Musandam Oman, May Madness!!

[Nick Bowles]

The last couple of months we have had some crazy fishing in Musandam on our 2 boats and it has carried on the last couple of weeks. It has been a great ending to the season for us especially when Southern Oman blew out a couple of weeks early in April. The really cool part is we have had loads of different groups coming through as most trips are short and we had a lot of GT beginners that have been catching some nice fish and also getting smoked big time! I always tell the guys that you cannot call yourself a GT fisherman till you have been smoked in spectacular fashion! But great to see Musandam starting a lot of new fisherman on the GT path. There has also been an abundance of smaller gamefish around with queens, kings, tuna, sails been around in good numbers.

Musandam GTs are still in my opinion the strongest GT pound for pound that I have come across, not sure what it is they seem to be smaller and rounder than the Southern Oman cousins but I think due to the deep water and very strong currents they have become powerhouses. A small fish can come to the boat after a hard fight and you are expecting a fish twice the size! Musandam we fish up against cliffs that drop straight into the Ocean from 200ms above sea level to 60ms below sea level. Shear cliffs and the GTs sit right against the cliffs in the strong currents, once hooked they use the current and disappear into the depths, leaving the fisherman a tough job of getting the fish back up to the boat! Awesome fun!

It looks like the weather has just started to heat up but the water temp is holding and I think we going to have another few weeks left of good fishing into June when it'll become to hope and we will finally close the season in Oman. We have our end of season live aboard trip planned for 29-31 May which I hope we will have some good fishing, laughs and memories. Then June we start the cycle all over again starting to plan and work towards the new season starting in Musandam in August and Southern Oman in October.

Here a heap of pictures from the end of April into May.


Love the Musandam sunrises. We run about 50 miles up the coast and the sunrise is always a time to admire and watch it come up over the sea.

Bit of time for reflection early morning, sunrise and calm seas. Life does not get better.

Bending on a good fish

Happiness!

It gets quite emotional on the boat at times.....



Bending

Dave bending on a good fish

Dave with a big Musandam GT.

Bringing the heat!

Another good Musandam GT





Deep burn!















Very happy!!


Sail on surface lure

Release

Capt LB getting in the mix

Backing into deeper water!

Love at first sight!

Bending off the bow.














Cheers,
Nick

[Nick Bowles]

The last week has been a hectic one but one of the best weeks of the season! We welcomed our new baby daughter into the World, Ava Michelle Bowles, a 3.33kg bundle of joy with healthy set of lungs!! So all been running around sorting out pink rooms, cots and more toys than a toy shop! Might have to make space in the fishing room to store everything! Her name initially was going to be Stella but then we thought better of it as at the age of 13 when she finds out she was named after a fishing reel might have cost me a lot on therapy! But it is a great new adventure and both Mum and baby are doing very well! The next generation has started!


Family picture!

Back to the fishing. Musandam has still been fishing very well and our captains Cameron, LB and Damon doing a great job with finding fish although a lot of bad weather is starting to push in with the monsoon blowing offshore. Most of the bigger GTs have moved deeper at the moment but there has been a lot of smaller GTs along with some great light tackle fishing for queens, long tails, kings etc. The weather is getting very steamy so a proper work out throwing poppers all day long!

I'm heading up this weekend with a pink slip from the wife and family and look forward to hopefully getting some nice fish, got a couple of prototype Shimano reels to test so very excited to see how they do against the Musandam GTs.

Then next weekend we have the final live aboard trip on the 80ft Dhow along with our two boats Al Sayyad 1 and Al Sayyad 2. We have one slot left if anyone is keen so it will be about 10 guys altogether and going to be a great trip along with a few sneaky prizes!


Bending on the Hots in a big current

Strong fish in the current

Craig bending







Craig into a nice fish












Backing off the cliffs




Light tackle spinning off the sheltered beaches at lunch time, always an awesome stop on the trip!

[Nick Bowles]

Some of the light tackle action. Musandam is a great destination as there are a lot of different options if the big GTs are not around from chasing smaller GTs on light tackle to queenfish, big eye, orange spots, long tails, kings, sails etc.


Big queen

Bending

Another big queen









What would a trip be without a smelly bobcat to try and chew off a lure or two!!


Good old trevela keeps on catching, we have caught thousands of fish on these charter rods, still amazes me the punishment they take!


Nice queen on a pink needle nose plug.



Nice king on surface lure


Big smelly Bobcat!!

Cheers,
Nick

[Jeen Raj]

Hi Nick,

Congrats on the new addition to the family. Lovely baby Eva.
Yes Musundam is a special place, where it all started and still producing some good results.


Cheers,

Jeen

[Josh Tan Peng Siong]

Hey Nick,

it must have been an awesome trip and congrats on the new addition to the family. She looks lovely.

Cheers.

[Charles Cintron]

Congrats on the new baby Nick! Awesome pics as usual

[Nick Bowles]

Many thanks guys! Ava is keeping us young and running around! Luckily got a pink slip to go fishing this weekend but might just stay at the villa and sleep! But all good fun!

Hi Jeen, Its been amazing how the Musandam came on fire this season, it is where is began and you were one of the first on the boats with us! Was good ole days, hope you and the boyz are all well! We need to arrange a reunion fish one of these days!

Cheers,
Nick

[Nick Bowles]

The Musandam keeps on rolling into summer. We had a bit of bad weather at the beginning of the week and so did not do to much fishing but the last couple of days we got around 25 GTs and a heap of other fish like kings, queens, big eyes etc. Was also good to get some of the regular clients out with some of their better halves and also some of their clients. Keep on growing the GT family. Always great to see someone catch their first GT and their eyes light up and you now they are hooked for life!

