Ukulhas (Alif Alif Atoll) - Big Game Fishing

Big Game Fishing

This is an amazing experience to catch a big fish. For the big game fishing, the Dhoni (traditional fishing vessel with mechanized engine) leaves to the bait fish ground early in the morning for the collection of live baits such as small scads, silver side, mackerels and sardine etc. After the search of bait fishes they gear on their journey towards the shoal ground, the place supposed to be some 40 or 50 miles away from their local island. Those catches are kept in the hull of the vessel and sea waters are pumped in and out of the hull for the circulation. When they expose to the open sea they will search yellow fin tuna schools and speed up the vessel. When those tunas are sighted, the speed is reduced and crews begin to throw handful of bait fishes (the baits are thrown to let fishes coming to the surface), along with that crews start to place their hooked line into the shoal and starts to catch the tunas. As soon the tuna is caught fishermen start to pull the line to make it close to the vessel, which is hooked and hauled to place on to the deck of the dhoani and unhooked the line for a second round. Fishermen try to catch the fishes until the shoal stops or move another area.