'Gone Fishing': Deep Sea Fishing in Mozambique

In our "Gone Fishing" series, we explore picturesque deep-sea-fishing sites across the globe with 100-foot+ deep waters that entice anglers with the promise of trophy catches like marlin, swordfish and tuna. Be sure to bring a sense of adventure, patience and strength to these incredible locations — and a little bit of luck never hurts.

In Mozambique, anglers cast their lines into the Indian Ocean in the hopes of hooking game fish like giant black marlins, wahoo and sailfish. In fact, the waters off of Mozambique are the only place in the Indian Ocean known to have produced a black marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds, which was caught in 1998. Two archipelagos off of the African nation’s eastern coast create underwater conditions that corral baitfish, attracting bigger game to the area.

“The Bazaruto Archipelago and Quirimbas Archipelago have some of the best big game, reef and bill fishing in the Indian Ocean,” says Krista North, sales and marketing manager at Azura Benguerra & Azura Quilálea. To protect this valuable resource, the properties have taken steps to ensure the survival of the natural ecosystem.

“We have established the island’s first no-fishing zone to protect the seas around us and help to guard Africa’s last viable population of the elusive dugong [a unique marine mammal related to the manatee],” North says.

Where to Stay

Azura Benguerra Island

Benguerra Island, Mozambique

Lavish, ecologically sensitive lodge on Benguerra Island in the marine reserve of Bazaruto National Park, a 10-minute helicopter ride from Vilanculos.

Azura Quilalea Private Island

Quilalea Island, Mozambique

Rustic-chic resort with nine seafront villas spaced along two sandy beaches on an 86-acre private island in the Indian Ocean, along the northeastern coast of Mozambique.

>>Click here to view Andrew Harper's Top 10 Fly-Fishing Lodges and Resorts

This piece originally appear in the Traveler magazine. Click here to access the full issue.