Farquhar Blog: 15-22 April 2015

Sadly our time on the atoll for the initial half of 2015 was drawing to a close, but with ten excited guests arriving on the atoll, we were determined to put in a stellar performance for them!  We had some serious tidal movement during the course of the week, so together with an influx of cold blue water onto the atoll’s flats and some favourable weather forecast, we were optimistic the fishing would live up to our expectations.

The week got off to a flyer when Peter hooked and landed his first Permit on the first day. This brought the total number of seven Permit for the season! Fishing for Bonefish on the inside of the lagoon, it’s not unusual to see small shoals of Permit cruising the shoreline.  A small adjustment to one’s technique is needed and then our focus shifts towards reading the fish’s body language. After a couple of short strips the quivering tail is a sure indication the fish has eaten the fly.  SET SET are the instructions that generally follow, following which the fight is on.  Although Peter’s fish was the only one landed during the trip, every guest enjoyed the experience of presenting a fly to the Holy Grail of the flats.

The bewildering Bumphead Parrots were widely spoken about on the first day, with most of the anglers expressing a keen interest in targeting the huge tailing critters. With numerous crab patterns presented to these fish, Ian as well as Hendrik managed to hook fish…sadly however the coral edge shredding the leaders prematurely. Peter however came across a shoal tailing over some small isolated turtle grass patches on a large white sand flat.  After presenting his fly to these larger than average size fish he managed to entice one really large fish to eat his fly.  Fish on!! The fish screamed off with the rest of the shoal, however with the backing emptying off his reel at a frightening speed the decision was made to follow the fish with the boat. After an epic forty-minute fight our hearts however sank as the hook simply pulled free and the fish disappeared into the depths. Thankfully not all was doom and gloom with Gareth showing the patience and nerve needed to land one of Farquhar’s blue and green giants. Congrats Gareth!

The GT as always was at the top of the list for most anglers and the guides planning sessions were mostly based around choosing areas that should hold good numbers of GT’s.  The account was open when Peter landed the first GT for the week, which just so happened to be the largest fish for the trip. His 101 cm fish earning him the highly coveted “red cap”.  The tally soon gained momentum as Ian tussled with and landed two good fish on the third day and his third GT for the week on the fourth day.  Hendrik, Magnus and Yves too all managed a GT each, bringing the total number to seven for the trip. GT fishing is however not for the faint hearted and as such does not always end with smiles. Sadly due to some ill luck and tackle failure more of Farquhar’s alpha predators were lost prematurely. Nonetheless, seeing that big bucket mouth opening and the fish charge in on the fly is something that will never leave you. Their power and ferocity is addictive to see and we cannot wait to get back in Sept to do battle once more!

The Bonefishing as per usual on Farquhar provided constant action for those eager to target them. Whether it was picking out fish over pure white sand on the inside of the lagoon or tussling with dark backed fish scouring the marl flats in the surf zone, Farquhar continued to deliver superb fishing for the Grey Ghost. All in all a very enjoyable week and considering the other exciting species landed a great way to end our season! Thank you to all our guests during this week and throughout the season. It was a privilege to share Farquhar’s diversity and special fish with all of you!

Until later this year…… tight lines!

The Farquhar guide team

Farquhar Blog: 1-8 April 2015

The FlyCastaway guide team welcomed some fresh as well as some familiar faces for the first trip in April 2015. Calm clear conditions were enjoyed by all during the first three days, whilst some tougher conditions arrived to close out the week.  The flat seas during the initial stages produced numerous shoals of Milkfish, unfortunately luck was against our team of guests. Despite numerous casts made to the pods of feeding fish, we were unable to get the hook ups we were so desperately after. Despite this, great fun and excitement was had by all who cast at these iconic fish.

