Providence Blog: 11-18 Oct 2016
The second week of our season welcomed a new group of friends hosted by Travis and Rance from Patagonia River Guides. Also joining the group from PRG were Alex and Ernst who have fished St Brandon’s with us previously. Considering many of the group had done very little saltwater flats fishing before, especially in the Indian Ocean we could not wait to get them out onto the vast array of flats, channels, lagoons and offshore options Providence has to offer.
Carrying on from the neap tides at the end of the previous week, the flats were accessible for most of the day. These tides typically make for excellent Bonefish, Triggerfish and Bumphead Parrotfish fishing. As it turned out this is exactly what we experienced. Most groups were met with tailing Bonefish in super skinny water on the first morning; the team of Rance, Yatin and Carl taking no prisoners as they plucked fish after fish out of schools of good sized Seychelles Bones that kept moving through their allocated flat. Double ups and triple ups were not a rarity, with most of these fish coming in between the 6lb-8lb pound range. Sadly the GT’s were unusually scarce during these first three days so a move with the mother ship was made to see if they weren’t on another area of the atoll.
The Triggerfish had all the anglers fascinated with the level of skill and finesse that is required to catch them. Follow after follow eventually led to a number of fish being hooked and landed. Rance managed a two in one, one of which was an exceptional Yellow Margin. After a pinpoint cast, the fish followed with intent and just a couple of feet away from the rod tip, finally chomped down on the fly and the fish was on. Fortunately for Rance there was no coral head in sight and the beautiful fish was subdued without any complications. Yatin on the other hand hooked a Moustache Trigger that headed directly back to his home in a big coral garden. The worry in the guide’s eyes said it all, as angler and guide both feared the leader would give way at any moment. After relentlessly chasing the Trigger through the coral, Warren (the guide) managed to wrestle the fish from within its hole to bring the fish to hand. It’s moments like these that make fishing for Triggers such a valued experience!
The weather, apart from a day or two of tough light, was pretty lenient on us. With flat seas, our friends the Milkfish were seen all over the western edge with gaping mouths breaking the water surface. On the high tides when the flats were no longer wadeable, the flats skiffs were seen scattered along the drop off of the atoll in search of the mighty Milkies. Alex, Travis, Baker and Ernst all managed to fool, tussle and land big Milkfish, each with all these fights taking in the region of an hour. Furthermore, two of the fights yielded broken rods that complicated the fights to a large degree. Ernst’s fish was at the end of its fight, holding up on the surface, when a large Hammerhead Shark came in looking for an easy meal. After a few intense moments however and a little bit of excessive pressure, the fish was brought to hand before being safely released.
As mentioned, we were struggling on the GT front, the fishing very much below average for Providence standards, due we think to the high number of swimming crabs sitting offshore. That said we still managed to sneak a couple. Alex had a stand out day under the circumstances and managed to land three fish on a single day, one of which was a fish just over the 1m mark. The team of Yatin and Carl got off to a slow start but finished really strong. Yatin managed two GTs while Carl managed four. The stand out fish for the trip however was Carl’s 113cm fish. This particular fish was holding out in a large pot just on the edge of a storm ridge. A short cast and a few quick strips enticed the fish into a very calculated eat. The fish screamed off into the backing and the fight that ensued was nerve racking as the endless amount of coral bommies had to be dodged before the fish could be landed. Well done Carl!
The Bommie Bashing fired this week, with the vast array of species keeping our guests royally entertained. In total, 23 species of fish were caught (or rather manhandled!) out of the “Coral Gardens”. This hand-to-hand combat entails a hit and hold technique as anglers try to stop these fish instantly before they reach the coral heads. The Boha Snapper were the most obliging of the species and never put down an opportunity to charge and engulf the fly. The myriad of Grouper species made up a large number of the catches as well and always made for a good tussle.
So despite a slow GT week, we enjoyed the diversity the atoll has to offer and ended up with some incredible species; Bonefish, Triggers, Bumpies Milkfish, GT’s and many more all playing their part in a highly enjoyable week with a new bunch of friends, a group we would love to fish with again!
