Rio Azul Mozambique Fishing Information | Estuary, Ssurf and Offshore Fishing

Rio Azul is located on the banks of the Govuro River in Mozambique, overlooking the estuary and is about 2km from the river mouth. The Govuro River mouth is 130km north of Vilanculos.

The Govuro River runs north from Vilanculos and past Inhassoro and enters the sea at Bartholomew Diaz point.

Rio Azul is one of the few venues along the Mozambique coast where one can access deep water with strong currents close to the beach. The point at the river mouth has deep water right at the edge and big game fish move into easy casting distance of the shore looking for food.

There is abundant birdlife in this mangrove region as well as beautiful, unspoilt beaches to be explored.

Rio Azul is unique in that it offers good quality estuary fishing, brilliant surf fishing and some of the finest offshore fishing in Mozambique. This venue is ideal for fishermen who enjoy a variety of fishing techniques from fly-fishing, to light tackle lure fishing, surf fishing and deep-sea fishing. The policy at Rio Azul is strictly catch and release.

Bait will be available from the lodge at no extra charge to guests and will consist of: prawns, squid and fish. The lodge will endeavor to supply live bait whenever possible.

Estuary fishing:

The boats that each room is supplied with are ideal for estuary fishing. The boats are Ali boats, like the ones used in the Okavango delta, fitted with a single 15 horse power Yamaha outboard motor. Each boat has a fish finder GPS unit, an electric trolling motor, a two-way marine radio, a spotlight, a laminated map of the estuary with fishing hot spots marked on it, a cooler box and a fold up sun cover. Guests will be given a course on how to operate the boat as well as the electronic equipment on board when they arrive. Guests will have the choice of hiring a local skipper for their stay should they wish to.

The estuary is extensive and offers diverse fishing from trolling lures, to casting baits, lures and flies. Fishing the deep main channels is good for grunter, stumpnose, kingfish, queenfish, barracuda, sharks, brindle bass and rock cod.

The mangrove channels are excellent for fishing for river snapper, ox-eye tarpon, skipjack, perch, estuary cod and small kingfish.

The best form of fishing in the estuary is casting lures with light tackle from the drifting boat towards the mangroves or fly-fishing the same way. Some big fish are caught trolling lures in the main channels and also drifting in the main channels with live bait.

Surf fishing:

From the beaches of either the river mouth or the island anglers can expect such gamefish species such as kingfish, queenfish, king mackerel, springer and barracuda. For those who enjoy battling the heavies there are also sharks, sandsharks and rays. Other species that one can catch from the side are: Pompano, spotted grunter, bonefish, stumpnose, rockcod and various species of snapper. There are a variety of productive methods of fishing the surf, including: light tackle lure fishing, plug and spoon casting, fly fishing, bait fishing, live bait fishing and night fishing.

On a pushing or high tide one can cast baits, plugs, spoons or flies at the point or from the island. On an outgoing tide it is productive to swim a live bait or a dead bait out with a balloon using the current too get the bait out a long way. This method is good for catching big kingfish, king mackerel and sharks.

There are no rocks in the deep water around the point, so kingfish cannot cut you off and chances are good of landing fish once they are hooked, even on light tackle.

Night fishing is excellent with bait, live bait or casting weighted Rapala type lures. Mostly kingfish, sharks and rays are caught at night, but it is also a good time to catch stumpnose, bonefish and springer from the beach.

The lodge will arrange for a bonfire, and dinner to be served on the beach for those who wish to night fish and a fly camp with dinner, drinks and a fire can be set up on the island if guests would like to overnight there and fish through the night.

Offshore fishing:

Rio Azul offers some of the finest offshore fishing available in Mozambique. The lodge boats are skippered by experienced and qualified fishing guides, who know the area intimately. They use customised cats which are reliable, safe and comfortable to fish from. Launching from the estuary is safe, with no surf to negotiate. The boats have access to some exceptionally productive reefs that receive very little fishing pressure. Guests have the choice of trolling, plugging, jigging, fly-fishing or drift bait fishing for the game fish that occur in the ocean off Bartholomew Diaz. All species of Indian Ocean game fish from kingfish to marlin are caught in the area. Boats fish two clients at a time. The nearest reefs are a ten-minute run from the lodge, and reefs right up to 25 mile reef north of Bazaruto Island are accessible to the lodge’s boats. Tackle for offshore fishing is available and its use is included in the cost of daily boat chartering.

BOAT HIRE COSTS (subject to change)

16Ft Catamaran

$350	FULL DAY	EXCL. FUEL
$250	MORNING	EXCL. FUEL
$150	AFTERNOON	EXCL. FUES

31Ft Marlin Boat

$600	FULL DAY	INCL. FUEL
$430	MORING	INCL. FUEL
$270	AFTERNOON	INCL. FUEL

Recommended packing list

Cap or wide Brimmed hat	Sunglasses (preferably polarized)
Windbreaker/Waterproof	Sun block
Fishing shirts	Lip-Ice
Fishing shorts	Camera
Tracksuit pants	Torch
Strops	Personal toiletries