Farquhar: 11 – 18 April 2018
Farquhar Blog: 11-18 April 2018
Our guests arrived mid-morning after a short flight from Mahe. After being greeted by the guides and guest house staff they were then shown to their accommodations which was followed by a safety briefing and a tackle setup to ensure everyone was ready for a solid week of fishing. This week on the Atoll we are into full spring tides with huge tidal ranges ensuring large volumes of water brought onto and off the atoll. A steady South-Easterly wind blew through the week. The GT fishing was really good with 33 fish hooked and 24 fish landed, 5 of which were over the 100cm mark.
Father and son Arthur and Christopher, who were new to salt water fly fishing got to tangle with the Geets, Arthur opening his account in style with a first ever GT on fly of 105cm! Christopher hooked a few GTs throughout the week but unluckily never managed to land any. His persistence paid off when he landed a solid Bumpy on the last day. Brothers John and Anthony had a good week with John landing two GTs, the biggest being 103cm. Anthony managed to bag a 71cm GT to go along with solid numbers of Bones and reef dwelling species. Bob landed his personal best GT on fly, a 104cm fish to go with another GT of 84cm. Christopher landed the biggest recorded Bluefin Trevally on fly on Farquhar, a massive 88cm fish. He managed to get a grand slam with a Moustache Triggerfish, a Bumpy and a Bonefish as well as a GT to cap it all off. Kevin managed to land two GTs in the week with his biggest being 82cm, while Nicole landed the only Permit for the week, a 52cm fish, well done Nicole! Regular guest to Farquhar Marko had a fantastic week landing 7 Geets ranging from 70 – 101cm. Marko managed a Trevally slam consisting of a GT, a Bluefin and a Yellow Spotted Trevally on his last day of fishing. He also landed a Moustache Triggerfish. David had a week to remember landing 8 Geets during his stay ranging from 82 – 106cm. David also landed two massive Golden Trevally on his first day of fishing, the biggest being 77cm. He scored a Moustache Triggerfish, a Bonefish and a GT to finish the slam and celebrate his birthday in style.
This was a great week with our guests enjoying some incredible fishing. All of our guests caught good numbers of Bones and other species. There were solid numbers of GTs seen all over the atoll with every one of our guests hooking more than one GT. The Bumpies were seen in large pods around their feeding grounds. We saw loads of tailing Triggers with a few coming to hand.
Until next week,
The Farquhar Guide Team
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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Day one started off with good numbers of fish coming to hand with a few schools of GTs midway on the atoll. Congrats to Patricio, Jose, Hill, Paul and Watts for managing to capitalize on their first GTs ever on the fly, well done guys! We also experienced some insane skinny water Bone fishing on the north eastern side of the atoll, with fish averaging 6+lb. The Triggers were also around in good numbers, as we are on the last few days of the neap tide, with Jeff managing to get not only his first, two Triggers to hand and Bryan also managing one for the day, great job guys!
The second day proceeded to deliver the goods with Patricio achieving a grand slam with a GT, his first Bumpy and Giant Triggerfish plus a solid Bonefish to put the cherry on top, great job! Jose also managed to land his first Yellow Margin Trigger and Bryan getting his first Bumpy to hand. Mark and Jeff also got it done to land their first GTs on fly, with Mark getting two to hand for the day getting the skunk off and putting them in the zone for the days that lay ahead. The week delivered us with some great shots at a lot of different species and the guys did a great job.
Hunter, after a few days of bad luck on the GT front, capitalized on his opportunities and landed three in one day, getting the monkey off his back. Jeff on the final day, after chasing Bumpies all week ended in style with a GT to start the day, a Giant Triggerfish later on and shortly after landing a well-conditioned Bumpy to complete his slam, well done Jeff!
The Milkfish were also around this week, but won the battle until, José finally managed to get one in the net on the final day after an hour fight before finally giving up. All in all it was a solid week with a lot of fish moving around giving the anglers good opportunities at a diverse range of species. This week gave them the true Indian Ocean flats experience. Most importantly a great time was had by all and with a lot of unforgettable moments throughout the week.
