Farquhar:15-23 Nov 2016
After almost unbearable anticipation, we are finally back out on Farquhar Atoll after Cyclone Fantalla’s arrival in April earlier this year. Although one is left with no doubt as to the strength of mother nature when you first land on the atoll, equally impressive is the strides which have already been made in rebuilding certain key infrastructure and general clearing, as well as signs of new life as the islands vegetation is visibly rebounding. Most importantly the lagoon and ocean water both look alive, with little if any signs of stagnant green water….things were looking good! Joining us on our return were six highly excited guests who were equally anxious to get out on the flats to see who was around! After the clients settled into their rooms on the Maya’s Dugong we were straight into business as we headed out onto the flats for a quick afternoon session.
Considering we only had a few hours out on the water, we saw a considerable amount of fish around with some good sized Bonefish and Triggerfish tailing on certain turtle grass flats. We also saw some good sized GT’s around and boy did we make it count. Louis Kruger hit the ground and our season running in a big way by landing a 119cm fish. A special catch for all of us, but especially for Louis as this enormous animal is now his biggest GT on fly. The massive fish was spotted cruising with a smaller partner in crime on a white sand section near “ the Gaps” and after a well presented cast and a couple strips the fish charged in and engulfed the fly. A solid fight ensued (including Louis’s backing being tested on multiple occasions) before the fish was landed and celebrations began. All in all a very productive start and considering the amount of baitfish around it looked as if we were in for a treat.
We headed out early for our first full day out on the water. As we had hoped there were good numbers of GT’s around and although we probably lost too many for our liking we did make some opportunities count. Stephan and Gustav are now well and truly GT addicts as they each landed their first. There were also huge numbers of Bluefin Trevally around and we managed to get some good numbers to hand. A very enjoyable day!
Our third day started off really well with Chantal getting it done on a solid GT, after a tricky cast into the wind. Next up was Abri who also landed his first ever GT on the fly. Congrats Abri! The fishing was just getting better and better, no doubt the abundance of cold clean water attracting loads of fish onto the flats. Species bashing in particular has been incredible with snappers, groupers and a host of other exciting critters darting out from bommies to eat our flies and in so doing providing some truly thrilling times for our anglers. Only the Bumpies have been a bit shy and that is no doubt due to the fact that they have been hanging around the drop offs due to the strong tides. Some epic surf side Bonefishing was also had on the eastern side of the atoll, with huge schools tailing happily on the expansive turtle grass sections that extend out onto the coral bottoms.
Day 4 looked promising with clear skies and a good south easterly wind helping the cold water flush over the flats. The Bumpies were tailing in big schools over certain turtle grass flats and as such it was no surprise when Chantal landed a big Bumpy measuring 109cm. Congrats Chantal! After a well executed cast ahead of the tailing fish, which allowed the current to move the fly into the perfect position, the big fish tailed on her crab imitation and the rest is history! Shortly after that she also landed a giant Triggerfish, a species which she had been chasing hard over the past few weeks! Overall the fish are still in full feeding mode throughout the atoll. As such more good sized GT’s and Bluefin also came to hand.
We managed to land our second GT over a meter on Day 5. The big fish which had idled across a sandbar on the back of a Blacktip shark had no hesitation in demolishing the ever reliable tan Brush Fly which was perfectly placed. Congratulation’s to Dale on getting his personal best GT, the fish measuring 103 cm! In addition to this special fish, we also managed to land a massive Bluefin which measured 86cm. This particular flat had been on fire throughout the week, with huge shoals of GT’s and Bluefin moving along the sand bank and smashing the bait balls congregating on the side of the main channel. In addition the Bumpies are still feeding happily, sadly though we hooked a few but they became unbuttoned! The Bonefishing on the eastern side of the atoll is still very much on fire.
We headed out in search of a Sailfish during the high water period on Day 6 and managed to raise some good fish! Added to which we got one to stick after it turned away eating the fly on the way out. After a spectacular fight which included some serious airtime, we managed to bill, tag and and safely release the fish. Congratulations to Abri for landing his first Sailfish, a beautiful specimen which measured 186cm. We then headed out onto the flats and landed our 3rd GT over a meter. This was Dale’s second GT over 100cm for the trip and was extremely well deserved as he kept his cool when presenting the fly to the fish. We saw and caught a few more GTs’ during the rest of the day, these hugely adaptable predators sitting on the back of some large sharks or stingrays. Lastly, massive congratulations to Chantal for landing our first Indo-Pacific Permit for the season!
