The largest fishing grounds for shrimp in West Africa – along with tuna, snapper, mackeral, lobster and crab mean that Sierra Leone fishing can make a considerable contribution to the economy. Most of the fishing done is artisanal. For the fishing enthusiast, Sierra Leone offers a good playground – a place with world records. Recreational fishing is mostly done during the weekends and a good place to start would be the Aqua Sports Club or one of the beaches if you want to go out with local fishermen.

Aqua Sports Club is members only club, but if you speak with boat owners they should be able to get you in as a guest. The club frowns on members using the boats for commercial purposes so you may need to be picked up from another point.

Another alternative, is to go out fishing with local fishermen and this can be arranged from most beaches. This is not the safest option but nevertheless will give you a sense of how the local fishermen do it. You can also arrange to do this at Banana Island where you may also be able to do a spot of snorkelling.

The Bonthe Holiday Village offers great opportunities for big game fishing. Bonthe is a remote, attractive, old town on a large island off southern Sierra Leone. In colonial times it used to be a major trading centre for piassava and other agricultural products. Besides fishing and excellent opportunities for bird watching, this is a town with a lot of character.

From the Bonthe Hoilday Village there is easy access to the estuaries of the Sherbro and Kittam rivers, home of 12 currently listed IGFA world record catches of tarpon.The Tarpon season there is from January to May. Record fish have been caught with live bait in the estuary, but there is also the possibility of fly fishing in the tarpon breeding grounds. Other fishing (trolling for barracuda, grouper, jack, etc) is available all the year round.