You think of Morocco as all Sahara and souks but, as John Bailey finds, the saltwater fly fishing is exhilarating in the extreme .....
I really wasn't sure what to expect at all. Information is so thin on the ground as to be non-existent. Truthfully, it was only at the last minute that I decided to throw in a Zane rod and reel, a few leaders and fly boxes just in case. I'm glad I did. South of Agadir, where the Atlantic meets the Sahara, there's some serious saltwater fly fishing to be had. Let me say from the outset that I only investigated perhaps six or seven miles of what is an endlessly long coastline, but what I saw was absolutely mouth-watering.
From what I learned, and from what the locals told me, you find the cliffs. Beneath them, there will be gnarled fingers of ancient rock running into the surf like naturally-created piers. It's here that the fish feed, close in, in luminous blue water. Often they are only feet out. There are times you can see them investigating the cracks and the crevices that festoon this rugged shoreline.
So what species are we talking about? Radoin, a guide who took me to inland lagoons to watch spoonbill and flamingo, was equally impressive on his fish knowledge. It seems that basically we were fishing for snapper, sea bream and bass. The bass, were mainly the spotted variety, but European sea bass are also around. The best fishing really begins from April onwards when bigger fish come inshore. Radoin told me that late February, early March, when I was there, would prove a bit too early for me to see any red-hot action . . .
Sarah and I truly adored what we experienced. Just to fish on a beach like this inspires. You'll be drenched in the spray, pummelled by waves, burned by the sun and it's all totally exhilarating. Most of the fish we caught were small, true and went back. We still needed the eight weight though to get a line out in seas as rough as these, but even fish of just a pound fought hard. One silver flash that looked and felt at least five pounds took the line and ten yards of backing before the fly came free in an enormous explosion of spray. I'm not exaggerating when I say this has to be up there amongst the great moments I've had with a fly rod in the salt.
The locals are really friendly and my schoolboy French was enough to pick up on the fact that they see few fly anglers hereabouts. Apparently there are some French anglers that come out year after year, (and a couple of Dutch) but it seems that Morocco is a well kept angling secret - so far.
Sarah's sea bream recipe follows this piece and I ought to introduce her - especially so as Fin and Fly will be highlighting several of her recipes in issues to come. Sarah is a cook who fishes, not a fisher who cooks. The appeal of the sport is that she can't get fresher fish than catching them herself. She's adamant that this makes a massive difference. In fact, the only people who know what a fabulous food fish is are fishermen themselves. It's hook and cook then if you really want to know what the best of fish taste like.
MOROCCO IN FACT
- Travel couldn't be easier. Although North Africa sounds exotic, it's really not far. A flight from Heathrow to Casablanca or Marrakesh is only around three hours. Connecting flights to Agadir last as little as forty minutes. The drive from Marrakesh through the Atlas Mountains to the coast is stunning.
We stayed at Ksar Massa and the trip was arranged for us by Rhia at Best of Morocco. (www.realmorocco.com Tel: 01249 467168) It's possible we might have been able to arrange things a little more cheaply ourselves but the organisation was absolutely spot on and worth the extra. - Gear. The Zane eight weight outfits we employed were just about right for this time of year. Long casting was not essential but it was important to get flies down at least four or five feet to fish feeding amongst the rocks. If Radoin is right, and bigger fish do come in later in the year, a nine or ten weight outfit might prove safer. As to flies, I just don't know. Most of the fish we had came to either bonefish patterns or pike flies. These are early days and Fin & Fly would love feedback.
- Safety. The Moroccan coastline here is a real surfers beach. The waves are huge and erratic, so do take care. Local fishermen say that accidents are rare but, then, these are the experts in their own backyard.
SEA BREAM DONE THE MOROCCAN WAY - Sarah Collin
Here in England, we'll grill, fry, bake, stew, roast and barbecue fish when perhaps the most succulent method of all is to use a tagine or similar to bring out the most subtle taste of what we catch.
Ingredients
One whole sea bream of around 1 lb / 500 gms. scaled and gutted. This will do two people at a push or a single guy with a healthy appetite.
4 tomatoes dropped in near-boiling water for a few seconds in order to split the skin, allowing you to slide out the flesh. The skins are discarded along with the seeds and the core of the tomato. All this is best done with your fingers.
1 medium red onion, finely sliced.
2 lemons
6 tablespoons of olive oil.
Sprigs of parsley
4 medium, firm potatoes.
Half a fennel bulb
2 bay leaves cracked in half.
2 cloves of garlic crushed into a paste with sea salt added. Best done in a pestle and mortar.
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 220 C / 425 F
Once the fish is scaled and gutted, season it inside and out with sea salt and black pepper.
Then stuff the fish with fresh parsley, 4 slices of lemon and half a fennel bulb, finely chopped.
Lightly salt the thinly sliced potatoes.
Place onions, potatoes, skinned and sliced tomatoes, crushed garlic and bay leaves into a large tagine ideally. Failing that an earthenware pot with a lid or a tin-foil covering will suffice.
Season the vegetables once more lightly with salt and pepper and toss together.
Add enough water to not quite cover the vegetables.
Place the tagine and vegetable in the oven for 1 hour. Add the fish after half an hour as this takes a shorter time to cook. And remember, too, that a bass cooks quicker than a bream. A bass should take no longer than twenty or twenty-five minutes.
At the end of the hour, if you're using a tagine, simply take this to the table, lift the lid and accept the applause. If not, remove the fish gently with a fish slice either side. Ladle the vegetables and some stock into a large, shallow bowl. Add a quarter of a lemon and lightly re-season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Lay the fish on its vegetable base and add roughly-torn parsley on the top.
Serve with lemon wedges and plenty of warm, crusty bread.
JB's Verdict. Brilliant. The flesh simply fell off the bones. Very succulent, Beautiful flavour, I can easily imagine that being swamped if you tried to fry it. The vegetables were a perfect accompaniment. Very simple but again, full of flavour without drowning the fish in any way. All went very nicely with a Pinot Grigio.
