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Position of Island - San Sebastian 15 Km's South of the Archipelago (Bazaruto, Benguerra and Margarugue Islands). In an estuary which is 17 Km's long and the breeding grounds of numerous fishes, prawns and birds.
Special Features - World renown fishing, especially game (sailfish, marlin, broadbill, king mackerel, kingfish, barracuda and shark). Fly fishing for most species of kingfish, queenfish, bonefish, barracuda and many other species. Surf fishing for barracuda, kingfish, pompana, blacktip sharks and many species of rays and guitarfish. The area produced the all-African marlin record of 1300lbs.
The bird life is incredible and a study of all species is soon to be undertaken. Large amounts of greater flamingos are present around the island and in the estuary. The Vilanculos National Game Park of 30,000 Hectare has been established and the reintroduction of all original game species will soon take place.
Transport to Vilanculos and the Island - Regular flights are now available from Johannesburg, Durban and Nelspruit.
Travel by land is safe and the roads are in the process of being restored and repaired. Vilanculos can be reached by car.
Transfers from the mainland to the island are by boat and are charged for.
LINENE ISLAND LODGE TRIP INFORMATION
Linene Island Lodge is situated on a small island in a tidal lagoon on the East side of San Sebastian peninsula. This is just South of the town of Vilanculos in Mozambique. The lodge is reachable by boat only. Transfers are done with the lodge boats between Vilanculos and the lodge whenever required. At times transfers can be delayed because of tidal movements and inclement weather, as it may not be possible to access the channels at low tides. If a flight arrives in Vilanculos over a low spring tide guests may have to relax for a couple of hours and enjoy a drink at Smugglers Bar while waiting for the water to come in. In extreme cases it may even be necessary to overnight in Vilanculos and leave for Linene the following morning. This does not happen often, but if it does the accommodation in Vilanculos is paid for by Linene. Accommodation is in five wooden chalets, four sleeping 3 people each and one is a 4 bed chalet.
The entire lodge is built on stilts in order to make the most of the view over the lagoon and to capture the cooling sea breeze. Raised wooden boardwalks connect all buildings. The main lodge area consists of a large open plan dining and bar area, which also has a television set, which receives a DSTV signal. The television is a bonus for those who like to keep up to date with sport news etc. This area has a beautiful view over the lagoon towards the beach.
Management Staff at the lodge are South Africans, the rest of the staff are local Mozambicans. The locals are very friendly and helpful, but are still learning to speak English. Please remember that these are people who have grown up in the bush without electrical appliances and modern technology. Should you have questions of a technical nature or a request, rather direct them at management.
The lodge does fall within the malaria belt, and necessary precautions should be taken. We recommend guests to consult their doctors about malaria before travelling to Mozambique. The risk of contracting malaria at Linene is reasonably low as there are no local villages in the area, but it is still worth taking precautions. Mosquito nets are supplied in all the rooms.
The lodge accepts SA Rands, so there is no need to change money for a visit to Linene. There are no credit card facilities, payments for boat trips, fuel and the bar accounts will need to be settled with cash.
"Payment for transfers" from the main land to the island is paid for in advance with the accommodation. Boats and fuel for fishing and other trips can be booked and paid for in advance with the accommodation. Clients will not be charged for boat hire should they wish to visit the "spit", main beach or short trips in the estuary - a fuel charge of R11.00 per litre will be levied. The fuel charge is subject to change without prior notice. Please check with lodge management for the tariffs of various trips.
South African passports holders do not require visas, other passport holders may obtain the visa on arrival for a nominal fee.
