Jigging Senegal & Liberia

[blaasoppie#1]

Howzit Guys,

Anyone have info on jigging/ popping in Senegal and Liberia; my mate is going to Liberia and i am most likely going to Senegal for the next 3 years?

 

[Fin-S]

not sure about jigging but plenty of good sails off Senegal - ideal for popping as well as they are often on small bait balls. I wrote a report last year after a trip there.

 

[blaasoppie#1]

Fin-s

I have read a few articles on popping, but have not been able to find anything on jigging which is what i am most interested in for now.

My last batch of Fin-s fish did not last long!

 

[ian combe]

To be honest mate , the locals have fished almost to extinction anything inshore ~ everyone has a 40 horse yammy and mono nets ~ they sell to the factory ships parked off shore ~ The pirogues from Senegal now range Gambia and Guinea Bissau to do the finishing off touches to their stuffed fisheries . ~ Have just returned from Gambia & Senegal ~ 2 wks for 7 only fish on lures !! ( garick , cubera & baracuda 4 ~ 5 kg boat & shore ) 2 on bait ( both 12" catfish ) ~ the pits !! ~ Have been many times since 2003 and it is a waste of time . ~ The only place on the African continent where you can watch huge shoals of baitfish in esturies completely unmolested as there are no predators !! ~ Your only chance is migratory game fish off shore .
My next trip will be back to SA & hopefully Moz ~ worth the extra cost .
Sorry mate , but the truth is the truth ~ rather be prepared from the start than fish for months till you finally cotton on .
Hope you do well off shore .
Ian

 

[blaasoppie#1]

Thanks Ian,

I was expecting there to be a lot of fishing pressure on the pelagics as i have never seen so many boats in any african country; the photos on google earth show thousands of boats on their beaches.

It wont be long before everything in Africa is wiped out.

 

[ian combe]

I could go on bru ,
it really gets to me , but there is a slight flip side ~ Pelagics are targeted (jacks & tuna with multiple boats & ring nets ) but the continental shelf is quite close in at Senagal ~ 2 ~ 3 km in places and they cannot get at the sailys , beaks etc ~ some good pulls there . Also , any heavy reef area is more difficult to get at with nets ~ hence the garrick etc . ~ You also get big threadfin and cobb in these locations . ~ A case of picking your venue carefully , and hitting it at dawn or dusk before the netters get going .
Jigging is probably out the question unless you off shore and hit the tuna , jacks etc that way ~ much easier to cast metals to bird marked shoals .
Just a thought ~ Guinea Bissau Bijagos ~ outer islands only , there is a French crew running jigging/popper trips ( also a brit guy ) and it is truely aweome fishing ~ if you want the details ~ www.worldsportfishing.com ~ the guy is Richard Sheard ~ good guy ~ but take your own gear ~ the tackle pack offer isn't up to it .
Can put you in touch with guys that have done it ~ all rave & rave about it .
Ian

 

[blaasoppie#1]

Ian,

I have seen a couple of videos on the Bijagos and it is really awesome; i will be stuck in Dakar for 3 years so i will just have to figure out where to catch the fish.

The jigging should be ok, as they are not going to net in 100m of water.

Did you do any surf fishing there; the beaches north of Dakar look good?

 

[ian combe]

Yep ,
but only Gambia & Casemance in S Senegal . ~ Have had nice fish , but thin on the ground . ~ You need as much distance as possible ~ the beaches are pretty shallow , unless you can find the odd deep one . ~ It's the usual ~ dawn and dusk , better on a rising half tide and up , with bigger tides . Around reef structures can be ok as well . It can be more productive after dark ( don't go on your own )and you don't need a long cast then ~ Prawn catches everything but bonga and small squid work , as does live bait .
I think you will get some very good fish over three years ' sometimes there are runs of different species ( maybe they migrate ) and it can be hectic ocasionally .
Ian