The GT’s were spread across the atoll and in typical Farquhar fashion many of our opportunities were as a result of the GT & shark/ray partnerships, an exciting phenomenon just to witness. Frikkie and Andy both managed to capitalize on the daily opportunities and landed their coveted GT’s.  However not all GT stories end in tears of joy, as such our condolences go out to Gerhard’s who watched his GT swim away with half his fly line!  The pick of the stories however must go out to Zenon who lost an enormous fish, which would have measured around the 130 cm mark. The fish was surprisingly spotted on the back of a Manta Ray and after a brutal eat, the fish sped off into the distance ripping backing off at a frightening speed. Sadly however the hook pulled which left both angler and guide in shock. This scene will undoubtedly be imprinted into Zenon’s memory for a long time to come and will no doubt spur him on to meet this monster once again.

The Bumpies were around in good numbers, their enormous tails mesmerising our anglers for hours as they searched for the solid hook set. The connections came, but as we have learnt that is only half the job done. Gerhard managed to lose four in total during the week, whilst Zenon lost two. Frikkie however made the most of the opportunities that presented themselves and landed two great fish.  Congratulations Frikkie. Triggers too were around in good numbers but despite multiple hook ups only two fish were landed. It is no wonder why each of these weird and quirky fish landed is held in such high regard.

Farquhar’s Bonefish are often overlooked by many of our guests, however the fishery consistently produces excellent fishing for this species by Seychelles standards. With the full moon spring tide numbers of Bones were seen on many parts of the atoll, either in the form of huge shoals or the more classic singles and doubles. Our guests cashed in on the action and landed some really great fish. For some of the guests who had never fished for Bones before they quickly realized why these shallow water speedsters are one of the cornerstones of the saltwater fly fishing industry.

The offshore fishing at Farquhar continues to enthrall all who give it a bash, and whilst Farquhar’s flats are well known for their diversity the deep blue does not disappoint in this regard either. Dogtooth Tuna, massive GT’s, Napoleon Wrasse, Golden Trevally, Yellow-spot Trevally, Bluefin Trevally, Boha Snappers, Tropical Amberjack, Greater Amberjack, Black Jacks and countless Grouper species all made an appearance and added to another very enjoyable week out in the middle of nowhere.

Until next time……

The Farquhar guide team

Farquhar Blog: 18-25 March 2015

We welcomed 10 very enthusiastic anglers onto Farquhar this week, at least half of which were friends from past seasons. It was made clear from the get go that the iconic Bumphead Parrotfish and infamous Giant Trevally would be our anglers preferred quarry for the week. This is not an unusual request, but Farquhar would show once again she has plenty more to offer.

Father and son, Bruce and Brett both managed to hook Bumpies early on, however Brett was the only one to land a good specimen. As it turned out this was unfortunately the only Bumpy landed for the week, despite countless sessions stalking and casting at these mesmerizing tailing behemoths. Cyril, who was particularly eager to do battle with the Bumpies enjoyed absolutely no luck on this front by hooking and loosing two fish during the course of the week. The reality however is they not only require solid casting skills, but you definitely need a bit of luck to go your way when trying to stop a 40 – 80 lb. fish on a 9wt.

Old faces Gerard and Bully showed their experience by capitalizing on two opportunities that were presented to them on the flats, each of them landing a GT a piece – the biggest of which measured a solid 82cm. This spurred on the need to land a fish over a meter. They subsequently headed offshore and Gerard came up with the answer landing a gorgeous GT of 114cm. Shortly thereafter Watty landed a second fish over the one meter mark with his prize measuring an impressive 117cm.

A special mention must go out to the first grand slam of the season. Guided by Brendan Becker, Bully managed to land a beautiful Permit in the morning that had broken away from the shoal to chase down and sip up a Gotcha styled fly. This was followed by a exceptional Bonefish that after tailing hard on the fly, set off on a series of long runs before coming to hand. Their efforts quickly shifted to the coveted GT and after hours of searching, a simple slap (Bully slap) of the fly next to an eager specimen GT resulted in a slam that left both angler and guide ecstatic. Congratulations Bully, this is an exceptional achievement!

