Flats Fishing - FlyCastaway

St Brandon Blog: 3 – 13 September 2024

It’s that time of year again! Big bones, tailing Permit, monster Bluefin and hopefully so humongous GT’s. Welcome to St Brandon and our opening week of the Sept – Nov 2024 season where we welcomed a group of very eager anglers.

The week started off with some really strong wind which made things challenging despite some perfect ice cold blue water, however later in the week the weather settled and the fishing conditions became a bit easier. Tidal wise we were moving away from springs and into the neaps.

On the Bonefish front, we found good numbers on the flats during the first couple of days, with fish swimming in singles and doubles in some skinny water which is always really nice. Some of the fish were however a bit spooky (potentially the numbers of other predatory fish around), not letting us and the anglers get close to them. As such, the casts had to be long and accurate to convince them to eat the fly. Later in the week the Bones started schooling up in smaller pods of 5 -10 fish, our anglers managing to get a couple of nice fish throughout the week. Average size ranged around 5/6sbs, with the largest fish for the week being a solid 8 pounder.

The Permit fishing was really good this week, with plenty of fish around. We saw a lot of them in pods of 3-6 fish, whether they were tailing along an island or a submerged flat. Rob had a great time this week, landing three during his week on the atoll, the largest a beautiful 11.5 lbs prize. Brian also managed to get one and so too did Dave, his Yellow Permit coming through on the final day. Well done guys!!!

The Trevally fishing was tough this week. We saw a lot of big Bluefins cruising along the flats and the coral ridges, but for some reason most wanted nothing to do with our flies. We managed to convince a few though, the average size ranging between 60cm and 70cm. We did also see some big GT’s but unfortunately none were converted.No doubt the trevally fishing will get better as the season moves on and the water warms up.

To sum up the week, we had a ton load of fun with a great group of guests, and although conditions didn’t make it easy, we’re very optimistic for what lies ahead. We have spring tides up next and the weather forecast looks promising…until next week!

The St B Guide Team

Catch Tally:

Bonefish: 91
Permit: 5
Bluefin’s: 6
GT’s: 0

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 28 May – 7 June 2024

Here we are in the last week of our April-June ‘24 St Brandon’s season as we welcome excited guests from Scotland. The weather for the week brought heavy winds blowing out of the south and south east as well as multiple squalls blowing over the atoll which made the fishing a bit trickier to start with. The tides for the week saw the neaps heading into springs which will mean slightly spending less time on the shallower flats and shifting our focus more to the islands and other high lying areas of the Atoll.

The Bonefishing for the week started off with a bang as multiple good size fish were seen. There were some skinny water bonefishing opportunities at the start of the week during the afternoon dropping tides which made for some exciting fishing. As the week progressed, we shifted our focus more to the islands and coral ridges due to the higher tides we would be fishing this week. The guests managed to land good numbers of bones in those areas. Some good fish were caught during the week with our average size being between 5 lb and 8lb, with our biggest of the week being 3 beautiful fish ticking the scale to just over the 8.5lb mark.

The Permit fishing this week got off to a slower start with fewer fish seen cruising the flats at the beginning of the week. We did however manage to find more fish around the islands and ridges as the guests enjoyed some good opportunities at happy, tailing fish. As the week progressed we were finding good numbers of Permit and Chaz managed to hook up to a beautiful Permit weighing in at just over 8.5lb, he was over the moon as this was his first ever Permit and he has pursued them for a long time. On the final day of the week, Johnny got in on the permit action landing a fin-perfect Permit weighing in at an impressive 12lb while fishing a flat just behind our home island.

With the cooler water around this time of year the Bluefin Trevally and Gt fishing was once again on the slower side this week. we found ourselves exploring further south looking for them around islands and coral ridges although we were not finding them in the numbers we usually do. We do however expect to see them in much greater numbers in the coming September- November season especially as that season progresses.

