St Lazarus vs Premeiras

Jannus.

Member
Hi everyone

I’m starting to plan a trip to either of the two destinations for 2021. I’m still deciding between the two.

Even though Premeiras will be a longer trip, it is not that much more expensive than Lazarus. My thinking is however that this is a every-5-year kinda trip, so might as well do it proper.

Can anyone advise as to which destination could yield better results? Thinking specifically about those big Dogs.

Thanks in advance!
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Of the two, I preferred Premeiras. Been to Laz 2 times and each time we've lost days because there's nowhere to hide when things get nasty. When you have to run from the banks, it's so far out that not many charters will take you back there. So if it gets nasty on day 3 and you have to head for the islands, that's it... In all likelihood, you won't be going back. That being said, the fishing on Laz can be excellent at times. If you've headed to the islands for shelter, fishing round the islands is terrible... Fished out by the artisanal guys.

What I like about Premeiras is that it's varied. I assume you'll be reef hopping all the way up to Fogo. There's some fantastic reefs along the way (assuming your skipper knows what he's doing. But there is also the chance of hiding out in the lee of islands when the sea turns on it's head. We had to hide behind Fogo for 2 days and had great fun catching Bonefish on light tackle.
 

Jannus.

Member
Thanks for the info! Can’t think of something worse than a trip being cut short due to bad weather. Fish size wise, does Premeiras/Fogo generally have bigger fish? Specifically doggies?
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
It's difficult to say... Because you are covering so much ground at Premeiras, there's possibly a lot more options than Laz. But then again, Laz being an isolated sea mount has it's resident Geets, but the pelagics come and go. It's like all things fishy... Some trips will be better than others. We didn't encounter any Dogs on our Premeiras trip, but I'm quite sure they are in the area.

Premerias also has a bit of a caveat... We very nearly didn't make it out the mouth of the river. There were a huge number of sand banks quite far out which made for some interesting breakers. One of them claimed my camera. Whereas Laz is a very easy departure and return.

Actually heading back to Laz in Oct _seal1_
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
We're tentatively booked for April, but it's become very touch and go with the new round of Covid. Not sure if we'll even be allowed to leave SA then.

Our previous trip was in winter... Theoretically very calm weather wise. Well that's only a theory cos we had to spend 2 days (along with every damn prawn trawler in the Spanish and Chinese fleet) hiding out in the lee off Fogo.

So short answer... Who knows? It's the Indian Ocean, a very unpredictable stretch of water at the best of times.
 

CACTUS JACK

New member
Laz is generally a shorter trip, but fishing time is probably equal to Primeiras. Primeiras requires lots of reef hopping, where as at Laz you live above the reef. Primeiras gave me a greater variety of fish than Laz, but I think both destinations have the chance of providing the fish of a lifetime. Once you find the doggies at Laz, there are some big ones about, but you don't always find them. Primeiras has a wilder feel, but the remoteness of Laz is quite special. For a first trip on a live aboard, I would personally recommend Laz. You aslo save about 2K on flights with Laz, which could allow you to extend the trip a few days if your boat is not booked back to back. I am hoping 2021 goes a bit better than 2020, I have trips booked to both destinations.
 
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