Wild sea expedition is a company that organize fishing trip in Socotra since 2010, the first to discover this place for sportfishing and explore it. WSE is a company of youg people who have travelled around the world for fishing, and organizing fishing trip in Sudan, Maldives and Laccadives, guiding high level clients all around the world.
Every fishing trip in Socotra is escorted by two world class fishing guide and only four anglers, to allow an high level of guiding service. In a place like Socotra, where fish are monster class and fishing conditions are really hard, an high guiding service make the difference between a bad trip and a good trip.
Our guides have fished and explored Socotra for long time to discover the best places and understand the best time of the day for popping and jigging in according with tide and weather condition.
We have a deep knowledge of the best tackle to use here, so every clients has a detailed pre-trip absistence to avoid any problem during the holiday.
We are equiped with all the necessary safety equipment, with VHF and Sat phone, and all the time we spend in the sea is safety oriented, since we are in one of the most remote area of the indian ocean.
Moreover, our operation is environment sustainable, we work to preserve our fishing areas, all the fishing is stricly catch and relase except what we keep for our consume, and all the fishes are treated in the best way possible for respect and conservation.
Only barbless hooks are allowed for safety of anglers and for respect of the fish.
Fishing on Socotra is a unique experience. Here you can find many beautiful places for fishing, with high cliffs overlooking the sea, sand dunes or uninhabited islands, which transmit sensations enough to make us think of fishing in prehistoric times. The incredible thing about this island, it is determined that the average size of gt attack the popper has no comparison to the whole world, so that in 90% of the cases we are attached to fish over 40 kg, and in the remaining 10% with fish over 30 kg, enough to embarrass even the most experienced.
This feature is certainly due to several factors: primarily the abundance of forage fish such as rainbow runners and fusiliers, combined with the lack of fishing pressure these waters and strong currents that transport large quantities of nutrients. In addition to the obvious fortunate position, in the middle of the ocean current that comes from the South favoring the upwelling, which brings nutrients in the surface layers. For several months the winds are very violently, causing sea conditions often prohibitive, and thus preventing a continuous fishing by local fishermen, who still do not have huge resources. In practice you can fish well and safe only for a little less than four months a year, from October to November and from March to April.
Almost all the fish of this sea are present on Socotra. The most important sportfish is Gt, but in October there is a huge migration of Sailfish and Spanish Mackarell, and a migration of pelagic crab, that floating on the water cause a continuos feeding by many kind of trevally such as Golden Trevally, Yellow Spottet Trevally, Bludger Trevally and Black Tip Trevally. Many kind of coral fish are present such as Red Snapper, Green Jobfish, Rusty Jobfish, Coral Trout and different species of grouper and emperor. From shore is possible to find Indian Permit, Bonefish, small Threadfin, Leerfish, Bream, Bluefin Trevally. Shark are olso present but rarely hook on lure, the most catched are Fox Shark on Jigging. The best seasons for fishing Socotra are Autumn and Spring because in Summer and Winter the wind is very strong and the sea very rough.
For fishing Socotra the best way to arrange a trip, will be touring a camp run by us. The camp consists of 2 large tents for six people, one as dinning room and one as camp kitchen, and for sleep, every fisherman has a double tend equipped with mattresses, sheet and pillow, 1 tank of 2000 liters fresh water, shower box, rods holder , a cook with a camp kitchen, an interpreter and a jeep always available. Satellitar phone is also available. About food, is Socotra the variety is very limited, usually is possible to eat pasta, rice, bread cooked day by day, beans, eggs, vegetable sauce, fish, biscuit, soft cheese, lamb, chicken, honey and sometime nutella. During the fishing season is possible to get some lobster. Usually meat is consumed once or twice a week, because of the limited availability. Soft drink are included in the price, alcoholic drink are allowed but not sales, clients can bring their own drink from other airport. Concerning the boats, the only solution at present is the use of local fishing boats, fiberglass boats of about 8 meters long and equipped with 40 hp engine. The standard trip are based one 4 clients, fishing from 2 boats.
