RIO AZUL

The gem of Mozambique

Written by Graeme Field

Mozambique is a great country to visit, and it close proximity to South Africa makes it a popular destination for South African anglers from all walks of life. Unfortunately, in terms of fishing, many areas of the coast have seen better days. Impact of local fishermen and netters, illegal trawlers and longliners, and greedy recreational fisherman have all taken their toll, and many areas are sadly a far cry from what they were merely 10 years ago.

Still, there are areas that produce fish, and good fish at that. A variety of lodges, hotels and resorts dot the coastline and nearby islands, catering to everyone from self-drive campers to top end clients. For a saltwater fly fisherman trying to find a productive and suitable flyfishing destination can be a daunting task, and sometimes akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Three crucial elements are essential for a saltwater fly fisherman in Mozambique – good fishing, good boats and a good skipper. When planning a trip and more importantly, spending a large chunk of hard earned cash, you want to be sure of what you are getting for your money, and that you will be able to fish effectively once there. As far as I am concerned, and I'm sure most will agree, accommodation is the least of our worries, and depends on your personal preference and budget, but good fishing and being able to access the productive area with a fly rod is of primary concern.

While some lodges possess one or two of these elements, few can boast all three. Many lodges in Mozambique sadly do not see saltwater flyfishing as a high priority angling discipline, and do not cater specifically for the fly angler. The Mozambican coast is very popular as an all round holiday destination, and many lodges and fishing operations cater for the less serious angler, honeymoon couples and groups of friends who are keen to go out fishing for a day and have some fun. This is absolutely fine, but dedicated fly fishermen will find themselves getting frustrated when faced with unsuitable boats, faulty (or non functional) electronic equipment and skippers that are only accustomed to trolling around with conventional gear.

In addition to this, the weather in Mozambique can be quite fickle, and as most of the good fishing requires the use of a boat, strong winds and rough seas can severely restrict your options, especially offshore.

I think I may have found an answer. There is brand new lodge in a great location, with excellent boats, lots of fly fishing options in almost all weather conditions – and it is run by someone who I still regard as one of the best anglers and nicest guys I know. In 2005 Craig Thomassen and I were involved in setting up and managing Rio Azul Lodge during the development phase, until the project ground to a halt due to logistical difficulties and the inevitable red tape one encounters when investing in third world African countries. Construction was put on hold for nearly a year, before moving forward again in 2006 with Craig again at the helm. The lodge was actually finished in Feb of 2007, but by some ill fated stroke of luck, was severely damaged by cyclone Favio shortly after completion. Finally, after a mammoth effort that spanned a couple of years, Rio Azul Lodge finally opened it doors in November 2007.

Just prior to opening, I visited the lodge at the invitation of Craig, and was most pleasantly surprised at the place, and more importantly the fishing. Rio Azul derives its name from the Govuro River on which it is built, Rio Azul meaning Blue River in Portuguese, and is testament to the deep blue colour the mouth of the estuary takes on during spring high tides. The lodge is built right above the high water mark, and faces west so enjoys spectacular Mozambican sunsets every evening. It's a quiet and peaceful setting, and although there is some other development in the area, feels very remote.

The estuary serves two purposes – its mangrove waterway systems offer some exciting light tackle fishing for species such as river snapper, river perch, oxeye tarpon and a variety of smaller kingfish species, but it also offers a safe passage out to sea. This means that the offshore reefs can be accessed in adverse weather conditions, and your fishing is less restricted by tides and weather than many other areas along the coast and islands.

From my experience fishing in Mozambique, the waters within and around the Bazaruto archipelago produce the best and most consistent fishing, and Rio Azul is situated just north of Bazaruto Island, and straight opposite the infamous 25 Mile Reef – one of the biggest and most productive reefs in the Bazaruto area. Although it is a run of over an hour to the reef, there are a number of reefs to fish along the way – and all produce fish.

