Madagascar

Katamaran Expedition

Madagascar fishing trip

Catamaran Expedition

Your trip begins with a flight to Addis Ababa, which takes approximately six hours. From there, you’ll catch your connecting flight to Nosy Be, a journey of around five hours.

You’ll arrive in Nosy Be at approximately 2.35 pm. On arrival, you’ll need to complete an entry card and pay the €10 visa fee. Once you’ve cleared passport control, you can collect your luggage. A little tip: keep a few €1 and €2 coins handy for the porters – they’ll appreciate it.

Once your luggage is loaded, you’ll set off on the 40-minute drive to Ambatoloaka, followed by a boat transfer of around two hours to the catamarans.

You’ll reach the catamarans in the late afternoon. After settling into your cabins, you’ll have time to prepare your tackle for the days ahead, with our guides on hand to help you get everything ready. Round off the evening with a few cold drinks and a delicious dinner.

The Fishing

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast, you’ll board the boats at around 7.30 am and head for the first fishing spots.

Fishing on the catamaran expedition combines popping and jigging, with the method chosen to suit the conditions. Our guides have years of experience and hundreds of fishing spots saved on their chartplotters. They actively search for fish, moving between these productive locations. If the fish finder shows no signs of activity, it’s on to the next spot.

When popping, you’ll usually fish along the deep edges of the drop-offs or over the shallower sections of the extensive reefs. Large shoals of baitfish are often visible at these spots, and you’ll focus your efforts around them. GTs frequently hunt in these areas and can be caught on stickbaits and poppers.

Jigging, Popping and other fishing techniques

When jigging, you’ll fish at depths of 30–150 metres. Both speed jigging and slow jigging work very well. Bring jigs weighing between 150 and 250 grams, adjusting the weight to suit the drift and water depth. With plenty of kingfish and sharks in the area, tackle losses can be high, so we recommend bringing at least 30 jigs.

For fishing with baitfish, we recommend strong rods rated PE8–10. Baits are either drifted behind the boat or trolled specifically for marlin and sailfish. This method has proved extremely productive in the past.

The fishing grounds offer a wide variety of underwater terrain, from steep drop-offs and submerged rocks to shallow reef edges and deep channels running into countless bays. You’ll need to keep adapting your techniques and lure choices to suit the conditions.

Even in Madagascar, the fish won’t simply jump onto your hook. Keep at it and don’t give up – persistence can make all the difference!

Flexibility during your fishing trip

Fishing depends heavily on the weather, wind and currents, so our local partners will decide before your departure whether you’ll head north or south. Under normal conditions, the catamarans will move between different anchorages, allowing you to explore an extensive stretch of coastline. You’ll usually return to the catamarans at around 5.00 pm each fishing day.

Your sixth fishing day begins on the catamaran and ends in Nosy Be. You’ll spend the day fishing your way back, arriving in the late afternoon before checking into the Sari Manok Hotel, right on the beach.

Round off the evening with a good dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars nearby, so if you’re still in the mood for a night out, you’re in the right place.

The departure

Your journey home begins after checking out of the hotel. You’ll be collected at midday and transferred to the airport.

Your flight to Addis Ababa departs at 3.30 pm. After a short layover, you’ll continue to your home destination, arriving at your home airport the following morning.

Nosy Be Excursions

If you’d like to relax on Nosy Be after your fishing adventure, why not extend your stay? Most of our guests spend an extra two or three nights on the island.

This tropical island has plenty to offer. You can explore it on a guided quad bike tour, which we can book for you in advance. The tour lasts around eight hours and takes in the island’s main sights.

Madagascar is famous for its lemurs, and you can visit them in a nature reserve on a remote island. The excursion lasts around six to seven hours. You’ll paddle over in dugout canoes, see lemurs and other unique wildlife, and enjoy a delicious local lunch afterwards.

Both tours are great fun and offer a welcome change from relaxing on the beach. If you’re staying a little longer on Nosy Be, we highly recommend making time for both!

Accommodation Madagascar fishing holidays

The Accommodation

Live Aboard

Your Catamarans

During the expedition, you’ll stay aboard two catamarans, each with four single cabins and two shared toilets and showers. Every guest will have their own cabin throughout the trip.

Each catamaran has a communal lounge on the upper deck and a spacious aft deck with plenty of seating. You’ll enjoy meals together aboard one of the catamarans.

Both catamarans have an onboard power supply, allowing you to charge your phones and cameras at designated times.

Depending on the weather conditions, the catamarans will move between different anchorages throughout your trip, giving you maximum flexibility when fishing.

Catering

Meals: Full Board

Beverages: Drinks can be paid for on site according to consumption

Nosy Be

Sari Manok

The Sari Manok Hotel is a boutique hotel right on the beach in Ambatoloaka. It features modern furnishings and a choice of room categories.

The hotel’s excellent Batumoch restaurant is on the ground-floor terrace, where you can enjoy cold drinks and Malagasy cuisine.

Nosy Be’s lively nightlife district is just a few minutes’ walk away, with a variety of small restaurants and bars where you can spend the evening.