Until next week
The Providence Guide Team
After a highly productive and energetic open trip of the season, we were eager to give our new guests an equally enjoyable experience on the atoll which consistently produces some of the finest wade fishing for Bonefish and Permit the world has to offer. Day 1 produced some outstanding Bonefishing with many good sized fish in shallow water coming to hand, whilst on the species front Matthew Clarke landed a solid 55cm Bluefin Trevally while fishing to some much larger specimens on a coral ridge in the east of the atoll. A few good-sized Golden Trevally were also landed and although no double digit Bones or Permit were landed our guest were in the swing of things and our week was off to a positive start.
The excellent fishing continued on Day 2 with everyone getting stuck into a good number of fish averaging between 5-7lbs. Our fish are currently spread out across the atoll which provides guests and guides and multitude of flats and wading scenarios to target fish after fish which regularly see your backing knot exposed. Some of the other species came out to play as well, the Bluefin Trevally in particular found in high numbers with very impressive sizes. The GT’s are also starting to make more of an appearance and although none were landed their massive size ensured everyone secretly hoped to do battle with one of the St B monsters. Another great day in a very special place!
The Bonefishing on Day 3 continued in much the same manner, with everyone getting stuck into some solid fish throughout. On top of the Bonefish we also landed a few good-sized Bluefin Trevally and as luck would have it a rather large Yellow Lipped Emperor, a species that is never easy to land out here. Frikkie Botha landed a big Bluefin of 57cm that put up a very determined fight after it was found smashing into baitfish trapped against a coral ridge. The day however went from strength to strength with Frikkie Maartens landing his first ever GT, a beautiful fish of 90cm. He spotted one very large black fish from a long way off and sprinted ahead of it to get the shot. He sent out a pinpoint cast but there were 2 other GTs behind the lead fish and after one long strip a fish broke off from the pack and smashed the fly. The fish proceeded to tear off into the distance with Frik in hot pursuit behind it. After a solid fight and a quick boat chase the fish was landed. Landing a GT on St. Brandon’s is never an easy thing to get right, so to do so on your first flats fishing trip is an unbelievable achievement. Well-done Frikkie!
Day 4 brought with it some more variety. The superb Bonefishing continued with cold water pulling onto the flats keeping the fish happy and relaxed. A few Permit were spotted but the fish on this particular would day would not be fooled. Frikkie Maartens continued his good form from the day before and landed a 65cm Greenspot Trevally, a solid solid fish for the species. Some of other guests found a few tailing Golden Trevally scattered across the atoll, best of all these beautifully marked and charismatic fish were more than happy to eat a well presented fly. St Brandon’s once again reminded us that although the Bonefish are certainly the major target species, there is certainly enough diversity to keep you on the look out for something unique.
Day 5 was an action packed day. There were many bones landed, the fish averaging between 6-8lbs. Frikkie Maartens landed the largest fish of the day, a beast of a Bonefish tipping the scales at 9.5lbs. Matthew Clarke landed another solid 55cm Greenspot Trevally amongst some other very good sized Bluefin. GTs wise we are starting to see more and more fish, so despite no hook ups we are confident the next brute is just around the corner. More Permit were seen on Day 5 compared with any other day this week, however they continued to allude us.
The cooler water was a bit harder to find on day 6 but there were still areas holding good concentrations of Bonefish, the patchy overcast conditions enticing some really big fish out onto the flats. With some warmer water around some big Bluefin were out a smashing the client’s flies. Jules Fantarella started his morning with a big 57cm Golden Trevally. He then upped the stakes with a 9.5lb Bonefish before landing the Biggest Bonefish of the week, a huge and powerful double-digit fish that did its best to run him into the coral on more than one occasion. A few quick photos were taken before Jules enjoyed a memory special moment not many anglers get to experience during a lifetime. What a fish Jules!
The 7th and final day was once again dominated by some outstanding Bonefishing. Many fish between 6-8lbs were caught whilst tailing in some super skinny water. It never gets old watching a seriously big Bonefish see the fly and crush it before tearing off into the distance as it feels the prick of the hook. The Golden Trevally once again made a their way onto the flats and along with the Bluefin Trevally they kept reels screaming. One of the groups also encountered one of the great sights St Brandon’s is known to produce. A shoal of some very large GTs were witnessed feeding on a school of terrified Bonefish and although we nearly had our second fish for the week, the fish decided to refuse the fly just feet away from the rod tip.