During my week long stay at Rio Azul I spent the majority of my time offshore fishing with sinking lines over reefs ranging from 8 to 30 meters in depth. Close inshore is a patch of scattered reef known as "All Sorts Reef" – and here I managed to land a number of big yellowspot kingies, couta, skipjack (Springer) and a beautiful blood snapper. I was fishing with Cameron Musgrave one of the lodges skippers, and he too landed some big yellowspots and a good sized yellow tail kingfish.

Venturing further out to sea we explored an underwater drop-off that Craig had picked up on the echo sounder but hadn't fished much yet. Mostly sand with some scattered reef, the area was a long ledge dropping from 15 down to 25 meters and was home to hoards of king mackerel (couta). Craig had told me that he had seen so many couta on the surface there that they were sight casting at them with fly. We didn't find them in such good numbers, but still caught quite a few (up to about 8 kgs), and saw a few cruising around in the surface chop. I also had a massive couta follow my fly right to the boat but unfortunately turned away at the last minute.. When the couta are thick you will be able to seriously cash in on this reef!

Guy Ferguson had been at the lodge the day before I arrived, and had given Craig some GPS co-ordinates of a great pinnacle he had discovered on the inside of 25 Mile reef, so the next morning Cameron and I headed off to explore it. Thanks Guy, that place was hot! It is a small area but the fishing was phenomenal. Cameron and I got stuck into some really big queenfish, GT's, jobfish and some smaller couta, and were picking up fish on almost every drift. Schools of queenies were following the fly up the boat and then hanging around just below us. They were all good sized fish and we really enjoyed some first class fishing. This is a great spot with a large variety of big fish on offer, and will definitely produce some trophy fish in the future.

On the way back that afternoon we made a quick stop at All Sorts reef where we both picked up some solid yellowspot kingies before returning to the lodge just as the sun was setting. The next few days were spent between these various reefs, and the all continued to produce fish on the fly. The lodge currently has two 16ft Yamaha cats designed for flyfishing, and a 31ft diesel boat that is also ideal for flyfishing, very light on fuel and able to go to sea in poor conditions. The offshore fly angler therefore has a number of excellent options for accessing the various reefs in the area.

But offshore flyfishing may not be everyone's cup of tea, or within everyone's budget, and this is why Rio Azul is such a good option. The lodge is actually situated on a long spit that juts out into the mouth of the river, and excellent fishing can be had at the point of this spit as one has access to deep water from shore, and on a pushing tide GT's, couta, other kingfish and even tuna can be caught from shore. It's probably best suited to spinning, but if you can cast a full fly line and are prepared to work hard you may be well rewarded.

The mouth of the river is massive, and situated within this area are some islands and sandbanks which will all produce fish. BD Island in particular is perfectly suited to flyfishing. The southern edge is calm and protected and drops off sharply into water more than 10 meters deep. The northern edge faces the sea, and although you might have to battle the onshore winds sometimes, is an excellent flyfishing option. The perfect spot though is on the south western tip where two currents meet and the wash from wave action swirls around and forms eddies in deep water that is right at your feet. It's a really good flyfishing location.

Further upriver the estuary splits into a number of mangrove channels which can be navigated by boat (and canoe) for something like 30 kilometres upstream. These areas are ideal to drift quietly along, casting small poppers for river snapper and other species. Craig explored some of the river far upstream (where the water is almost totally fresh), and they enjoyed fantastic action with lots and lots of river snapper. The great thing abut these mangroves is that they can be fished in all but the worst weather conditions, and provide an alternative option to going out to sea. I spent one morning fishing the waterways, and although I never landed a fish, my popper was hit a few times by river snapper – enough to convince me of its potential.

The lodge has taken the unique step of providing each chalet with its own aluminium river boat, complete with 25Hp engine, which is included in the daily accommodation rate. You are able to use this boat at your leisure to fish the estuary. Overall I think Rio Azul has got it right. Not only does it have a variety of options for shore based, estuary and offshore fishing, but it isn't nearly as dependent upon good weather as many other locations. And the fact that it is managed by someone as knowledgeable and friendly as Craig Thomassen just makes it a great place to visit.

For bookings and more information, please contact Liquid Horizon on +27 72 203 7633 or email graeme@liquidhorizon.co.za