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

Farquhar 2014-2015 Season Opener: 8-15 Oct 2014

It was with a huge amount of excitement that we welcomed back some familiar faces onto Farquhar for the start of our 2014/2015 season. An enormous amount of pre season preparation had taken place, including the addition of 2 new boats to our existing fleet of 5, as well as some basic improvements to the guesthouse and operations which is being driven by Mona our new guesthouse manager…we love her already! To say we were ready to get cracking was an understatement.

Rob Tapert (now on his seventh trip with us) was again joined by his son Judah and fellow Farquhar regulars, Dennis and Malcolm. Dirk Ackerman who is another Farquhar regular was joined by new friends, Adam ,Sean, Jack and Nic…all of whom were eager to sample the superb fishing Farquhar is rightly known for. As it was the first day our season and the flight had arrived early we opted to get a quick afternoon session in and we are so glad we did. Rob and co head offshore to one of our favourite pinnacles. Between the two boats using conventional tackle, they managed to tame a total of 40 GT’s, as well as a 100 lb. Potato Bass…a cracking first session in anyone’s book. The rest of the group opted to fish the flats and got the cobwebs out with some solid lagoon Bonefishing.

As luck would have it however, the following next few days we were plagued by inclement weather which made conditions tough. Despite this, the determined anglers worked the flats diligently which resulted in some really good Bonefishing and even a handful of GT’s. Farquhar’s Triggers and Bumpies were around in good numbers depiste the weather and Adam capitlised on this by landing his first Trigger on the fly. Congrats Adam! Nic then hooked a monster Bumpie which proceeded to empty his reel at a frighten rate before his leader gave way. What can one say…that’s Bumpie fishing for you. Our offshore guys also stuck to their guns and were rewwared some solid GT’s which kept the spirits up.

The morning of the 5th day promised much better fishing as the weather cleared. The tides had turned and what we as guides refer to the “phenomenon” came into effect. Chaos returned to the atoll as GT’s stormed the flats feeding on the abundant stock of small bait fish which was present. New to salt water fly fishing Adam and Shaun managed to capitalise landing 6 and 4 fish respectively. I think it’s safe to say that both are now quite literally HOOKED! The old guns Dirk and Jack were into them as well, landing 3 and 4 GT’s respectfully. Jack getting a beauty of 110cm!

While all hell broke loose inside the atoll, arms were being stretched by our conventional offshore anglers on the outside. Malcolm managed to land a 200 lb. Dogtooth Tuna, whilst Rob quickly racked up some truly big GT’s (119 cm, 113 cm, 110 cm, 118 cm). To cap it off Malcolm then enticed a 137cm GT to eat his stick bait. The 5th day had delivered in fine Farquhar form!

Although the GT fishing on the final day slowed a little, the colossal shoal of Bonefish that frequents Dipose from time to time showed up. Sean and Adam jumped to it and truth be told landed copious amounts of Bonefish fish between. 3 further GT’s did however come to the fly on the flats, whilst our offshore teams landed a further 17 GT’s as well as a 50 lb. Yellowfin Tuna. The Sailfish too had arrived, 9 of which were hooked on the final day, although on this occasion they got the best of us. But this part of the story is just the beginning!

It was a challenging start to our season considering to the horrible weather around on the first few days. That said, we still landed close to 30 GT’s on the flats, had plenty of opportunities at Triggers and Bumpies, plus the guys smashed the Bones. Offshore we landed 66 GT’s, along with a massive Doggie, a 100 lb. Potato Bass, a big Yellowfin and a plethora of other cool reef species. Is there little wonder Farquhar is regarded as one of the most diverse fisheries on the planet! We’re just holding thumbs for some consistant weather over the next few weeks as the fishery really looks in fine shape!

Until next week.

The Farquhar Guide Team