La Ilha do “Barlavento”

Tropical Fishing in Boa Vista april – july

At the intersection of three continents, around Atlantic ocean, 450 Km far from Senegal coast, there is an archipelago which consists of 10 islands and 8 oxbow known as Capo Verde.

This new experience starts just from here, as ever pushed by curiosity to discover far lands and above all new waters where it's possible to fight new species of “XXL” size.

After having watched on TV an interesting fishing video on Wahoo, I've decided to go to this fantastic place: gorgeous tropical climate, just only 6 hours with a direct flight from Italy where I live. After a quick search on the web, I've decided the target of expedition: Boa Vista Island, Vertical Jigging technique, Amberjack.

Before starting to fishing travel is very important to pay particular attention to the equipment. As it often happens the right artificial could be even in the lure case at home. To avoid that it happened, it was fundamental an Italian guy’s consult, Daniele “Sampei” Iacoangeli, who has worked as guide in Africa for 5 years. In Boa Vista Sampei is the best to organize an efficient fishing experience and thanks to his advice we made a good choice about lures: Williamson Benthos 200/250/300 gr (7/9/10.5 Oz), Pearl color (my best choice), Chartreuse and Pink (excellent), Green-Orange-Blue 8 could be a good alternative in a difficult moment), Williamson Abyss 200 gr / 7 Oz chartreuse which was the best with low light, Smith CB Nagamasa 230/280 gr (8/10 Oz) sardine, gray/scaly silver, silver knife and chartreuse/scaly gold colours, River2sea Turkey Slide and Knife 200 gr (7Oz) even pink/silver colours, finally the famous Fisherman Andaman 310 gr (11 Oz) sardine colour that is even a good choice for all tuna species. For the light popping the most used by our guide is the “Pop Queen” by Maria lure, 130 mm long for 40 gr (5 inch, 1.5 Oz) in different colours. My other equipment was 3 Stella 20.000 Fa, a couple of new Stella 10.000 Sw and, for rods, one marvellous Fisherman Red Tail Monster CC 60, decorated and personalized with care by Azusa Sakata, Fumio Suzuki's wife (President of company and great angler), One Smith WGJ series and one Nirai 55; for light top water one Carpenter Black Current 75.

Honestly in this area the Atlantic Ocean is very hard, characterized by strong streams and high waves which in spring normally can be from 1,50 meter to 3 meters high, with a short intervals of 6/7 seconds because of the 80 meter deep in the fishing areas. Of course, it is necessary a good physical resistence especially for 6 hours of jig 250/300 gr (9/10.5 Oz) per day, so I heartily recommend a specific training. After taking a room in the comfortable Columbus Marine club in Praia Cruz, which is 1 Km far from the capital, Sal Rei and from the little seaport, me and Daniele took a classic catamaran, which is good for trolling but not fot the VJ, because it is too slow in displacement.

Anyway we start with a Kona Head and soon I caught my first Wahoo which weighted 10 kilos . When we reached the fishing area, we started to jig in sandy sea bottoms of 70 meter with peaks of rocks 55 meter high. Although captain’s and guide’s commitment, the sizes of the captured were small, so we supposed that this place wasn’t able to give the best of its productivity. Anyway we went on trying and caught an Xaréu (Caranx Crysos o Blue Runner, very common in these seas), and Amber jack of small sizes, we spent a quite day while the Wahoos showed us how they could tear away 6 jigs to the poor fisherman in at least half an hour. Second day of fishing and we started in better way. We left with a new 30’ fisherman boat made in Italy, one DC 9, simple but very well equipped for fishing. Despite the hard navigation for the hard winds blowing to over 15 knots, the landscape in front of us was wonderful. The isle was stood up at 2 miles from us with its read majestic rocks and its impervious cliffs hit by very high waves. Suddenly we saw a roup of enormous whales which usually inhabit this area and they swam around our boat showing their pectoral fin. Not far from here, in Ponta Sol, we saw different typical boats of local fishermen in a point of the isle where incredible currents crossed. Here they fishing (in small boats that probably nobody could think to use in more than 5 meter deep water..) some tunas and amberjacks with hand lines which have live baits. After one hour and half of navigation we reached the East Coast of Boa Vista, which is in front of the highest mountain in Morro Negro isle and we started to jig in sandy/rock sea bottom of at least 70/80 meter with 40 meter peaks.

