Farquhar Blog: 25 Nov – 2 Dec 2016

Our final week on Farquhar during 2015 season brought with it a superb group of people courtesy of our good friends at the Fly Shop http://www.flyshop.com. The group included John Kosinski, John Le Claire, Richard Clark, Tony Schopf, Tola Chin, Doug McLean Grace, Rich Hohne the Marketing Director for Simms http://www.simmsfishing.com and finally tour leader Ross Purnell, editor of The Fly Fisherman magazine http://www.flyfisherman.com. We were blessed with superb weather throughout the week, clear skies with moderate winds allowing for some exciting sight fishing on Farquhar’s flats.

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The last week of the season turned out to be a special one for our Bonefish enthusiasts and set the tone for the fishing in general for week. The first day of the week saw guide Justin Rollingson put his guests Tony & Doug i_nto multiple fish, the biggest being a fish of 10lb landed by Tony who was both humbled and ecstatic by the fish and the experience.

The GTs were out and about this week with a good number of fish spotted on the flats. Tola Chin landed the first GT of the week with a fish of 80cm on the first day. Richard Hohne landed 3 GT’s, his biggest being a fish of 82cm which was landed after fearlessly approaching a pair of large Lemon Sharks who were feeding in the middle of the flat. Rich made a fantastic cast and with a few fast strips a GT rushed out from behind the sharks to inhale the 6/0 GT Brush Fly. He set the hook and held on while the fish tore into his backing. After a hard fight the fish was landed, photographed and released! The largest GT landed on our last week of operation for 2015 was a fish of 91cm, hooked and landed by Doug who was thrilled by the experience. A total of 11 GT’s were landed for the week. As for the other Trevally species on offer, the Bluefin Trevally provided great sport for our anglers with a handful landed everyday of week 8. A single monster Golden Trevally was landed during the trip, John Le Claire with an awesome fish of 83cm that he hooked and landed on an 8wt. Well done John!

The Bumpies were seen tailing on multiple flats throughout the trip. A fish species that keeps both guides and guests enthralled, at times we were challenged without answer. That being said, three lucky anglers managed to experience the thrill of hooking and landing the incredible Bumphead Parrotfish. Ross Purnell & Richard Clark each landed their first ever Bumpies on fly, however a special mention must go out to John Le Claire who hooked and landed an incredible fish of 119 cm. Any Bumpie is a trophy, but a fish of 119 cm is an absolute monster! Not only did John land the biggest Bumpie this week but he bagged the first Bumpie Slam on Farquhar for our 2015/2016 season. A GT, Bumpie and Bonefish all landed in one day, an incredible feat and a super special day for both Head Guide Matt Cosson & himself.

The Sailfish were still around, with a fair few fish raised to the boat. Unfortunately the only fish hooked did not come to hand after it threw the hook with a series of acrobatic displays. Our “Bombie Bashing” produced some fantastic fishing, with huge Grouper landed on fly this week. These fish that are filled with color are dogged fighters who power straight back to their hole in the coral once hooked. One has to hold on and not give an inch if you’re going to pull him away…such awesome fun! Richard Clark and Tola Chin experienced this first hand and landed some serious specimens. Tola didn’t waste time racking up his species count, bagging a good sized Yellow-Margin Trigger as well as an awesome Giant Triggerfish. Both fish fell to fantastic casts whilst tailing in super skinny water. It was a joy to watch!

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And so our final week of the season proved to be an exceptional one, with GT’s, Bumpies, Triggerfish, Golden Trevally, large Bonefish, big Grouper & many other species of sporting fish landed on the fly. All in all an incredible week, one thoroughly enjoyed by our guests as well as our guides.

Until next season

The Farquhar Guide Team

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St Brandon’s Blog: 11-20 Nov 2015

On arrival at St Brandon’s we were greeted by extremely calm conditions and a starlit night sky. The first day subsequently started off with a bang, all the guests managing to land their fix of Bones while getting a few shots at some big Permit in-between! Jeff made the most of his opportunities placing the fly two feet in front of a group of small Permit. He tightened up and set the hook. After a valiant struggle our first Permit for the trip made it’s way into the guide’s net! Not massive by any means but an Indo-Pacific nonetheless and a fish to be cherished! After a few photos the fish sped off and we took some time to reflect on what a special place St B really is. Not a bad out by any means!

Day two saw more extremely calm conditions and no clouds to speak of. Great weather, but knowing the atoll this can make fishing challenging by its high standards. As it turned out, the fish were quite spooky but that did not stop everyone from climbing into some solid shallow water speedsters. Matt Hammond in particular got stuck several good-sized Bonefish! In addition plenty of Permit were seen tailing throughout the day, however with no cover and no chop the fish were super aware and not having any of it!

Day three saw some exciting skinny water Bonefishing, specifically where there was an influx of cool ocean water over the flats. Becca and Harry Murphy reveled in some technical skinny water Bonefishing, whilst Matt Hammond managed to land his first St Brandon’s Permit after a small group of them were spotted trailing a stingray. It took a few casts and a fly change before one of the fish broke away from the ray and ate the fly. Awesome!

Day four saw a fair amount of high water on the flats. This saw the Bluefin Trevally piling up on the coral ridges. Brian O’Keefe experienced the impressive power and stamina of a large Bluefin after it demolished his fly and tore off into the surf. A extremely experienced angler Brian used some low rod angles to break the fish’s spirit and land his prize. Despite the high water there were still some very good Bones around, Brian Jarvis managing to land a stunning 27-inch brute.

Our second last day was pretty eventful! Brian O’Keefe made a few perfect casts at some big GT’s hanging around “Bi Polar” but for some reason the fish just would not commit much to our frustration! After stalking a Permit for a good 10 minutes, Jeff was ready to take the shot. The fly landed and sank down to the broken coral bottom. The current swung the fly right into the fish’s feeding zone that was about 3ft away from the fish’s head. The line however was yanked pulled out of Jeffs hand prematurely as a Needlefish picked up the fly!!!!! The Permit spooked and the rest is history. BLEAK!!!! Dave from Alaska had some good chances at a big tailing Permit in amongst a school of Bonefish but sadly he didn’t connect. A very enjoyable day out, despite the near misses and as usual the Bonefish ensured there was still some good fish landed throughout.

By day six everyone was fairly jaded, nonetheless everyone strapped on their boots and jumped on their guides’ skiff for the day to give it one last day of effort. With very little water movement the Bonefish seemed fairly relaxed on the flats but were still proved quite picky. Becca however managed a beautiful 8lb bonefish, which was real highlight and most deserved! Dave on the other side of the scale experienced GT fishing ST Brandon’s style. A big Nurse Shark was spotted feeding in the surf zone. Dave jumped off the boat and chased the fish on foot. Once he was in line with the fish he made the cast. First strip and the fish engulfed the fly. Sadly however this is where it all went wrong, as the fly obviously never made a solid connection and just popped out! Gutted!

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The last morning saw everyone get stuck into some good sized Bonefish, which in turn was a fitting end to the trip and another hugely successful season on the atoll! In addition Dave did however manage some revenge on the Trevally, a beautiful Bluefin Trevally coming to hand!

Becca, Harry, Brian, Jarvis, Jeff, Dave and Matt. It was an absolute pleasure to fish with you all. We hope to see you guys in the near future.

Lastly, a big thank you goes out to Brian O Keefe for providing some outstanding images!!!!

Until next season.

St Brandon’s Guide Team

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Farquhar Blog: 4 -11 Nov 2015

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We welcomed a group of anglers who were busy doing a very special trip, fishing Providence Atoll 50 km away the week earlier and now Farquhar. Picking up from where they left off on Providence proved challenging however as a large low-pressure system continued to hag about. This resulted in winds gusting up to 35 knots and together with the continued cloud cover made the fishing tougher than all of us had hoped for. Nonetheless we gave it every effort and in the end we were rewarded with some good fish!

We experienced some great Bonefish fishing during the course of the week, the cool water no doubt enticing good numbers of them into the shallows to feed. Whether it was fishing to shoals or the classic singles and doubles, many quality specimens were landed. Some fish tipped the scales at the 8lb mark, however the week’s average being a very solid 4 pounds.

Jonathan, Don and Richard capitalized on the GT opportunities that were presented landed a GT a piece. The biggest fish coming agonizingly close to the magical meter mark I.e. 93cm. Opportunities to cast at more GT’s were definitely there, however the tough weather conditions made it tough for our guests to get the fly into the “kill zone”.Rob, Judah and Dennis did however manage to get some good fish offshore, their biggest coming in at an impressive 121cm.

With the ever-present low pressure hanging over the atoll, a voice in the back of every guide’s head screamed Permit. These special fish are known to feed with more intent when conditions are less than favorable so we kept a close eye on the usual spots. Bill and Tom have travelled to some top destinations targeting Permit, however the Indo-Pacific permit until now has eluded them. Witnessing the joy on their faces after each landed their first Indo-Pacific Permit was therefore a massive privilege. Congratulations to you both on your “Holy Grail’s”.

Seasoned anglers Richard and Tim focused their attention on the numerous Triggerfish we are privileged to have on the atoll. The finesse and subtlety required when presenting a crab pattern to theses illusive specimens is next level and highly addictive! The fish would follow the fly, tail on the fly…in truth do everything except get a hook in their mouths. Frustrating for sure, but a perfect example as to why they are so highly prized when they do come to hand.

So despite some really nasty conditions, some good catches and fun times were enjoyed by our group. Thank you to all of you for sticking at it…we know at times the conditions made it tough!

Until next week

The Farquhar guide team

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St Brandon’s Blog: 31 Oct – 9 Nov 2015

After a fairly smooth crossing, we woke up to some windy and challenging conditions on day one. The wind however helped to keep the water cool with some of the anglers capitalizing on some epic skinny water Bones that just love these conditions. There were also encounters with some feeding Permit, some of which managed to tail on the fly without us getting a hook set. Tim Lee notched up some large Bluefin Trevally and as such we opened with a pretty good first day out.

Day two was a very different day with the wind settling right down. There was some warm water around in the morning, with the Bones proving very skittish. There were good numbers of Permit around though, with tales of fish eating but coming unstuck early on in the fight relived as we enjoyed dinner on the back deck later that evening. Encounters of GT’s in the surf zone were also experience, sadly though we had no real takers. The afternoon saw some cool water returning and with it some good Bonefish and Permit fishing was enjoyed by all.

The weather really improved on day three, with everyone waking up to sunny skies and a gentle breeze. Unlike many venues, a lack of wind can make the fishing tricky mainly due to the flats. But despite a lack of fireworks, our anglers still managed to notch up good numbers of Bones, a really awesome double from team Argentina earning them a 9 1/2lb and 8lb fish at the same time. The GT’s continued to make an appearance, but sadly we could just not get a conversion. Still a very enjoyable day out and by world standards a very good day of fishing!

Day four saw some unusually calm and sunny weather, and with it an increase in feeding urgency from all the species of fish we encountered. Two anglers joined the revered 10lb club, Nick Lee with a cracking fish on Wave Garrick, and Daniel with a fatty from Julies. Carlos, who was fishing with Chase sadly managed to loose a small Permit at the net, something that might not seem to much of a tragedy for Carlos (he has landed 84 Atlantic Permit to date) but devastating to his guide who had lost too many for comfort this season! Some of the guests experienced some mudding Golden Trevally, unfortunately the flies were constantly stolen by pesky 6-7lb Bones! Where else is a 6lb Bonefish classed as pesky????

Day five was a cracker, with good fishing experienced by all the guests, including multiple encounters with some of St Brandon’s large GT’s. Carlos and Sebastian, along with their guide James, staked out on a large white sand flat at a perfect water level. Oddly enough no GT’s presented themselves, however two large happy Permit, that seemingly had this place to themselves made for some exciting fishing. Some tense moments ensued, including Carlos connecting with one of the fish briefly only to have it come off. Incredibly the fish went right back to feeding and a few casts later Carlos’s extensive Permit experience saw him land Permit number 85 and his very first Indo-Pacific! High fives all round and an epic moment during some perfect conditions.

A change of weather on day six saw some less than stellar conditions return, but with this came the amazing Bonefishing that St Brandon’s is so famous for! All in all a great week was had by all, with just enough GT encounters to plant the seed of obsession, team Argentina particularly inspired to come back and tussle with one or two of St Brandon’s beast Trevally.

Until next week

The St Brandon’s Guide Team

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Providence Part 2: 13-20 October 2015

I try my best to contain my own excitement during the buildup to a trip by not thinking about it too much. If I do it feels as if time just passes too slowly and the agony of waiting to be out on the water can just get to be too much. Over the years I have learned to control it, but despite my best efforts once I have put boots on I’m a lost case. I turn into a gun-dog pre hunt, frothing at the mouth & running in circles chasing my own tail.

During the beginning of the trip, especially the first morning anglers tend to get super excited and everyone wants to be on the water. However after a few days the familiar routine sets in and I go through the motions like a robot. The days are long and exhausting and when we get back after a long day on the flats we wash our tackle, go for a shower, have a drink & dinner and fall over. Your body needs the rest, 10 hours on foot in saltwater under a tropical sun takes it toll. In the morning when we I get up I try to have a quiet cup of coffee before breakfast. My body wakes up slowly, or at least slower than it used to. Before I know it I’m sitting on the back deck again checking my pack and putting my boots on. Once all the guests have left we load the mountains of camera equipment and fishing gear onto the tenders and head for the flats. Miraculously as I step from the skiff and see the first fish the world is suddenly perfect and my body not tired anymore. The next eight hours is usually a blur of looking for fish, catching fish, casting at fish…everything an angler basically dreams of. Its only when the light gets flat and the sun starts bouncing from the ocean surface and I have to pull my bandana over my face that I catch myself thinking about resting. Soon we will be back on the mother ship and the routine will start again. Routine sucks you in!

The first week back on Providence was no different and went past way too quickly. Before we knew it we were back on Farquhar and welcoming a new group of guests onto the Dugong. There were many familiar faces that greeted us including some Providence veterans from years ago. Sadly at the same time we were also greeted by what turned out to be the beginning of one of the worst weather periods we have ever experienced in the Seychelles. Matt Cousson, the Farquhar head guide also joined the guide team for the week and it was good to have him onboard. The last time I saw him was 4 months ago in Costa Rica. As the week progressed the weather deteriorated progressively. The wind became stronger and intermittent overcast conditions made spotting fish difficult. Despite this the group fished hard and landed some memorable fish. In general it seemed there were fewer GT’s on the flats than the week before. Our suspicions were confirmed at the end of the week when we spotted huge numbers of swimming crabs offshore. They make an easy meal for any game fish and pull a lot of fish from the flats, think of it like a massive hatch going of on your favorite trout stream.

The Confluence Films crew kept the pressure on Tim, Camille and myself us and we couldn’t let the tough conditions get to us. We kept fishing hard and I had some of the most memorable fishing I have ever experienced in the Seychelles. Towards the end of the week the physical fatigue started taking its toll. I walked into the saloon on the second last morning whilst everyone was busy kitting up, Camille was sitting in the corner taking a “power nap”, conserving every ounce of energy. I joined her for a few minutes until it was time for us to get ourselves ready. Little did I know that the day ahead would be one of my best ever in the Seychelles.

We started on the south point of Providence North Island where the film crew needed to get some drone shots. As the tide fell we made our way towards the northeastern edge of the atoll and this is where it all happened. Before we even had the boat in position we could see various shoals of Bumphead Parrotfish tailing on the flat. We radioed the camera boat to stay close to us and headed for a secondary cut close to the surf where we wanted to anchor the tender.

I dropped the anchor and looked back up the flat only to see a shoal of Bumpies steadily feeding in our direction. I grabbed a rod and looked for the camera boat, they were still about a hundred yards out, slowly making their way towards us. The fish kept coming closer. They seemed to move quicker than the camera boat and soon were in casting range. If I didn’t take the shot now they would drift into the tender boat and spook. I made one cast and placed the fly on a sandy patch ahead of the fish. Seconds later the shoal moved over the fly and I could see the lead fish distinctively turning on it’s side to inspect the fly before dipping on it. I set the hook and the shoal took of, heading past the boat towards the surf.

The camera boat arrived and just as they had the camera out the hook pulled and the fish was gone. We could see several other shoals of Bumpies and I was confident that soon I’d have another opportunity at one of these incredible fish. I grabbed my 12# from the boat headed down the edge of the secondary cut. I hadn’t walked 20 yards when I saw two big GT’s rushing onto the flat ahead of me. They went a couple of yards up the flat, turned around and wet back into the cut and disappeared over the turtle grass. I called Tim and we both readied our 12# rods and started heading in the direction of the GT’s. Moments later we spotted them, a shoal of about 30 big fish tailing on the turtlegrass bank like Bonefish. We both started casting and soon hooked up to good size fish. They put up a huge fight in the cool water, when we landed they both measured just over the 100cm mark. What memorable fish and an experience to share with one of my best friends.

That seemed to set the tone for the day, Camille hooked several Bumpies and landed her first one. In fact I think she might have landed more than one, there was so much action I cannot recall al the details. I know Tim also landed a Bumpy and I hooked 6 in total and landed 2 for the day. In-between we caught Triggerfish, Yellow Lipped Emperors and other Grouper species. At the end of the day on the way back to the mother ship I realized that Indian Ocean flats fishing simply doesn’t get any better than what we experienced that day. The prolific fish life and multitude of species truly is a fly anglers paradise and we were blessed to experience it at its best.

Needless to say it is great to be back on Providence Atoll. The sheer diversity of species and the scenarios one finds them in making it a rare rare privilege to share!

We look forward to many more days out there in the future, no doubt leading to countless more stories to tell!

Gerhard Laubscher

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Farquhar Blog: 28 Oct – 4 Nov 2015

Week 5 of the Farquhar season started in unusual fashion with our guests arriving a day later than originally planned. Some severe weather resulted in a delay in the flight schedule and a day’s fishing lost. Nonetheless our group for the week hosted by The Urban Angler of New York, USA arrived on Farquhar on Thursday morning with high hopes for their adventure with us.

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Our weather conditions improved dramatically during the course of the week that resulted in favorable fishing conditions. Clear skies and moderate winds were the norm and welcomed by the guide team and guests. The GT fishing was special! Our first full day on the flats was mayhem and saw 24 GT’s landed, 10 fish a piece for Long and Matthew with the husband and wife team of George and Suzanne chipping in with 4 fish. The largest fish landed on day one was hooked and landed by Suzanne, an exceptionally powerful 94cm GT, which was in fact Suzanne’s first saltwater fish, caught on a fly! During the remaining days spent on the flats another 16 fish were landed. In terms of size we sadly could not break the meter mark, however we came close with five fish in measuring over 90cm (94cm, 94cm, 93cm, 93cm and 91cm. Apart from the fish landed, countless more fish were spotted on the flats and a fair few hooked and lost. Considering we only had five days out on the flats these are impressive indeed!

Our Bumbies too kept us busy during the week. Our guests were amazed by the numerous shoals of Bumphead Parrot fish tailing in a multitude of different scenarios, ranging from turbulent surf zones to calm turtle grass flats. With the fishing conditions having improved, we managed good success, with multiple fish hooked and landed. Fergus Kelly and Long Nguyne shared a special day together with each angler successfully landing their first Bumpheads on fly. Suzanne our only lady for the week seriously wanted to catch this bizarre looking creature. She managed to hook two fish on the last afternoon, sadly however both fish managed to end the fight prematurely. But she was not done yet and with little less than an hour of fishing left; a good cast was made to a school of tailing Bumpies. The line went tight and the fight was on, a long first run and some serious coral dodging resulted in a landed Bumphead for Suzanne….a fantastic ending to a fantastic week for Suzanne.

The Bonefish were out and about this week with multiple fish landed each day. Single cruisers and shoaling Bonefish were targeted with good success, their blistering first runs putting a large smile on Fergus Kelley’s face has he set the hook on his first Bonefish. He proceeded to put some hurt on the fish and successfully landed more than his fair share.

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The Bluewater fishing ticked over in its usual manor. Sailfish were seen frequently during the course of the week, a couple fish were hook but due to their incredible acrobatics the fish managed to shake the hook. Matthew Badger however managed to stay connected to a wonderful Sailfish of 75 inches. After an incredible first run that tore into his backing at an alarming rate the fish later succumbed to good rod angles and some serious pressure. Matt was super stoked with this fish as you can imagine.

In summary, the week was somewhat special with 40 x GTs, 3 x Bumpies, 25 x Bluefish Trevally, good numbers of Bonefish, countless Grouper species, Yellowfish Tuna and a single Sailfish all landed on fly in 5 days fishing.

Needless to say a very enjoyable trip!!!!!

Till next week…

The Farquhar Guide Team

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Farquhar Blog: 21 – 28 Oct 2015

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We welcomed 9 guests from Sweetwater Travel in Montana for the start of our 4^th week of the season, including brothers Bill & John, Dan and Dianne, Steve, Scott, Jackson and Pat. Tim Youngkin who was fresh from a weeks fishing on St. Brandon’s just a few days prior to his arrival on Farquhar making up the group. It was everyone’s first time out on the atoll with us and as such we wanted to put in every effort to show them the great fishing Farquhar offers.

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Sadly for the group, our week was plagued by the unseasonal weather that continues to affect all of the Seychelles atolls. Strong winds, cloudy skies and the occasional bout of rain were the norm for the duration of the week so we had to pull out all the stops to get them into some fish.

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The GT’s were subsequently tough to come by this week with only a few fish being hooked. Steve and Scott however each got a fish, Scot’s 80 cm fish being the largest for the week. Some bigger fish were seen on stingrays, but tough conditions made getting the fly in front of them a challenge.

The Bumphead Parrotfish were however out in full force this week, shoals of the giant blue fish being seen across all parts of the atoll. A total of 15 specimens were hooked….sadly though we enjoyed zero fortune here either as every fish was lost before a picture could be taken. Fish were lost to coral; hooks pulling free and one fish snapping a 10wt fly line clean in half after a scorching first run. So although Bumpies managed to get the better of us this week, they provided consistent action for our guests who I’m sure now have the fever!

Farquhar however proved once again why it such a superb fishery, some great Bonefishing coming to the rescue. Consistently providing our guests with the sort of shallow water fishing that is often overlooked in the Seychelles, it highlighted the atoll’s incredible diversity. Some really big fish were spotted during the trip, the largest landed being a good fish of 21 inches!

Offshore wise the Sailfish continued to be abundant with large numbers of fish raised to the back of the boats during the course of the trip. John Dory capitalized on this and was exceptionally pleased with his first Sailfish ever caught on fly. His brother Bill managed to land a 5kg Yellowfin Tuna on fly a short while later, so too Scott which provided the guest house with fresh Tuna Sashimi for the remainder of the week.

So despite some really tough weather conditions, we stuck to our guns and ensured the week was enjoyable for all iinvolved!

Until next week

The Farquhar Guide Team

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St Brandon’s Blog: 20-29 Oct 2015

A pretty solid but extremely enjoyable trip was had by all out on St Brandon’s this week. Our friends from Russia and South Africa enjoying a smoothing crossing over to the atoll which ensured everyone was well rested and eager to get stuck into the action on arrival.

Day one saw an early morning low tide albeit with very little tidal action. This sort of scenario tends to produce large concentrations in certain areas and our group climbed in. The fish, which were either founding mudding or packed up against the sandbanks weighed between 5lb-8lb. As far as variety is concerned Peter managed to get a get good Golden Trevally after a good presentation was made. No fireworks but a solid start.\

Despite some rain being around, the second day and third day followed suit on the Bonefish front with our guests enjoying steady action. Andre however put a stamp on his week by landing a gorgeous Yellow-dot Trevally that had some unusual markings over the head and tail. He subsequently made a further statement the following day when he landed our first Permit and a 10lb Bonefish for the trip. Congrats Andre!

The fourth and fifth day saw most of the anglers getting good shots at big GT’s and Bluefin trevally, which were either free-swimming or located on the back of large Lemon and Nurse Sharks. Sadly however non managed to come to hand but no doubt witnessing these impressive predators do their thing on the flats will sty with our guests for along time to come!

The final day brought with it some truly world-class fishing. With the water at a desirable depth early in the morning we were able to access some notorious skinny hotspots. Great Bonefishing was had by all and to top it off Ivan managed to land a beautiful 11lb Indo-Pacific Permit. In addition Oleg had a GT explode on the fly but despite setting the hook, it pulled moments later. We were gutted but that’s the way it goes with GT fishing!

All in all we had a great week with some great people!

Until next week

The St Brandon’s Guide Team

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St Brandon’s Blog: 7-16 Oct 2015

We met up with a great bunch of guys on M.Y. Gryphon for the start of the next trip, including good friends Jon and Gary from Canada, John, Tim and Mike from the US, Kresten from Denmark and Mike from England. Needless to say we were psyched to get back out to the atoll and get them into some world-class flat fishing!

On arriving we went to work and as a result some solid fishing was enjoyed by all during the first two days, despite our group needing adjust to the typical wind we get on St. Brandon’s. Low tides were relatively early in the mornings, which saw most guides making use of the small window we had for the classic skinny water for big Bones we are so accustomed to. Once the tide flooded in the majority of the skiffs began the search for some of the other notorious species the atoll has to offer. As luck would have it, on John’s first day of fly-fishing he managed to hook into +/-15lb Permit. Sadly there was no happy ending to this story however, with the leader snapping after too much pressure. His partner declared: “You don’t realize what you just lost, that was a huge Permit!”. John responded with the most classic line I’ve ever heard “Was that good?” A sad moment for sure but one which will surely be relived time and again! Other notables during the first few days included some nice Golden’s and very big Bluefin that was landed by Kresten.

The wind died down quite a bit over the next few days and with some overcast conditions the fish came to the party. With longer low water sessions the Bonefish and Permit showed up in good numbers. Special fish that need to be mentioned were Canadian Jon’s personal best Bonefish that weighed a whopping 12lb and Tim’s hard-earned Indo-Pacific Permit.Congrats guys those are certainly memorable fish!

The GT’s and Bluefin too were on the rampage, with opportunities presenting themselves frequently. The fish seemed angry but for love or money we could not get the fly in their kill zone for long enough. Incidents of sharks, accompanied by marauding GT’s, Bluefin swimming through our legs etc. will certainly be etched into our angler’s memories for some time to come! Mike however did manage to break our GT “Duck” by landing his first ever Caranax Ignoblis. The big fish measured a mere 4cm shy of a meter. A gorgeous fish and so well deserved!

The last two days saw everyone enjoying some classic Bonefishing to singles and doubles in ankle deep water. It was the Bonefishing people write books about and with some shots at very large Permit (12lb – 20lb) mixed in-between, ensured the week was a big success. The final day’s morning session in particular left a lasting impression, we spotted Bonefish feeding in ankle deep water up to a hundred meters away, the early morning light lighting up their dorsal fins and tails each time they found something to snack on. It was textbook!

All in all we had a great time with each and every member of the group. We really look forward to meeting up with them again in the not so distant future.

Until next week

Cheers from the St Brandon’s Guide team

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Return To Providence!

Providence Blog: 6-13 October 2015

It’s been a long six and half years since our long range live aboard expedition to the remote outer atolls of the Seychelles came to an abrupt halt on the 28^th of March 2009 due to the sudden increase in piracy. Over the years the old guide team shared many stories, reminiscing about the “old days” and wondering if we will ever get to get back to Providence, everyone felt they had unfinished business on this atoll in particular.

Once the decision to go back was set in stone, we reached out to some of the members of the old guide team and they immediately jumped onboard. As abruptly as the fishery was yanked away from under us it was suddenly back. Nine months later, Tim Babich and I were joined by veteran Providence guides Paul Boyers and Warren Deysel on the MY-Dugong in Mahe. We were to spend the next three days sailing down to Farquhar Atoll where we would collect the remaining expedition members. The anticipation of being back was overwhelming and we spent the time onboard enjoying endless discussions about how much it’s changed and whether our old haunts would still produce fish. Along for the ride and to document our return was the crew from Confluence Films (the same guys who filmed Waypoints, http://www.confluencefilms.com/) and Tom Bie, editor of The Drake Mag (http://www.drakemag.com). Some pressure was there for sure, but we were confident we would find what we were looking for.

When we reached Farquhar we were joined by Farquhar head guide Mathieu Cousson and a group of guest from our friends at Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures in Bozeman, Montana. Everyone boarded the MY Dugong and we had lunch before setting up tackle on the back deck in preparation for the first days fishing. After supper the captain lifted the anchor and we started sailing to Providence 6 hours away. I didn’t sleep well the first night, the anticipation of what we were going to find the first day made me restless. I was up at first light and after several cups of coffee and huge breakfast it was finally time to gather our gear and boot-up!

Part of the Confluence Films/Yellow Dog team was Camille Egdorf, a young lady angler who grew up on a fishing camp in Alaska. Camille would fish with Tim Babich and myself for the week, so when it was time the three of us grabbed our rods, jumped on the tender boat and headed out to the flats with nerves jangling.

We fished the northern tip of Providence North Island first and slowly made our way down the western side of the island on the high tide. We encountered several Bluefin Trevally and a few small GT’s, no fireworks but it was good to be back on Providence again. As the day progressed the tides became more favourable and shortly after lunch we encountered some memorable GT’s. If memory serves me right both Tim and Camille caught nice GT’s that afternoon. Tim spent some time with Camille explaining the finer aspects of GT fishing to her & where to look for them. She is an accomplished angler in her own right and we only needed to explain something to her once. Within a couple of days she was as accomplished and comfortable on the Indian Ocean flats as any angler I have ever been privileged enough to fish with. She simply turned into a fish slaying machine catching almost everything she cast at!

Towards the end of the afternoon I waded onto one of the finger flats that run into the northern most lagoon on the atoll. Conditions were perfect for Triggerfish and suddenly tails started popping up all around me. I literally walked from one Yellow Margin Triggerfish to the next, hooking 7 and landing 4 in quick succession. I had a handful of shrimp flies on me (a new pattern that I tied on the way down to the atoll) when I started but by the end of it I had zero left. Some were bitten off but mostly the hooks were destroyed like only a Triggerfish can, turning top quality saltwater J-hooks into what can best be described as an “off-centre circle hook” in the blink of an eye.

When we returned to the boat it seemed that all the anglers had enjoyed a great first day, many memorable Bonefish were landed including one by Scott Harkin, which pushed the 10lb mark. Another notable was the Indo Pacific Permit landed by Gary. It was one of his first fish on Providence and another reminder why this atoll has haunted us over the past 6 years!

That first day seemed to set the trend, for the rest of the week, we experienced Providence as good as it’s ever been. Everyone got stuck into the GT’s, with one group of anglers landing 16 fish in a single session. The biggest GT of the week came to Kevin on the last afternoon. Saving the best for last he managed to land a superb 121cm GT on what turned out to be his last cast on Providence. The fish was almost lost to a shark that guide Paul Boyers managed to fend of. It was a textbook ending to a superb week of fishing! We had caught numerous GT’s, Triggerfish, various Snapper and Grouper species, Dogtooth Tuna, a monster Barracuda and many more. Needless to say it was great to be back and we now look forward to sharing this atoll with the angling public for years to come!

A big thanks to Kay, Bobby, Scott, Neville, Kevin, Rick, Tom, Ralph and Gary for joining us on the this momentous and unforgettable journey, we hope to see and fish with all of you again soon!

Gerhard Laubscher

Older posts

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INDIAN OCEAN LOCATIONS

SOUTH AFRICAN LOCATIONS

Farquhar Blog: 25 Nov – 2 Dec 2016

St Brandon’s Blog: 11-20 Nov 2015

Farquhar Blog: 4 -11 Nov 2015

St Brandon’s Blog: 31 Oct – 9 Nov 2015

Providence Part 2: 13-20 October 2015

Farquhar Blog: 28 Oct – 4 Nov 2015

Farquhar Blog: 21 – 28 Oct 2015

St Brandon’s Blog: 20-29 Oct 2015

St Brandon’s Blog: 7-16 Oct 2015

Return To Providence!

Providence Blog: 6-13 October 2015

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