With the trip drawing to a close, guests and guides had a chance to reflect on the past week over a great final dinner. This was a group of people from all of over the globe who had never met before the trip, in the end though St Brandon’s left it’s mark not only with the incredible fishing it produced but also with it’s ability to draw some adventurous and incredibly nice human beings together. Thank you to each of you for a superb week, we enjoyed spending time with you immensely and hope to do it again soon.
Joining us for the season opener was a group of familiar faces and friends from our St Brandon’s program. It would however be their first experience with us on Providence so we were eager to show them the array of species and intense sessions of fishing Providence produces….best of all we had nine days to do it in!
The trip kicked off with a pleasant surprise when we woke to large schools of feeding Milkfish at the back of the mothership on morning one. Excitement mounted even further as it was clear we had another species option for the group during the trip. After a strong cup of coffee and a solid Dugong breakfast, the skiffs shot off in different directions to get an idea which areas and flats were holding high concentrations of fish. It didn’t take long to see the GT’s were around in solid numbers, with singles, pairs and schools being encountered on day one.Father and son, Camillo and Juan capitalised early managing a nice double off the bat and Juan managing another three fish shortly thereafter. This sort of action was experienced by all the groups, most of the guests landing one if not a couple of GT’s during their first day out!
Juan’s good fortune did not end there though. After the tide pushed them off the flat they went in search of the Milkfish that had been seen feeding a current line close to the Dugong. A shoal that consisted of daisy chaining fish was located and five casts later Juan’s line went tight and a mammoth fish went greyhounding off into the sunset. Unfortunately technical issues with the fly reel meant that Juan had to battle it out for a further two hours, however with great patience and resolve a really big Milk was landed and photographed as the sun set at the end of Day 1. This set the tone for the next five days as numerous shoals of Milkfish were fished to in the morning and the afternoon sessions. Cast after cast resulted in a further dozen or so fish being hooked and lost by almost all the fisherman. Granted we didn’t we have a ton load of luck in landing the fish, but great action never to be forgotten was had by all.
The weather got progressively better throughout the week, with slick calm conditions making for very pleasant wading. All the species made regular appearances and despite our major focus aimed at GT’s, we encounterd some great Bonefish, Triggerfish, Bumphead Parrotfish sessions in between wielding the 12wt rods. On one particular afternoon Pat managed to hook and land four Moustache Triggers within an hour of wading time…incredible action for one of the most technical fish one can cast a fly to!
On the later part of the dropping tide, tailing Bones were spread unevenly across the flats. Ron took full advantage of the shots presented and managed to land a handful of fish that stretched in excess of 27 inches. Incidentally, while fishing for Triggers and Bones, the elusive Indo-Pacific Permit showed up regularly. On one particular morning, Dick had a shot at two of the biggest Permit we have seen on the atoll, both fish certainly in the 20lbs range and are now right in our cross hairs.
The GT’s were however at the forefront of our guests target species, and it is safe to say no one was left empty handed. Although everyone got great fish, special mention must go out to the following individuals and their impressive catches. Firstly to Scott who on consecutive days managed to land two fish over the metre mark. Pat who took full advantage of the opportunities that he had at bigger fish and landed a 103cm, 107cm, 110cm and a 116cm fish during his time on the atoll. And finally to Juan who landed the biggest fish of the trip, with a brute 120cm fish. This particular fish was a single fish that was seen cruising down a narrow gutter in the fading light on the second last afternoon. After a pin point cast, the fish with a very calculated approach engulfed the fly and sped off across the flat. After a solid tussle the fish of a lifetime came to hand. Congrats Juan!
All in all, an unforgettable opening week with some great friends. All the anglers adding new species, new memories and also new personal bests in their flats fishing repertoires. Species wise we landed good numbers of GT’s, Triggers, Bumpies, Bones, Bohar Snapper, Grouper, as well a Milkfish and a Sailfish and more Bluefin Trevally than one can even begin to count.