Our 7th and final day saw us heading into the neap tides, with a late afternoon low tide. We headed out in search of more Sailfish during the morning session where we again raised more fish. Although quite a few were pricked and lost, Louis got it done when he landed his first Sailfish that measured 183cm. Once we got onto the flats, the group enjoyed more great Bonefish, GT and Bumpie fishing. All in all it was a great day to end off our first week of the season. Furthermore the atoll looks in great shape, with the high numbers of GT’s and Bluefin being a really good sign Cyclone Fantalla is now well and truly behind us!
Until next week
The Farquhar Guide Team
We welcomed to Providence a group of seven friends from the UK, along with three from South Africa, all of whom have fished with us multiple times in the past. This would be their first taste of Providence however and we were pumped to show them that all the stories about a wild fishery home to an incredible array of species, were in fact true.
The trip however saw our guests enjoying some of the finest Triggerfish fishing you are likely to encounter anywhere in the world. Both Yellow Margins and Moustache Triggers were frequently seen tailing the edges of the finger flats, surf or reef edges. Hugely challenging due to the accuracy required, they provided hours of challenging but rewarding fishing. Hooks were bent, tippets bitten off but in the end 12 gorgeously marked fish came to hand. Day 5 in particular proved to be a red-letter day for guide Matt Cosson and his guests Gerry, Yves and Alex. Each of the anglers landed a Triggerfish, Bonefish and GT in the session to seal their “Providence Slam”….an outstanding achievement .
Providence’s Bonefish were up on the flats and feeding, the overcast conditions and cooler water, providing ideal cover and water temperatures. Bigger on average then any other Bonefish in the Seychelles we have encountered our guests landed multiple fish in the 6-8lb range. These along with countless grouper, snapper and Bluefin Trevally showcasing the impressive variety of species Providence has to offer
The GT fishing over the first few days on the flats proved quite challenging, groups scratching a couple of the notorious predators here and there. That changed however towards the end of the trip as more and more fish presented themselves and provided some exciting action to close our week off. Andrew and Neil enjoyed a great Double hook up on the final day, Andrew’s fish measuring 101cm. The biggest GT offshore was an impressive fish of 115cm caught by Paul Bullen. Congrats Paul…a great fish! In total we landed 71 GT’s on and off the flats. By no means fireworks by Providence standards, but a number not to be sneezed at that’s for sure.
One of the highlights of this week was a rather special and unique catch, which all of us will be enjoying for the next week or two. Looking for some dinner towards the end of the day we got attached to an enormous Yellowfin Tuna. The fish’s incredible strength and speed delivered up a 2-hour battle on spinning gear before finally it came aboard. Nose to tail it measured 163cm, with the girth of the fish 114.5cm. These measurements suggest the impressive fish would weigh in the region of 110kg….almost unheard of in the Seychelles. Another offshore highlight included Duncan’s first Sailfish on fly, a fish he has dreamed of catching during his past two Seychelles trips with us whilst on Farquhar. Congrats Duncan!
This week on Farquhar atoll we welcomed a group of eight guests from Russia, one from Scotland and one from the US. It would be a momentous week for everyone on the trip, firstly this would be the first saltwater fly fishing experience for our new friends from Russia, whilst it would be Alex and Brandon’s first time with us on Farquhar. All would catch some truly memorable fish thanks to a bit of wind and the ensuing cold water that has thankfully arrived.
On arriving at the atoll, we quickly set about setting up our guests tackle, following which we spent the rest of the afternoon giving our Russian guests some casting, line management and other essential instruction. Needless to say spirits were high as a delicious dinner and a few ‘cold ones’ were enjoyed by all. As the week went by it became very clear to us our new friends were completely overwhelmed with the fishery and the atoll as a whole. The sheer numbers of fish species and general marine life encountered no doubt changing their perception about a fishing holiday.
The GT’s are still around in good numbers with multiple casting opportunities occurring on a daily basis. This iconic species impresses all fortunate to tussle with it, non more so than Alex who landed three fine fish during his trip which no doubt has given him highly contagious “GT fever”. These were his first three fever GT’s and to cap it off he earned the covered red GT cap with a monster 119 cm fish.
