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Rio Azul is in the unique position to provide excellent fishing opportunities to fisherman of all skill levels – from beginner fisherman to the most experienced fisherman. The lodge offers excellent quality estuary fishing, good surf fishing and some of the finest offshore fishing in Mozambique.
Rio Azul is ideal for fishermen who enjoy a variety of fishing techniques from fly fishing, to light tackle lure fishing, surf fishing and deep-sea fishing. The policy at Rio Azul is strictly catch and release.
Click on the Links below for more information on tides and fish:
Fishing Seasons Rio Azul Lodge
Tides at Rio Azul Lodge
Estuary Fishing
Govuro River Estuary
Rio Azul’s location on the Guvuro river mouth provide great quality estuary fishing. The estuary is extensive and offers diverse fishing from trolling lures, to casting baits, lures and flies. Fishing the deep main channels is good for grunter, kingfish, barracuda and rock cod.
Mangrove Channels Fishing
The mangrove channels are excellent for fishing for river snapper, perch, estuary cod, grunter and small kingfish. The best form of fishing in the estuary is casting lures with light tackle from the drifting boat towards the mangroves or fly fishing the same way. Some big fish are caught trolling lures in the main channels and also drifting in the main channels with live bait.
Complementary Estuary Fishing Boat:
The boats that each room is supplied with are ideal for estuary fishing. They are Aluminium boats fitted with a single 15 horse power Yamaha outboard motor, an electric creeper motor, a two-way marine radio and a cooler box. Guests will be given a course on how to operate the boat as well as the electronic equipment on board when they arrive. Guests will have the choice of hiring a local skipper for their stay should they wish to.
Surf fishing:
From the beaches of either the river mouth or the island anglers can expect such gamefish species such as kingfish, queenfish, king mackerel, springer and barracuda.
For those who enjoy battling the heavies there are also sharks, sandsharks and rays. Other species that one can catch from the side are: Pompano, spotted grunter, bonefish, stumpnose, rockcod and various species of snapper. There are a variety of productive methods of fishing the surf, including: light tackle lurefishing, plug and spoon casting, fly fishing, bait fishing, live bait fishing and night fishing.
On a pushing or high tide one can cast baits, plugs, spoons or flies at the point or from the island. On an outgoing tide it is productive to swim a live-bait or a dead bait out with a balloon using the current too get the bait out a long way. This method is good for catching big kingfish, king mackerel and sharks.
There are no rocks in the deep water around the point, so kingfish cannot cut you off and chances are good of landing fish once they are hooked, even on light tackle.
Night fishing is excellent with bait, live bait or casting weighted Rapala type lures. Mostly kingfish, sharks and rays are caught at night, but it is also a good time to catch stumpnose, bonefish and springer from the beach.
Night Fishing
The lodge will arrange dinner (picnic style) to be served on the beach for those who wish to night fish and sleeping and camping arrangements can be made should the guests choose to overnight.
Offshore Fishing
Deep Sea Fishing Boats
The lodge boats are skippered by experienced and qualified fishing guides, who know the area intimately. They use a 31 foot diesel-engined boat and 19 and 16 foot cats, all of which are reliable, safe and comfortable to fish from.
Launching from the estuary is safe, with no surf to negotiate. The boats have access to some exceptionally productive reefs that receive very little fishing pressure. Guests have the choice of trolling, plugging, jigging, fly-fishing or drift bait fishing for the game fish that occur in the ocean off Bartholomew Diaz.
Boats fish two clients at a time. The nearest reefs are a ten-minute run from the lodge, and reefs right up to 25 mile reef north of Bazaruto Island are accessible to the lodge’s boats.
Fishing Tackles and Lures
Tackle for offshore fishing is available at a nominal fee. Lures will be charged for at market related prices.
Complementary Fishing Bait
Bait will be available from the lodge at no extra charge to guests and will consist of: prawns, squid and fish (depending on availability). The lodge will endeavor to supply live bait whenever possible.
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