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On Tarpon, Cubera, Cobia and many others in front of the coast of West Africa
A real pearl off the coast of West Africa – and an absolute dream area for sport anglers! The variety of fish species and possible fishing techniques are hard to beat. Popping, jigging (slow pitch + deep sea speed jigging), live/dead bait, from the boat or from shore – just about anything is possible here. The Bijagos archipelago off the coast of Guinea Bissau consists of 88 more or less inhabited islands, of which Acunda is located in the very west, i.e. in the outer part of the archipelago. The fishing grounds here are located both between the islands in the strongly flowing straits and on the outside of the archipelago and of course offshore, where there are some excellent jigging spots. Acunda a small private island where only few employees live besides the owners and guests. You can easily walk around the island in less than 30 minutes.
Fishing Tour in GUINEA BISSAU
Fishing trips in GUINEA BISSAU: numerous reefs, shipwrecks and sandbanks offer a very varied underwater structure and provide a home for very many Atlantic fish species. As already mentioned, there are almost unlimited possibilities here, which we would like to go into a little more detail below.
The “normal” fishing describes popping, jigging (slow pitch) and live bait fishing within the archipelago and at some offshore spots. Mainly fishing is done in water depths of 5-30 meters for many different species of fish: Cubera Snapper, Yellowfin Trevally, Red Snapper,Long Fin Trevally, Capitaine Fish, African Pompano, Caravela Croaker, Barracuda, Palometa, Permit, Bonefish and many more. You will usually always have a lot of action here and all of the fish mentioned are extremely combative. On light to medium spinning gear you can experience here thrilling drills
Cobia (officer fish) fishing takes place on a few specific reefs and wrecks where the fish predominate. Without question, Acunda is one of the best cobia fishing grounds in the world with an enormous population. It is not uncommon for a hooked fish to be followed by 2-3 more cobias to the surface. Fish between 15-25 kg are the average, but Cobias beyond the 50 kg mark have also been landed. Best baits are certainly live baits, but cobias are also regularly caught on poppers or stickbaits.
The tarpon is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular fish in the archipelago. Several world records have already been set here with monster tarpon weighing up to 130 kg. The best spots are off the coast of Caravela Island, a good hour’s boat ride from Acunda. Fishing is mainly based on anchored boats with balloon mounts and live baits – but the tarpon also like to take slow-moving artificial lures from time to time, although they are less likely to get caught. If you want to focus on tarpon fishing, you should plan for the days before the full moon.
Offshore jigging
Depending on the weather conditions, you can jig to 80-100 metres in some places far offshore (about 70-90 km from Acunda). Of course, you can also fish here with live baits. The lodge’s larger boats are usually used for this (see “Boats”). The target fish are mainly amberjacks, almaco jacks, various types of grouper and snapper, pargo, dentex – sometimes an eagle fish is also hooked.
Sharks
There are huge sharks in the archipelago – mainly tiger and bull sharks, which are mainly active in the “channels” with strong currents (for example between the islands of Orango and Uno). Catch + release is a must here – and very heavy tackle is called for (minimum 50-80 lbs).
Season: Fishing is from the end of October (when the rainy season ends) to mid-May. The overall fishing season is very good, with small variations for certain fish species – however, all species can be caught throughout the season.
By the way: remarkable catches have also been made from shore on Acunda. Trevallies are the main species caught on the outer side and a large guitar ray has also been landed on the inner side.
Fishing holiday GUINEA BISSAU
To get to Guinea Bissau for fishing holidays, you have to manage to get to the island.
How to get there:
Either with TAP Portugal (stopover/overnight in Lisbon) or with Brussel Airlines via Brussels/Dakar and on with Air Senegal to Bissau. From here it is a 39-minute drive and then another 2 hours by boat to Acunda, at the western end of the archipelago. The journey seems quite easy, especially because of the overnight stay in between.
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Boats
All boats are run by professional skippers who are not only masters of their profession, but also passionate fishermen who know the area inside out.
Currently there are 4 x 25 foot centre console boats designed specifically for use in these waters (the lodge owner is a boat builder himself). Very stable in the water, especially for spin fishing, with high sides and at the same time designed for safe navigation through the shallow water passages with the numerous sandbanks. The boats are powered by 150 hp (one boat with 100 hp) Yamaha outboards, have VHF radio and the latest navigation technology on board. And – what is of course important: a live well tank for the bait fish. The boats are ideal for 2-3 anglers – but can also be occupied by 4 anglers.
In addition, a 30-foot Powercat “El Nino” with 2 x 150 hp a full nautical equipment (see above) and Live Well Tank . This boat is recommended for 4 anglers at a time making it very suitable for day trips to jigging spots far offshore.
…and then another 40-foot catamaran, which is mainly used for 2-day trips to the offshore jigging spots. There is enough space for 6 anglers to fish and also for an overnight stay on board. These tours can also be planned flexibly locally – depending on the weather conditions.
Acunda Lodge
There are totally 6 nicely furnished bungalows with 2 single beds each – all with sea view. The lodge has a kitchen, bar, several lounge areas, 2 large dining areas (one with sea view and one sheltered from the wind behind the bar).
Guinea-Bissau – Tour to Acunda Lodge 2026
Dear Sport Anglers,
We are, of course, able to offer this fantastic destination for tours tailored entirely to your individual needs. So if you’re planning such a tour with a group of 2, 3, or more people, we’d be happy to provide you with a quote for your desired dates.
The following tour is designed for both individual travelers and established “teams” interested in a guided tour.