And so our April-June ‘24 draws to a close. Our final week on the atoll sees us end the season off on a high with happy anglers setting sail back to the mainland. We are very excited to see what the next season has instore for us out on this beautiful piece of heaven we call St Brandon’s Atoll. from the Flycastaway guide team we would like to thank all our guests who joined us this past season and we look forward to hosting you out there with us again in the near future.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 74
Indo-Pacific Permit- 2 (1x 12lb)
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

Flycastaway Guide Team

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 21 – 31 May 2024

We start the penultimate week of our season, welcoming three new guests and our good friend Terry doing his third week with us on the atoll. As we move from springs into neap tides the water temperature has remained nice and cool, an encouraging sign as we can expect to see more fish up on the flats tailing and feeding. There were some big squalls which came through during the first couple of days with high southerly winds blowing between 25 and 35 knots. This made casting a bit more of a challenge initially. However as the week progressed the skies cleared and the wind calmed, leading to some great fishing.

The cooler temperatures meant that there was a vast improvement in the Bonefishing compared to the previous week. There were many fish seen cruising happily over the flats and feeding in ankle deep water making for some exciting eats as the anglers managed to get into some good numbers of fish. This week we definitely saw more fish on the flats swimming in small pods of 2-4 fish with some large singles also spotted. The average size fish this week was between 5lb-7lb with a couple of 8.5lb and 9lb Bones caught by our anglers. On the last day of the week, Dale hooked into to a beautiful skinny water bone weighing in just over the 9.5lb mark making it the biggest for the week

The guests experienced some great shots at the Atolls Permit this week with everyone getting numerous shots everyday. There were very good numbers of Permit seen around the flats, ridges and islands. Earlier in the week we saw multiple happy fish as they tailed and fed in calf to knee deep water, making for some exciting moments for our anglers. Terry landed yet another beautiful permit of 9lb on the first day of the week. As the week progressed there were many more good opportunities presented to our anglers, and on the last afternoon of the trip Terry managed to end off his stay with a fin perfect 3 lb fish caught on the shallow sand flat.

The Trevally fishing continued to be slow this week although there were some big Bluefin seen around the islands and coral ridges. The guests put in some great shots but unfortunately there were no fish landed. There were also very few GT’s seen around the atoll this week.

We end our 8th week of the season on a high with an action packed last day and happy anglers. The cool wind continues to blow steadily from the east and the water temperatures are down. We move from neap tides into springs for the final week of the season and we expect to spend more time around the islands and higher ridges. Lets see what our last week of the season holds…

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 103
Indo-Pacific Permit-2

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 14 – 24 May 2024

Our 7th week of the season is here and we greet our new guests arriving from Zimbabwe and Germany with Terry entering his second of three weeks with us. The week started off with very high winds blowing out of the south east accompanied with heavy rain. The tidal cycle moves from neaps into springs as we expect to spend more time around the islands, ridges and higher lying areas.

The Bonefishing proved to be slightly tougher than the previous week, with not as many fish seen on the flats and more fish schooled up in the deeper sections. The rough, choppy weather due to the high winds resulted in the Bones being a bit more spooky and reluctant to move up into shallower water making it challenging for the anglers to get close to them to make a good presentation. This did not deter the guests however as they made the best of the conditions still landing some good fish throughout the week. The average Bonefish landed for the week was between 5lb and 7lb with some fish reaching the 8lb mark.

The wild conditions also had an impact on our Permit fishing. There were fish seen around the islands and ridges as we moved into the spring tides but they were on high alert and were acting similar to the bonefish often staying just out of reach. As the week proceeded and the weather improved there were more opportunities to cast at happy, tailing fish. Some guests did have a couple of great shots at fish resulting in follows and even the odd eat from a Permit but unfortunately there were no conversions.

The GT and Bluefin fishing was again tough this week with only a couple of trevallies seen around the Atoll. The fish that were seen during the week were big but unfortunately the opportunities to make a good presentation to them were very few and far between. Even though the fishing was tough for the GT’s and Bluefin it is still exciting to watch as they crash into baitfish and terrorise the bonefish schools on the flats.

