Djibouti Autumn Fishing Report: Non-Stop Action in the Currents

The first day started slowly; the forecast rain wasn’t exactly encouraging, but it also gave our clients time to warm up for what was about to come.

Then came day two, and everything changed.

We arrived at one of Djibouti’s top fishing spots, where powerful currents were ripping through the area. These were exactly the conditions we had been hoping for. The first cast went out, and almost immediately, the GTs started attacking. Strikes came one after another, some fish were landed, others found their way to freedom, but there was no shortage of action. The place was alive.

For the next three days, we kept returning to the shoreline, making the most of those strong currents. GTs were smashing lures with the kind of aggression that makes every cast worth it. King mackerel occasionally joined the party, adding another dimension to the action. One particularly massive mackerel made it all the way to the shoreline before escaping at the very last moment. Painful, but that's fishing.

We also spent time casting while drifting through the currents, and that’s when things got really interesting. Three massive sailfish took our lures and launched themselves into spectacular jumps, fighting against the backdrop of big waves. Watching those fish explode out of the water was an incredible sight. Unfortunately, none of them made it to the boat, and we came away without photos, but some moments are hard to forget even without a camera.

As the days passed, the currents gradually lost some of their power, and it was time to change tactics. We turned our attention to jigging, working the limited daily windows when conditions allowed us to get down to the fish. It was well worth the effort. Heavy soft plastics worked close to the bottom produced some excellent results, with squid and octopus imitations proving particularly effective.

By the final two days, the GTs had become noticeably more cautious. The big poppers that had triggered so many explosive attacks earlier in the week were no longer getting the same response. Time to switch things up. Smaller sinking stickbaits and light jigging brought the action back, producing another five solid GT strikes, along with a few big king mackerel.

After a week of changing conditions, powerful currents, explosive strikes, lost fish, and a few spectacular sailfish encounters, our first trip was done.

Not every cast ended with a fish, and not every fight went our way. But that's what makes fishing in Djibouti so exciting. You read the currents, adapt to the conditions, keep casting, and never really know what might hit next.

Text and photos by Lazar Jeremic