Boats and equipment

 

In order to make your fishing trip a success, it is essential to have the right equipment but given the variety of techniques and species that can be fished in the Bijagos, this can prove to be rather complicated. We, on our part, ensure you are provided optimal conditions using specialised BOATS; it is, after all, the cornerstone of your trip, and our strong point… We have designed our own boats and we are true anglers… You will be spending 8 to 10 hours a day on our boats. These boats have been designed and manufactured in our factory in Senegal specifically for sport fishing in the Bijagos archipelago, the equipment prepared according to the fishing techniques employed and the specific tackle embarked.

 

A tulip-style gunwale for support during casting, a raised anti-slip deck for casting, an ultra-wide hull for optimum stability, large livewells, totally unsinkable, aluminium T-Top for excellent sun protection, 9’ GPS colour chart readers, 600-watt Chirp sounders, 25-watt VHF radio, 12 rod holders, stern and bow casting platform!!! And “commercial” 100 and 150 hp 4-stroke Yamaha motors … by far the best you can find in West Africa for exotic fishing. Check out these boats in detail by following the link on the website, West Marine African Boat/products/OPEN 25’/+

 

What equipment does one need to fish in Acunda?

We offer fishing tackle packs for hire. These packs include a casting rod and a jigging rod with a tackle box for casting. You are required to bring the consumables, hooks, leaders and sabiki rigs.

The list below is exhaustive and indicative for fishing in the Bijagos Archipelago so as to be able to handle every situation in optimal conditions.

 

Hooks

- J-Hooks (sizes 6 to 8) for longline fishing with live and dead bait. Plan at least 10 per session. So, don’t buy the overly expensive brands.

- Circle Hook (sizes 8\0 and 10\0) (Mustad tuna circle and VMC…) for live bait fishing on the surface or other.

 

Leader

- For lures: a shock leader of 50, 80 up to 120 lb.

- For live bait fishing and deep-sea fishing: 100 to 140 lb. Expect to replace leader often due to frequency of snapped lines, bring at least 200 m and some 250 lb leader if tarpon is on your wish list.

 

Miscellaneous

- Rolling swivels, (avoid staples) it is better to use good split ring pliers and some split rings

- Balloons and elastic bands for tarpon and the like

- Small live bait rigs (sabiki or smelt rigs) for live bait fishing and if possible, with 30 lb main line. Plan at least 3 rigs per day.

- Split ring pliers, knife, gloves

 

Rods and reels

- 1 x 50/80 lb casting rod (reel size: 10000 with a minimum of 60 lb braid) for wrecks and rocky ledges.

- 1 x 30 lb casting rod (reel size 6000 with 30 lb braid) for sandbanks and open water frenzies

- 1 x 50 lb jigging rod (reel size 8000 with 60 lb braid) for dead, vibrating and live baits for red snappers and cassava croaker

- 1 x 50/80 jigging rod (reel size 10000\ 18000 with 100 lb braid) for cubera snapper and tarpon

 

Lures/casting

- Minnows - K-TEN, BKS, Rapala X-rap 14, Shad Rap

- Popper - Feed Popper, Halco Roosta, Skitter Pop or similar

- Stickbaits - Rapala X-Rap Long Cast Shallow 12, Surface Pro Williamson, Miss Carna and similar

- Flappers - Ranger, Mister Jo…

Bring several lure sizes, small and large formats depending on your equipment.

 

Jigs and depth

- For shallow fishing in the islands up to 30 metres, slow pitch jigs of 100 to 150 g (not too expensive, loved by the barras as well). For the open sea if you intend to tease big amberjacks, the jigs must weigh between 180 and 250 gr.

- You can bring jig heads of 80 to 150 gr with soft plastics such as Sandra, black minnows or other shads.

Vertical hybrid lures, Soft Game Tremor from Williamson, Halco Max and even several inchiku’s.