Catering

Meals: Breakfast included

Beverages: Drinks can be paid for on site according to consumption

Your fishing boats in Madagascar!

The Boats

For your catamaran expedition in Madagascar, you’ll have two 33-foot centre-console boats at your disposal, each powered by twin 250 hp engines.

Nirvana Fishing Madagaskar!

Fishing Boats!

All boats are equipped with a fish finder and chartplotter using Navionics Platinum charts. Hundreds of fishing spots discovered over the years by our highly experienced guide are saved on the chartplotters.

Each boat also carries a radio, a satellite phone and safety equipment, including life jackets, fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

The boats have a toilet, a sun canopy and a cool box stocked with drinks. There are also plenty of rod holders to keep your rods securely stored when not in use.

Your guides

Our guides are among the most experienced fishing guides in Madagascar, and their years on the water make a difference time and again.

All our guides and deckhands can tie FG knots with their eyes closed and are always happy to help you adjust your rigs or tie knots while you’re fishing.

You need this fishing tackle in Madagascar!

Tackle Talk

If you’re trying saltwater fishing for the first time, you can hire tackle from us, so there’s no need to invest in new rods and reels beforehand.

Our hire package includes a jigging outfit, a popping outfit and a bonito outfit. Please contact us for prices.

The catamaran expedition offers a variety of fishing techniques, with popping and jigging as the main methods. We therefore recommend bringing a balanced selection of tackle for both.

You need these poppers in Madagascar!

Popper / Stickbaits

You’ll do plenty of popping on the catamaran expedition, so we recommend bringing poppers with a range of cup sizes. A selection of 5–10 poppers should be enough.

In recent years, models such as the Blaze Garage Sraththa, Heru Cubera, ReefsEDGE, Amegari Dzanga and Craft Bait GT-3 have proved particularly effective for GTs.

Stickbaits also work well, with models measuring 160–200 mm being the preferred choice. Bring a mixture of sinking and floating versions.

Bonito are less common here than around Mitsio Island, but it’s still worth packing a few slim sea trout spoons weighing 40–60 g.

You need these jigs in Madagascar!

Jigs

For jigging in Madagascar, you’ll need a good selection of jigs weighing 150–250 g. Butterfly-style jigs and elongated designs that aren’t too narrow have proved particularly effective in recent years. Major Craft Jigpara jigs, Sakura Orion jigs and our own Team Deep Sea Pelajig V2 and RockShock models have all produced excellent results. Budget jigs from AliExpress and Temu have caught plenty of fish too! 🙂

Pink, silver, blue-green, orange and zebra patterns all work very well. Make sure every assist hook is fitted with an octopus skirt. This adds attraction and improves hook-up rates.

Use hooks in sizes 8/0–12/0, matching them to the shape and size of your jig. For the assist cord, we recommend Kevlar at least 1.4 mm thick or cord with a minimum breaking strain of 600 lb.

The best lines and leaders for GT fishing

Leader & Main Line

For popping, use leaders rated at 220–240 lb. Choose high-quality leaders from brands such as Fishermen, Varivas, Nomad or Climax.

For jigging, you’ll need a 175 lb leader. Diameters vary, but we recommend one below 1.0 mm.

Your main line should be a high-performance PE braid. For popping, PE8 (80 lb) is the minimum; if you’re using heavier rods, you can step up to PE10 (100 lb). For jigging, we recommend PE6–8 (65–80 lb).

For bonito, use line with a diameter of at least 0.22 mm. Keep it as thin as possible within this recommendation to maximise casting distance.

Suitable options include Gosen Diver X8, Daiwa J-Braid X8, JB Line One and other high-performance braids.

Terminal Tackle

Hooks & Terminal Tackle

There’s no room for compromise when it comes to hooks. For popping, please bring only BKK GT-Rex hooks in sizes 5/0–7/0. For smaller poppers, use sizes 4/0–5/0.

For jigging, we recommend VMC Jigging Assist Hooks (7264 BN) in sizes 8/0–13/0. Remember to bring rubber octopus skirts for your assist hooks.

Split rings and solid rings for popping should have a minimum breaking strain of 220 lb. Owner solid rings in sizes #7.5–#9 and Owner Super Heavy Duty split rings in sizes #10–#11 are good choices.

Helpful tools for your fishing trip

Other fishing equipment

We recommend bringing a good pair of split-ring pliers. The hPa Game Plier is a reliable choice, allowing you to open even heavy-duty split rings with ease.

A good waterproof boat bag is also worth bringing. Zeck Fishing offers several suitable options, including the Tackle Container Pro and Tackle Container Pro Catfish.

As you’ll often be jigging for several hours at a time, we recommend packing a good pair of gloves.

Madagascar can get very hot, so bring UV-protective shirts, a sun hat and SPF 50 sunscreen. Our Expeditions UV shirts are available to order directly from us.

Good polarised sunglasses are essential for fishing. We recommend gloryfy unbreakable sunglasses, which combine polarised lenses with exceptionally durable frames.

Take a closer look at the gloryfy unbreakable range of polarised fishing sunglasses here: Polarized Sunglasses for Anglers!