This will be probably the wildest, extreme and amazing trip you will enjoy in your life, visiting some of the most remote frontiers for huge Gts. For this trip we don’t have a definitive schedule, because it has to be built time by time in according with the client request. It can be 10-12 or 14 days, and also logistics, organization and costs can be different time by time.
After the election of 21 February, the situation in Yemen has gone better day by day, the government has negotiated the peace in almost all the country and has improve the control by government forces around the country. Currently come to Socotra is safe for tourist, the stop in Sanaà is safe, and many clients take a rest of one or two days to visit the old city and some location around, accompanied by our agent. 
About Socotra, the island is completely safe and pirates free, the Yemen Navy have increased the control in the archipelago, by boat and helicopters, to guarantee the safety of tourists and local people too. About healt, in Socotra there aren’t tropical diseases like yellow fever or typhus, and malaria has been extint. Clients must be covered by a travel/medical insurance.
Fishing in Socotra for GT, is not simply popping, is extreme popping, is the top of the top in term of technique, experience and brutality. Here every part of your equipment can be broken, from the hooks to the reels. Due to the conformation of the fishing spot, the conditions became really extreme, first the medium size of the fishes is incredible, the water is shallow and all around are present many rock and wreck, and everything is done during strong current condition.
Now imagine to hook an over 60, and imagine what can happen to the tackle. Because of this, everything in the equipment have to be extra strong: the rod has to be a PE 10, the shock leader up to 250 lb matched whit a short bite tippet made of kevlar chord, to prevent the cut by the fish that suck down the lure.
Fluorocarbon is not enough, sometime it’s also happened to find death GT whit a popper deep in the throat just after lost a fish for leader cutting of the leader. About the terminal, split ring have to be only the biggest from Owner or Decoy, the treble can be Owner ST 76 5/0 or Decoy 8/0 and 10/0, nothing else. A good choice is to use big single hook, in this case the best are Fisherman Spinoza 13/0, Decoy Cutclass 10/0or Owner Sj 51 size 11/0.
About the line is allowed to use Varivas avani gt 170 lb, tuff line 130 lb, power pro 170 lb, also if the strength seems, all these line are same. About lures you must have some big and noisy popper, our favorite are Craft Bait gt3, Fcl Labo ebi pop and extreme, Orion cono cono, Patriot Design master bomb. More than popper,sinking stick are always a good weapon, our favorite are Orion big foot and plug tropic, and we sell special handmade stick specially designed and, made for us. At the end some floating stick can be a good choice when fish are lazy.
For all the fanatics of GT, fishing in Socotra is an experience without parallel!
Team
NICOLA VITALI was born in Italy in 1986 and he fishes since he was 4 years old. He starts to travel for fishing at the age of 18, visiting Australia, Nepal, Ireland, Marocco, Maldives, Oman, Maurtius, Egypt, Sudan and Yemen, always attracted from new and unknown destination. After have taken a degree in civil and environmental engineering he started to looking for some of the last frontiers destinations for fishing, discovering the huge Gts of Socotra Island where he organized a fishing camp, and the virgin reefs of Sudan, where is co-owner of the sportfishing catamaran. You will find him as trips manager in Sudan and Socotra, and he will guide you during your journey, as for popping, jigging or fly fishing.
He speaks Italian, English and French and he’s currently learn Arabic. He is international sailing licensed for boat till 24 m. During his free time in Sudan, he tests new spot, tecnique and equipment. He also collaborates with different fishing magazines, in Italy and Europe.
FEDERICO CASTIGNOLI was born in Italy 1987, he fishes since he was 4 years old and he will never stop. At 18 years old he started to travel for fishing and for kayaking, and thanks these two passions, in some years he visited Maldives, Mauritius, India, Ireland, Sweden, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Egypt, Sudan and Yemen. You will find him as trip manager and guide in the Red Sea on board of M/Y Scuba Libre, and as fishing guide in Socotra, and he also joins every exploratory trip. Despite his relaxed appearance, he’s a truly fishing machine and very serious and expert guide, at the end of your trip with him you will need an holiday.
He speaks Italian, English and Spanish and during his free time in the sea he scouts new spots and new fishing equipment. During the lay-off he works as rafting guide in Italy and around the world.
For informations and details, please contact at: fishing@wildseaexpedition.com
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