Farquhar is historically not known for huge numbers of Permit, however this season good numbers are being seen on almost a daily basis. So much so that Keith landed our 6th in just three weeks. Keith has travelled to some top destinations trying to catch these fussy buggers but to date he had experienced no joy. Guiding has many highlights, but the one that tops everything is seeing the joy on a client’s face after he has landed a fish that has eluded him for many a moon. Congratulations Keith on your “holy grail”!

Seasoned angler Bruce focused most of his attention on targeting Farquhar’s Triggerfish. After showing great finesse in presenting a crab pattern to dozens of the wily devils, a giant Trigger chased down and crunched his fly resulting in a very happy angler. He later added to his species list by calmly flicking to his tally by flicking a crab pattern at a school of Golden Trevally who were tailing hard over a turtle grass flat. Our first for the season, the beautiful fish measured a whopping 81cm, which according to the length to weight conversion table would have broken the world record by three pounds. Although the intention of the fishermen is not to claim the record, this is still a truly amazing catch!

All in all a great week was had by all with some truly memorable catches being made. Like all fishing, the stories of the ones that got away will remain embedded in the memories of the anglers and remembered as fondly as the ones which came to hand.

Until next week

The Farquhar Guide Team

Farquhar Blog: 11-18 March 2015

With Farquhar hosting one of the healthiest GT populations in the Indian Ocean its quite uncommon for clients to request Bonefish as their primary target species. Nevertheless, the inside sand flats as well as the surf flats support large numbers of this species that our guests can enjoy. The team of Michel and Jeremy took full advantage and by casting to and landing numerous individual tailing Bones, as well as plucking out of individuals from some large shoals which were made up of 50-60 fish. Such is the quality of Bonefishing available on Farquhar, every angler experienced the thrill of this iconic species….a first for five of our guests. Mario managed to land the largest Bonefish of the week, with the fish measuring an impressive 29 inches.

With the Permit “hoodoo” broken the week before, we continued to see good numbers as our second week developed. Needless to say the guides were quick to capitalize on their presence and pushed hard to get our guests in front of some feeding fish. The dynamics of Farquhar’s Permit population varies; either made up of smaller shoaling fish while the larger individuals, some up to 20 lb, being either solitary or found in pairs.  Each scenario is a challenge, but one which is not quickly forgotten. Once again almost all the anglers had the opportunity at casting a fly at one of these fish. Some having more luck than others with a fish actually eating the fly, but only the truly fortunate sealing the deal by hooking and landing one of these majestic fish.  Mario, Clive and Michel took full advantage in bagging these illusive specimens. This meant we landed three Permit during the week, bringing the tally to four for the season so far. Watch this space though as we think there are definitely more to come!

The combination of oxygenated turquoise blue water and good light conditions meant we had good GT fishing.  With good numbers of GT’s hugging the ever-present stingrays or sharks and numerous free swimming GT’s patrolling for food, we were able provide our anglers with realistic casting opportunities at these tackle busting brutes. Jeremy, Mario, and Danie all managed a GT each, Joe managed two fish and Clive topped the scoreboard with four fish. Ray’s luck however had sadly run out before it even began, he ended up losing six GT’s during the week, primarily through the fish’s expert ability to tear tackle apart. Our condolences Ray! Alistair landed the biggest GT for the week with the impressive specimen reaching 114 cm fork-length.

During the high tides some of us headed out to the sea mount just south of Farquhar to try our luck at bagging some of Farquhar’s infamous Dogtooth Tuna. The team of Ray and Danie took full advantage, landing three and two fish respectively.  Clive, Joe, Alistair and John all landed a “Doggie” a piece with Alistair’s exceptional 200 lb. monster providing him with ultimate bragging rights.

Strangely Farquhar’s Triggerfish have yet to show an appearance on the catch cards for our 2015 season.  Although large numbers were seen tailing on the flats during the week, in true Trigger fashion only the most careful stalk and delicate presentation receives reward. Our anglers persisted and with patience success ensued, Clive and Julia both being rewarded with two specimens that fell for well-presented crab patterns. When the Triggers are tough and not playing the game, their capture is one of the most rewarding feelings out there on the flats. Congratulations to both anglers!

Another solid week thus came to an end and with it the promise of another exciting, fishing filled week on the atoll.

Until next week

The Farquhar Guide team

Farquhar Season Opener Blog: 25 Feb – 4 March 2015

We had landed on Farquhar a week before our first group to ensure all the necessary pre-season boat maintenance and was in place for their arrival. It’s a busy time but essential with the season that lies ahead. And so on Wed the 25th of Feb, with all the boats running smoothly and our tackle set up we met our first guests who were a closed group of friendly and enthusiastic anglers from France.

Our first day out on the atoll took place with clear skies, crystal blue water and calm conditions promising some excellent fishing. True to form we were soon into the action and tallying up the species Farquhar is so noted for. Denis opened his account by landing our first meter GT of the season. Way to go Denis! He didn’t stop there though as he grabbed the opportunity to land the most challenging flats fish we have, an Indo-Pacific Permit. With four fish cruising the shoreline he made the perfect cast. A fish peeled off the shoal and darted straight for the fly and before Denis even knew it the fish had eaten. Despite it being a fairly small fish it took off on a series of strong runs before guide Brendan and angler brought it to hand. The team decided to chase a slam and subsequently went in search for a Bonefish to seal the deal. The rest is history as Denis now can be proud knowing he enjoyed a truly special day of fishing.

Sadly however, the following five days proved to be the polar opposite as far the weather was concerned. With a cyclone sitting a couple hundred miles off the atoll we were subjected strong winds, cloudy skies and intermittent squalls. These poor light conditions were hugely frustrating as there were certainly some good fish around. Subsequently we headed offshore during the high tide period, deciding to make the most of the difficult conditions and slow tidal periods chasing some big fish from the deep. Gautier capitalised landing a GT of 134 cm, 108 cm and 118 cm as well as a Dogtooth Tuna in excess of 60 kg. Denis too was back in the action landing a ‘Doggie’ of 145 cm on the fly. Sebastian landed the first Sailfish for the season as the fish agressively billed his fly before taking off into the distance in a series of tail-walking jumps. A further 12 GT’s, 9 Dogtooth and 15 Jobfish were landed during the week, with some of the Jobfish reaching the 10 kg mark.

Although conditions were tough, the flats still provided some great fish. Wide blue tails flagged across the flats as shoals of Bumpies grazed the turtle grass flats in huge numbers. Most of the anglers experienced the tackle busting antics of these fish as numerous fish were hooked and lost. Gautier experienced this first hand as he hooked six Bumpies in a single day, either being cut off, bitten off, almost stripped….. you name it he witnessed it first hand. Alberto however managed to tame a good fish on the first day. Stephane followed his lead by landing an exceptional fish measuring at 118 cm, following which the team of Pascal and Jean Christoph managed a double up on the last day.

Although you would think the bulk of a GT would make sighting these fish easy, their unique ability to blend in with their environment coupled with the poor light conditions made for tough fishing. Despite this some good fish were still around and although not all of them were landed some really good fish came to hand. A special mention must go to our lady angler Isabelle who landed her first GT on fly, showing up some of the men to their dismay in the process. The “dream team” Pascal and Jean Christophe both managed to land GT’s with Pascal’s fish landing an agonising 1 cm under the one meter mark. No luck Pascal…it’s still a superb fish!

Farquhar’s ever present Bonefish too kept our anglers busy over the white sand lagoon and mottled surf flats, with an excess of 90 fish landed during the week. Lastly, bommy bashing Farquhar’s numerous coral mounds and outcrops proved yet again why this atoll offers some of the finest species diversity in the Indian Ocean. A myriad of weird and wonderful species were landed and the species count ending on 27 for the week.

Despite the harsh weather a good week was enjoyed by all. We look forward to many more during the next few months.

Until next time.

Cheers from the Farquhar guide team