Activities available at Linene
Fishing:
This area is famous for its excellent fishing. The chef at the lodge will happily prepare your catch for you to enjoy, but please remember that the lodge falls within a conservation area and a catch and release policy is enforced for most species. No fish may be frozen and taken out of the area. Linene offers excellent surf fishing, estuary fishing with light tackle and offshore fishing on the nearby reefs. Linene is a highly sought after fly fishing destination. Boat charges are levied for deep sea fishing . Deep sea tackle is provided. Please bring your own plugs, spoons, rapala's, line and hooks. We charge for all fuel used. Earl Strydom our lodge manager knows the area very well and has years of experience. He will gladly assist you to plan your excursion. Limited tackle is available for fishing for those who have not got their own. Surf sinkers can be purchased. There are some very productive offshore reefs in the area and anything from sailfish and wahoo to kingfish, tuna and barracuda can be expected when fishing from the boat. Offshore fishing excursions can be arranged with lodge management. Preferably let management know the day before if you plan on fishing from one of the ski boats offshore so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
Surf fishing;
Beaches in this area offer some of the finest surf fishing in Mozambique. Giant Kingfish of up to fifty kilo's can be caught from the beach as well as king mackerel, queenfish, stumpnose, bonefish, springer, pompano, sharks and rays. The spit is excellent for big game fish, especially on the first couple of hours of the pushing tide. Gamefish prefer to move into the clear water of the shallows over the low light times, so fishing at dawn and dusk is normally most productive. Live bait, dead bait, spoons, surface plugs and flies are all successful in the area. Night fishing in one of the deeper channels off the beach is normally very exciting, with lots of action over the pushing tide times. It is a good idea to explore the beach during the day in order to identify and mark deep-water spots for night fishing as well as for fishing over the low tide periods during the daylight hours. There is constant movement of sand and sandbanks in the area and deep water channels change almost daily, depending on wind and tides. Tides are generally about forty-five minutes earlier than the times on Durban tide tables. Natural baits are freely available in the area. The beach abounds with ghost crab and sea lice, both of which are eagerly eaten by most fish in the surf. Live bait can be caught in the lagoon in the form of shrimp scads (carapou) and estuarine round herring (sardinias). These are both easily caught with a nett, or by using a yozuri jig from the boat in the reef area of the lagoon. Both these baitfish species make excellent live or dead baits for the big predatory fish in the area.
The Estuary:
The lagoon offers fine light tackle lure fishing, either from the side or from a drifting boat around the reef area. On a pushing tide the reef in the lagoon attracts large shoals of baitfish which are in turn hunted by big king mackerel which enter the lagoon on the push in search of these shoals. It is often very productive to catch live bait and put one out from the boat while catching more bait. Lures trolled in the lagoon, especially the deeper channels towards the mouth area can also produce good gamefish on the pushing tide. Species such as snapper, sand gurnard, rock cod, sea pike and kingfish can be caught on small lures over the reef as well as from the side of the lagoon when fished into the deeper channels.
The Reefs:
The lighthouse reef is a good low tide fishing spot. Plugs and spoons can be thrown off the reef itself at low tide, as well as over patches of reef to the South. This area is home to many big king fish, which will test your skills and tackle to their utmost. The deep channel directly in front of the reef is also a great spot for light tackle lure fishing or fly-fishing. This channel is roamed by various species of kingfish, spotted pompano, queenfish, bonefish, threadfin and a couple of snapper species. Access to the lighthouse involves being dropped off by boat up the lagoon at Pescada's dive camp and walking 7km down the beach. This walk is not for the faint hearted! Plan this as a day trip and arrange a packed lunch the night before with lodge management.
Various other reefs, also for fly fishing can be found, in close proximity of the Island.
Swimming:
Swimming in the lagoon in front of the lodge is safe and pleasant. Swimming at the main beach is fine at low tide, but can be dangerous at high tide, when currents are strong and the surf is rough.
Walking:
It takes about three hours to circumnavigate Linene Island itself and many guests enjoy the relaxing walk. The main beach is excellent for walking, you can walk for hours in your own private paradise without seeing another soul. (A fuel charge is levied for transport to the main beach) For those who like to keep fit, a long jog on the hard sand on the beach over the low tide period is highly recommended.
Bird Watching:
The coastal scrub and dune forests in the area are home to a number of interesting forest birds such as purple banded sunbird, green coucal and grey waxbills. The lagoon has flocks of resident flamingos as well as migrant waders. The beach has waders and a variety of terns and gulls. After a big storm out at sea unusual sea birds are often blown in and one can see rare sightings of birds such as sooty tern, greater frigate bird and yellow nosed albatross. Mangrove kingfishers are fairly common in the mangroves in the lagoon. Crab plovers often flock on the beaches at Linene.
Marine Life:
Dolphins frequent the deep water channels near the lodge. Hump back whales, whale sharks and leather back turtles can be seen from time to time.
Relax:
Linene Island is unspoilt for those who seek a haven of peace, tranquillity and solitude. Lazily catch up on some reading. Listen to the waves, watch the sunset and the full moon rising over the peaceful Estuary. Have a picnic and end your day with sundowners, before a sumptuous dinner and a relaxing sleep.
Stywe Lyne Tight Lines July 2003
I would like to share some information with other keen salt-water lure anglers on an excellent spinning destination on the Mozambican coast. Linene Island Lodge is situated on a small island in a lagoon on the Southern side of the San Sebastian peninsula, across the bay from Vilanculos. Linene Lodge was built specifically to cater for fishermen and is located in one of the best areas in Mozambique for shore based angling. Sand Sebastian has long been known to be a first class area to target big kingfish and an assortment of other gamefish from the beach. A video made there some years ago, entitled 'In search of the Giant Trevally' resulted in the area becoming a Mecca for those wanting to do battle with big kingfish. Linene is sited conveniently to offer anglers the opportunity to fish the best of the whole San Sebastian area. This being the Sand Spit at the mouth of the lagoon. The lagoon is tidal and there is movement of massive shoals of baitfish into and out of the mouth as the tides change. Mostly these are
shoals of estuarine round herring and scads, both of which are first choice on the menu for Mozambique's gamefish.
