DESTINATIONS

	LINENE ISLAND RESORT
	General Info
	Linene Island Resort is well known as one of the finest shore fishing destinations in Mozambique. Big fish are regularly caught from the beaches in the area. It is a small and simple resort that caters specifically for fishermen.
	Fishing
	This area is famous for its excellent fishing. The chef at the resort will happily prepare your catch for you to enjoy, but please remember that the resort falls within a conservation area and catch and release of excess fish (and all large specimens!) is encouraged. No fish may be frozen and taken out of the area. Linene offers both offshore fishing with its boats and surf fishing from the beach. Use of the resort’s boats and skippers for deep sea fishing is charged for at R2 000.00 per day using the big boat Linene 1(5 x or more anglers), & R1 000.00 per day using the smaller boats Linene 11 & Linene 111 (max 4 x anglers), excluding fuel charged at R14.00 per liter. Fuel is charged separately according to consumption and is subject to change without prior notice. ALL fuel used is charged to the clients, this includes the trips to the “sandspit” and fishing in the estuary. The resort does have some tackle available for offshore fishing for those who have not got their own. 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 resort management. It would be advised to let management know the night before if you plan on fishing from one of the ski boats offshore, so that the necessary arrangements can be made. Beach fishing: Beaches in this area offer some of the finest surf fishing in Mozambique. Big 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. The resort has tide tables available from the Vilanculos port captain. 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 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. Fresh squid, garfish and half-beaks can also be obtained from the local netters in the lagoon. The Lagoon: 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 Lighthouse Reef: The lighthouse reef is situated some 7-8 km’s south east from the resort on the seaward side of the Cabo San Sebastiao sandspit. It is a particularly 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 kingfish 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.
	Accomodation
	Accommodation at Linene Island Resort now boasts four three bed and two four bed wooden chalets. The entire resort is built on stilts in order to make the most of the view over the lagoon and to capture the cooling sea breeze. All buildings are connected by raised wooden boardwalks, which keep sand and crawling micro fauna out of the living areas. The main resort 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.
	Location
	Linene Island Resort 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 resort is accessible by boat only, while transfers are done with the resort boats between Vilanculos and the resort when required. At times transfers can be delayed because of tidal movements 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.
	Season
	Linene fishes well year round.
	How to get there
	Fly from Johannesburg to Vilanculos daily with TTA/Pelican Air who now also fly from Nelspruit twice weekly. Also LAM flights between OR Tambo and Vilanculos four times weekly. Then, boat transfer from Vilanculos to the resort.
	Other activities
	Swimming: Swimming in the lagoon in front of the resort 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. Snorkeling: There is a small reef in the lagoon a couple of hundred metres in front of the resort. This reef is full of fish and is a wonderful area to snorkel. At low tide the water at the reef may be discoloured as the water from higher up the lagoon moves over it, but once there is some tidal push the water quickly clears. One can get a ride out to the lagoon reef with a boat and snorkel safely with the boat drifting at anchor nearby. Guests must bring their own snorkeling equipment as the resort does not supply snorkeling gear. There is a reef about ten kilometers down the beach from the lagoon mouth in front of the old San Sebastian lighthouse. This reef protects a sheltered bay which is fantastic for swimming and snorkeling during low tide. There are caves and overhangs on the inside of the reef which are packed with colourful tropical reef fish. Management at the resort will organize excursions to the reef on request. Walking: It takes about two hours to circumnavigate Linene island itself and many more energetic guests enjoy the walk. The main beach is excellent for walking you can walk for hours in your own private paradise without seeing another soul. For those who like to keep fit, a long jog on the hard sand of the beach over the low tide period is highly recommended. Birdwatching: 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, including regular sightings of crab plovers 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. Shell Collecting: If one walks along the high water mark on the beach interesting shells can be picked up. Pansy island however is literally covered in beautiful shells of the area and is well worth a trip for shell collecting. Pansy shells are common in the area and can be picked up in their hundreds. These shells belong to a creature of the sea urchin family which lives under the sand on the shallow sand banks. Pansy shells are very fragile and should be handled gently to keep them from breaking. Trips out to Pansy island can be arranged with resort management.
	Length of stay
	There is no minimum or maximum length of stay, but most people tend to book for at least a week. Special rates apply when booking seven nights -enquire with our travel consultants who will gladly assist with a detailed quote.
	Capacity
	The resort accommodates twenty four clients.
	Docs required
	No Visas required by South African passport holders to enter Mozambique. Internationals obtain visas easily on arrival at US$25.00
	Rates
	An all inclusive week package rate is approximately R11, 220.00 pp sharing and varies depending on the amount of people in the group. Their nightly rate is R1200.00 pppn when booking 7 x nights. Please note that the boat transfer costs start at R2700 – this is all dependent on the size of the group. Flights start at R2400.00 – R4800.00 pp return, and airport departure taxes are currently R890.00 - R1500. Please contact us for your detailed package cost.
	Included
	Flights, accommodation, meals and fishing from the beach.
	Excluded
	Travel Insurance, Transfers, Offshore fishing, all fuel used (+- R14.00 per litre) drinks, Mozambique arrivals tax (US3) and gratuities. No Visas required by South African passport holders to enter Mozambique. Internationals obtain visas easily on arrival at US$9.00.
	Special Notes
	Mozambique is a malaria area, please consult your Doctor or Travel Clinic. Linene does not have credit card facilities and extras are payable in cash.