Photos by Andrew Burr.
I don’t know why I was so surprised to hear Dubai has good fishing. For years I assumed the city to be a major dustbowl of wealth, high-rises, restrictions, and layovers—a pretty ignorant depiction coming from a girl who’d only ever experienced Dubai’s international airport (which is, admittedly, rather impressive).
I’d flown through Dubai several times on my way through to the Seychelles, but I’d never thought to break up the travel by exploring the local fishery. Looking at it now, it shouldn’t have been such a foreign concept. The map clearly shows Dubai, one of seven emirates that make up the country of United Arab Emirates (UAE), sitting on a perky piece of land situated on the Persian Gulf. Vibrant blue water meets yellow sand, reflecting the sheen of looming metallic architecture.
Word had it that South African Dubai resident, Nick Bowles of Ocean Active, was the man to speak to about fly-fishing opportunity in the area. Having previously met him at a trade show, I was impressed by his knowledge about Dubai’s culture and fish species. We confirmed a trip in April.
Pregnancy and exhaustion made the 5:00am start time tricky, but travel time from our hotel to the boat launch was only twenty minutes. Then the concern kicked in—what sort of big city had decent fishing minutes from its docks? And not just any docks… docks that were accessible via the mall?
Dubai has a tendency to add flair to everything it decides to commit to. Aerial views of the city showcase a most genius layout (I strongly advise Googling this) and their indoor activities are world-class. I was certain I’d be disappointed with their fishing. After all, it was somewhat out of their control.
As we motored through the landscaped marina, small queenfish busted bait around us. Nick asked me to hold off casting until we exited the marina. It was worth it. A short two minute boat ride put us on top of a large school of bait and an even larger school of queenies. It didn’t matter what we threw at them… they were biting.
Fortunately for everyone, the Dubai fishing days are short. Around 11:00am the heat takes its toll on even the most serious of anglers. It let Nick and I take an hour to take a deep dive into the fishery. You can find my episode with Nick here.
