• QUESTION AND ANSWER

MALDIVES Q & A

Where are you located?
Most of the year, our boat is located in Male and most day trips are taking place around North or South Male atoll. For most group trips, we move the boat to one of the more remote atolls.
We can move our boat to any destination in the Maldives but there will be a fuel surcharge. For fishing atolls far away from Male, we generally require a booking of four consecutive fishing days, or more.

I’m just a single angler – can I book a day with you?
Yes, you can. However, it will be relatively expensive as you will have to hire the boat on your own. We fish so many different locations – and visitors in the Maldives stay at so many different resorts – that it isn’t possible to mix single bookings for a shared boat experience.

How do I get to fish with you?
For the best possible fishing experience, and value-for-money, we recommend joining one of our remote atoll expeditions. We put together a group of four or five anglers for a week of fishing and choose an area that we believe hasn’t seen much fishing pressure.
You fly into Male and we will either meet you at the airport, ready to transfer with our boat to the chosen destination, or we will have arranged a domestic flight to where the boat is located and meet you there. Transfer times are up to three hours (by boat) or less than one hour (domestic flight).

Do I need a Visa?
To enter Maldives no pre-arrival visa is required. A thirty-day free visa is issued on arrival.

When should I go?
As we mainly fish for reef species our fishery is year-round. We can potentially find great fishing every week of the year.
Our high season is November to April – this is the time of year where most of our clients would like a break from winter back home. The Maldivian weather is also at its best during these months.
To encourage more anglers to try fishing outside of our high season, we offer low season rates, and that’s when you can find some crazy good deals on great GT fishing with a top-notch boat and a super skilled crew.

Where do I fish?
We fish all over the Maldives. We like to rotate our week long trips between different atolls, instead of hammering the same areas over and over again.
While some of our clients have specific locations in mind when they book, most will be happy by knowing that we choose the area we believe will give us the best fishing for the week.

Where do I stay?
If you have booked a group trip with us, we are staying at a local guesthouse. These guest houses have come a long way since the permission to operate guesthouses in the inhabited islands of Maldives was granted in 2009.
Today, the better ones all offer air-conditioned rooms, private bathrooms and free WiFi, and for hard core anglers spending most of the day on the water they are a great alternative to the considerably more expensive resorts.
If you are already staying at a resort, and would like to book GT Fishers for a day (or more) of fishing, you need to obtain permission from the resort to get picked up and dropped of at their jetty. A formality, but an important one nevertheless.

What is a typical day like?
On our group trips, we usually start fishing around 7 am. Following breakfast at the guest house, or at a nearby restaurant, you will walk a short distance to the boat where the crew will be waiting. Usually, the staff at the guest house will be able to help getting your gear to the boat. Some days, we might start fishing only a short run from the harbour but most days you will run some distance to find new water. The fishing day is 7,5 hours but longer days can be arranged.
After fishing, shower and relax at the guest house, or take a walk to check out the island before dinner.
On private charters out of a resort we will do our best to tailor make a game plan that suits your agenda.

What are the meals like?
Every guesthouse is different so the quality of meals can vary. With the opening of guesthouses since 2009, tourism on local islands has been growing, slowly but steadily. Over the years, we have seen new restaurants pop up, and existing ones improve. So, while we wouldn’t have any high expectations, we generally find that the rice, noodles, chicken, fish and beef that is served Maldivian style go down pretty well.
For breakfast, we prefer the Maldivian version of tasty and spicy tuna salad served with tortilla like flatbread but alternatively, one can usually order toast and eggs.
The packed lunch on the boat is typically a nice rice or noodle dish, often with a fried egg in top.

What about alcohol?
It is strictly forbidden to import alcohol into the Maldives and alcohol is effectively banned for the local population. When we stay in guesthouses on islands where the locals live, don’t expect to find any alcohol during your stay.
Alcohol is served at resorts and at some hotels.

How does one fish?
With so many reefs and channels, it is possible to surface fish – throwing poppers and stick baits – all day long, every day of the trip. And that’s what we do, unless clients specifically ask us to so some jigging. If so, we would be happy to give it a go. Most of our clients don’t even bring jigging gear with them. Like us, it seems they just can’t get enough of these explosive surface takes!

How far is it to the fishing grounds?
From ten minutes to one hour. If we run far away to begin with, we usually fish our way back so there isn’t a lot of boat running during a typical day.

Does the boat provide the tackle?
We do hire out Japanese made quality rods and reels (Shimano or Daiwa) for popping, and we sell lures and terminal tackle. However, to make sure we have what you need onboard you should notify us of your needs well in advance.

Should I worry about rough seas?
Not really. While it is often relatively calm in the Maldives, we occasionally get stronger winds – but we can always fish the leeside of the atoll, if it gets too rough. We only fish off shore if we go for tuna, and we don’t plan for that in rough weather.

Safety and annoyances?
The Maldives Government puts a premium on tourism safety and we have never had any safety issues. We keep our boat in perfect condition, make hull inspections, run double engines and service them regularly.
There can be some sand flies around at dusk, or after dark. If so, long pants or some insect repellent should suffice.