The Bumpies were around in solid numbers this week, with shoals frequently followed by eager anglers throughout the trip. Despite hooking ten of 10 of these blue/green giants luck was against as all ten escaped thanks to their astonishing power. We also managed to get into some really solid Bonefish for the week, the biggest a very respectable fish with a fork length of 64 cm. A big mission was made by all on the species front, to give you an idea of what is possible when visiting Farquhar, Alex managed to rack up 20 different species during the 6 days out on the flats with. Congrats once again Alex!
The guys were also very keen on doing some offshore during the week. All manor of species lurk just off the flats and we got stuck into Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Skipjack Tuna, Jobfish and a variety of other species, not to mention the Dogtooth Tuna that proceeded to give us a serious hiding. The result 7 hooked and 0 landed. There still some Sailfish around which is very unusual, but despite hooking into one good specimen, luck was against us the fly popped out.
We experienced some tough conditions during the third week of the season, the extremely flat conditions and warm temperatures heating up large parts of the lagoon. These conditions stifle the influx of cold and clear water pouring onto the flats, which prohibits certain species frequently encountered from spending time on the atoll’s food rich areas. We were therefore forced to work extremely hard with limited areas available to us, however despite this we still managed to hook into some real trophies.
There were good numbers of GT’s around considering the conditions, some of which were hugging the back sting rays ready to ambush their prey, whilst others were paired up with sharks looking for an easy meal. Congratulations to John on his 110 cm fish, JT for his fish of 108 cm and Pietro on his 105 cm fish. Pietro in fact had a great double when he landed the big one as well as very respectable fish of 86cm on the same day. Kirk landed his first GT ever of 86 cm, so too Paris from 
The Bonefish in particular are affected by the warm water to the point where on some occasions 8lb tippet was needed to get the result. If one considers we generally fish 15lb – 17lb for this species on the atoll, one gets any idea of the sort of conditions we were faced with. Nonetheless we stuck at it and caught some really good fish. Paris in particular again enjoyed a very special 3 hour period on one day where he landed ten fish of between 6-8 pounds.
The Bumphead Parrots were however still around in decent numbers and provided some exciting opportunities. That said, you still need a fair bit of luck when landing the fish and subsequently we had quite a few break-offs. Steve however managed to get one for us for the week so a hearty congratulations to him on this special achievement. Triggers too were still around in good numbers and provided some very exciting skinny water fishing. Congratulations to Brian Hodges 
The calm weather does however produce some excellent Milkfish opportunities and many of our guests had the opportunity cast at shoals of fish feeding on the surface. JT hooked into three fish, while Steve had a solid fish right at the boat that sadly broke free after an epic tussle. Other exciting species included some Saddle Back Groupers and Napoleon Wrasse just to mention a few.
There was no doubt it was a tougher than average week, but thanks to our guests effort we still managed experience some incredible fishing and walk away with a few very special fish!
The week started off with some very stable conditions with not a drop of wind on the first morning. There are a lot of GT’s around on the flats at the moment and we managed to bend some of the 12 weight rods to the max. Congratulations to Cliff, Michael, Christopher, Martin and Paulus on landing their first ever GT’s sight fished on the flats.
A special mention however must go out to Adrianus who successfully landed our biggest GT for the season so far with a prime specimen of 120 cm. A fish of a lifetime for sure and considering it was his first GT on the flats, a very special moment indeed. The fish was lying in a deep hole on a turtle grass flat holding against the tide waiting for any baitfish choosing the wrong path when guide and angler came across it. The cast went out, landing in the perfect spot and the GT charged and ate the fly without any hesitation. It attacked the fly with such ferocity it almost launched itself clear out of the water. The hook was driven home and the fish screamed off, the backing peeling off at a frightening speed. Thankfully everything went to plan and after a solid 15-minute battle his prize was tailed, photographed and set free to fight another day. Another truly epic moment on Farquhar! All in all 9 GT’s were landed during the week, not to mention a further 8 of which were hooked but came off earlier than hoped.
The fair weather continued throughout the week that definitely showed in the fishing. The Triggerfish were therefore around in good numbers, allowing us to hook 7 of the wily critters. Sadly not all were landed but credit goes out to John Giles for making it happen on a real solid Giant Triggerfish, as well as to Paulus who achieved his Grand Slam for the day by landing his Picasso Triggerfish.
The calm offshore conditions provided us with the much-anticipated Milkfish feeding sessions during certain tides. 4 fish were hooked throughout the week, 2 of which sadly came off right at the end. Nonetheless, these sessions and the experience of fishing to these immensely powerful fish will not be easily forgotten by the guests who came into contact with the Chanos Chanos.
