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Desroches Flats News - Permit Frenzy!

The catch reports from the last 2 weeks of March speak for themselves and echo the sentiment that the Amirante permit fishery is the best there is in the Seychelles. The results have been exceptional and in the 6 days when our guests took a break from the luxury of Desroches to venture out, there were 5 Permit landed on fly. Andrew Lewis fished exceptionally well and landed 2 permit in the 2 days he fished, Helmut Ulrich landed the biggest of the season and Ilya Scherbovich followed with his first permit on fly.

The Bonefishing has been really good with both large schools of fish in the deeper water as well as tailing singles and doubles when the tide is out. The flats have also been alive with other species like Bluefin trevally and Yellowspot trevally, which adds to the excitement of big fish on small rods. James Coates had his first bonefishing experience and on the same day landed an exceptional Bluefin trevally on a small Spawning Shrimp, 15 lbs leader and a 9 weight fly rod. Bjorn Viedge also had a remarkable day on the flats of St Joseph’s by landing his first bonefish and a bunch more in skinny water, before adding some variety with a Yellowspotted trevally.

As we head into April and towards the South Easterly season the fishing will continue to impress as the waters cool slightly and the weather stabilises. Tight lines from the Desroches Team. 

Farquhar Blog: 9 – 16 March 2013

After two long weeks of working on boats it was a welcome relief to receive our guests this week. Ben Pierce came to Farquhar two years ago and decided it might be a great place to bring some of his mates and their partners. They immediately fell into the guides favour when they whipped out the “Simms Swag”. Cherished boots, buffs, caps and shirts were received amid oohs and aahs. The guides looked the part, now we needed to earn the image.

We knew things were looking good when on the first morning Jason Miller landed a trophy Triggerfish. Being a self confessed permit nut he presented the crab to the Trigger with deadly accuracy time and time again. After a few dozen perfect casts the general feeling was that the fish wasn’t hungry, but Jason persisted and was rewarded by his first moustache triggerfish, and celebrated as if it was a 30lb permit.

As the week progressed the fish tally rose dramatically as it tends to do at Farquhar. It didn’t take long for stories of big fish to circulate around the particularly lively dinner table. Ben soon had a few GT stories to add to his previous season, two to be precise, one of 110cm! He didn’t stop there though. I’m not sure if he was keeping chum in his pocket, but he seemed to attract the big barracudas. One he was lucky enough to land without a wire trace, the second managed to bite through but only after a long and intense fight.

Sarah Davies landed her first GT, but only after she had practised her big fish skills on two large dogtooth tuna. Bob (a larger than life character and Woodstock veteran) was not to be out done, and managed to pick a Sailie out of a massive school of Bonito. In typical sailfish fashion it went buck wild and then mysteriously the backing parted.  Two fisherman and their guide stood gaping open mouthed at the fish’s wake for several minutes. 

We thought the week was going really well after we got two more Triggers and when Justin landed a 10lb 32 inch bonefish- certainly the biggest we’ve seen on this atoll- we thought it couldn’t get any better. And then we woke up on the last day of the trip to the most perfect conditions you could possibly hope for in the Seychelles. We knew something special was going to happen, and sure enough by 12 o’clock in the afternoon we had landed two beautiful milkfish. A feat that most fly fisherman don’t reach in their deepest daydreams. The fight between fish and angler was a mammoth one, the fish weaving the boat through fields of coral gardens. Finally Jako sent the message that stated simply “boys, we have a milkfish on the boat”. Boy did we all go crazy! After everyone had jumped up and down and high fived we sent our congratulations to Jako and Jason as well as Jeremy (Jason’s brother, who gave moral support and helped steer the boat and man the radio while Jako had his hands full). Only a few minutes later Scotty came on the radio and said: “Where have you guys been?! Dipose was full of milkies, Lan landed one first thing this morning!”.