 The flow is very strong and the captain holds the stern in the direction of the waves in order to slacken the drift of the boat and its rolling. Finally at 12.a.m after catching several Xarèos, going down a Benthos of 250 gr Pearl colour I caught a gorgeous amberjack of 36 kilos. The fishes of this violent and cold sea are very strong because they are used to swim in extreme conditions. As usual my Smith VMJ rod worked really very well and the Stella 20.000 with Varivas PE 8 multi fibre were perfect. Normally I use a 140 LBS Asso monofilament (Italian made) because it's an high quality nylon very soft but with high resistance to abrasion. In these cases it is fundamental a cooperation between the skipper and the fisherman to take the fish away from the rocks of bottom. The captain moved with the DC9 in direction of deep water and here I ended this short but intense fight with the usual final compliments of the crew.

In these seas there are three species of amberjacks, Esmoregal in Creole language, and they are so different: the Seriola Dumerli, most common, the Seriola fasciata which has a pink flank while the Seriola Rivoliana has the classic black band from the back through all the eye and it has the back completely dark. The wonderful day went on with the catching of other 2 Amberjack of 25 kilos, each one, with the flank of a beautiful copper/gold colour.

A huge devil fish came to say hello to us, followed by a school of dolphins while the sea was still rising. We came back to the port physically exhausted but very happy.

For all people who want to spend a similar journey in Boa Vista, I may suggest a very tasty dinner in “Blu Marlin” restaurant, certainly the best of this place, where everyday we tasted different dishes based on Amberjack, Yellofin Tuna, Marlin and crustaceans. Finally Grog, the typical local distillate based on rum. It is very curious the history of this alcoholic drink. During the colonization and after the discovery of America, water reserves, available for all the crew, damaged faster with the formation of seaweed. To improve the taste, beer and wine were added to the stagnate water until Jamaica was conquered by Royal Navy in 1655 where Rum was mixed to it in order to avoid its damage and strengthen them.

For disciplinary reasons pure Rum was banned by the crew that continued to drink the version with water but the name of its inventor, the admiral Edward “Old Grog” Vernon stood off. The modern version of the distillate contains, not only Rum and water but also lemon, lime and sugar. The third fishing day, on board of DC9, thanks to the acceptable sea conditions (but with 1,5 meter high waves), we decided to come back to the place which gave us a lot of satisfactions the previous day: at first jerk a Seriola Rivoliana of almost 20 kilos took the bait, then it followed a wonderful grouper and other, unfailing, carangidaes of 4/5 kilos. At 15.00 p.m, when we were going to move, the captain called a good signal over the eco. Immediately I start with a very fast comeback in short jerk and at the second turn of the handle the rod blocks as if I had hit the rock: the drag of Stella 20.000 close very near max power of equipment , went on. The captain took quickly the “Elias I” boat away the reef and I start to breath again… I can affirm that an amberjack like that one, with his muscle strength due to strong flows of the Ocean, could be compared for the first 30 minutes of fighting to the GT of Indian Ocean and giant Bluefin Tunas of Mediterranean sea. For 50 total minutes of fighting there was an half an hour where I recovered 30 cm of braid in reel for one meter of brought out from fish.

With our great satisfaction this wonderful fish, which weights 48.5 kilos, was carried out to the boat for taking a pictures with all the crew. In the following days we fished on board of the catamaran in West coasts of the isle and we had fun with carangidaes attracted by fluorescent Abyss (excellent with the sun hidden by the clouds), some Wahoo which wasn’t able to break flatly the jig, several amberjacks of at least 10/15 kilos and a Yellowfin of 20 kilos which we ate with soy sauce and Wasabi in the restaurant of the hotel. The following two days of this first spring session we felt other incredible emotions: while we were trolling during our long trips towards the spot, a Blue Marlin of 150 kilos hits one of our baits and it got free after 3 jumps and after having cut a little ruined nylon leader. Usually Blue Marlins are difficult to meet in this period because the tunas of 4/5 kilos, that they eat, arrive when the water is warmer, from May to October. The last day of fishing, in the south of Boa, Vista in front of Curr al Velho, we ended with the catching of a wonderful Ricciola Rivoliana of 25 kilos and other two of 20 kilos. Also at least ten Blue Runner and a nice fish which the guide Daniele called “Salmòn” (Rainbow Runner, Elagatis Bipinnulata), with a double blue band which runs in all the flank.