The conditions this week proved to be very challenging due to the unsettled weather. On a positive note this has kept the flats cool and once the weather settles down a bit we expect the fish to be hungry and moving back up onto the flats,ridges and around the islands. The prevailing south easter is in full swing as is standard for this time of year increasing the chances of finding some larger bonefish. Let’s see what’s to come…

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 31
Bluefin Trevally- 2

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

: KODAK Digital Still Camera

: KODAK Digital Still Camera

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 7 – 17 May 2024

The 6th week of the season kicked off with guests arriving from the United States and Australia. This week we move away from new moon springs and go back into neap tides, these tides generally bring more fish onto the flats while also allowing us more time on the flats due to the less water movement around the Atoll. The wind for the week started off very strong, blowing out of the south east resulting in cool water flushing onto the flats, although it did make casting and presenting a fly a little bit difficult.

The bone fishing was off to a cracking start with many big fish seen tailing in skinny water and feeding happily on whatever was presented to them. Vince had a great start to his trip and with his first cast he landed the week’s first 10lb Bonefish! As the week went on, the bone fishing continued to be outstanding with many fish spotted and caught by our group of anglers. On the third day of the week, anglers Jeff and Terry both managed to land true monsters, with their fish pushing the scale over the 13lb mark ! On the 5th day of the week, Steve also got in on the big bonefish action, landing a beautiful double digit bone which was also just over the 13lb mark. The bone fishing this week was truly a sight to behold with the anglers getting into good numbers every day and the average fish weighing in between 6lb and 9lb.

The guests also enjoyed some phenomenal Permit fishing this week as we saw good numbers of fish around the flats during the pushing tides as well as the high tides around the islands and ridges. On the third day of the week, Alec landed a beautiful 14lb Indo-Pacific Permit during a slow pushing tide in the morning. The fish was sitting stationary on a turtle grass edge, Alec put in the perfect cast and with one strip his line went tight. He wasn’t quite done however as on the fourth day he landed another two Permit of 7lb and 12lb respectively, and yet another on the 5th day of just over the 7lb mark. As we moved into the neap tides there were multiple Permit spotted on turtle grass flats and cruising the edges of sand flats along depressions and cuts. On the last day of the week, Terry managed to open his Permit account landing a solid 8lb fish.

The Trevally fishing this week was once again a little bit slower which is normal for this time of year. A couple of big GT’s were seen around the Atoll with fewer Bluefin hunting around the higher lying areas compared to previous weeks. On the third day of the week however, Jeff had some amazing GT action hooking 4 fish in quick succession but unfortunately not getting a good hook set resulting in the fish having the final say.

The fishing this week was nothing short of spectacular with our guests experiencing what St Brandon’s truly has to offer. The conditions are prime with cool water and the prevailing wind constantly pushing cold, oxygenated water across the atoll. This has the guide team extremely excited to see what the next few weeks will bring us. We await our new clients arriving as the neap tides end and we move back into springs again.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 272 (1x 10lb, 3x 13 lb+)
Indo-Pacific Permit- 5 (2x 10 lb+)
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 30 April – 10 May 2024

We have reached the halfway mark of the season, hosting our two eager guests from the United States and South Africa. The tides for the week will see us moving back into springs where we expect to see more action around the islands with slightly shorter windows of opportunity on the flats. Our wind direction has shifted slightly from the previous weeks being more from the south as opposed to the prevailing south easterly.

The bonefishing got off to a tougher start than the previous weeks with the fish sitting a bit deeper than usual, schooled up in high numbers and reluctant to move up onto the flats. We still managed to find some nice skinny water tailing fish during the first couple of days on the afternoon dropping tide. There were big pods of bones surrounding the islands and coral ridges with the guests making the most of the situation, targeting fish on the edges, picking out the biggest ones from the schools. As the week progressed the bones started moving into the shallower sandy sections of the flats with some larger fish seen. Our average Bonefish for the week was between 5 lb-7lb with the biggest coming in at just over the 8lb mark.

