Outstanding Big Game Fishing in this vast wilderness – possibly fishing’s last frontier.
There are very few places left on Planet Earth where the resident fish population and visiting migratory ocean giants are not being decimated by commercial fishing and over-fishing by hoards of recreational anglers.
The incredible archipelago of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands is home to numerous species of the world’s most popular gamefish species. What makes the islands so special is the fact that the Indian government has banned commercial fishing – other than by antiquated traditional methods. There are no long-liners, trawlers or purse nets, no sophisticated factory ships, only a few canoes and local style wooden vessels with the island’s inhabitants practicing mainly hand line fishing.
Sportfishing was virtually unheard of until just a few years ago when a handful of pioneering fishing enthusiasts began to explore the game fishing potential. Two or three gameboats made the journey across the Andaman Sea from Phuket.
One such intrepid pioneer was John Pearce – a long time resident of Phuket and a highly successful gamefishing charter boat operator. Several years ago in his quest to locate bigger, better and more prolific gamefish, he made his first crossing to the magical Andamans. Needless to say, he was blown away by the outrageous quality of the fishing. He has made the same trip every year since, and yet, he freely admits that he has not even scratched the surface of the region’s full fishing potential.
The entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago consists of a staggering 572 islands – the vast majority of which are uninhabited. A few are inhabited by primitive tribes who still maintain their traditional lifestyle. It is forbidden to go ashore on these islands, as the Indian government wisely decided to allow these tribal villagers to exist as they have done for hundreds of years – undisturbed by curiosity-seeking, camera-wielding sightseers.
fishing. He has made the same trip every year since, and yet, he freely admits that he has not even scratched the surface of the region’s full fishing potential.