Week 3 of the Providence season welcomed a group of longtime fishing friends, all eager to dive into the action.
Day 1 began with heavy rain, but the skies cleared quickly, allowing the anglers to make the most of the improved conditions. Don kicked off his trip with a good triggerfish, while Joe landed a nice bonefish. Greg started the GT action with a solid fish, and Jim and Hardy had an exceptional day, landing 4 and 6 GTs, respectively.
Day 2 brought partly cloudy skies, creating dramatic scenery around the atoll. Greg got things rolling with a GT and a bonefish, while Hardy added two GTs. Michael and Don each landed a GT, and Sekhar caught a mustache triggerfish. Joe landed two more GTs, and Jim continued his hot streak, landing 5 GTs and a triggerfish.
Day 3 saw challenging weather conditions with big seas, high winds, and cloudy skies. Despite these tough conditions, the anglers still had a great day. Randy, Luis, and Greg each landed a napoleon wrasse, while Jim caught a GT. Don and Mike each landed two GTs, capping off a productive day.
Day 4 greeted the anglers with wind and clouds, but they still managed to land some great fish. Don added two more GTs, while Mike landed a GT and a napoleon. Randy, Sekhar, and Luis each caught a GT, and Jim landed two. Greg and Joe doubled up on GTs, with Joe’s fish measuring a solid 99cm.
Day 5 brought overcast skies, making fish spotting difficult, but the anglers continued to do well in the challenging conditions. Jim landed a GT and a triggerfish, while Hardy also caught a triggerfish. Mike had a standout day, landing four GTs, with the largest measuring 93cm. Joe and Sekhar also landed a pair of triggerfish.
Day 6 ended the week with rain, high winds, and tough visibility, but the anglers pushed through. Jim, Randy, and Sekhar each finished the week with a GT. Greg, Hardy, and Luis landed 12 bonefish between them, capping off a memorable week.
As Week 3 came to a close, the spring tides were expected to bring in bigger tides and hopefully more exciting GT action.
Week 3 Totals:
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GTs: 48
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Triggerfish: 6
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Bonefish: 14
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Napoleons: 4
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Bluefin: 23
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Grouper & Snapper: 117
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 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! 
Day 1 had us endure severe wind from the southeast, gusting north of 30 knots from time to time certainly made fishing challenging. Our team of anglers and guides somehow managed to make the most of a tricky wicket and picked up loads of GT catches to start the week off with a bang! The fishing trio of John, Watts, and Dave got straight into the action from the moment their feet hit the flats… GTs tailing and bow waking all over the place resulted in returns of 2, 1, and 1 respectively. Good job, boys! The action carried on in other areas of the atoll with Chris C and Bruce chipping in with 2 and 1 GTs while Paul kept up his good form landing 2 GTs himself. Kris and Tim closed off the catch tally for the day with a single GT each. Well done to everyone for soldiering on through the tough fishing conditions. 
Day 2 delivered an improvement in the weather and a bit more variety on the flats. On the tailing species front Dave, John, and Watts enjoyed some classic Providence Bonefishing with the trio each landing a Bonefish each. Joe added a bit of colour to the days catch report with the only Triggerfish landed for the day. John, who had spent 2 weeks with us in 2022 without any success was determined to land a Bumpie, and that exactly what he did. On the second day of trip with us this year he managed to tame a respectable Bumphead Parrotfish to settle the score with Providence. Attaboy John! Meanwhile the Sage team of Kris and Peter each landed a single GT while Watts, Jim, and Chris C followed suit each getting their hands on lively Giant Trevally. 
The third day saw a continuation of the slightly improved weather conditions with stiff breeze from the southeast and the odd squall passing by every so often. Chris W got the GT catch report going early on landing a small fish that passed through a channel. A little while later he added another to his name and shortly after that, his fishing partner Bruce crossed paths with a powerful fish that was following a large shark across the flat. Good job chaps! The Bonefishing continued to be good with Paul landing 4 Bones himself, the biggest in the region of 8lbs and his fishing partner Kris managed to get 3 to hand for the day. 
Day 4 saw us enjoy some of the impressive grouper and snapper fishing available at Providence with most of the fishing teams catching loads of large line ripping fish. Chris C, John, and Paul all managed a single GT. It was however to be Watts’s day in the limelight. While waiting at a drainage channel, and during a heavy downpour 3 large GTs appeared at his feet. A single cast ahead of them resulted in a massive bust-up and line ripping from his reel at a frighting speed. He was quickly put onto the boat and through a bit of good fortune his fish was landed in a large coral garden! A special fish of 105cm, a genuine trophy… Well done Watts!
Day 5 saw us enjoy the best weather conditions yet, with perfect sunlight and a slight breeze from the southeast. It however turned out to be a tricky one on flats with most of the anglers struggling to put numbers of the board. Bruce managed to land 1 GT while his fishing buddy, Chris W, landed 3. 1 of which a fish that Chris had been hunting for several years… a beaut of 118cm that was encountered late into the pushing tide in the surf. A long battle fulled with nerves eventually resulted in his prized catch resting firmly in his hands. A moment that we’re sure he, his fishing mates, and his guide will remember for a long time to come. Great work chaps!! 
