Post the monsoons of 2005, Darran Davis and I set off on a journey of a lifetime. It all began with the story of a fish we?d heard about, while freshwater fishing on the banks of a river miles away from the sea?. a mystical fish that fought the hardest and swam in our waters. The fish was known as the Giant Trevally (GT in short) & is one of the most sought after fish by a new breed of anglers using surface lures and cutting edge equipment that was being pioneered by the Japanese to specifically target these fish. Our search for this fish that could be targeted by popper and jig brought us to The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, off the coast of India. A fortnight of fishing on a small local wooden dungi (dug-out boat) brought us closer to this mysteriously enigmatic fish and our dreams suddenly changed.
We returned to the Andaman Islands the following year on another foray, this time better equipped and more prepared for our search for the GT. After having spent more time fishing areas we thought would hold GT we returned amazed with the variety of fish that we caught and sheer number of GT we had swimming in the Andaman Sea.
Following a couple of brainstorming sessions, the seeds of a charter company were planted. Soon with the help of an accountant, advice from other anglers, a shoestring budget and a basic project report the company, Game Fishing India was incorporated in late 2006. We set off to the Andaman Islands and started fishing from Havelock Island in a dungi taking out a small set of dedicated angling friends and local tourists, which was the start of the business.
The dungi progressed to Halcyon I, a 23 feet center console FRP Sportfishing boat. The first of its kind based out of Havelock. Most of 2006-07 was spent searching for ideal locations & reefs for popper fishing and managing aspects of a start-up charter. The next season saw a rise in bookings and the need for a second boat. Early 2008 saw business shift to a more viable location, the capital city, Port Blair and a second boat, Halcyon II, was added to the fleet followed by Halcyon III the next year.
Large and safe seaworthy boats enabled fishing further sea mounts and banks that were out of reach for most anglers. The use of sonar and fish-finders also saw that most times we were dropping jigs at sea mounts and off walls, most of which were off charts and was a first in the Andaman Area. Access to these exotic locations and by now an in-depth knowledge of the area led to the beginning of some of the largest GT and Dog Tooth Tuna being caught and released in the Andaman Islands. The really crazy bit being that the local fishermen had never heard of GT and Doggies of that size!
As more dedicated following of popping and jigging addicts began to arrive, the need for a dedicated guesthouse for angling clients arose. Blue Fin Bay was set up in a sea facing building minutes away from the jetty where the boats were moored. Basic, clean and well maintained with Air Conditioned rooms able to cater to up to 8 anglers, makes it an ideal place to stay for visiting anglers.
2011 saw yet another development with the import of a 37 feet center console boat Rampage. Rampage came loaded with an electronics package that made finding fish even easier & is an ideal boat for those interested specifically popping and jigging.
After having guided and entertained some of the biggest names in the popping and jigging world like Nicola Zingarelli, Kozo Okubo, Eric Le Guyader, Sami Ghandour the Andaman Islands was now firmly implanted on the tropical fishing map as a ?must visit? destination. By this time Game Fishing India was an Official IGFA certified Club and a member of The Billfish Foundation.
In 2012 exploratory trips were carried out in Sri Lanka which has immense potential in terms of the availability of large GT. Operations began on a small scale with a 28 feet boat based out of Krinda in the South East of the Island nation. 2013 will see many more infrastructural developments here to support an operation catering to anglers from around the globe. Future expansions to select locations in the Indian Ocean region are planned in a phased manor over the next few years.
We completely adhere to ?Catch & Release? fishing to maintain the ecosystem balance and to ensure that these apex predators that make anglers go weak in the knees keep providing our clients with a never ending adrenaline pumping experience!
Our fishing trips are designed taking the moon-phase into account apart from various other factors to hook GTs and Dog Tooth Tuna on popper or jig. Later in the season which begins in October and extends till May at Andaman?s, the Yellow Fin Tuna runs begin which bring with them Sailfish and Marlin. Trolling for Marlin and other large pelagic species is now a possibility with catches being pretty spectacular. Live-bait and down rigger dead bait fishing have also produced excellent results. Our new destination Sri Lanka has round the year fishing distributed across various locations.
An ideal trip is at least 5 fishing days, we recommend a maximum of 3 anglers on our boats upto 30 feet in length and a maximum of 4 anglers on our boats over 30 feet boat.
Our guests can hire popping and jigging rods available with us at nominal rates. We have some great options available for non-fishing partners who would like to explore the islands or relax while their partners are out fishing. Depending on the location you would like to fish and the type of holiday or experience you want customization is possible ranging from hardcore trips to the angler taking his family on vacation, or the novice who wants to give tropical fishing for brawlers a shot. We are always happy to advise, inform and share our experiences about the fishing in our neck of the woods.
We hope to contribute to this great fishing forum where we will try to give you the best information, latest reports, share some techniques, offers and of course lots of pictures to get your pulses racing about the areas we fish. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us, post or PM for any further details.
Email us at
[email protected]or
[email protected]Regards,
Darran Davis and Akshay Malavi.