The atoll’s famous Indo-Pacific Permit were out and about during the higher water and feeding happily on the coral ridges and islands. Many good fish were seen in various scenarios and our anglers had some great shots, often making pin-point casts but the fish just did not want to play ball. On the last day of the trip, Brent’s persistence was rewarded when he finally landed his first Permit, and to top it all off he hooked and landed a second shortly after that ending his trip on high.

With the higher tides and increased current through the Atoll, good numbers of bluefin were seen herding bait around the islands and sand spits. There unfortunately weren’t as many GT’s around but the few we did see were big! On the second day of the week Bill had a great opportunity at a true giant but just couldn’t get the right shot in as the fish started sliding away into deeper water following a big Nurse shark.

We end our week with the tides moving from springs into neaps. This should give us more time on the flats in the coming week, allowing us to target Bonefish and Permit for longer periods. With the cooler water temperatures around we feel the fishing will continue to improve as the season progresses and we are looking forward to what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 24
Indo-Pacific Permit- 2
Goldens:- 1

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 23 April – 3 May 2024

The cooler water from the previous week continued into the fourth week of our season. The flats were teaming with life and our prevailing south easterly wind seemed to keep the fish happy. This week sees the tides moving out of springs into neap tides, allowing for more time on the flats targeting skinny water bonefish and tailing Indo-Pacific Permit.

The Bonefishing kicked off with many fish seen around the shallower sections of the Atoll. Although there were fewer fish seen in ankle deep water, areas with a depth below the knees made for some exciting opportunities at beautiful singles and double feeding scenarios. Micheal upgraded on his 8lb fish from the previous week landing the first double digit bone of the week which tipped the scales at just over the magical 10lb mark. The big bones were around during the week with our average fish being between 6.5lb-8lb and some fish exceeding the 9lb mark. As the week progressed and we moved into the neap tides, more big bones were seen on the flats which made for some exciting angling opportunities for our guests.

There was once again multiple Permit seen on the flats and around the islands although they proved to be quite tricky as it seemed as they were simply ignoring the flies that were presented to them. The guests had some good opportunities at tailing and feeding fish throughout the week. Michael made the most of a really great shot landing his fist Indo-Pacific Permit, a fish that had been on his bucket list for a while. He was over the moon when his 7lb fish came to hand. On the fourth day of the week, Stefan hooked into a beautiful 10.5lb permit, the excitement was through the roof as the fish slid into the net. On the last day of the week, Alex upgraded on his fish from the previous week landing a solid Permit pushing the scale just over the 12lb mark.

The Trevally fishing was a bit on the slower end this week with the tides slowing down and less water moving around. There were still multiple big Bluefin around the surf zones and the coral ridges, but they too seemed to be more focused on the baitfish than the guest’s flies. Stephan managed to get a couple of nice bluefins during the first couple of days of the week ranging from 50cm – 65cm in length. The atoll’s large GT’s were seen around a few of the southern sand spits but unfortunately the shots proved a little too tough to convert.

With our neap tides coming to an end this week and our next week starting with springs we hope to see some more Trevally around the islands, as well as some more Permit and Bonefish action on the flats. The temperatures on the flats continue to stay optimal with our prevailing south easterly winds keeping the water cool.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 158(1x 10lb)
Indo-Pacific Permit- 3 ( 1×10.5lb , 1x12lb )
Bluefin Trevally- 10
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 16 – 26 April 2024

Our third week of the season saw us welcome our good friends from Austria for another back to back, 14 day fishing experience on St Brandon’s. The week started off with a lot of rain and high winds, making the fishing conditions a bit tough to start off with. however This did not deter the anglers as spirits were high and they were all looking forward to finding good numbers of bonefish, Indo-Pacific Permit and any trevally species the Atoll has to offer. This week saw us fishing the back end of the neaps as they head into spring tides. This meant the bulk of the fishing would be taking place around island flats and high spots moving back to the shallow areas later in the week.

