St Brandon Blog: 28 May – 7 June 2024
Here we are in the last week of our April-June ‘24 St Brandon’s season as we welcome excited guests from Scotland. The weather for the week brought heavy winds blowing out of the south and south east as well as multiple squalls blowing over the atoll which made the fishing a bit trickier to start with. The tides for the week saw the neaps heading into springs which will mean slightly spending less time on the shallower flats and shifting our focus more to the islands and other high lying areas of the Atoll.
The Bonefishing for the week started off with a bang as multiple good size fish were seen. There were some skinny water bonefishing opportunities at the start of the week during the afternoon dropping tides which made for some exciting fishing. As the week progressed, we shifted our focus more to the islands and coral ridges due to the higher tides we would be fishing this week. The guests managed to land good numbers of bones in those areas. Some good fish were caught during the week with our average size being between 5 lb and 8lb, with our biggest of the week being 3 beautiful fish ticking the scale to just over the 8.5lb mark.
The Permit fishing this week got off to a slower start with fewer fish seen cruising the flats at the beginning of the week. We did however manage to find more fish around the islands and ridges as the guests enjoyed some good opportunities at happy, tailing fish. As the week progressed we were finding good numbers of Permit and Chaz managed to hook up to a beautiful Permit weighing in at just over 8.5lb, he was over the moon as this was his first ever Permit and he has pursued them for a long time. On the final day of the week, Johnny got in on the permit action landing a fin-perfect Permit weighing in at an impressive 12lb while fishing a flat just behind our home island.
With the cooler water around this time of year the Bluefin Trevally and Gt fishing was once again on the slower side this week. we found ourselves exploring further south looking for them around islands and coral ridges although we were not finding them in the numbers we usually do. We do however expect to see them in much greater numbers in the coming September- November season especially as that season progresses.
And so our April-June ‘24 draws to a close. Our final week on the atoll sees us end the season off on a high with happy anglers setting sail back to the mainland. We are very excited to see what the next season has instore for us out on this beautiful piece of heaven we call St Brandon’s Atoll. from the Flycastaway guide team we would like to thank all our guests who joined us this past season and we look forward to hosting you out there with us again in the near future.
Our catch tally for the week:
- Bonefish- 74
- Indo-Pacific Permit- 2 (1x 12lb)
- Golden Trevally- 1
Yours in fishing,
Flycastaway Guide Team






















































































































































































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! 













