Ascension Island: A Supposedly Great Fishery that I’ll Likely Never Visit
While superlative fishing is the top priority on most of my bucket list trips, I’m also tempted by any place that’s hard to reach. Limited accessibility not only adds to the adventure, but also makes the experience rarer and the club a little more exclusive. It’s why I enjoy the remote locale of Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge and also why popping in the Seychelles, Niugini Black Bass, and arapaima in Guyana all keep me up at night.
Unfortunately, some trips are likely never to happen.
While I’ve studied geography and history at various points during my all-too-lengthy formal education, I’m not ashamed to admit that until recently I’d never heard of the speck-on-the-map called Ascension Island. It’s a volcanic structure 7 degrees south of the equator in the Atlantic, 1,400 miles off the coast of Brazil and 1,000 miles off the coast of Africa. In other words, take your boat to the middle-of-nowhere and you’re still at least 500 miles away. The only reason that the island showed up on my personal radar is because the crew from Saltywater Tackle took some trips there and the popping and jigging looked beyond epic. That’s not surprising – as one of the few distinct structural elements for hundreds of miles, it’s clear why Ascension would create currents that attract baitfish and in turn sportfish.
Despite its remote location, the island’s positioning gives it strategic military value. For example, the US built an air base there during World War Two as a stopover point for intercontinental flights. The British developed a Royal Air Force Station there which they used during the Falklands War in 1982. Unfortunately, beyond its use for military purposes, space exploration (it holds an orbital debris observatory and holds what was once the world’s longest runway, a never-used emergency landing space for the Space Shuttle), the location doesn’t have much commercial value. There’s minimal industry and of course it costs a ridiculous amount to import or export any goods.
Until this century, there was no tourism there. Since 2002, some limited air transportation has been possible, benefiting the minimal tourist accommodations. They welcome the occasional cruise ship or private boat, but other than dedicated military planes, commercial air traffic is limited. Previously, the RAF had a few flights a week between Ascension and both the UK and the Falklands, but those effectively ceased in 2017 (that’s why the Saltywater Video was from 2016). SA Airlink operated monthly flights between Ascension and the nearby island of St. Helena, and from St. Helena you could fly to Johannesburg, but COVID put at least a temporary end to that in 2020. Right now the best you can do (other than arriving by boat) is a charter flight. I cannot vouch for the ease of booking, the cost of such flights, or their frequency.
So why, you may ask, is this place still on my list when there are many easier-to-reach (even the Seychelles, Maldives and Andamans are much simpler than this) that I still haven’t visited? Well, just check out this amazing video:
If that didn’t tempt you, here are more videos of the Ascension fishing experience:
MORE INFORMATION
If you do somehow find a way to go to Ascension Island, or want to research it further, here are some potential references:
Government Website — Includes all travel information, including eVisa application
Atlantic Fishing Charters – These guys are based out of Spain but advertise fishing at Ascension. “We are happy to offer the only Game Fishing Boat on this remote little island in middle of the Atlantic Ocean,” their website states. They last updated their Facebook page in July of 2021 with a 972 pound blue marlin from Cape Verde so you’ll probably want to make sure they’re operating before getting your hopes up.
Planet Sea Fishing – In 2012, angler Bruce McDonald put together a great summary of his trip to the island.
Sport Fishing Magazine – Al Mcglashan’s picture-heavy report from a 2016 trip.
Marine Protected Area – As of 2019, the UK designated a Marine Protected Area twice the size of their home country around Ascension to protect marine species, including tuna and marlin. No recreational fishing will be allowed beyond 12 NM of the island. That could mess up my plans, although judging from some of the nearshore videos above, there should still be plenty of opportunities. The plan will be reviewed and possibly renewed every five years
If you go, be sure to bring all of the tackle you might need, because I’m guessing there’s not a decent tackle store within reach, and who knows how long shipping would take.
