All Hemingways deep water fishing craft are twin engine and in touch with each other and the shore base by radio link. Each boat carries lifesaving and fire fighting equipment on board and bigger craft are equipped with a head.

We have three categories of boats:

1. Over 33 foot diesel powered sport fishing boats designed to take up to a maximum of four passengers (though this is by no means a proviso, they are regularly chartered by individual clients). These boats usually run with a crew of three, (the skipper who drives from the flying bridge and is in control of the operation and two-deck crew who run the fishing from the cockpit). Definitely the most comfortable way to fish with plenty of room to sit or lie down and relax while waiting for action.
2. 20 to 25 foot twin outboard powered craft for up to two passengers run with a crew of two. Being smaller boats, you are right where it's all happening - a lot of fun for those who want to get involved in everything!
3. Small craft for up to four passengers fishing inshore / bird watching or just exploring the beautiful and unspoiled Mida Creek.

Crews
All our crews are well versed at taking out total newcomers to the sport and will enjoy showing you how it all works. Please let the skipper know what you are interested in catching or fishing for. Not everyone is enamoured with the prospect of slugging it out with something huge but just might like to have a family day out fishing for smaller stuff.

It is also important that you let the crew know how much fishing experience you have and how much you want to be involved in the initial baiting/striking of fish. This is a skill that has to be learnt and it might be wise to watch the crew perform a couple of times before you have a bash yourself (if you have never done it before). No one on board will mind at all what you decide as long as it is clear. Everything happens so fast there is no time for casual conversation when big fish are crashing around in the baits!

The crew will happily prepare and put on ice any fish you have caught and would like to eat back at the Hotel after fishing. Tipping of the crew (if you have had a good catch or received good service) is accepted with thanks but is by no means compulsory.

Fishing Areas
The Banks’ consist of a shallow area of water just north of the hotel, which protrudes well out to sea and contains many thousands of small fish sheltering in the relative security of shallow water. The bigger fish swim down the outside drop-off of this expanse and with the aid of depth sounders, we troll along this edge hoping to meet up. Should the day not be very productive in the big fish stakes, catching these smaller fish can be great fun, especially with children on board.

The Rips When the Billfish are running the boats generally travel out to the ‘Rips’, an area of water 16 to 22 miles off the coast. The ‘Rips’ are caused by undersea shelving and tidal movement that force up currents and turbulence and definitely produces better results when the Billfish are passing through.

North Kenya Banks: Off shore banks over fifty miles N.E. of Watamu this exciting new area has Tuna, Marlin and Broadbill at night.

Day trips start very early, and overnight trips drifting for Broadbill are two days and a night trip. You can return with three species of Marlin, Broadbill and a Shark, as well as a boatload of tuna. Such trips must be arranged in advance and booked specially.

Full fishing days begin at 0630 hours, with boats returning between 4.00 & 4.30.pm. Full English breakfast is available in the dining room from 0530 hours and anglers gather on the terrace overlooking the beach after breakfast ready to take the short dinghy ride to the boat.

Tackle
For those interested in the technical side, all rods are roller guided throughout with AFTCO or similar quality butts. All reels are lever drag, most being SHIMANO along with some PENN INTERNATIONALS.

We carry a full range of lures from MURRY BROS.; C&H, STRIKER, and other top brands but fish a lot with natural bait for all species. Anglers are more than welcome to bring their own gear, especially light tackle, as it is great to catch fish on your own equipment.

All our Game fishing boats are fitted with revolving fighting chairs with footrests and all necessary harnesses, flying gaffs, tail ropes etc. are on board.

This section is really not for the novices - catch a few on conventional tackle and techniques first before you start intentionally making things a bit harder!!

Watamu is well-endowed with fish amenable to fly and light-line techniques, with large numbers of suitable species found at 'the banks', just 3 miles up the coast from the hotel. Bonito, yellowfin, trevally, dorado and skipjack should keep you handsomely occupied on most days.

For the more adventurous, try your hand at sailfish.

For those not familiar with billfish on fly, an un-hooked strip of bonito belly (or similar) is trolled at normal trolling speeds. Once a sail is raised, it is teased up towards the boat, and the strip is continually pulled from the fish, winding it up into frenzy. At his point, sailfish 'light up' - the pectoral fins become an irridescent electric blue, and the dorsal fin takes on a brilliant purple hue, the fish weaving from side to side slashing at the bait. It really is a most beautiful and adrenalin-inducing sight!

If your nerves are still intact, now is the time to kick the boat out of gear, cast your fly, and retrieve. Make sure you are wearing brown breeches. Your first fly-caught sail will be a memory never forgotten

The real masochists can take things one thing further and do the same with marlin or broadbills. This feat takes perseverance, and perhaps many days or weeks afloat before such a prize can be taken.

Hemingways skippers can help you towards this, the ultimate fly-fishing prize. Indeed, it was at Hemingways that the first broadbill caught on fly was captured by Kenyan Jeremy Block.

In response to this angling feat, Fly-fishing supremo Billy Pate visited Kenya taking broadbill of on 12lb test - a record that is likely to last for many a decade.

Africa’s first fly-caught blue marlin was also taken at Hemingways by regular visitor Duncan MacKenzie.

For another way to get the heart a fluttering, try fly-fishing for yellowfin tuna. Renowned as one of the hardest fighters on conventional gear, they will give even greater sport on the fly. There are two main techniques for contacting these battlers. The first involves sneaking the boat into the middle of a feeding frenzy, and then casting into the mayhem, just as if chucking at fry-feeding trout. The difference is that just one of these battlers would eat the whole of your successful trout basket for breakfast.

Even more fun is to tease tuna from a shoal by stripping surface poppers back to the boat at high speed. Once near the boat, it's a chuck and chance game with a fly - just make sure there are no loops of line under your feet.

Light-line fishing
Whilst perhaps not quite so technically demanding as fly fishing, you can more than challenge yourself with a spinning rod and 6 or 8 kg line. Superbraid is preferred, (Berkley Fireline or Spiderwire) giving added resistance to abrasion. Hook a tuna in a shoal and it may well take your line across the backs of its mates. At high tension, any rub on mono means a fish lost. Be warned. You will need a minimum of 200m, 300 will give added security when your light-line bonito is gobbled by a 25 kg Wahoo.

Fixed spool reels are fine provided you use at least two quality ball-bearing swivels, but the drag must have zero inertia. Jigs, pirks, and slim bar spoons all work, though for maximum adrenalin, try casting a medium sized popper. A short 30 lb piano wire trace is recommended, along with as long a nylon trace as you can cast with. The tail of a 40 lb kingfish that scoffs your catch will be nearly 5 feet from the hook and will sever 6kg mono like cotton as it turns to run.

For a fun day, combine a bird-watching/picnic trip with fishing in Mida creek. Small craft for up to four passengers are available.

A variety of fish species can be caught in Mida: e.g. Trevally, Grouper, Mangrove Snapper, Barracuda, Queen fish, Garfish, Rays, and Bone Fish. World records have also been caught here.