Calm conditions greeted the first group of guests for the 2018 April – June St Brandon’s season. With some warm water around at the start of the week the Bone fishing proved to be quite tough yet the guests still managed to land some great fish during their trip. The conditions improved as the week went on and thanks to some windier days and mid morning lows there was some phenomenal skinny water Bone fishing enjoyed later in the week with a solid 6.5lb average coming to hand. Rich had a great trip catching his largest ever Bonefish with 2 8.5lb fish. John and Eugenie got stuck into some really big fish, landing a 9lb and 9.5lb fish respectively. The Bonefish of the week has to go to Shaun who after landing 23 fish in a single session managed to get an absolute beast Bonefish and the first 10lb-er of the season.
During the week the guests enjoyed many shots at the Atoll’s famed Indo Pacific Permit and by day four 7 had been hooked but the fish had the final say. It was not all doom and gloom as 3 Permit were landed during the week. Rich continued his hot streak with his first ever Indo Pacific Permit of 3lbs. Brian got in on the Permit action too, landing a respectable 5lb fish that was tailing on a marl ridge around an island in the north. There are good numbers of Permit seen on Raphael island every season and Dave managed to land an 8lb fish right next to where the fisherman moor their boats behind the island.
The warmer conditions meant that there were many of the Atoll’s Trevally around and the guests enjoyed some amazing fishing. Many large GTs were around, harassing baitfish and bonefish alike. Brian Noyes managed to hook one of these brutes on the very first day only for the hook to pull mid fight, tough luck Brian! We have been seeing large numbers of Golden Trevally tailing aggressively amongst schools of Bonefish and John took full advantage when he hooked and landed a beast 14lb Golden while fishing to a very large Bone fish. Shaun had a cracking week and added a 12lb and 15lb Golden to his double digit Bone from earlier in the week. The Bluefin Trevally on St Brandons were ever present and although there weren’t many landed during the first week there were some notable catches from Rich who landed a 69cm fish that was hunting in a pack behind a Nurse Shark in a coral garden at the edge of a flat. Dave landed the largest Trevally of the week when he hooked an aggressive 78cm Bluefin that was terrorizing baitfish in a lagoon. The fish smashed the fly and proceeded to tear off into the distance taking many metres of backing with it.
After arriving on the island, our guests were shown to their accommodation and then we got straight down to business with a safety briefing and tackle setup. The guests were then free to fish for the afternoon on the North Island. Nicholas made the most of it landing a tank 110cm GT which set the tone for the week. Great job Nicholas!
Our guests during the rest of their time on the atoll enjoyed loads of opportunities at GTs with 37 fish hooked, of which 24 were landed. Whitney and Sarah really got stuck in, Whitney landing 4 Geets for the week (77cm, 83cm, 85cm and a 98cm specimen on the final day) and wife Sarah landing 2 small GTs along with a solid 72cm fish.
Wayne landed the biggest Bumpy of the week with a fish 105cm, as well as a really pretty 80cm GT. Dean managed 2 fish of 72cm and 83cm respectively while Jeff had to wait until the last day to land his first GT. He also had the incredible fortune of landing 3 Napoleon Wrasse on one day, the fish measuring 55cm, 57cm and 62cm fish.
Jean-Christophe and friend Francios had a solid week racking up the numbers of species including some great Bonefishing. Francois also landed 3 GT’s, 70, 75, 75cm. After starting his week off with that impressive 110 cm fish, Nicholas went on to land 3 more GT’s (78cm, 80cm and 81cm) and lose 2 fish to snapped fly lines. He also landed a really solid 64cm Bonefish.
Peter had a great week landing 5 GT’s, including fish of 75cm, 80cm, 81cm as well a tank 114cm fish on the last day in the surf. Andre too was on top form this week, landing the only Trigger for the week (a Moustache Trigger of 52cm) as well as a solid Bumpy of 93cm. He also got stuck into the GTs, hooking up with numerous fish and successfully landing fish of 72cm, 82cm, 85cm and the biggest fish of the week which stretched the tape at 118cm. It was a fin perfect GT caught during a surf walk on the final day. Well done Andre!
Our guests got solid numbers of Bones this week as well and over the high water periods we enjoyed some great species bashing. The Bumpies were around in the early parts of the week but as the low tide depths increased, conditions became less optimal for Bumpies and Triggers. All in all, it was however a great week to be a part of and we would like to thank all our guests for coming out to fish this incredible fishery with us!
