S T L A Z A R U S B A N K S , Q U I R I M B A S A R C H I P E L A G O MOZAMBIQUE FISHING CHARTERS

FISHING CHARTERS AT THE FAMED ST LAZARUS BANKS IN THE MOZAMBIQUE QUIRIMBAS ARCHIPELAGO

Imagine yourself on board a deluxe 52-foot Lagoon Catamaran, cruising with fishing rods at the ready, in the beautiful Quirimbas Archipelago of northern Mozambique? Imagine yourself arriving at the famous St Lazarus Banks, place of trophy fish and exciting fishing where you fight your prey for hours. This can become a reality with Mozambique Yacht Safaris when we organise your private fishing package on board our luxury sailing vessel!

Banco St Lazarus is where Dorado and Sailfish, Yellowfin and Dogtooth Tuna, Wahoo and Giant

the home grounds for game fish weighing in at up to 40kg and we can book your one in a lifetime fishing adventure at this unusual and sought-after location.

This unusual marine formation in the middle of the Quirimbas is an eight hour journey from our starting point at Ibo Island and it is here that the shy Mantis Shrimp mates every year at the same time. Thousands of fish and game fish arrive to feed on the shrimps and each other in the warm Indian Ocean waters, creating a crazy

dog-eat-dog atmosphere that fishermen and divers simply cannot resist.

And we take you there in style, on a luxury

Banks. You will get the best workout you ever could wish for when you start to fish at this time of year, hauling in huge fish after silver fish, your adrenalin pumping. Watch the sun rise after many hours already of this kind of entertaining angling, your place in this paradise confirmed.

St Lazarus Bank rises some 2 000 meters from the ocean and stretches at least 50 miles in the warm Indian Ocean. Our slick 52 foot Lagoon catamarans are so spacious they can comfortably accommodate eight anglers who will delight in the range and quality of the upmarket fishing paraphernalia.

Your Mozambique fishing charter is a floating hotel and the best part is that you

get to tour the islands of the Quirimbas Archipelago, fishing as you go. Settle

into the four air-conditioned en-suite cabins and ease your muscles after a hard

day of game fishing. Sip a chilled glass of South African wine on deck and

sample succulent fish of the day served to you by the talented Ibo chef who sails

with you and tries out his magical recipes on your taste buds!

If you have a lucky rod or some favourite fishing equipment, bring it along on

your Mozambique fishing safari into the St Lazarus Banks region you never

know, it may help you hook that trophy! Our yachts are accompanied by a 16

foot centre console fully rigged fishing catamaran and both sailing boats are

fully kitted with Shimano trolling, jigging and spinning or popping tackle as well

as a wide ranging selection of terminal tackle and lures.

WE OFFER THE BEST OF EVERYTHING: WORLD CLASS SERVICE, FISHING GEAR AND YACHTS: We understand the heart of a true fishermen and have built our fishing safaris in Mozambique around your specific needs and desires. So we have equipped our yachts with state of the art technology and fishing tackle to make your heart sing and so that you know you are getting real value for your money. We also love fishing which means that every charter we take you on, is another exciting adventure for us too. We want you to love your accommodation, your chef and his concoctions and all our safety precaution as we cruise along in our floating hotel.

We want you to be safe too not only are our skipper and crew professionally trained and equipped with some of the best qualifications in the business but so too are our engines brand new and regularly maintained for supreme performance. We always carry spare parts and fix slight mishaps in a jiffy. Our main aim is to see happy anglers, hooking huge fish, smiling and boosting their morale!

Having said that, we also need you to understand that some concepts remain out of our control. We cannot, for example, control the weather and the winds or tides we try our best to move when the seasons are good but sometime Mother Nature has other plans and then we have to accommodate her too. Your captain will use his discretion when the going gets tough and will get going out of there if he feels things are hotting up too much. We will head back to base at Ibo Island of storms or mechanical faults become too much for us to handle.

Our lives spent on the African East Coast and we know how the fish move and where they are going to. We like to take you, our private fishing charter clients, into adventurous Mozambique sailing zones where the fish are, creating the best opportunities for you and your mates. You will get to uses new Shimano rods and reels, Tiagra trolling reels that are spooled with Ande premium grade monofilament line, and Shimano Stella popping and jigging reels that are spooled with Suffix braid. Try out our all-inclusive selection of lures, jigs and poppers!

WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE WHEN YOU ARRIVE?When you fly into Pemba, our private charter plane will hop you over to Ibo Island for your first night in Ibo Island Lodge, renowned for its hospitality and gracious rooms in a renovated ancient mansion. Enjoy mouth-watering sundowners and seafood at this award-winning island hotel in the Quirimbas Archipelago with the crew who will be your guides for a week or so. Next morning, you will step on board your Lagoon 52 Catamaran and set sail for St Lazarus Banks, about 50 Nautical Miles away as the crow flies.

Our luxury Mozambique fishing safaris hope to get you to St Lazarus Banks around lunchtime when you get stuck into the serious business of Catching That Big One. Usually your vessel will stay on the Banks and island hop the Quirimbas for a few days, if that is what your group has requested. You can also dock at one of the islands and spend time at a luxury lodge, sampling their hospitality and activities (Azura Quilalea, Anantara Medjumbe, and Vamizi Island). Enjoy fantastic scenery, a glorious climate and other activities such as snorkelling, swimming, kayaking and walking. Finally, you will return to Ibo Island for another night there where you can share fishing stories and techniques before flying to Pemba and out to your respective homes.

FISHING DETAILS FOR KEEN ANGLERS:If you are dreaming of catching Dogtooth Tuna, Kingfish, Barracuda, Wahoo, Grouper, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Rosy and Green Jobfish and a range of decent sized reef fish then you can make this happen with your team. We have seen our fishermen use differing techniques to claim their fishy prizes: trolling Rapala type lures, casting plugs and spoons, running live baits and vertical Jigging.

It is hard to say which time of year is the best for

fishing in the Quirimbas, especially at the famous St Lazarus Banks. However, we do know that if you adventure there with Mozambique Yacht Safaris between August and February, you will be there when the Mantis Shrimp breed, therefore attracting huge shoals of fish and game fish.

You will see predators such as Giant Yellowfin Tuna reaching up to 100 kg, Dogtooth Tuna weighing in at 75kg, Giant Trevallies of 60kg, 40kg Wahoo, 38kg Barracuda and Sailfish of up to 50kg. There could even be bigger fish out there as we have lost tackle out to sea and never seen the culprits!

We believe in taking our fly fishermen into places they never even dreamed of. History tells us that average catches at St Lazarus Banks from chartered yachts yield as many as 70 fish per day.

Even on the toughest days, anglers haul in no fewer than 20 game fish when there are about 5 anglers fishing at one time.

There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind. (Washington Irving)

www.mozambiquetravelmanagement.com | Tel: + 27 21 785-5498 or + 27 71 611-7530 (GMT + 2) | res2@mozambiquetravelmanagement.com