The water temp is holding nicely and we should be able to fish another few weeks and with so many fish around and still some big fish it is going to be one of those situations if you can bear the heat it is still going to be good!

A few pictures from the last couple of days with clients:


Getting dinner at GT House, always awesome to socialize a bit before the fishing and a good few fishing stories.

Dinner in full swing! If only I had a dollar for every story told in this room!

Evening entertainment either darts or more stories around the fire! Cam nice style big guy!

Early morning Al Sayyad one waiting to head up into the Musandam fully rigged with enough gear to give our shop a run for its money!

The deep burn! Race Point putting on the heat! Love the gritting of the teeth!

Chunky little Musandam GT

The better halves getting on on the action!

Warm up!

Bending on the RP!

Decent fish

The ladies showing us how its done!!

Awesome and well fought GT!!

David with a monster queen on popper! I thought they only got this big in Southern Oman but quite amazed!

Davids client Ben fished for GTs for the first time and caught his very first GT and biggest fish ever! New GT fanatic!

David definitely has some good GT karma! Caught some really nice fish in the last couple of trips to Musandam

Some GT love!

Yesterday we arranged a trip with Jon and a few good mates to go fishing. It was a great day out and we caught some decent fish and lost a few more. I was fishing with my father in law Clive and I was testing some new prototype reels and mainly focused on the light tackle but we caught some excellent fish. I'll post a report for that when I get the permission to use the pics. But Jon, AJ and Rian had a good day with finding some bigger fish! Awesome to see Jon coming along as a great GT all round fisherman from dealing and ordering products in our shop for GTs to using them on the boats and really finding his stride! GT fishing is something that is not learnt overnight and Jon has definitely put in the hours and now reaping some of the rewards, although a monster fish did teach him a bit of a lesson.........


Jon in action

Nice Musandam GT

Rian is a monster of a man and he had hooked this fish badly and both fish and fisherman put up an epic display in rough water with big current!

Big Musandam GT landed on the RP200.

We look forward to the live aboard trip this coming weekend and spending a few days up in the Musandam, should be some good laughs and hopefully a few more fish!

Cheers,
Nick

[Felix Neuer]

that last black GT is a massive beast!
looks funny with that thick and long but not that high body.

[Nick Bowles]

Hi Felix, a lot of the GTs late in the season have been very round, we think it might be that they have come from deep and been feeding to bulk up to come and spawn but not sure only a theory, definitely a different body shape to a lot of the GTs down South, maybe because the GTs have to deal with more current in Musandam??

Cheers,
Nick

[Mark Harris]

From all the pictures I have seen over the years, GT fishing in Musandam reminds me a lot of Bali: raging currents and a lot of fat fish.  I tend to agree with Nick that those two factors are related.

[Trevor Skinner]

Riaan would make most decent sized GTs look a bit elongated.

He's one big unit. Your worst nightmare in the opposing front row!



Trev

[Nick Bowles]

Hi Mark, a couple of times guys that have fished Bali have said they are similar. Still love the big currents pushing off or around the cliffs and islands.

Hi Trev, Got to concur on that one! Would not like to be the fish attached to the other side of the line when the big guy is in action on the field or boat!

Cheers,
Nick

[Nick Bowles]

My Fatherin Law Clive came fishing with us on the last trip that we posted and had some excellent fun with us on the light tackle that we were testing but with all fisherman the opportunity came for Clive to stay with our Captains in Musandam for an extra day and night, so being a true fisherman he decided to stay and went out with the boyz the following day.

The weather was perfect and the guys had some great fishing. Clive got smoked by a monster fish early in the morning. But then Anura and Cameron had a double up on GTs. Anura the Wee Man was in true form and he and Cameron got a good double up to the boat for a few pictures and released. It is a real achievement for Anura to have turned into the fisherman and skipper he is today. Anura is from Sri Lanka and never grew up fishing with rods and reels. He ended up in Oman working cleaning a morgue and then for some of the hotels cleaning rooms. Anura came and joined the Ocean Active team a few years back to look after GT House and he started taking an interest in fishing and then started coming out on the boats, then started to get a couple of rods and reels and now he is a very accomplished GT fisherman and handles the boat very well! We are really proud of him and his progress! Amazing to see his progress and also how he has leanrt and how he has come to love GT fishing!

The day continued and Damon got in the action with a nice kingfish and then Cameron got another GT followed by Clives biggest GT ever. The guys dropped a good few fish and caught a heap of cuda! Another awesome day out in the Musandam. Amazing how the place is firing just loads of fish and action really great to see Musandam firing again and for a long time!

A few pictures.

Cameron and Anura double up!

Love this picture, double trouble!

Flaming Damon landing one of the Geets

Cameron very happy with his fish landed on his new custom Race Point 200!

Anura still battling his fish! The Sri Lankan Warrior!

Awesome Omani GT!! Go Big Guy!!

OA thumbs up!!

Landing Damons king

Damon with a good king on a Siren!

Clive finally in the action bending on a good fish!

Clive with his biggest GT and made his trip to come and look after his new Granddaughter worth it!! Clives already asking when we going to have more kids!

Clive and Anura!

Cameron on the RP200!

Head shot!!

Anura bending on a cuda!

Lucky no automatic release with the lure!!

Tomorrow we head up to the Musandam for our end of season live aboard trip with 9 guys! Really looking forward to it with good hot weather, loads of big fish around it is going to be awesome! Hopefully get a few more fish and a few more stories!

Cheers,
Nick

[Cam Foley]

Awesome pics ,wicked location, my wife and i had twins 2 years ago and i wanted to call them Amber and Jack but for the same reason as you Nick i did not.
Congrats on the bubs, big brother looks stoked.