The conditions meant that the bonefish were a bit shy during the first couple of days with the high winds and rain also making it tough to both see and present to fish. As soon as the weather cleared a bit and the wind calmed down we started seeing the fish doing their thing around the flats and the islands. The week saw a lot of the bone fishing happening in knee to mid thigh depth with the odd fish seen tailing in shallower water around higher lying areas. There were multiple Bones caught ranging between 5 lb – 7lb with the biggest fish caught the week by Michael weighing in at 8lb on the dot.

The higher water during the middle parts of the day meant that the islands, coral ridges and high lying flats and sand bars fished well for permit. As the light improved it made it somewhat easier to spot the fish, but the permit proved to stay step ahead of the anglers, proving to be very technical. There were many good casts made at happy fish but the guests could not convert as many as they would have liked. On the third day of the week however, Alex connected with a stunning Permit of 5lb during his afternoon session.

With the increase of water movement due to the stronger spring tide, there were more trevally species seen hunting around the coral ridges and islands. There were multiple Bluefin caught ranging from 40cm-70cm in length.This week also saw our first golden trevally landed for the season with Alex landing a strong 6lb fish. A few big GT’s were spotted around the atoll during the week and Klaus made the most of his opportunity, landing a 74cm GT on one of the western sand spits.

As this group’s first week draws to an end it sees the tides moving from springs into neaps. This will definitely excite the anglers because going forward we will have more time wading the flats in ankle deep water looking for tailing bones. The water temps were good throughout the week with all the rain and wind cooling down the flats. If the cold water sticks around we can expect an action packed week to come.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 96
Indo-Pacific Permit- 1
GTs- 1
Bluefin Trevally-6
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

St Brandon Blog: 9 – 19 April 2024

We started our second week of the season with the weather being slightly on the warmer side, hoping for a big southeastern wind to come through the atoll and cool the water down. This week we fished the spring tides as they started moving into neap tides, meaning we could expect a bit more skinny water fishing on the flats during the long low tides in the late mornings and early afternoons.

The bone fishing was off to a good start, with us seeing more fish on the flats than the previous week. The guests were able to target more fish in single and double feeding scenarios and it was clear that there were some big ones out and about feeding happily in the skinny water. There were multiple fish landed during the week in the 7-8lb range as the tally of fish landed reached the triple digit mark. Guests Mark and Peter started off their week with a bang, both hooking into beautiful 10lb and 10.5lb bonefish respectively. What a way to start your second week on the Atoll! A double digit bone is not something you see everyday so for our anglers to double up on these prize fish is truly something special. It once again shows just what a phenomenal Bonefish fishery St Brandon’s is!

The permit fishing remained consistent into the second week as there were many fish spotted feeding and tailing around the many rocky ridges and islands scattered across the atoll. Even more Permit were seen on the flats and the guests enjoyed multiple opportunities at these fickle yet rewarding fish. Andrew opened his permit account with a solid 6lb fish. Peter, carrying on where he left off in the previous week, connected with a beautiful 11lb Indo-Pacific Permit on the first day, and with his last cast of day 3 he landed yet another double digit fish which weighed in at 10lb.

The trevally fishing was on the tougher side this week. There were a couple of solid Bluefin seen smashing into schools of bait in the southern side of the atoll, but unfortunately the shots proved to be tricky, meaning few were converted. The rush for the Giant Trevally still keeps us up at night as we once again saw some very large fish cruising the flats and lagoons, so it is just a matter of time before an angler connects with one of these brutes!

We end the week feeling positive and are looking forward to the rest of the season as the wind from the south east picks up, cooling the water down and keeping the fish happy. It was very positive to see good numbers of large Bonefish on the flats this week, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 100 (2 of 10 lb+)
Indo-Pacific Permit- 3 (2 of 10 lb+)
Bluefin- 3

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

Older posts

Newer posts

Providence Blog: 23 – 30 April 2024

Welcome to our final fishing report for our Mar-Apr 2024 Providence fly fishing season. This week saw us welcome a mixed group of anglers from New Zealand and America. Along with Jim and Watts who were lucky enough to be beginning the second of their 2 week stay with us.

