The 50 kilometre wide Pemba channel is very rich in nutrients and large predators come to it in search of food. The great depths of the channel favor the presence of the large billfish, including swordfish, blue, black, stripped and sailfish. So, with a little luck, a fisherman can make a slam -three different billfishes on the same day-, a Grand Slam -four billfishes- or a Super Grand Slam -five billfishes on the same day-. There are very few places in the world where this can happen, two of them are Piñas Bay (Panama) and La Guaira (Venezuela).
I had to insist little to my friends to choose this fishing destination and on February 14 we left Barcelona for Zurich, where we slept in a hotel next to the airport to leave the next day at first thing in the morning to Dar es-Salam, in a flight of ten hours with a stopover in Nairobi (Kenya). In Dar es Salaam we were met by the representative of Roy Safaris, our friend from other trips, who took us to a beautiful hotel in front of the sea, the Kilimanjaro, of the Kempinski chain.
The next day at 6 a.m., Roy accompanied us to the Yacht Club of Dar es-Salam, where the boat we had rented for six days was waiting for us, the Haraka, a 35-foot Guy Coach with his crew; Richard, a South African national, as skipper and the sailors Aby and Ali, both from Tanzania.
The Haraka is located in the north of the island of Zanzibar, more specifically at Ras Nungwi Beach, a hotel where I fished several years ago. From Haraka and its skipper, we had no reference, but it was the only boat we found available for those days, as both the organization Sea Adventures, Pat and Simon Hemphill, and the Pemba Channel Club, did not have boats available at that time. On board the Haraka we headed to our final destination, the island of Pemba, in Tanzania, and more specifically to a beautiful lodge, Fundu Lagoon. To Pemba we could go by plane but we preferred to arrive by boat and start fishing. The distance between Dar es-Salam and Pemba is about 70 nautical miles, sailing through the Zanzibar Channel was fast at 12 knots until we reached the beginning of the Pemba channel, where we slowed down to 7-8 knots and began fishing with artificial bait. After a short while, we got two strikes and two beautiful rainbow runners of about 8 kilos appeared at the stern of the boat. We ate them for dinner that night and then a specimen of rainbow got hooked and we brought it on board. Finally we spotted the silhouette of the island of Pemba and headed towards our destination, the Fundu Lagoon. |
Located on the west coast of the island of Pemba, the Fundu Lagoon is one of the best places for diving, as the corals are extraordinary. The resort is made up of fourteen beachfront bungalows with marvelous views, great vegetation, white sand and crystalline waters, a true paradise. The construction is rustic, which is called Zanzibar style. The restaurant is excellent and has the all-inclusive mode, but the best thing about the hotel was the kindness of the financial director, who made our stay unbeatable, an authentic hostess. The great advantage of Fundu Lagoon, among others, is that it is only 10 minutes by boat from the good fishing area.
The first full day of fishing was Saturday, February 17. We got up at 5.30 a.m. and at 6 a.m. we were already on board and sailing towards the north of the island, looking for the best area of the Pemba channel, which is between the northern tip of Pemba and the coastal town of Shimoni, in southern Kenya. This day we caught a beautiful stripped marlin, about 80 kilos, which we returned to its environment. We had several hits but there was no hooking. That day we only fished with artificial bait and lines of 30 and 50 lbs.
The second day we had several marlin bites, we caught two stripped marlin, which we also returned to the sea. We also caught a 70 kg sailfish and three precious mahi-mahi, of about 12 kg each, which we used to obtain the ventresca and use it as bait for the marlin. Abi, the sailor, is an extraordinary fisherman, who spent ten years fishing with the Pemba Channel Fishing organization and the experience accumulated during these years is currently applied with maximum rigor. It is an extraordinary leadermar and handles the hook with great precision apart from having a spectacular sight to see the marlins swimming on the surface.
On the third day we caught a sailfish of about 65 kilos and two mahi-mahi. The next day we got a good sailfish and we had several marlin bites that didn't get hooked. Finally, on the fifth day we changed fishing areas and headed south towards the canal, between Pemba and Zanzibar. We saw numerous marlins swimming on the surface. We had a couple of touches but they didn't eat willingly. Around 1 p.m. we stopped fishing and went to a paradise island to prepare a fish and seafood barbecue.
In short, we fished three stripped marlin, three sailfish, three rainbow and five mahi-mahi, as well as having numerous bites that did not hook. Every day we had an extraordinary weather, with a radiant sun and a constant breeze blowing from the north, with a good water temperature and a deep and clean blue color of the Indian Ocean, ideal situation to fish. During these days fishing in the Pemba channel, we encountered several times the boats of Pat and Simon Hemphill, as well as those of the Pemba Channel Club. We all got marlins, just as we reported by radio.
To conclude, the Pemba channel and the Fundu Lagoon are two ideal places that complement each other for marlin fishing. The Pemba channel can also be accessed from southern Kenya (Shimoni) or from the coastal towns of Tanzania such as Tanga, Pangeni and Bagamoyo, but the distance is much longer and it is not worth spending one day to get there, because you hardly have time to fish. From the north of Zanzibar you can also access the Pemba canal, especially from the Ras-Nungwi hotel, located in the north of the island of Zanzibar.
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SPECIES IN THE PEMBA:
- Black marlin. They are specimens with great power, they can reach 800 pounds. The best season runs from mid-November to the end of March, although during August to the end of October large specimens can be caught, coinciding with the tuna season.
- Blue marlin. Like black marlin, 700-800 pounds can be fished. The best season is from November to March, but it is also the tuna season, i.e. from August to October you can fish large specimens.
- Striped marlin. The most abundant in these waters, is characterized by its numerous jumps when it feels caught on the hook.The best time to catch it is from November to March. The largest fish have been caught at the end of the season, with specimens that can exceed 120 kilos.
- Swordfish. The Pemba Channel is one of the best places in the world for swordfish fishing. Fished at night and trolling, the best area is an underwater mountain located 20 kilometers north of Pemba and 75 kilometers east of Shimoni. Fishing is done all year round, but the best months are October, November and March, when the waters are very calm.
- Sailfish. They are better than Atlantic sailfish and move in small groups. They eat crustaceans, octopuses, tuna and mackerels. It is often fished with a fly. Best season December and January.
- Shortbill Spearfish. It can weigh up to 50 kilos, it is difficult to catch, as there are few specimens. The best season is from November to March, December being the best month.
- Yellowfin Tuna. It moves on large benches, with specimens that can exceed 80 kilos. The best time to catch it is from August to October.
- Shark. There are two types, the tiger and the mako.
Podemos encontrar otras especies como el dorado, wahoo, GT y barracuda.
THE ISLAND OF PEMBA
Belonging to Tanzania, the island of Pemba is located 25 kilometers north of the island of Zanzibar. With 400,000 inhabitants, the capital is Chake-Chake. Other towns are Wete and Mkoani and we would like to highlight the mines of Pujini. Its population reaches 400,000 inhabitants.
It is known by the name of the always green island due to its exuberant vegetation and natural landscapes, the beaches are paradisiacal but difficult to access. Crystal clear waters and extraordinary beauty. The island of Pemba produces 80% of the clove production of the archipelago. There are direct flights to Dar es Salaam, with a stopover in Zanzibar and also to Manta.Pemba has important tides that let you see the coral reef, when the oscillation drops, it is between 2 and 3 meters.
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