A half day fishing trip from Grand Baie usually means leaving the quay around 05:00 or 06:00, trolling lures in the deep water off the north coast for four to six hours, and being back at your hotel before lunch. You fish for what is moving that morning, most often tuna, dorado (mahi mahi) and skipjack, with a real but small chance of a marlin. The boat brings the rods, the bait and the licence. You bring sun cream, a hat and a willingness to get up in the dark.
The short answer
Half a day is enough for a first trip and for a family, as long as you start at dawn. The north of Mauritius has deep water close enough that a half day boat spends most of its time fishing, not travelling. If you have one fish in mind, a blue marlin or a dogtooth tuna, book a full day instead: those fish live further out and take time to find.
The rest of this guide covers what the morning actually looks like, what you are likely to catch, and the questions worth asking the captain before you book.
What a half day looks like, hour by hour
Every boat runs its own schedule, so treat this as a typical morning based on what the Grand Baie and Trou-aux-Biches captains on Reelzy describe in their listings as of October 2026.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 05:00 to 06:00 | Meet the crew at the quay or the beach. Short briefing, life jackets, a look at the gear. |
| First 30 minutes | Run out through the lagoon and past the reef while the crew sets the trolling lines. |
| Next 3 to 4 hours | Trolling over deep water and around fish aggregating devices, moving when the birds show where bait is. |
| Last 30 to 60 minutes | Run home, the crew cleans the catch on the way in. |
| 10:00 to 12:00 | Back on land, usually in time for a late breakfast or lunch. |
Baywatch at Trou-aux-Biches, ten minutes down the coast from Grand Baie, puts it plainly on its listing: start at 6 a.m., back around 12. That is the shape of most half days on this coast.
Why so early? The first hours after sunrise are when the fish feed hardest near the surface, and the trade wind tends to build through the day. An early start gives you the best of the bite and the calmest sea.
How far out you go
Further than the snorkelling boats, but not as far as you might think. Mauritius rises steeply from the ocean floor, and off the north coast the water drops past the reef into the hundreds of metres.
Much of the morning is spent around FADs, fish aggregating devices: anchored buoys that small fish shelter under, which in turn draw tuna and dorado. A study published through the FAO describes the Mauritius FAD programme setting them 3 to 10 nautical miles from the shore in water 400 to 3,000 metres deep. Positions have changed since that programme began, and captains do not usually share exact spots, but the distance gives you the idea: a half day boat can reach good water and still spend most of the trip with lines in.
You will often see the islands of the north from the boat: Coin de Mire, the wedge shaped rock everyone photographs, and Flat Island further out. Some trips fish towards them, depending on where the bait is.
What you are likely to catch
On a half day, the boat trolls for what is around. The captains in Grand Baie list these as their targets:
- Tuna: yellowfin, skipjack and bigeye. Skipjack are the most common bite on a short trip. Yellowfin are the prize, and our Mauritius fishing seasons guide covers when they are closest to the island.
- Dorado (mahi mahi): fast, colourful and very good to eat. See dorado charters in Mauritius.
- Trevally and little tunny, both strong fighters on lighter tackle.
- Marlin: possible on a half day, more likely on a full day further out, and usually released or kept by the boat rather than by you.
Nobody can promise a fish. A good half day might mean several tuna and a dorado. A slow one might mean a single skipjack and a lot of watching the lines. Ask the crew what they have caught in the past week, and you get a better forecast than any guide can give.
Who keeps the fish
On most Mauritius charters, the catch belongs to the boat. Crews normally give you a fish or a share for your own table, cleaned and filleted, and some will cook it for you. Last Cast in Grand Baie offers catch and cook or a barbecue on an island on request. The detail is in our guide to who keeps the fish on a Mauritius charter. Agree it before you sail, not on the quay.
Half day or full day?
| Choose a half day if | Choose a full day if |
|---|---|
| It is your first time at sea, or you get seasick | You want a real shot at a marlin or a dogtooth tuna |
| You are with children or non-anglers | You are an experienced angler who wants heavy tackle |
| You want the afternoon free for the beach | You are happy to be at sea for eight or nine hours |
| You are staying in Grand Baie, Pereybère or Trou-aux-Biches | You want time for bottom fishing as well as trolling |
The Full Day Big Game trip from Grand Baie is the long version: nine hours, Tiagra 30 and 50 reels, a custom fighting chair, and a target list that adds blue and black marlin, dogtooth tuna, amberjack and grouper. The listing welcomes children, but nine hours is a long day for most of them.
Which time of year
You can fish a half day from Grand Baie all year. What changes is the wind.
From roughly May to September the southeast trade wind blows strongest. The FAO’s fisheries baseline study for Mauritius describes the winds as strong through those winter months and weaker from November to April. The north and west coasts sit in the lee of the island, which is one reason Grand Baie and Trou-aux-Biches keep fishing when the east coast is rough. Outside the reef there can still be a swell, so if you are prone to seasickness, a winter half day is a better choice than a full day.
The warmer months, roughly October to April, are the main season for marlin and the bigger game fish. Yellowfin tuna are most reliable from March to July. Our guide to fishing in Mauritius gives the full year.
What to bring
Less than you think: the boat supplies the tackle, the bait, the licence and usually drinks and snacks. Bring sun protection that stays on when wet, a long sleeved shirt, a hat with a cord, polarised sunglasses, a towel, and a seasickness tablet taken the evening before if you need one. The full list, boat by boat, is in what to bring on a Mauritius fishing charter.
Boats in Grand Baie and nearby that run half days
- Last Cast, Grand Baie. A Baymaster 215 run by Captain Belon and first mate Pravin, for small groups of two to four. Half day, full day and sunset trips, with trolling, jigging and popping gear on board, refreshments, the licence and catch cleaning included. Snorkelling, dolphin watching and island picnics can be added. The best fit for a first half day from Grand Baie.
- Baywatch, Trou-aux-Biches. Up to five guests, 6 a.m. to around midday, snacks and drinks, a toilet on board and catch cleaning.
- Fishing on Ivan, Trou-aux-Biches. Captain Sebastian runs trips of 4 to 9 hours and tailors them to what you want, from trolling to bottom fishing and jigging. Children welcome.
All the boats on this stretch of coast are on the Grand Baie charters page and the Trou-aux-Biches charters page.
Before you book: five questions for the captain
- What time do we leave, and from where? Some boats leave from the quay, some pick up from a beach. Check whether hotel transfer is part of the trip.
- Is the trip private, or shared with other guests? Most Grand Baie boats are booked whole, which suits families.
- What have you been catching this week? The honest answer tells you more than any season chart.
- Do we get some of the catch? Agree how much, and whether it is filleted.
- What happens if the sea is too rough? Ask whether the trip moves to another day or is refunded.
Ready to go?
If you are staying in the north and want a morning at sea, look at Last Cast in Grand Baie for a small group half day, or compare every boat on the Grand Baie charters page. Message the captain through Reelzy with your dates and the five questions above, and you will know exactly what your morning will look like before you set an alarm for 4:30.
Cover: "Mauritius Boats" by L. Allen Brewer, CC BY 2.0, edited (colour, retouching).
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