Karl Bird Fishing

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Karl Bird Fishing 🧢 Pro team at Rapala VMC
🌍 International host for SFC Travel
🎣 All round specimen angler
📸 Keen photographer

A keen all round specimen angler targeting fresh and saltwater species both in the UK and overseas, his main passions are reservoir predator angling and UK saltwater big game and sharks. A successful saltwater boat competition angler, Karl has represented the Royal Air Force and UK Combined Services and hopes to bring this success to the freshwater scene in 2022. A passionate amateur photographer and freelance writer, he has had articles and photographs published in most of the remaining print magazines including Sea Angler, Catch Cult, Lure Angler and Saltwater Boat Angler; as well as many online platforms.

Reflections on the latest trip….There are places on a hosted trip in May 27 with Nick.I’ll be looking to return in 2028,...
20/10/2026

Reflections on the latest trip….

There are places on a hosted trip in May 27 with Nick.

I’ll be looking to return in 2028, so get in touch with one of the team if you are interested in more details.

Sailfish… one of the best acrobats of the sea, watching them swimming around all lit up and occasionally free-jumping is...
16/10/2026

Sailfish… one of the best acrobats of the sea, watching them swimming around all lit up and occasionally free-jumping is one of the greatest pleasures for me on an offshore trip.

They are acrobatic, pull back a bit but not too much and are a good fun species to catch. They sometimes fight to their death or get hooked badly sadly, but again harvesting the odd one for dinner at the lodge of an evening also gets you to taste what is in my opinion, a really good eating fish and one modest fish gives chance for carpaccio, deep fried goujons and steaks for dinner. They are quick growing and abundant so the odd one I think does no harm, allowing a catch photo when it’s someone’s first.

This trip I managed to make the most of the big camera and got some insane shots of a sailfish doing what it does. The one I caught stayed in the water and went back strong but I got the catch photos wrong, I needed to move the photographer and have the fishes body the other side of my arm so you could see it 😬 always learning. Throwing someone in with a camera would be the best way but having had 2 massive sharks the day before I had no takers 😂

Which is your favourite of the jumping shots below, I plan to get one blown up for the man cave.

Also show me your in-water catch shots below if you have any for inspiration for me for groups next time please….

The conditions have really been against us these last few days. Today was a bolt-on fishing day with Nirvana Fishing out...
15/10/2026

The conditions have really been against us these last few days. Today was a bolt-on fishing day with Nirvana Fishing out of Nosy Be. 1.5 hour run at 45kph out to Castor Bank, ~40nm NW of Nosy Be and probably 60 west of Mitsio where we have been all week. A reef rising up from the deeps it promised a good day and some different variety. First drop, bang, bite no hook up. Second drop, bang, nice bluefin trevally, my first on the trip. And that, apart from a couple of small royal/lyretail grouper and a baracuda is where the story ends. I was seasick for the first time I can remember, absolutely nothing to do with the rum last night and entirely the heavy rolling seas and forgetting to take my Kwells. Then back for a sunset cocktail and swim and dinner and hope the guys out tomorrow have a better day, who are off south after our rubbish day today.

Very slow day for the last day, both boats struggled. We added a few more species and ended up with 46 species and 500 f...
14/10/2026

Very slow day for the last day, both boats struggled. We added a few more species and ended up with 46 species and 500 fish, not bad for a group of only 6.

2 days now in Nosy Lodge, where we have a couple of days booked fishing. See if we can add the elusive dogtooth tuna….

Paradise!!

Day 5 was a hard day. We say to clients to expect, on average, 2 slow days, 2 average days and 2 good days and anything ...
13/10/2026

Day 5 was a hard day. We say to clients to expect, on average, 2 slow days, 2 average days and 2 good days and anything else is a bonus. Obviously we cannot do anything about the weather and today we awoke to wind and Windy not forecasting it to drop until after lunch saw us popping for a few hours for one small GT and then a run to some jigging marks but it was too windy so back again for more popping until about 2pm it slackened and we could get out. Few hours hunting for bonito and when we got a couple dragging them around produced nothing before we got bored and asked to go jigging for the last bit, that produced a few bits but was a shark frenzy, we landed a few and lost a few more.

The other boat fared little better, a wahoo on a trolling Rapala and a few baracuda on bait and bird on jigs.

Tomorrow is our last day in Mitsio before we head to Nosy Be for 3 nights - we have a few days fishing booked there so will do one day each team.

Day 4 in the Big Brother House….We awoke to very strong winds, and wasn’t sure what the day would bring - we’d also swap...
12/10/2026

Day 4 in the Big Brother House….

We awoke to very strong winds, and wasn’t sure what the day would bring - we’d also swapped boat skippers as it was the half way stage so we were with Manu and Serge and the other boat switched to the formidable duo of Commando and Luciens Vorimana.

A very slow start; a couple of tiny grouper was all we had to show by lunch, but Manu took us out to the drop off. Jigging in 100-150m isn’t for the feint hearted! But he made a call that we didn’t even think would be on the playbook today. And off we went for some amberjack. First drop and Nick had one, we ended up with 6 between us in short order.

I randomly caught a bonito from near the bottom and asked the guys if I could put it on a big rod. It was put out and half an hour later off it went. No wire, to reduce the chances of hooking and battling a big shark (we had half an hour on a 250kg bulk shark a few days ago that we all had to get involved in bringing up). I played it for 20 minutes or so properly in the pain locker on my PE10/12 set up. Eventually it was leadered and I was getting my phone out for pics when shouts woke me to the fact Serge had had to drop it! Catastrophe! Luckily no ring wraps and off it went and it was angry! A couple of big runs later on locked up drag and I was knackered and had to pass the rod to Nick, then shortly after him to Manu and then on to Serge who like a champ weightlifter skull f****d it to the boat like it was a pouting 💪 it was then leadered for the second time for a quick pic and released, estimated at 150kg. I’m claiming it, as I got it leadered before it was dropped. Not normally one for celebrating sharks on overseas trips but to see my first ever hammerhead was something special, they are prehistoric looking like something out of a movie.

After that we came to some shallower water and fished in 25-50m with the speed jig and I had the most amazing coloured coral trout which I am waiting to hear back on a species; and we had a Jobfish and 5-spot.

The other boat had a good day with some emporers, GT and grouper and a schooling on fishing from Commando.

SFCTravel
VMC Hooks
Tropical Fishing
Sufix Lines

Day 3 was pretty good for both boats. One had quantity with a vast number of jacks and GT and our boat had a large numbe...
11/10/2026

Day 3 was pretty good for both boats. One had quantity with a vast number of jacks and GT and our boat had a large number of species and colour! 29 species and 400 fish to the group, I managed 8 species today and had 2 or 3 new ones so i have smashed my 200 lifetime species now.

And then back for an amazing goat curry and some mojitos and w**e!

Tomorrow we swap skippers and boats so will see what comes!

Day 2…My boat had a good day, and almost a rinse repeat of what the other boat had yesterday - sailfish, cobia, mackeral...
10/10/2026

Day 2…

My boat had a good day, and almost a rinse repeat of what the other boat had yesterday - sailfish, cobia, mackeral, pompano and a boat-load of grouper (including one what took 2 jigs!) and plenty of GT. 2 sailfish virgins broken, such amazing fish when they get their acrobatics on. Sadly 2 were badly hooked so were harvested and became dinner, but the others went back fine. We ended the night going 3s-up on a 250kg+ bull shark, horrible fight and something I don’t wish to repeat!

The other boat had a tough time but still managed 6 species many of which were new.

Back for Thiery’s infamous paella, and a massage and a few beers and mojitos - the perfect way to end a day offshore.

We are at around 180 fish and 22 species - plenty more to come I am sure.

Great first day for the team here in Tropical Fishing. Several GT virgins burst their bubble with Nick Vercoe having the...
09/10/2026

Great first day for the team here in Tropical Fishing. Several GT virgins burst their bubble with Nick Vercoe having the best of the day at a taped 24kg. The other boat had a few sailfish amongst GT, cobia and the usual species. I had a couple of wahoo, the nicest one on a small Rapala Cast and PE3 set up that gave me a great run round. We are at 10 species so far and over a hundred fish.

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