The second part of this adventure took place in July with different climatic characteristics: the sea was calm and the temperatures were high even during night. We moved again with Luca, captain of the DC9 and Daniele Sampei, with the intention of adding to my palmares the billfish which live in this Archipelago and I put in the second place my lovely amberjacks which in this period are moving in deeper waters for the procreation, leaving space to those of small sizes (15/20 Kg) and some rare over-size species.

It’s fundamental to analyse the Bathymetry surrounding Boa Vista: around the isle there is 80 meter deep with several reefs that go up in the surface and then, in the north, there is a jump of -500 meter where marine currents bring high quantity of squids, shrimps and little tunas of 3/5 kilos, what Marlin usually search for eat..

The trolling to a Marlin and Sailfish is realized with a traditional set of 7 rods with outriggers and a speedy between 7.5 to 8.5 nodes. The first day of fishing we felt different emotions with 4 attacks to Blue Marlin, some YFT and Wahoo of very good size captured. In the following days me and Daniele kept in switching a couple of hours of trolling with VJ getting good results and the emotion of one big amberjack which after heating the friction of my 20.000 got off incredibly the hook. I said incredibly because I ever use to armed the jigs with hooks “Fisherman Spinosa” but not so many fish has gone with this kind of hook. But it can happens.

Then our captain Luca moved the boat in a place which not were the usual fishing areas. Suddenly in the middle of sea incredible calm 2 meters of high waves stand out: an reef where without modern nautical maps, it would be impossible not to sink and where nobody probably ever used artificial baits. At the first launch with the Maria “Queen Pop” 13 cm long a school of 10-15 Jack Cravelles, 10-12 Kilos, were incredible exiting . These typical Australian scene went on with several captures. The following day we went out with owner’s host and with our friend Massimo, the captain of the catamaran, in search of a Marlin. The ambitious of crew were showed by all top equipment armed on deck. Determination on board was high. After an hour there was a scene similar to a film of action: the reel of 130 LBS rod was singing and the captain launched the boat at max speed for striking the fish and our friend Massimo take off the rod from rod holder and he was able not to fly over board.. Anyway the 250 kilos Marlin Blue after a couple of jumps was able to get off the hook. During the day it has happened another 2 times, and it confirmed how is particularly difficult fishing in tropical countries. The following day we went on the search of the most beautiful fishes which we could meet in these seas, African Pompano which the local inhabitants called Prata fish. In a fantastic naturalistic context we were in front a small bay that has in the middle a big stone where several marine birds nest and around it there are fishes of different kind and size.

We started with spinning, except for the Xaréu we didn’t find the interest of other fishes. The main characteristic of a fisherman in tropical seas is his flexibility. The huge quantity of preys in these seas causes a big frustration, particularly when they seem to be cold to our baits. So changing technique could give unexpected results. We passed from spinning to live bait. After 5 minutes one of the rods flexed under the attack of an extraordinary Pompano specie that, after a long fighting, arrives under our boat showing us its beautiful silhouette. A very gorgeous fish. The last fishing day, I struck a huge amberjack which was able to get free breaking the braid over of the rock, after having teared away my Smith AMJ from my hands. At the end of two weeks of summer session I was able to bring on boat 2 wonderful Blue Marlin, fought in stand up, 1 big sailfish and 2 large dolphin fish and also a wonderful grouper which wasn’t able to resist to jig.

An excellent fishing sport which should be preserved with more attention through catch and release activity and where I got bearings thanks to the kindly people I met . Isn’t what we are looking for in our long journeys around the world, is it?

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Where to sleep in Boa Vista

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