ARABIAN FLY SPORT FISHING

We get the low down from Clare King on business, life and what has been happening in one of the worlds premier fly fishing destinations, Oman!

Words & photos by Clare & Brandon King

Who is AFSF?

Arabian Fly Sport Fishing is a fly fishing company based in Salalah, Oman (Middle east). Owned and operated by myself (Clare Carter/King) and my husband Brandon King. We offer professionally guided tailor-made trips to our fly and spinning clients.

What made you decide to start up a fly fishing operation in Oman?

We were looking for a destination that was easily accessible to our clients, with exceptional fly fishing and that had no other fly fishing operations in the area. It was important for us to be somewhere we could have a family and build a life/home, not just a business. We also wanted it to be a place that gave our fishing clients the option to bring any non-fishing partners/family/friends to join them for a holiday…..so basically we were looking for the impossible hahahaha.

How long has Arabian Fly Sport Fishing been operating for?

We have been operating for 3 seasons now.

Brandon King with a brute GT

Clare King

How did you guys get started?

Wow that is a tough one. In Oman you need a local sponsor to run a business which was the starting point. From there we needed to set up the company, which is near impossible as the Omani’s had never heard of fly fishing before. Then we had the task of finding a suitable boat or boat builder so that we could custom build everything to our specification. During all of this we needed to explore the 3,000 kilometres of coastline to assess the best base for the business. It was tough the first year, living in tents and some seriously dubious hotel rooms (by this I mean squats) while exploring. Many happy moments and just as many tears and frustrations along the way but we made it in the end and it was worth every moment.

How big is your operation?

At present, we have one boat and two guides.

Another awesome Mahi Mahi

Clare King

What would a typical day be like in the life of AFSF?

For us the day starts at 5 AM and ends around 7 P M so days are long yet fulfilling, especially when we have great clients.

For our clients, the day starts around 6 AM if we are on the boat or 7 AM if fishing the beaches. We have a vast array of species to target and locations that we can fish which is a real advantage, especially on the rare occasion that the weather decides not to cooperate. Luckily weather is pretty stable throughout the season but I love that we have options as it mean our clients never miss a

day fishing (so far…. touch wood).

Our beach based fishing is mainly to target Indo-Pacific Permit that come right into the shallows to feed. Depending on the time of year we can also encounter big GTs, Bream, Bluefish and Shark. Some beaches are easy to reach and can be driven on to then walked, others we hike in to. It all depends on tides, time of year and which area we know is fishing well.

Our other option is boat based, both inshore and offshore. Inshore we target T. Africanus (our second species of Permit), Trevally, Milkfish, Bonito, Bluefish etc. and offshore we tease for Dorado, Tuna and billfish. We are very fortunate that the drop off is only a few hundred meters from the shore so we can offer both in and off shore easily throughout the day without having to travel large distances by boat.

The day is eight to ten hours long and we offer a full lunch spread of meat (spicy beef/meatballs/chicken salad/Thai chicken patties), salad, fresh fruit, cake/biscuits and dates on board each day. The day ends around

4 PM when we return to the marina and our clients can enjoy a relaxing swim, massage or sundowners overlooking the marina.

What are the species people could hope to target when they fish with you?

We have 2 species of Permit, the Indo-Pacific (Trachinotus Blochii) and the T.Africanus (Trachinotus Africanus) these prove very popular among most of our clients….but like all Permit they are not easy to catch. We also have Queenfish, Blue Fish, various Trevally (Giant, Golden, Bluefin, Big Eye, Yellow Spot, Black Tip), Milkfish, Dorado, Sailfish, Marlin, and Tuna would be the main species.

What are your favourite species to get your clients fishing for?

Permit are the most challenging but I also like the Dorado fishing as both fishermen/women (we take a max of two anglers on the boat) can fish at the same time.

Dorado are great fun when it heats up with doubles being landed and fish swarming around the boat…. a scene that really gets the adrenaline pumping.

Hardest target species for your clients?

Trachinotus Africanus or the"Jumping Permit"

Clare King

Permit…always Permit. We see many Permit but landing them is another story. If you don’t understand the complexities, frustrations and challenges of Permit fishing then I would suggest you don’t target them. But we have lots of return clients who love to (as one client says) get the middle finger from a Permit. So, they keep coming back for more... ha ha ha.

Releasing a prized fish is almost better than catching it....almost!

Clare King

Where do the majority of your clients come from?

America and Europe but also SA, Australia, Russia, Ukraine.

What’s the easiest way to get to come fishing with you i.e., book a trip, flight destination etc.?

The best way is to get in touch with me via email: info@ arabianfly.com We fish from October to the end of April so tell us when you would like to come, how many in your party and what species you like to target are all good starting points. From there I can advise you on dates that match your request. I then handle everything on the ground so our clients just need to fly in to Salalah, Oman (Via Qatar, Dubai or Muscat is the most common route) then we organise transfers from the airport, which is 25 minutes to the hotel. We arrange hotel accommodation (in a beautiful four-star hotel in the marina) on a half board basis (breakfast and dinner), guided fishing and lunch/water/soft drinks on board each day.

What sort of gear do you need to come and fish in Oman i.e., Rod weight etc.?

We suggest a #9WT or #10WT and a #12 WT. We

have flies tied specifically for our species by The Fishient Group, and I always suggest buying these direct from us, nothing worse than getting to a destination and being told you have spent a fortune on the wrong flies.

A sensational Milkfish!

Clare King

Is it flats fishing or offshore?

We fish from both the beach and boat (inshore and offshore). We don’t have any flats as such so there is no wading.

The famous “jumping Permit” is this a normal thing or is it rare?

If the next generation of young fly fishing businessmen/woman wanted to start a guiding company do you have any good advice?

Yes, be patient…very patient and find somewhere that is undiscovered yet accessible and sustainable. By that I mean somewhere you can have a life not just a business. You work for so many years I think it is important to do something you love in a place that you can call home.

A good sized Swallow-Tail Dart

Clare King

What’s on the horizon for the AFSF crew?

I can’t tell you all of our secrets, but as they all say…… watch this space!

Oman is the only destination that you can target these jumping permit (T.Africanus) on fly sight casting. When the tides are right and you know where to look we find large schools of five to 100 fish which is an awesome sight to see that many fish tailing.

Afternoon Queenfish

Clare King