Our first day on the flats proved to be tricky due to dark clouds, severe wind, and torrential rain. The shorts we were afforded for the GTs were often last minute as the fish snuck up on us out of the dark light and unfortunately resulted in a blank day for our group. Nevertheless, we made the most of the time we had on the water and went to town on the various Grouper and Snapper found throughout the atoll’s coral gardens. A tough day for the atoll’s iconic species but still a fun one on the species front.

The second day saw us enjoy a marked improvement on the weather front with mild wind and decent sunlight for most of the day. Ben got things underway on the flats early on, and although this was his first-ever saltwater fly fishing experience, he managed to hook and land his first Bumphead Parrotfish. A fantastic achievement, well done, Ben! Jim found himself in the action, converting a feisty GT that was found while it swam alongside a stingray. Natalie and Sergey happened upon a rich vein of life in another area of the atoll and managed to land 2 & 1 GTs respectively. Great job, everyone!

The third day treated us to patches of decent sunlight and the odd cloud burst. We encountered several large GTs during our time on the flats but unfortunately, these fish didn’t come to hand. Jim, again in the action, this time fooling a decent GT as it bow waked along a turtle grass flat. Gene, top rod on day 3, had an exciting scenario unfold while waiting in ambush during the early stages of the incoming tide… A school of roughly 15 GTs swimming high and jet black in colour slowly drifted into his position. His fly went down and all hell broke loose when the school recognised his fly as food. After a massive explosion of mud and water, he was tight and following a long battle, he eventually landed a powerful 90cm GT! A little later in the day, Gene found himself in the action again, this time pinning a lively GT off a stingray.

The fourth day had us in the doldrums on the weather front with heavy rain and exceptionally dark clouds for the whole day. Despite this, the atoll was still beautiful and we could not help but feel like real trophy GT might pop up in front of us at any moment… And this is exactly what happened, we crossed paths with several giants but sadly, we were unable to convert these opportunities. Ben was the only angler on this day to taste success on the GT front, and a sweet moment of success it was indeed, his first ever Giant Trevally on the flats. Great work, Ben, we’re sure you’ll remember this for years to come!

The fifth day delivered the kind of action that we’re used to seeing on the flats of Providence. With schools of tailing GTs as well as large single fish encountered during all hours of the day. Mike enjoyed a stellar day on the flats landing 3 GTs himself. The largest of these an impressive 101cm was fooled into eating his fly as a large school of 30 or so GTs tore past him on the falling tide. This powerful fish took loads of backing and gave an exceptional account for itself before it was eventually landed. Josh and his brother, Jack, enjoyed a special moment together, landing a decent GT each. Natalie, while fishing for Bumpies, noticed an imposter in the middle of the school. A quick change of rods, s1 cast and a few strips resulted in success, this time a trophy GT of 106cm! A great catch and another moment of magic from our favourite flats in Seychelles. On the tailing species front, Jim landed the only Bonefish for the day.

The sixth and final day of our fly fishing season saw the weather take a turn for the worse, with an incredible amount of rain. These blankets of water fell on us for hours at a time and made things tricky, to say the least. We weren’t deterred though and with our spirits still high we persisted and the catches came in droves. Brothers, Josh and Ben, enjoyed a flurry of action with fish tailing and bow waking all over their flat. They eventually managed to land 2 each. The team fishing team of Watts, Jim, and Mike enjoyed action for most of the day and eventually managed to end with returns of 2, 2, & 1 respectively. Gene finished his trip with us in style by bringing 2 GTs to hand while his boat partner John enjoyed a moment that we all dream of experiencing ourselves… While waiting on the end of a lagoon, a large GT happened upon his position and with a quick cast and a couple of strips he managed to hook and eventually land a GT of 116cm! A fantastic catch to close off our season on Providence for the first half of 2024. Great Job, John!

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed fishing with this group and although the weather gods were certainly not on our side, we managed to come away with some very respectable catches. On that note, our catch tally for the 8th week of our season was: