Trip/Mothership Details

What to expect on a Liveaboard Fly Fishing expedition

International flights land in Male, the capital of The Maldives, timed for either early morning of day 1, or the day before. We board early to midmorning of day 1 and depart on our adventure.

Over the next 10 days, The Mothership takes us to a number of the Northern Atolls of the Maldives and many of the islands, exploring the sand bars, drop-offs, and exciting surf zone.

All trips coincide with the spring tides, and days are carefully planned to get anglers to the right spots at the right time in order to have a chance at a trophy. We mostly sight fish on foot, and we do not tease or chum for fish.

The Mothership

The old-world feel of the traditional Maldivian vessel offers an authentic experience without compromising on comfort and quality. Our service provider is certified ISO 9001:2015. The crew is friendly and attentive and offers exceptional service.

The main 4 cabins include comfortable double bunk beds with air conditioning and a private en suite bathroom. The other 2 private air-conditioned cabins include bunk beds with a separate shared bathroom.

Meals are plentiful, varied, and tasty. Tea-time snacks are offered along with delicious fresh fruit for desserts. Complimentary tea, coffee, filtered water, and cordials including freshly squeezed fruit juice are provided.

What to expect from your host

Glen’s hosting services include fishing alongside the group, offering advice and assistance with hunting tactics and techniques such as casting, timing of casts, line management, use of stripping baskets, stripping techniques, sighting, and playing of fish.

Daily Routine

The day generally kicks off around 6 a.m with a quick skiff ride to the nearby fishing spot. Breakfast is either served on the beach around 8 a.m or onboard when preferred or when motoring to a new island.

The fishing is tide-dependent, which largely dictates the day’s schedule. At low tide, one can walk on the flats or in the surf zone and cover very large areas with a multitude of species encountered. We position ourselves near the best structure around the highs and wait for our main quarry, Caranx Ignobilis, The Giant Trevally.

Although we have a basic route we follow, taking into consideration traveling time between the Atolls, the tides, and weather conditions, if the group as a whole would prefer to stay longer at a particular spot, we will endeavor to do so.

Lunch is served around midday, either onboard or on the island, in order to maximize fishing time.

After a long day of walking, watching, casting, and hopefully fighting fish, we return to the mothership before the sun sets, which is around 6 pm.

Evenings are spent either on deck under the stars around well-deserved cold refreshments, tying flies, or prepping tackle for the next day.

The quarry

Giant Trevally

We encounter numbers of GT on the Flats, although normally smaller fish, we do find the occasional larger fish, sometimes in a shoal but often alone following a ray. (Sometimes even a Trigger Fish.) These fish are very wary, and the fly must be perfectly presented to get a bite.

It is in the challenging surf zone, however, that we encounter large numbers of GTs of all sizes, including some absolute Giants. A chance at a trophy is always there. Over the eight days of fishing, guests can expect to see multiple fish over the magical 100cm FL mark, in range. The converting of these opportunities relies on a combination of skill and luck. Fly selection depends on the mood of the fish. We use various patterns from 2/0 to 8/0.

Trigger Fish

We find Yellow Margin and Titan Triggers on the flats, near rocky ledges and sandy island fringes patrolling. As they are spooky, stealth mode is required. They are partial to shrimps and crabs in tan, brown, and green from # 4 to 1/0.

Bonefish

We don’t find Bonefish in very many habitats in The Maldives. They congregate in very particular areas, on the fringes of shallow sandy islands with a certain gravel bottom. Shrimps and small crabs work well

Other Species

The Maldives has Indo Pacific Permit, which frequent similar areas to the Bonefish, but not in large numbers. Bluefin Trevally can be prolific, keeping anglers well entertained through the day on the 9 weight. They readily take a fly and put up a tremendous fight. When targeting GT’s in the surf with large flies, however, we often encounter the big Bluefins and although beautiful, are disappointing when one is expecting a GT.

Various other Trevally species occur here including Golden, Island, and Blue Trevally. Bohar Snapper to Barracuda and a plethora of other interesting reef species are also found, some of which can be extremely irritating ascending off the reef and snatching flies in front of target species and defeating out of the jaws of victory.

Tackle

A 9-weight setup is a good all-rounder on the flats, with floating lines doing most of the work. Some anglers like to fish for Bonefish with a 7-weight setup.

I often use a 10-weight in the surf with, say, a 2/0 Clouser to target Smaller GTs.

An 11 to 12-weight setup is essential to target the trophy GT. Reels must be equipped with a good drag system with at least 200m of 100-pound backing.

Floating or intermediate lines with a decent core strength are suitable, depending on preference. Some anglers prefer the intermediate lines to get the fly subsurface quickly; floating lines are needed for poppers or fishing over heavy reefs.

With the hostile conditions for tackle, it is advisable to carry backup lines and rods. Also, standard factory loops on fly lines should be replaced with adequate strength loops. Leaders for GTs from 90 to 120 pounds are advised.

We can recommend fly patterns that work; alternatively, we carry a selection of flies that are effective in The Maldives, for sale. There will be a couple of vices and basic materials available if you would like to tie your own flies in the evening or bring your own kit if you are that keen. Stripping baskets are indispensable in The Maldives. We use the traditional South African shopping basket, which we have available.

Clothing

Daily temperatures average around 29 degrees C / 84 F with a high UV index. Clothing that offers comfort, coverage, and protection is important. A good pair of boots with ankle protection and support is vital. (Backup pair recommended). Sunblock, decent polaroid sunglasses, peak caps, buffs, fishing gloves, and other such apparel are advised. A full list will be provided before the trip.

Arriving Prepared

The angler needs to arrive as fit as possible to capitalize on opportunities. The importance of practicing your casting and upping your skill levels cannot be stressed enough. The environment can be difficult at times, especially in the surf zone where you are contending with loose coral underfoot, waves, and wind.

Expenses

Costs include:

The per person trip cost quoted covers Ignobilis Fly Fishing’s hosting services, 9 nights and 10 days on the mothership, all meals, cordials, GST, green taxes, and 10% service fees for the boat crew.

Costs exclude:

International flights to and from The Maldives.
All other expenses relating to your trip which may arise, for example, travel insurance, medical insurance, and fishing tackle, etc.
Alcohol and special beverages are charged according to bar prices on a cash basis (USD), or credit card which will incur a 5% added charge.
Pre and post Trip accommodation –
- Only if your inbound flight arrives the day before the trip. (Advisable – Acclimatization / delayed flights, etc).
- Only if your outbound flight departs the day after the trip (Unusual).
Domestic flights if needed. (Not usual).