Kenya Fishing Holiday
GT Popping in Kenya
Your Kenya Fishing Trip starts with a flight via Amsterdam to Kenya. When you get to Nairobi, one of our clearing agents will pick you up inside the terminal. Then he’ll take you through passport control and customs. Your hotel transfer will be waiting for you in front of the terminal. The Tamarind Tree Hotel is about a 30-minute drive away. Here you can check in and relax in style.
The next morning, you’ll be picked up from your airport transfer at around midday. It’ll only take 15 minutes to get to Wilson Airport by car. Then it’s off to Lamu. Important! You’ve got 32kg of baggage allowance for your trip. If you want to bring a rod tube, you can book it in advance for 40 USD for the return flight. Just to let you know, the rod tube must not exceed 20 kg in total.
The flight from Nairobi Wilson to Lamu takes about an hour and a half. When you get to Lamu, one of our team will pick you up at the airport and take you to Shela by boat. The boat trip takes about 30 minutes. Then we walk through the narrow streets of the little village to the hotel. But don’t worry, we’ve got enough porters for you.
When you get to the simple hotel and move into your rooms, you can use the big outdoor space by the pool to get your fishing tackle ready for the next few days. Everyone has their own room! We’ll take you to the Peponi Restaurant for dinner – it’s one of the best fish restaurants in East Africa! Enjoy!
The Fishing
Fishing days usually start at 6:30-6:45 and go on for about 10 hours. You’ll be back at Shela between 4:30 and 5:00.
You’ll be fishing from Shela on the first two days. As the first spots for jigging or popping are a bit further out, we’ll start with some trolling. If you come here, you’ll have a good chance of catching sailfish, marlin, wahoo and other fish, depending on the season. Depending on the current, wind and tide, you’ll be jigging or popping. Fishing Days are a great chance to try out all kinds of different fishing methods.
Since the fishing spots are often miles apart, trolling is done in Kenya when changing spots. But don’t worry, so far, all customers have been happy to take a break from popping and jigging. We’ve also caught marlin and sailfish during the “spot change”. Just to be clear, we know that at least 2-4 hours per day can be trolling.
On the third day of fishing, you’ll head north. In March you can decide to troll the way up for Marlin. In the past it was a really good opportunity to catch one of the biggest fish in the ocean. It’ll take about four hours to get to the new area. You’ll get to our basic camp on a remote island in the evening. You can enjoy the view of the mangrove forests and the unique feel of the camp. Two guests share a room in the camp.
The next day, you’ll fish in the new area before heading back south on the fifth day. When you get to Lamu, you’ll spend the night back at our basic hotel. Then on the last day of fishing, you’ll fish again from Lamu.
The departure
On the day of departure, you’ll be leaving the hotel at around 2:45pm and flying back to Nairobi at around 4:45pm. You’ll get to Wilson Airport at around 7pm. Here your airport transfer will be waiting, which will then take you to the international airport. Important! Just a friendly reminder to book your flights with us! Just to let you know, the return flight time can’t be before 10:30 p.m.
Baggage regulation - Domestic Flight
We have booked additional luggage for you on this trip. This means that you have 32kg of free baggage allowance at your disposal. For domestic flights, it doesn’t matter how many pieces of luggage the weight is divided into. However, we recommend arriving with as few pieces of luggage as possible.
If you bring a rod tube, you must register the rod tube with us in advance. The cost of the rod tube is 40USD for both flight routes. However, the rod tube must not weigh more than 20kg!
- Luggage allowance: max. 32kg for ALL pieces of luggage
- Rodcase: max. 20kg
- Costs for a rodcase: 40USD total
Kenya Fishing - Season Differences
In general, there is no difference between March and November in Kenya as far as GT fishing is concerned. The Giant Trevallies are present in both seasons and can be caught jigging and popping. The situation is different for the other large fish species.
March is marlin and tuna season. Depending on the current. and wind conditions, you have a good chance of catching tuna and marlin. However, there is no guarantee that both fish species are on site!
In November there are also tuna, but they are much rarer and smaller. Marlin are not present in November. However, there are numerous sailfish. November is one of the best months for sailfishing in Kenya. In addition to the sailfish, kingfish are also increasingly to be found!
The jigging is excellent in both periods. The fish species to be caught are the same, but the jigging spots are different. In March, jigging is mainly done at depths between 50-100m, in November often between 30-70m.
