the next two days this was our learning curve. Trying to fish in 5-10 meters of water and timing the drift to meet the dramatic drop off to 25 meters plus, that is a mere 100 meters from the shoreline, was the exercise.I cannot even count the number of Kingfish that chased my flies to the back of the boat, and on a number of memorable occasions the Trevallies encountered were significant specimens indeed. Watching them peel off at the gunwale of the boat as I stripped the last of my line in caused ongoing exclamations and more than a little personal frustration. Speed of retrieve was doubled, depth varied, but even with a full line in the water and the heaviest deep water clouser that I had with me, I just couldn’t get the bigger fish to committ. I really should have resorted to a spinning rod and stick bait without hooks to tease the Kingfish up, but my pride got the better of me. On the day of the actual new Moon I elected to explore the flats, which it must be said needed a few days to do properly. In the couple of hours that we had, the sights were quite incredible. Trigger fish of four different varieties darted all around, I counted no less than 18 Picasso Triggers in one area and every piece of coral in the channel between Quilalea and Sencar Island housed a plethora of species. We interrupted a school of around 60 Parrot fish patrolling the flats and attempted to stalk their sickle tails feeding in the distance, but the tide was already pushing and giving them cover, so we didn’t even get close. I hoped to encounter bonefish on the sand flats, but can only confirm schools of mullet, although I did in no way traverse this vast area and every indication was that this is ideal habitat for them. My fixation was the Giant Trevally, so back to our craft, ‘Pisces’ and on to the productive channel of the area known as the Canyon we ventured. Every fishing spot where we encountered good sightings of gamefish was only a few hundred meters at most from the lodge, which is almost unheard of in Mozambique, And practically everywhere we stopped we saw something that got our blood pumping. Whether it be the Mackeral that were launching themselves 5 meters into the air while attacking the baitfish, birds pummelling the surface, or shadows of beasts that lurk below, Qulilalea is bristling with fishing opportunities.My fishing fate ended as is started, with two ten kilo GT’s screaming right up to my fervent strip, only to splitright at the stern of our boat……I was distraught! To enjoy a fishing trip by sight alone is a rarity, as knowing what could have been, usually keeps me awake at night. But the fact is that Quilalea is an incredible fishery, as Brad Cartwright demonstrated by popping for GT’s with considerable success. Fortunately, what will always soothe the pain of not hooking into a beast is the luxury of Azura’s facilities, the world class service and cuisine that is deserving of Michelin stars. That said, less than a week after my return, my dreams are still of that GT lying in wait for my return.

Gareth
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