CONCEPT
the operation
MALDIVES ON THE FLY
Getaway and GT Fishers have a long history. Together, we started out running trips for conventional fishing but as we Getaway began to focus on mainly fly fishing, the interest in developing fly fishing in the Maldives grew.
Over the years, the partnership with GT Fishers had grown into a much closer relation, and we knew that we neither could nor would, achieve the level of operation without GT Fishers being part of the project.
Our first attempts at fly fishing in the beautiful Maldives weren’t very successful.
In fact, we had gotten a bit skeptical about the potential. That was until we caught word that some young Danish fly fishermen had started to crack the code.
They didn’t look for bonefish, triggers, or trevallies on the flats but instead focused on wading the outer reefs for GTs. Word had gotten out that they had made some very impressive catches, so reaching out to them was an easy decision. When we hooked up with these young but highly skilled fly guys, our success with the fishery changed rapidly.
The fast speed boat from GT Fishers gave us better reach, and the crew’s local knowledge helped us grow our understanding of tides, wind and baitfish movements.
However, we couldn’t expect our guests to reach reefs the same way as we did during our scouting trips (sometimes, swimming across deeper water, rod in the mouth and a waterproof backpack assisting in keeping us afloat!).
The finishing touch to our fly fishing setup was a dinghy that would fit the open front deck of the 36-foot speed boat. Now we could access any spot with the dinghy and a smaller outboard – and get there fast with the 500 horses kicking our speed boat across the atoll!
GUIDE
We started out with an experienced host and our local crew, helping our small groups get into fish. But after a couple of seasons, we decided to take the next step:
We employed a professional fly fishing guide for the entire season. Seeing the fishery week after week, with the eyes of a fly fisherman, soon gave us a deeper understanding of fish movements, insight into tides, and exploration of new fishing grounds.
Since the fishing strategy will already be decided before getting in the water, the biggest advantage with the guide is often the extra set of eyes. (And GTs within casting range are normally not that hard to see).
But the guide can’t make the cast for you, and things happen pretty fast with GTs. You will be relying a lot on your own skills, whether the guide is with you or not.
We usually have two sessions in a day, and we rotate the guide all the time so you will be fishing with a guide for a large part of the trip.
ACCOMMODATION
While we have often toyed with the idea of adding a mothership to our fly fishing expeditions, we still prefer staying at local guest houses. Moving a mothership from Male to the remote areas we fly fish would increase the price considerably, and it would slow us down during the week.
We might decide to change from one atoll to another during a longer trip, and while we can do that from day to day with the speed boat and land-based accommodations, that wouldn’t be possible with a mothership.
The guest houses we use are nothing fancy but they are always nice and clean and run by friendly and helpful hosts. The rooms have air condition private bathrooms and Wi-Fi that sometimes comes and goes.
Meals are pretty basic. Typically, noodles with chicken and vegetables or rice with fresh fish. The food can be pretty good but we recommend arriving with modest expectations.