- Fish species in March: GT, marlin, sailfish, tuna…
- Fish species in November: GT, sailfish, kingfish…
- Fish species while jigging: GT, Grouper, Snapper, Kingfish, various Trevally species, sharks…
Accommodation during your Kenya fishing trip!
The accommodation
Nairobi
Tamarind Tree Hotel
The Tamarind Tree Hotel is a four-star business hotel close to Wilson Airport. Then you fly to Lamu.
We chose this hotel for you because of its great location. Please tell us if you want a single or double room before the trip.
We will sort out the hotel booking for you. You can then pay for the room on site with your credit card.
Catering
Meals: breakfast included
Drinks: Your drinks can be paid for on site after consumption
Shela
Janattan Hotel
The Janattan Hotel in Shela is a very simple hotel that is built in a traditional local style. It is just five minutes from the Peponi restaurant and boats.
We have reserved a single room for you at the Janattan Hotel.
The rooms have ceiling fans and private bathrooms. They also have mosquito nets and a terrace. The pool in the courtyard is for everyone to use.
Catering
Meals: breakfast included
Drinks: Your drinks can be paid for on site after consumption
Your fishing camp
Camp in the North
Our camp in the north is a traditional safari camp on a remote island.
The camp has a large common area and 10 individual chalets. Because you’re not allowed to use permanent building materials on the island, all chalets are made of wood and palm wicker mats.
Each chalet has its own bathroom with a shower.
Catering
Meals: breakfast included
Drinks: Your drinks can be paid for on site after consumption
Your big game fishing boats in Kenya
The Boats
In Kenya, there are two big game boats available. There is enough space for three anglers on each boat, with seating and lounging areas, as well as a large stern for fishing. If you have a good balance, you can also fish from the front of the boat.
Captain Angus Paul
Neptune
The Neptune is a 35 foot Betram. Her captain, Angus Paul, has set many records in the past and is thought to be one of the best captains in Africa. Angus started GT Fishing in Kenya a long time ago. There is no more experienced GT guide in Kenya right now!
The stern is spacious and has room for three or four people to fish. The railing is padded. The Neptune has a casting cage in the bow, which can also be used for fishing.
The indoor area has several seating and lounging areas where you can sit in the shade. You can relax in the shade with a cold drink while you’re fishing. You can have as many drinks as you like when you go fishing!
Captain Arran Paul
Albatross
The Albatross is a 33 foot Blackfin. The boat was recently added to the Kingfisher fleet and has had a complete makeover, from the bottom to the top. Arran Paul is Angus’ son and has been a successful captain in Kenya for many years.
The stern of the Albatross has space for three anglers and, just like the Neptune, has padding to lean on. If you have a good balance, you can also fish from the front of the boat. But we only recommend this in calm waters.
There are two long benches in the seating area, which is in the shade for most of the day. The Albatross has the latest echo sounder technology from Simrad, as well as an autopilot and radio.
You need this fishing gear in Kenya!
Tackle Talk
In Kenya you have a chance to catch really big GTs, tuna and other fish species. Therefore, it is EXTREMELY important that you follow our tackle recommendations. You fish for six days for the fish of your life! Losing it due to material defects or the wrong tackle makes no sense!
- Popper Rods: PE10 / PE12 (March for Tuna)
- Popper Reels: 18k size, Gear Ratio min. 5,7:1
- Jigging Rods: PE 4-6 & PE 6-8
- Jigging Reels: 14k-20k size, Gear Ratio 4,4:1
- Trolling Rods: Included on both boats!
- Popper GT: from 20cm, 150-180g, big heads
- Popper Tuna: 16-20cm, small - medium head
- Jigs: 100 - 250g, butterfly, long butterfly shape
- Jig Colors: pink, silver, blue-green, orange, zebra
You need these poppers in Kenya!
Popper / Stickbaits
In Kenya, most people are quite deep in the ground. This means that you should fish a loud popper. If you’re fishing for large GTs, the poppers should be at least 20cm long and weigh 150-180g. Big heads are a must!
In recent years, top poppers like the Blaze Garage Sraththa, Heru Cubera, ReefsEDGE or Amegari Dzanga, Craft Bait GT-3, have shown what they can do on GT.
You need to use poppers with small heads if you want to use them on tuna. The Halco Haymaker 195 or River2Sea Dumbbell Pop have proven themselves in the past!
Stickbaits are not usually very effective. The only stickbaits that work on GT in Kenya are large, from 20cm long walk-the-dog and skiplures. Jack Fin and Amegari have some models available, for example the Argo 240-F, the Pelagus 200-F and the Kaxu 240-F.
