We recently received fantastic feedback from a customer upon returning from a week on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. He even mentioned, “I have been on over 11 different international fishing trips and travelled to over 20 different countries, but this trip will forever go down as the best one!” so if you’d like to see how the week went down, keep reading.
Day 1:
We arrived at Walvis Bay international airport to be greeted by our guide and host Louis Fenaux, who was polite and friendly. The short 40 minute drive to the Fisherman’s Guesthouse was scenic with wildlife (Flamingos and Jackels) and desserts. After arriving at the accommodation we were greeted by Louis’s wife Anneke who was welcoming and kind. Anneke had a BBQ set up for us on the first night that was amazing and didn’t give us a reason to eat anywhere else other than the guesthouse. Louis also has a bar at the guesthouse with beer on tap and loads of other types of liquor.
Day 2:
Started with me and my dad waking up for breakfast at 08:00, which was a continental breakfast with bacon and eggs. The first days fishing was a bit of a species hunt, where we caught 5 different species (Spotted Gully shark, Barbell, Sand shark, Cob, Steenbras). This was amazing as it got us catching a few fish and gave us an idea for the week ahead. Lunch was also included and was a pack lunch including different native foods which are similar but slotley differ to the usual in the UK. The way Captain Louis read the water and could tell which fish would bite and feed in different coloured waves and tides was fascinating to witness.
Day 3:
Again day 3 started with a continental breakfast with bacon and eggs from Anneke and the team at the Guesthouse. The plan for today was to fish for Spottys (Spotted Gully sharks). Louis took me and my dad to a spot north of the guesthouse where we caught over 15 Spottys in 2 hours with multiple double and at some point triple takes. All the Spottys were around 10kg-15kg. After this we changed our efforts to the Bronze Whale sharks but we was unsuccessful due to the difficult water conditions we faced. However we did catch a very large Spotty of over 25kg which made up for the quietness in the action. Arriving back at the fisherman’s guesthouse we were greeted be Anneke who had cooked a fresh Cob we caught that same day, which is the first time we have eaten our own catch before. It was the best and most fresh fish we had ever eaten.
Day 4:
Start time for day 4 was again 08:00 with a continental breakfast made by Anneke. In the morning we fished for bait catching 4 good sized Cob up-to 3kg. We used this fresh bait to help catch our first Bronze Whale shark of the trip at over 50kg it was the hardest fighting fish we had ever witnessed or caught. Dinner for this evening was fresh lamb that Louis had brought and butchered int the guesthouse. The best lamb ribs we had ever tasted.
Day 5:
As usual the day started with a breakfast run by Anneke at 08:00. Day 5 was just one of those days. We caught 2 Cob early morning but other than that you couldn’t buy a bite. It wasn’t just us no one along the coast had reports of much fish coming out I don’t know if it was to do with the sea or the weather but it was what it was. Luckily Captain Louis knows a few secret spots where in the last 30 minutes he took us the ‘Bronzey Hole’ where we caught two big Spotty sharks both over 20kg in a short period of time to save the day. Back at the guesthouse we had the Cob caught from today fried with a bit of a risotto, cooked perfectly by Anneke.
Day 6:
Breakfast as usual started at 08:00 cooked and delivered by Anneke. In the morning we fished for bait catching nice Cob, Sand shark and I even managed to catch a bucket list fish a large Eagle Ray. Lunch like every fishing day was a local packed lunch Captain Louis would pick us up early morning. The afternoon on day 6 was a disaster. We lost 4 massive Bronze Whale sharks in 35 minutes it was heart breaking.
To make up for the bad luck whilst fishing Anneke had prepared the best dinner of the week, lamb legs from the lamb Louis butchered the day before. It was the best lamb we had ever eaten and the potatoes, vegetables and gravy sauce complimented it perfectly.
Day 7:
The last day and the goal was to catch a 200lb/90kg + Bronze whale shark. We started the morning catching bait which is easy with Louis who is a master of reading the water. Our first stop off for a Bronzey was a spot on the beach called ‘Popeye’ where our bad luck continued and we lost another fish heartbreaking. After this we moved to a location known as ‘Black Rock’ where we lost the 4 Bronzeys the day before. Instantly we hooked a fish that took line none stop even with a really tight clutch. Louis saw the fish jump and said it was massive but unfortunately after nearly spooling the reel and taking almost 1000m of line it came off. Ten minutes later we hooked another Bronze whale shark which we landed at 70kg changing our luck for the better. Last cast of the day the same rod and reel that caught all the Bronze whale sharks for the week ripped off again. This fish felt massive with help from our guide Louis we landed the fish in 1hr 30minutes and like a fairytale ending it was the fish we dreamt of, with it being over the magical 220lb/100kg barrier. This fish put the nail in the coffin and made our holiday to Namibia our best fishing trip to date!
Highlights:
The holiday ended with 7 different species spotted gulled sharks, Bronze whale sharks, Eagle rays, Sand sharks, Cob, Steenrass and Barbell. We caught 3 Bronze whale sharks from 50kg-100kg and lost 6. We lost count of Spotted gulled sharks but caught 3 over 20kg and 1 over 25kg. Another highlight was the large Eagle ray caught on day 6. We caught fish every day and enjoyed every minute of the holiday even when it got frustrating in the afternoon on day 6 Louis always found a way to cheer us up.
A big shoutout to Louis and Anneke Fenaux, who were the best hosts we have ever had the experience to meet and be alongside. Anneke was polite and caring, always asking about the fishing and if we needed anything throughout our stay. Louis is one of the best fisherman I have ever met and I would recommend him and the fisherman’s guesthouse in Namibia to every person interested in big shark fishing from the shore. He was confident throughout the week and helped us achieve all of our targets comfortably, it was as if he knew the trip would just fall into place.
Just make sure you are fighting fit as these Bronze whale sharks aren’t like Catfish from Spain or Sturgeon from Canada they are ridiculously hardcore!
CONTACT US
If you fancy doing battle with the hard-fighting Sharks of Namibia, then our camp is the perfect destination for you. If you’d also like any further information, you can contact our sea fishing specialist Paul Stevens on 01603 407596 or email at paul@sportquestholidays.com.