The first day of our fourth trip of the season started off solidly with good numbers of fish on the flats. Shamal, who is no novice when it comes to landing big fish got the monkey off his back with a solid GT of 101cm, whilst his teammates Deon and Mike also got in on the action before the first day came to a close.
The opening day will however be remembered for a very special fish, Lee’s 120cm certainly the biggest fish of it’s species we are aware of coming out on the fly. Congrats Lee! John who was only 16 years old had a great time with the multitude of species Prov has to offer, whilst Matt, Hal and Spencer all new to the Indian Ocean managed to get their first ever GTs on fly during our first day out.
Hal came in with an amazing fish on the second day, his 109cm GT our second metre plus fish for the week. Jim too joined the GT club with his first GT on the fly and when Lee landed his first GT on fly, everyone had ticked the box.
Shamal had one fish that he really wanted to tick off his bucket list. So when he landed a rare Saddle Back Grouper his excitement was audible for all to hear, The Milkfish were a bit scarce this week, although a few Sailies and large numbers of Yellowfin Tuna busting up bait provided some exciting blue water action.
This week we experienced a full moon spring tide which brought about large tidal fluctuations. With mid-morning low tides to start the week and a midday low tide to end the week our guests were able to fish a full drop and a full push, giving them ample opportunities on the flats. On top of this we enjoyed stable weather, moderate southerly winds and cool water throughout the week which provided ideal conditions. Our guests really capitalised with 35 GT’s being hooked, 23 of them being landed and photographed. Well done everyone!
There were loads of Triggers on the flats as well, our guests hooking 17 and landing 7. The Bumpies also provided some great sport play but like the GTs and Triggers not all hooked fish resulting in a fish being landed. Two of these very special were however brought to hand an provided great excitement to angler and guide alike.
As for the Bones, solid numbers came to hand including a few large specimens. The species fishing during the high water periods plan with some large Grouper, Bohar Snapper and Green Jobfish coming to hand. All in all we enjoyed an excellent week on Farquhar, with loads of fish seen throughout the week. There were large pods of tailing Bumpies, GTS on stingrays and surfing in on waves, good numbers of tailing Triggers and plenty of Bones.
Day 1 started off straight into the goods, with great numbers of GT’s landed, Joe a 1st timer to the Seychelles not only getting his first GT on fly but also breaking the meter mark with a cracking fish of 101cm. Warwick who has been anticipating this trip for a good while, also managed to get rid of the skunk on his first day of the trip with a well-conditioned GT, with Mark also getting the hit 1st ever on the fly. This is always a privilege to be a part of!
The Triggers and Bumpies were around in decent numbers considering we are moving into the full moon spring tides. Vadim capitalised and was super chuffed when he landed his 1st Bumpy, whilst Andre managed to land his 1st Triggerfish. The Bonefish too were around in great numbers tailing in skinny water, the fish which averaged a respectable 6lbs keeping the reels singing and the chaps happy!
The rest of the week was nothing short of crazy with some impressive fish coming to hand. Andre had returned to the atoll for more of the addiction and promptly cashed in with a beautiful 107cm GT. Randy who had also returned from a recent trip followed suit, this time however landing the fish of a lifetime which measured 125cm. It did not stop there, not by a long shot.
This exciting session did however set the tone for the week and with all our guests being first time visitors to Farquhar we knew they were in for a treat. Petro managed to land a GT of 105cm and another of 77cm. He also had fun catching large numbers of Bones, a Picasso Trigger and some impressive grouper and snapper species.
His good friend Daniele racked up good numbers of Bones throughout the week. He also got to tussle with a few GTs (some winning the battle) but he did end up with two solid fish, an a 87cm and 78cm. He also landed a decent Moustache Trigger of 51cm and on the final day he got a decent Napoleon Wrasse who shattered his rod into 7 pieces…good news being he still landed the fish.
As the week progressed the wind remained low and direction constant which meant there was an inevitable build-up of warm water. Drifting over likely spots gave us opportunities to cover water and find fish ….and find fish we did. Most of the of the GTs landed this week were spotted swimming on sting rays and sharks. There were some free swimming targets though, Bill’s 78cm and 82cm GTs both sighted cruising on their own. On top of these great fish, Bill got to sample the huge variety of species on the atoll as he landed numerous different species including a huge 80cm Boha Snapper. His good friend Charlie also got stuck into some Farquhar specials including an 80cm GT, some good Bones and a host of other species.
