Trip Preparation

The three of us (Garry, Kevin and myself- Steve) planned this trip many months ago. We chose early November based on our availability and the fish that can be found at that time of year around Madagascar. 

Garry and Kevin have done this type of fishing many times before. Never in Madagascar but in many other global locations. For me, this would be a first.

We booked with Sportquest Holidays. The booking experience was seamless but we were taken aback by the amount of fishing gear that they offer for rental and the fact that the cost of the trip would nearly double if you rented all of the equipment that they suggest. Also, the list/cost of rental equipment was only supplied to us once we had paid for the main trip so beware of planning this trip if you do not have enough of your own gear. Thankfully Garry, Kevin and a couple of their friends had enough equipment and kindly agreed to loan that to me.

We then sent a number of Shimano reels for servicing at Felindre Innovations Reel Servicing - a very good and quick turnaround. The last thing you want is a reel locking up whilst playing these fish - they are strong.

As the departure date approached, we all got together a few times to review the gear that we would be taking and to buy a few oustanding items. We had a very generous luggage allowance of 2 x 23kg each - and we would need every gramme of that!

Nosey Be, Northern Madagascar