Anyone who has been to the Maldives on holiday is sure to have experienced sunset fishing. It is a resort staple and an astonishingly easy way to catch your supper. Going out in a ‘dhoni’ at sunset throwing a hook attached to a line over the side on a reef and waiting for the fish to bite while watching an incredibly beautiful multi hued sunset and enjoying the quiet evening is an awesome experience. Hand line fishing is an environmentally friendly way to fish as it does not damage the reef and it is also one of the easiest and oldest fishing methods. No prior experience is required. Sunset fishing is an activity much in demand among guests at Naladhu Maldives, a Maldives luxury hotel.
Most sunset fishermen and women use a very simple technique. A line, a weight or float, a hook and bait is all that is needed. The hook is baited and the line dropped overboard. Once the line touches bottom the fisherman needs to jiggle it up and down to attract the fish and wait patiently for the fish to bite. It is a completely stress free activity and one that allows ‘fishermen’ to enjoy the gorgeous vistas before them. From among the thousands of species on the reefs snappers, groupers, squid and ground fish are the ones that are most commonly caught. Once the ‘fishermen’ are satisfied with the catch they can head to shore where their catch will be barbecued. Quite a bit of romance can be added to the experience by having a picnic on a desert islet or sandbar and having the catch barbecued while watching the sunset. As this sort of experience is not commonly encountered, it needs to be savoured. Sunset fishing can also be accomplished from shore and from a live aboard vessel which will allow fishing experiences in more than one idyllic location.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.