Fishing in Sharjah

Sharjah is the third largest of the United Arab Emirates. Its capital city, Sharjah, is located on the coast of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and forms a continuous metropolitan area in with Dubai and Ajman. The territory of the emirate, however, includes vast areas on the eastern coast of the country, including the important deep seaport Khor Fakkan and the town of Kalba, where you can cast your line in the Gulf of Oman. Being deeper and immediately continuing to the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Oman has much more to offer to a fishing enthusiast than the Arabian Gulf, from mangrove forests near Kalba to the biggest trophy sailfish and swordfish. Charters on the western coast offer fishing trips typical for the Dubai metropolitan area, focusing on light and medium tackle trips for smaller, but abundant species. As everywhere in the UAE, fishing is best in the winter months, although some species bite well all year round.

As elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, when one goes fishing, one goes to the sea. Fishing from the shore is generally the domain of the local residents, who prefer early or late hours or even night, when the rays of the sun don’t blaze so hard and the fish is more active. Success, however, depends on knowing good spots, which is further complicated by the fact that many beaches are closed for fishing, and so more and more anglers fish from boats, both their own and charted. This is probably the best option for the tourists, too. On both coasts you can book either a nearshore fishing trips, often exploring the numerous artificial and natural reefs, or an offshore deep-sea fishing outing. However, the Arabian Gulf is more about the former, while the Gulf of Oman offers better conditions for the latter.

What fish you can catch in the Sharjah Emirate depends on which side of the peninsula you are. Although the differences are not dramatic, as the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman offer similar conditions for marine life, the angler’s options do differ. On the Eastern coast most fishing charters target hamour, the all-time local favorite, king mackerel, spangled emperor, cobia and barracuda. Those species are also available on the Western coast, but the Gulf of Oman also offers better habitat to the deep sea species whose names sound like music to any saltwater angler: snapper, yellowfin tuna, sailfish, white marlin, goliath grouper, and giant trevally.

The somewhat shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf give you an opportunity to use a wide variety of fishing techniques, from bottom fishing with natural baits or by jigging, to saltwater flyfishing, as well as trolling for king mackerel and other similar species. The big pelagic fish of the Gulf of Oman is caught with the heavy tackle, deep sea techniques, which come down to trolling with bait or artificial lures. Casting spinning lures and saltwater fly fishing for surface-dwelling predators is often considered a method for advanced anglers locally, as opposed to trolling and bottom fishing, that are believed to be appropriate for novices. Whatever you choose, the fishing charters will have all necessary rods, reels, lures and baits at your disposal, as well as expert advice on how to catch the fish of your dreams.