You need these jigs in Kenya!
Jigs
If you want to go jigging in Kenya, you’ll need a good selection of 100-250g jigs. In recent years, butterfly shapes, as well as shapes that are long but not too thin, have been very successful. Jigs from Major Craft (Jigpara), Pela Jigs, Sakura Orion Jigs and River2Sea Sea Rocks worked really well here. But also jigs from low-cost providers like AliExpress or Temu have caught on.
Pink, silver, blue-green, orange and zebra patterns are all great colours to use. All assistant leaders must have an octopus! This makes it more attractive and increases the number of fish that take the bait.
The hook size should be between 8/0 and 12/0. You should adjust the hooks depending on the shape and size of the jig. As an assist leader, we suggest using 1.4 mm Kevlar or something that can hold at least 600 lbs.
The best main line and leader for GT fishing!
Leader & main line
For popping, leaders between 220-240lbs are used. When choosing leaders, it’s best to go for quality brands like Fishermen, Varivas, Nomad or Climax.
When you’re jigging, you need a leader that can hold up to 175lbs. The diameter can vary. However, we recommend a diameter of less than 1.0mm.
The main lines should be high-performance PE lines. You will need a PE8 (80 lbs load capacity) at least. If you fish with stronger rods, you can also use PE10 (100lbs load capacity) here. When you’re jigging, we suggest using PE8 (80 lbs load capacity), because you’re more likely to catch a big fish when you’re jigging!
Some good lines are Gosen Diver x8, Daiwa J-Braid x8, JB Line One and other high-performance lines.
Terminal Tackle
Hooks & Terminal Tackle
We can’t compromise on this. Please only bring hooks from the BKK brand. You should bring the GT-Rex hooks without barbs in sizes 5/0 to 7/0. You need a 5/0 or 6/0 BKK GT-Rex with barbs to properly prepare the tuna.
For jigging, we recommend using hooks from the brand VMC (Jigging Assist Hook 7264 BN) in sizes 8/0 – 13/0. For the assist hooks, you should bring rubber octopuses!
The blasting and popping rings should be able to hold at least 220 lbs. Super-Heavy-Duty Snap Rings (Solidrings #7.5 – #9) (Snap Rings #10 – #11) are the best choice here.
Helpful tools for your fishing trip!
Other fishing equipment
It is a good idea to bring a pair of snap ring pliers. We recommend the hPa Game Plier snap ring pliers. This means you can open very strong snap rings easily.
It’s also a good idea to have a waterproof bag for your boat. The company Zeck Fishing has some great bags. We recommend the Tackle Container Pro or the Tackle Container Pro Catfish!
As you will be fishing for several hours, we suggest that you bring a pair of good gloves.
It can get very hot in Kenya, so we suggest you take a UV protection shirt, a sun hat and LF50 sunscreen! You can order our Expeditions UV shirts from us.
Good polarized sunglasses are essential for fishing. We recommend glasses from gloryfy unbreakable. The best polarized sunglasses for anglers currently available are also indestructible!
You can take a closer look at the gloryfy unbreakable polarized sunglasses for anglers here: Polarized Sunglasses for Anglers!
How much does a fishing trip to Kenya costs?
Price
Included
- Tour Leader: Andreas Knausenberger**
- 2 nights in Mikes Camp, DB, FB
- 2025: 5 nights in a simple guest house/hotel, SGL, FB
- 2026: 5 nights in a simple guest house/hotel, SGL, B&B
- 2025: 1 night in Nairobi, DBL, B&B***
- Trolling Equipment
- 6 full fishing days, 3 anglers per boat
- Airport- and boat transfers
- Domestic flight Nairobi -> Lamu -> Nairobi
- 12kg extra luggage allowance for domestic flight
- Photo- & Video Documentation**
Not included
- Tips for Crew & Camp Staff* (120€ / 40€)
- International flight & ETA
- 2026/27: 1 night in Nairobi, B&B*/**** (SGL: $155, DBL: $185)
- Travel Insurance*
- Additional extra luggage*
- additional meals and drinks
- Popping- & Jigging Tackle*
- Safari & additional days*
- * optional/exempt **only if the minimum number of participants is reached
- *** 2025 Bokkings **** 2026/2027 Bookings
Price per person
3950,-€
Extras
upon request
Booking statuses
Kenya - GT popping trip
2025
2026
2027
Kenya Fishing Holiday
The best catches