There were really high numbers of Bones around on the atoll this week, including some big singles and doubles. Kay and Sharon got stuck into the big bones recording catches of 66 and 67cm bones respectively, Luigi also getting in on the action with a solid 57cm Bonefish. Kay had a great weak and demonstrated some great fishing skills as she landed two GT’s for the week, including a 95cm fish which was spotted on top of a ray. Sharon landed some truly special fish as well, including a 50cm Permit as well as 91cm ,77cm & 70cm GT’s.
Always a pleasant surprise, good numbers of Golden Trevally were seen on the atoll during the week. Although a few of them came unstuck, Sharon stuck hers good and landed a 60cm fish that couldn’t resist a crab pattern. Michele and Matteo experienced a great session for them in particular, between them landing some beautiful specimens including fish of 81cm, 80cm and 71cm. Michele had really fished well, on top of the Golden she got, she landed four GT’s for the week (82cm,72cm,68cm and a 67cm) as well as the only recorded Indian Mirror Trevally on fly.
Amongst a bunch of other species, Matteo landed a solid 82cm GT which had been spotted cruising the surf, whilst Sandro had an impressive week landing good numbers of Bones, three GTs (the biggest 93cm), a really nice Bluefin and a memorable Napoleon wrasse. All in all, a superb week of fishing on Farquhar with a diverse range of species landed and some impressive catches.
Our second group of guests for the season were a bunch of great guys led by Peter McLeod of Aardvark McLeod. The week started off exceptionally well, with good numbers of GTs landed on the first day. A big congrats to Igor for landing his first GT on fly, the fish measuring a solid 85cm. George too joined the GT club soon after, landing a few great Triggerfish as well to get his trip underway.
The weather and fishing for the rest of the week was great, with solid numbers of fish coming to hand. Mark, Peter and Igor all managed to get Triggerfish Slams, the huge numbers of them tailing across the flats throughout week providing some exceptional fishing. The Bumpy fishing was also really good with large numbers hooked and Brummy, Peter, Mark and Joern all managing to landing their first Bumphead before the trip was done.
Although not advertised as a Bonefish venue, Providence can provide some spectacular Bonefishing for some very large fish. We experienced some great skinny water action this week with some solid fish coming to the net, including a stonker of 10lbs which was landed by Mark. Congrats!
Two very special GT’s were landed during the week in between the solid numbers, Alex’s well-conditioned fish of 108cm taken on the second day of the week and Joern’s 123cm fish of lifetime once again showing that in terms of average size and one’s chance of landing a real trophy, Providence is right up there as one of the finest GT fisheries on the planet. Well done guys!
Two Sailfish were also landed this week which added a nice touch to the species count. Although the Milkies were around in small numbers this week, Fred managed to get stuck into a solid fish in stoppage time and tick off a species that has been playing on his mind for a few years now. Congrats Fred! Overall the species fishing was incredible, the highlight of the week however being Joern’s mature Saddleback Grouper which was pulled off a coral head in a remote lagoon on the eastern side.
Despite some really tough weather conditions during first trip of 2018, our guests still enjoyed some incredible fishing for many of the notorious species Providence. A large majority of our guests landed their first ever GT’s on the flat, the guys who have caught them before adding to their tallies. Of special mention were David’s 102cm, Bowen’s 101cm, Gerhard’s 102cm, Tony’s 104cm, Terry’s 100cm & 101cm fish all adding to the 75 fish landed during the week. It was Jim however who in particular showed some great angling skills and was rewarded with four fish over a meter during his time on the atoll, his fish measuring 102cm, 104cm, 105cm & 108cm. Great fishing!
On the species front, Mike and Terry landed two Triggers each during a morning session, whilst Jim landed his first ever Yellow-margin Triggerfish. Gerhard and Mike landed added to our Trigger tally, landing two and three respectively before the end of the trip. On the bumpy front, Jim landed a good one, but it was Bowen who made the biggest impact with our large green friends, landing three during his time on the flats.
We also enjoyed an incredible day of had an incredible day of Bonefishing, landing good numbers of fish, Chase landing our largest of 9lbs. So despite some really tricky sight fishing conditions we still enjoyed some great fishing, the below numbers registered on our catch cards:
