Providence Blog: 6 – 13 April 2021
Providence Blog: 6 – 13 April 2021
After 13 months of COVID-induced limbo, the MV Maya’s Dugong finally dropped her anchor on the shallow exterior of Providence Atoll. Ahead of us lay 419km² of pristine flats, wild lagoons, and all the iconic fly fishing targets that frequent its waters. Aboard our mothership for the opening week of the April 2021 Providence fly fishing season was a group of 10 anglers from the United States, all but 2 were newcomers to Seychelles and its abundant waters. The excited chatter around the dinner table on the eve of day 1 fitted the occasion – the fly fishing playground that we had all been dreaming of for just over a year was now a reality. It was well and truly go-time!
Day 1 – Providence welcomed us to its abundant waters with clear skies and an early morning neap tide low. Conditions were just right for us to access the flats immediately and fish for a wide range of targets including, GTs, bonefish, triggers, and bumpies. Our expectations were met emphatically with 21 GTs, 7 Bonefish, and 2 Triggerfish landed for the day. Highlights from day 1 included guest Brian’s first ever GT on the fly and the first meter GT of the season, which stretched the measuring tape to 102cm. Peter’s feisty Moustache Triggerfish and David’s beautiful Yellow Margin Triggerfish added a splash of color and a change of pace to the day’s antics.
Day 2 – Bright sunshine and a gentle south-easterly breeze made for yet another day of saltwater fly fishing bliss on the flats with 16 GTs, 3 Triggerfish, and a handful of Bonefish landed. Brian broke the meter mark for the second time in 2 days by landing an incredibly strong 107cm GT. Malik landed his first Moustache Triggerfish of the week while Mark and Justin both landed their first Yellow Margin Triggerfish on the fly. Steven, Dave, and Charles all managed to land both Bonefish and GTs during day 2.
Day 3 – The third morning saw a move of our mothership to an area that provided us more convenient access to the flats better suited for the looming spring tides. A total of 17 GTs, 1 Milkfish, and a few Bonefish were brought to hand for the day. Steven and David made quick work of the bonefish as they waded the beautiful white sand flats of Cerf Island. The pair also managed to hook into a Milkfish each in the last hour of the day. Unfortunately, any thoughts of a double were quickly squashed as David’s fish came unbuttoned early into the fight. Steven however, managed to stay connected and after a titanic battle and with just a few minutes of sunlight remaining, brought his first-ever Milkfish on the fly to hand. A beautiful catch and the best way to end a busy day on Providence Atoll.
Day 4 – The spring tides were now in full swing resulting in a change of pace on the flats for our guests. Our group managed to land 13 GTs for the day with Malik’s GT measuring 93cm, the largest on day 4. This fish was picked from a large school of GTs as they pushed onto a shallow finger flat in hot pursuit of a shoal of baitfish. Stephen ended his day by taking on the atoll’s resident Milkfish and following a few close calls he finally managed to get a good hook set on an absolute monster that fought into the early evening. After what felt like a lifetime and in just about total darkness, Stephen’s fish was finally brought to hand completing his first-ever Milkfish catch. Well done, Stephen!
Day 5 – The fifth day dawned with a couple of ominous squalls coming from the southeast on a light breeze. A total of 13 GTs were landed for the day with Charles becoming the second guest for the week to break the meter mark, landing a beautiful 101cm GT after a titanic tussle in a shallow coral garden. Justin experienced a stellar day on the flats landing 4 GTs before tasting success on the Milkfish front, landing his first Milk, and bringing the week’s tally to 3 for the week.
Day 6 – Our guests were treated to some of the finest saltwater fly fishing action available in Seychelles on the final day of the fishing week. Our group landed 33 GTs, of which angler Mark landed 13 himself. Well done, Mark! Although the bumphead parrotfish action had been scarce by Providence’s standards, father and son, Brian and Stephen managed to land one each, at the same time, in different areas of the atoll. Angler Peter also enjoyed a stellar day on the flats, landing 8 GTs and a powerful bumphead parrotfish which brought our first week of fly fishing action of Providence Atoll to an epic end.
Week 1 on the flats of Providence Atoll was a resounding success. We enjoyed a slice of solitude from a complicated and uncertain world together. We shared smiles, laughter and made memories that’ll last a lifetime. A special thanks to all of those who made the long journey to join us. We had a blast!
Our total catch tally for week 1 was as follows:
- GTs – 113 (3 over a meter)
- Bumpies – 3
- Milkfish – 3
- Bonefish – 16
- Triggerfish – 5
- Species – 287
Yours in fishing,
The FlyCastaway Providence Guide Team
Two Bumpies were landed this week, a huge 103cm fish landed by Mark with Chantel getting our second. Two Sailfish were also landed this week, one by Alan and one by Andrew. In addition to the Sailfish caught offshore, George landed a nice Yellowfin Tuna and Genkel landed a nice big Wahoo.
A continuing trend of strong south easterly winds greeted us on the first morning with our new group of guests as the boats headed out. It was an eventful day on the flats with six GTs being landed. Congratulations to David, Peter, Peter, Kay and Mark for opening their accounts. With the cooler water being blown onto the flats there were a good number of Bonefish being hooked and landed, with an average of 6lbs for the session.
Day 2 dawned very windy but with clear skies the boats headed out with high hopes. With a slow neap pushing tide in the early morning the triggerfish were out in numbers. Chuan, Rob and Peter W managed to hook and land one of these feisty fish each. The Bumpies too showed us their massive tails and Mark hooked and landed his first Bumpie, well done Mark. The Bonefish were up and tailing hard again, with Dave and Rod managing to catch a Bonefish each to complete their Flats Slams of a GT, Bone and Trigger. Rod’s Bonefish was a monster, the fish weighing 10 pounds…Congrats! 5 GTs were landed, the day belonging to Dave, who after holding up on the apex of the flat with his guide, saw a monstrous commotion coming towards them in the shallow water. After getting in the perfect position the fly was presented in front of the pack of GTs. In unison the fish charged in the direction of the fly and a gargantuan mouth opened, inhaling the brush fly, the hook was set and after a massive tussle through a lagoon the fish was landed. With a fork length of 127cm, it was truly the GT of a lifetime, well done Dave!
Day 3 saw a shift in the weather conditions with high altitude cloud cover rolling in, obscuring the direct sunlight, making the fishing a little bit trickier. Due to the light conditions the Bumpies highlighted themselves as the targets for the day. A total of 6 Bumpies were landed for the day, the happy anglers being Mark, Kay, Chaun, Alfredo, Rod and Dave H. A great Bumpie day!!!! The GTs did manage to present themselves, Pete and Dave capitalizing on their shots. A special mention goes to Dave H whose fish came in at 105cm. With big seas comes great Sailfish fishing and Rob, Rocky and Dave F taking full advantage, Rocky and Dave landed theirs after doubling up from a pack attack.
Day 4 dawned gloomy with lots of cloud cover and high south easterly winds. After making a shift south to the midway point of the atoll the boats set out. A total of 3 GTs came to hand; well done to Peter getting 2 and Alfredo 1. Rocky managed to double down and land 2 Moustache Triggerfish. Kay and Dave R later joined the Sailfish club, landing a fish each. The day however belonged to Dave H who hooked and landed the first Milkfish for the week as the sun was setting, well done Dave H.
Day 5 saw a lessening of the cloud cover and with a mid-morning low tide the boats set out. The day was a well-rounded one on the species side with 5 of our 7 recognized species being landed. Pete E managed to land the Milkfish, whilst Rob and Dave R landed a Bumpie each. Rocky managed to land a Triggerfish of each species and Dave R managed to land a Moustache Triggerfish. Pete W landed a monstrous Sailfish, whilst Kay, Chuan, Dave R, Mark, Pete W, Pete E and Dave R each landed GTs. The day belonged to Dave R though, who after landing a Bumpy and Triggerfish in successive casts, saw a big bow wave coming up onto the flat. Despite a long chase to get into position, the fish dropped back into the deep water. Dave set up patiently above the area the fish had dropped off from. A couple of minutes later the bow wave reappeared and after presenting the fly it was engulfed on the second strip. The hook was set and the fish tore the line off the reel and ran straight back to the lagoon from where it came. After crossing the lagoon and reaching shallower water the fish was landed. At a fork length of 121cm it was another GT of lifetime for the week. Great fishing Dave!
Our sixth and final day of the week dawned with clear skies and dropping south easterly wind. With a morning dropping tide the Milkfish were up in good numbers around the edge of the atoll. Dave R and Pete W managed to land a fish each, bringing the Milkfish tally to 4 for the week. A total of 6 GTs were also landed. Rob and Dave R landed 2 fish each, with Chuan and Pete E landing a fish each. This brought the second week to a close. Some tough conditions, but as per normal some incredible fish and fishing was enjoyed by all!
This week weather conditions were a little tough. High winds and multiple passing fronts unfortunately made things more challenging them normal. Tides started off on springs, with lots of water movement on and off the flats, and we ended the week in neaps. 
In true Farquhar style, we did however enjoy some other great species fishing. Fifty Bonefish and three Triggers were landed. Craig landed one Moustache and one Yellow Margin, with Jarrett landing a large Moustache. Congrats guys! Three Bumpies were also caught this week, with William, Kris and Jason each landing their first. Well done chaps! And for the second week in a row, Eric landed an Indo Pacific Permit. This week he landed a trophy class fish of 73cm. Amazing fish Eric, well done!
The first day dawned with excitement and a slight south easterly breeze. With an early morning low tide the boats were straight onto the flats and with that the GTs came. Chris, Christiaan, Tom, Shiloh, Nic, Jordan and Jeorg managed to open their GT accounts, with Tom landing a great fish of 96cm and Chris landing a fish of an even 90cm. The Bumpies were up on the flats and Nic, John, Ron and Joerg manged to each land a fish. A special mention goes to Joerg, who, after landing a GT and Bumpy, managed to land an impressive 141cm Barracuda on the flat. With the water high on the flats later in the day we enjoyed a Sailfish session, with Tom and Joerg both landing a fish each before the day came to a close.
The second morning saw another enthusiastic start and the rewards were reaped as Tom, Chris, Shiloh, Jordan and Christiaan all landed GTs. A special mention goes to Christiaan and Jordan who managed to land twin GTs of 118cm each; Christiaan spotting his fish late on into the pushing tide crossing a turtle grass apex, he managed to present the fly in the perfect place and the big fish engulfed the fly on a second attempt. Jordan’s fish was an exceptional tale of the magic of Providence. After teasing up a sailfish offshore he presented his fly to the fish, it was engulfed as it landed but instead of the customary Sailfish jumps, the fish sounded and after a tug of war was brought up to the side of the boat. He rounded off his remarkable day by managing to pick a Moustache Triggerfish out of a school of tailing Bumpies.
The fourth day dawned clear and breezy. With some higher water on the flats in the morning, the boats had access into the unique inner lagoon systems of Providence. It proved to be fruitful as Joerg, Giles, Shiloh, Jordan, Nic, Tom and Joe managed to all land GTs. Tom finally being able to break the one-meter mark with a beautiful fish who was bow waking in super skinny water. Joerg managed to continue his stellar week landing 4 GTs before lunchtime. With access to the lagoons there is the potential for amazing Triggerfish fishing, and this was the case as Christiaan managed to land 3 Yellow Margin Triggers and Mike managing to get his first Moustache Triggerfish as well.
With the tides starting to move towards the neaps, the fifth day brought some more lagoon fishing. A total of 8 GTs came to hand with congratulations going out to Mike, Joe, Christiaan, Jordan and Ron. Christiaan managed to land another Yellow Margin Triggerfish and Shiloh managed his first Triggerfish. This was welcomed with great excitement after many previous disappointments. Joerg tamed another Sailfish in the morning to add to his incredible week.
Day 7 dawned breezy again but with the mothership moored close to the flats the boats spread out for another day of fishing. A total of 8 GTs were landed, a special mention going again to Jeorg who managed a beautiful fish of 106cm. He wasn’t done there though and managed to land his first Yellow Margin Triggerfish, almost completing his list of targeted species. It was a day for the tailing species and after landing two GTs Chris managed to land 2 Bumpies as well, finally catching a Bonefish to round off the slam. Christiaan also managed a slam, landing a GT, a Bonefish and 2 Triggers. John ticked the Yellow Margin Triggerfish off of his list to round off another stellar day out on the atoll.
Dark skies and gloomy weather greeted us on the last morning of the trip. After launching off the mothership a large school of Milkfish were found feeding for the first time this week. The boats quickly got into position and it wasn’t long before Giles managed to hook and quickly land his first Milkfish. After a few near misses, Tom and Christiaan managed to land their first Milks as well. A few pods of GTs were found in the eastern coral gardens and Joe, John and Mike managed to land 4 fish. A special mention goes to Mike whose fish came in at 102cm. With the high cloud cover the water on the flats cooled off and brought with it some epic Bonefishing. A great session was had on the falling afternoon tide. With the fish tailing hard, Shiloh, Nic, Christiaan, Joe, John and Mike capitalized, landing many fish. Christiaan and Shiloh managed to land two great fish both going 10 pounds, a great way to round off the first week of the season.
