Farquhar Blog: 20 – 27 October 2012
Sailfish, Permit, Dogtooth Tuna, GT’s, Bumpies, Triggers……
It’s week two on Farquhar atoll, with good friend and head guide Jako Lucas rejoining the team.. On the first day he teamed up with Mat Harris to land a rare Farquhar Permit along wth a Bumphead Parrotfish. Unfortunately the hook pulled on a GT that would hve capped off a red letter day. The big fish continued to come in during the course of the week. Mathew Cahill had a great offshore day, landing a 108cm GT. The fish smashed a poodle off the surface and shot down to the edge of the 25m deep reef, ultimately being landed and photographed. Henna Powers also landed a meter GT, a well deserved fish. The fish was sotted cruising along the edge of an island. Henna ran in front of the fish, sent a long cast into the path of the beast. As planned, the big GT raced up to the fly and devoured it…..that’s how it’s done! 
Other offshore species included 
two Dogtooth Tuna (both (smashing large flies stripped along the surface) together with a monster Sailfish landed by Chantel. It was a massive relief for the guides to finally land one of these gorgeous fish. After teasing up at least a dozen, and losing a handful, this fish was particularly rewarding for both guide and angler.
This week saw some exceptional fishing for Bumphead Parrotfish. Chris Bladen (well known sculptor and long time FlyCastaway friend) excelled with the Bumpies. 
He landed both of the first fish two he hooked, a serious achievement considering it usually takes a few tries to get the hang of it. Keep an eye on his website to see if a Bumpie sculpture crops up. Chris also hooked one of the biggest Yellow Margin Triggerfish I’ve seen on the flats. Its strong jaws proved too much for the hook his crab pattern was tied onto. After a lengthy fight the line went slack, and what returned looked like a bent paperclip. It was a bitter pill to swallow, not only because it was a trophy fish, but because it took so much skill and patience to hook it in the first place.
Farquhar is famous for its diversity, and this week was no exception. Anglers that were prepared to target something different were rewarded, not only with numbers of species, but strong fish of exceptional size. All in all it’s been a great week, with many a smile and laugh being shared amongst some great people. Keep an eye out for Matt Harris’ photos, which should be published soon. He gave us a short preview, and they’re mouth watering!
See you on the water
James