The predators patrol the deep channels around the lagoon mouth on the changing tides, making dashes into tightly packed shoals of baitfish which are being swept around by the powerful currents. It is amazingly exciting to stand on the spit as the sun rises over the sea and watch as baitfish come spraying out of the water in a silver shower, as the water foams and churns behind them from smashes by ferocious predators. These chases happen all over the show, from out in the channel, to right up against the beach, with baitfish frequently stranding themselves on the sand in a desperate effort to get away.
There are a couple of reasons why this area is associated with giant kingfish in particular. Firstly there are many of these huge predators in the area. They patrol the channels along the beach and even enter the lagoon in their search for prey. Giant kingish are one of the most difficult fish to land from the side due to their habit of rushing to the nearest patch of reef as soon as they are hooked and cuttin gthe line on a piece of sharp coral or rock. Linene is one of the few places that there is no reef where big kingish regularly come close inshore. This results in an extremely good hookup to landing ratio of giant kingfish, making it possible to catch these big fish on lighter tackle than they could normally be landed on.
Kingfish are not the only predators that can be caught at the lagoon mouth and off the beaches at Linene. Other gamefish species such as king mackerel, queenfish, springer and sea pike are regularly taken on spoon off the beach.
Light tackle and fly-fishing for some of the smaller gamefish is also exciting. There seems to always be shoals of wolf herring, garfish and needle-scaled queenfish around the spit. Many smaller species of kingfish such as greenspot kingfish, bluefin kingfish, yellow spotted kingfish, big eye kingfish etc. are caught regularly around the lagoon mouth area and provide excellent sport on light tackle.
The shorebreak along the beach is full of sea lice and spotted pompano can be caught there fishing small leadhead jigs and flies. I have also caught a snub nosed pompano on fly at the lagoon mouth.
the lagoon itself is fun to fish with light tackle. The deeper channels regularly provide king mackerel, kingfish, queenfish and sea pike. While the shallower banks and reef patches are good for sand gurnard, river snapper, malabar rock cod and a variety of other juvenile game fish. The channels in the lagoon can be trolled from a boat or one can spin with plugs spoons and figs from a boat on the drift.
Linene has a couple of boats to offer offshore fishing to those who are keen to try something different. The continental shelf is very close in off Linene, with the water dropping away only one kilometre offshore. This area is very productive for sailfish and there are some very good wahoo and yellowfin tuna in the area. There is extensive reef that can also be fished from a boat. These reefs are great from plugging, jigging and fly fishing and one can encounter most kingfish species over them, incluiding hard fighting bludger kingfish, as well as plenty of king mackerel, kawa kawa, job fish, cobia and queen makerel.
Because there is no reef off the beach at Linene it is also a good spot to try some night spinning, a dimension of the sport that has still not been well explored in Mozambique. Judging by the number of good gamefish caught off these beaches at night by bait fishermen, I am sure that night spinning should be very productive. I have had some success fishing the lagoon mouth area at night wiht light tackle, having caught a number of big eye kinfish this way.
The lodge itself can sleep twelve guests, so the beach is never crowded, which is a big plus. The lodge has thatched wooden chalets, which are joined to the main bar/dining area by a system of boardwalks. Rooms have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water. The beds each have individual mosquito nets. The lodge has a bar with an endless supply of beer and soft drinks but they have no problem with guests bringing their own drinks. The lodge has a magnificent view over the lagoon and the beach, being situated on a pretty little island in the lagoon itself. Food at the lodge is filling, tasty and more like simple home cooking than fancy hotel food, just what the hungry fisherman needs at the end of a long day!
- by Craig Thomassen
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Linene, what an amazing place. Our first day of fishing was awesome, but according to the guide it wasn't good at all. To us that was the most amazing saltwater fishing we ever experienced. We really worked hard these past few days to catch fish. The weather was not really good, the wind was blowing each day, but at least it was hot. We caught some fish on fly in the deep sea, and on bait and while trolling. Yesterday while traveling on boat to Vilanculos from Linene, it was low tide and the scenery was just so beautiful. We definitely want to try and go to Linene again.
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Linene is strictly a catch and release marine sanctuary area and failure to comply will result in an early departure from the Island.
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