The Bones were full up this week and provided constant action when sought out. We managed to get some really good sized fish, so together with these iconic fish and Martin’s flats caught Golden Trevally Farquhar produced a great week of diversity once again. Thank you to all our guests for sharing this incredible place with us. We now look forward to days and weeks ahead!
After a productive week of preparations we welcomed our first group of anglers for the season, a party of 10 guests from France. The group, who has fished with us multiple times, was obviously eager to get stuck into the incredible fishing Farquhar has to offer and so were we.
Sadly however the weather did not seem to get memo and we battled some very overcast conditions and the odd rainsquall throughout. This made sight fishing tougher than normal, which was frustrating indeed as there were clearly some good fish around. There was however some really good Triggerfish fishing to be had, the fact that they were tailing in ankle deep-water allowing the classic walk and stalk we love so dearly. A special mention must go out to Alberto Cafferi for landing his first ever Giant Triggerfish and ours for the season. Certainly one of the toughest fish to land on the flats, it will certainly not be forgot in a hurry.
There were good numbers of GT’s prowling the flats this week, unfortunately the conditions making it difficult for us to capitalize. Nonetheless we stuck at it and were rewarded with some great fish, including Jean Louis Stoffel’s first ever GT on the flats as well as Louis Boutros massive 118 cm fish (sadly no image of this special fish)! The benchmark has therefore been set very high and it’s going to take a special fish to match or top this brute of animal during the next 3 months. Congratulations Louis!
The cool weather did allow for some pretty spectacular Bonefishing, with shoals of these iconic game fish tailing over both the turtle grass and pure white sand flats. Our group took full advantage and we racked up some really good fish as well as numbers throughout their trip. These in addition with some great Snapper, Grouper and a highly prized Napoleon Wrasse made up the bulk of the flats species landed.
Farquhar does however some great offshore fishing at its disposal and so with the tough conditions on the flats we opted to go offshore during certain periods and were rewarded. Two Sailfish came out which is terrific considering it’s not really the season, both fish being tagged before swimming away strongly. In addition to these fine fish, good offshore catches of GT’s, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Barracuda, together with a 35kg Dogtooth Tuna rounded up the action.
The FlyCastaway Farquhar guide team is back on location and ready to deliver some world class flats fishing and serious fish during the Feb – May 2016 season. Before we could welcome our first group of guests onto the atoll we had some serious work to get through to ensure the level of operation remains at an extremely high standard. We departed the IDC hanger on the 23rd of Feb to allow us 8 full days to work on servicing boats and to scout out the current movements of the different fish species. We were welcomed by K.K and Mona after landing on the atoll and taken directly to the guesthouse and guide house. These two individuals run and manage the guesthouse in fine form and so it was no surprise after inspecting the guesthouse to find everything looking top notch.
Once settled into the guide house, we along with our proficient Yamaha outboard motor mechanic Marcel began servicing the engines for the tenders. First up were the carburettors! We stripped each one in clock work fashion until all were left in mint condition. Working as a team, we then replaced all the battery terminals that were rusted and then cleaned and greased the ones that were still in good shape. Next on the list were the bilge pumps and GPS’s. If there was any damage to the wiring it was replaced immediately. We then started to install all the gearboxes which had recently been refurbished on Mahe, finally attaching the propeller’s to each of them.
We then installed all the steering arms, following which we changed all the spark plugs, checked the wiring and fuel lines, at the same time replacing any small parts which looked they had taken some wear and tear. Last on the list was some fibreglassing (in true island style) on Cerf’s hull. Once dry all 6 boats were launched and moored ready for testing. The following day all boats were run in and we are happy to report all boats are in great working condition for the season ahead! It was now time for some scouting!
We ran all over the atoll, stopping here and there for brief periods to get into the groove and rhythm of the atoll. The good news is the fish are around and the water looks great. Bumpies, GT’s, Triggers and Bones all were seen in positive numbers. In addition there were large schools of Milkfish offshore during periods of warm weather and flat sea conditions. During a brief stint Gerry and Nick both got stuck into fish, sadly Nick’s fish coming off prematurely. Gerry however landed a cracking fish on one of our Wade Chanos fly reels which performed flawlessly! Congrats Gerry!
An added bonus is that it seems there are still good numbers of Sailfish, Wahoo and some Tuna around which no doubt will add to our guests experience during the season. So in closing, all the boats are running smoothly, the guesthouse is ready and waiting, spirits are high and the team is focused. Its time to smash some fish!
