Farquhar News: 26 Feb-5 March 2011

Trip:26 Feb-5 March 2011

Many, if not most of our clients treat their fishing trips as a present to themselves. A boys week so to speak. This week was refreshingly different. We had three couples joining us, which kept the rest of the chaps in line. If there are any wives reading this it might be time for my disclaimer- on boys only fishing trips the men involved DON’T drink too many beers and swing from the rafters in monkey suites, that’s just what they tell their mates when they get home. It heightens the appeal for the listener, you understand…

On a serious note though, some beautiful fish were caught this week. The weather stayed true, in fact a few of us prayed a slight breeze would arrive to help cool us down. The tides were almost perfectly set for a full day of action. At mid week it was dead low by mid morning, giving us plenty of time on the flats. Here the guys had a complete plethora of fish species to choose from. From tailing Triggers and Bones, to shoals of bovine looking Bumphead Parrotfish. As soon as the tide began to push, the GT's would prowl the flats looking to cause harm to any baitfish pattern that happened to be nearby. Later in the afternoon we'd get pushed off the flats by the high water. In most locations this means the end of the action for the day, but at Farquhar it's far from over. We'd then target corral heads or 'Bommies' - what we call Bommie Bashing- which produces a staggering amount of fish you'd otherwise never be able to target on a fly rod. The list is endless, but just to give you a taste- Groupers (Saddleback; Marble; African; Swallow Tail); Bohar Snappers; Bluefin Trevally; Barracuda – all of which are accompanied by a constant source of hilarity watching guys try hold on for dear life as a Grouper or the like"Goes Home".

We also did plenty of island and wreck hopping this week, inevitably fishing around reef and wreck structure dotted around the atoll. on one such occassion Jako spotted a colossal Napoleon Wrasse around an old abandoned buoy. Don had a cast and by Jako's description the strike resembled Bikini Athol's nuclear trials as the fish sent a plume of water high into the air, followed by a gut wrenching run for home, which as it turned out, was very very far away. The fish was unfortunately lost, however Greg shortly after made amends by landing a single cruising GT. The backslapping and laughing lasted longer than the fight, and it was a long fight. The wives gave it a crack too, and While Tyson Jackson was explaining the current status of Salmon fishing in South West Dorset (which I really enjoyed by the way Tyson) his partner Gill quietly caught a beautiful single Bonefish, making the whole action seem entirely trivial, even though it was her first Bonefish ever

I am happy to report that the wives, fishing or otherwise, all had a fantastic time and looked very relaxed by the time of writing, although whether it had anything to do with the exceptional behaviour of their husbands over the course of the week is an uncertainty.

James