Another fantastic week of flats fishing has come to an end on Farquhar. We enjoyed great weather, with lower wind speeds and clear skies providing great sight fishing conditions.Tidal wise we start on neaps which built towards a new moon spring tide. This provided a variety of wading opportunities as well as large movements of water in and out of the atoll as the week went on.
Besides the great GT fishing, the rest of the flat’s species were active. Six Triggerfish were landed, including Craig’s personal best 60cm Yellow Margin. Mike landed a massive Moustache Trigger of 56cm. Colin got a 54cm Moustache Trigger which was his first and to top it off Jarret managed a Yellow Margin and a Moustache in the same day!
Thirty-four Bonefish were brought to hand during the week, the largest being a huge 68 x 38cm fish landed by Eric. Also, a big shout to Eric on his first ever Indo Pacific Permit…what a special fish! A personal best Bonefish was also landed by Colin.
The Permit were also around in decent numbers this week and we managed to get the guys into some really good opportunities, from tailing and cruising fish on the flats to fish high riding off sand banks and island structures, we had it all. A huge congratulations goes out to Andrew for managing to get it done, his 9lb fish slowly dropping down the flat when he presented the fly. The fish initially seemed to spook off the fly, but another cast was made, and the fish made no hesitations in inhaling the crab imitation second time round. Unfortunately, we did however lose a hooked Permit this week which is never nice, but that’s fishing and that’s why each fish landed is a special experience.
Good numbers of Giant Trevally were also around on the flats this week. We encountered fish riding on the back of Nurse sharks, big schools and single fish marauding bonefish in the shallows…any of these scenarios nail bitingly exciting. As it goes, we managed to have a few eat the fly as well as some missed opportunities, but Chris has done this before and managed to get it done with a gorgeous fish which measured 102cm! Well done Chris! Wessel also managed to get his 1stGt ever on a fly rod with a great 96cm fish, a really big fish for your first ever GT! The Bluefin Trevally were also around in decent numbers. Andrew managed to get a great fish which measured a whopping 78cm, congrats on yet another great fish. Bill also managed to get his 1st Bluefin Trevally on a fly rod this week adding to his species list. The golden Trevally were around in great numbers with Bill, Randy and Neil all managing to tick the box on this wonderful flats fishing species.
The Permit were around in great numbers this week with all of our guests getting numerous shots at this incredible species. We experienced an array of different opportunities, including both cruising and tailing fish on the flats, islands and coral ridges. Jim did not waste anytime opening up the week with an wonderful fish of 10lb. The fish was slowly free swimming along the flats with the pushing tide, Jim’s cast hitting the money a few inches away from its nose the fish. The fish slowly turned on the fly and engulfed the crab midwater before giving him a solid tussle before eventually coming to hand. Jim then managed to catch the next Permit he made a shot at, this one was holding on the lee side of a sand bar. Another well-presented fly and the result was two permit within an hour….a great achievement. Dan also managed to hook a decent Permit but unfortunately the fish came off a few seconds into the fight. Jim showed no signs of slowing down though, his 3rd fish coming to hand after it crushed the fly over some white sand… a pretty fish with long sickles. His 4th was a real beauty weighing 14lb, this fish spotted tailing whilst we were heading back to the boat to have a lunch. His first cast gained no reaction and the fish continued to feed up the flat, but his next cast landed about a foot in front of the fish’s nose and it sipped it in. We were now 20 yards from the boat. When the fish came to hand the screams scared most of the birds off the atoll… it was a great moment! Jim managed to land his 5th Permit later on in the week, this special moment capping off a truly remarkable week of Permit fishing for him!
The Trevally too were around in decent numbers this week, with Arthur opening the account on the first day after we located a pack of Bluefin Trevally, Giant Trevally and sharks in a feeding frenzy off one of the storm ridges. Arthur made a great cast at the GT’s and before he could even get his first strip he was tight into a great fish. After a solid fight, a beautiful 105cm fish was tailed. Great job Arthur! We saw a few other GT’s during the week with Ben unfortunately being bitten of by the one he hooked. All in all, we had some great shots and saw some really big fish smashing bait which always a great experience to have out on the water.
We experienced fantastic Bonefishing all week. Opportunities to fish in ankle deep water at tailing fish, small and big shoals on the flats, sand bars and island systems…our guests got to see it all! Although our largest fish was 7,5lb we did see and hook some really big ones, unfortunately we couldn’t land them. Let’s just say they don’t get that big for nothing, these really big fish are smart and need to be fished at with precision casts and even when hooked they know exactly where they need to run to cut you off. All in all, still some superb Bonefishing as per usual!