So the fishing on our first week was amazing, but it was only a portion of what made the week truly memorable. There was never a dull dinner, the stories flowed and laughter carried over the moonlit water in the bay. The guides would always walk back to the house after dinner saying amongst ourselves “Jees, what a lekker bunch of people” and we always meant it. We’ve made friends, and the group caught a whole ton of special fish- in the end, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Farquhar Blog: 16 – 23 March 2013

It’s our second week on Farquhar this year and after a phenomenal first trip the gears are in full motion. Neap tides were on the cards and we were expecting the bonefish numbers to be up there. There’s a wonderful phenomenon that tends to happen on a certain neap tide, usually once or maybe twice a season: a massive, if not colossal school of bones pours into the atoll and will stay just long enough for every angler to be left astounded by it’s sheer mass, and of course, catch enough to fill his bone fishing quota for the rest of the year. As you may have guessed, this week was one of those weeks and I can report with certainty that many many gorgeous silver bullets were caught, although the exact number was lost long before the end of the first day.

This didn’t mean there wasn’t the classic, traditional style flats’ fishing around. On the other side of the atoll you could target large single bones. They weren’t easy though, but if you brought your “A – Game” you were certainly rewarded. That’s the beauty of Farquhar. “These bones are too easy? Fine, let’s go to another spot.” And when we all got tired of the bones, we turned our sights onto the Triggers and Bumphead parrotfish…of which there were many.

While the fisherman’s prayer is usually an appeal to the powers that be to bestow good weather on it’s subjects, good weather can be a double edged sword. Sure, the visibility might be at its best, but soon enough it warms the flats, and most of the flats species don’t enjoy the warm water too much! We have our ways and means however, and when things got a little quiet we headed offshore.

To illustrate what can happen offshore, we’ll take the last day as an example. It usually takes some time to locate the fish, while we were hitting the marks, trying to establish which one is currently holding the fish. Kyle arrived on the scene to report that Jako and Ben had already landed a milkfish, the second this week. Not long after Keegan radioed to say he had raised a few wahoo and Dogtooth. Sure enough, a few short minutes later there was a yell on his boat, and a severely bent rod – one times Dogtooth tuna on! Things were heating up.  Phil’s line slammed tight and a wahoo tore off with the immense speed they’re so well known for. Many more swarmed underneath the boat. After the fish was landed and photographed, Joe expressed how badly he wanted to catch a wahoo - a fish that he’d been after for quite some time but hadn’t managed to boat. The words had hardly left his mouth when again there was an explosion behind his fly and the wahoo did it’s best to destroy Joe’s reel drag. Joe finally got his fish, an immensely rewarding feeling for the guide.

After landing a Rainbow Runner, huge Bonito and raising a Sailfish, the action slowed. We thought we’d head back to the wreck for some lunch, but we didn’t quite make it. A massive Doggie interrupted our lunch plans, and after a 45 minute fight boated the estimated 45 - 50 kg fish for a photo shoot, after which it was released and swam powerfully back to its dark watery lair.

And that was just before lunch...

Most of this week’s guests will be staying for another week, and who could blame them? The fishing seems to be going from strength to strength. Tomorrow is the start of another week, and if the last two are anything to go by, things are looking promising. Every week is so vastly different, who could possibly know what is in store for us. 

I’ll keep you posted... James

Fishing Report for the week of March 16-23, 2013

Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny

Air Temp: low- to mid-80sWater Temp: 78-80
Wind: Winds 5-15 mph from the ESE Tides: High tide around noon on the 16^th, with an afternoon high throughout the week
Moon Phase:   1st quarter moon on the 19^th

We had a nice mix of Turneffe Flats veterans and some first-time guests.  Fishing was consistent with cooperative tides and weather. 

Texas native Jerry B. landed his first Grand Slam with guide Daniel.  He landed a total of three permit during his week and also targeted barracuda in addition to bonefish, permit, and tarpon.  Way to go Jerry!

Jim P. of NY, who has fished with us many times over the years, stayed with us for two weeks to fish with Dubs and Dion. Jim spent the vast majority of his time hunting permit and had multiple opportunities, but no “eaters.”  He landed many bonefish and shot some awesome point-of-view video of his fishing with his new GoPRo camera.  He also saw a rare golden bonefish.

Scott D. from the Northwest Territories learned the basics of bonefishing with TFlats veteran guides, Willie and Pops.  His skills quickly progressed and he landed several bonefish each day.  His wife Yvonne was part of our Atoll Adventures program.

John S. III and Marcia S. of NH and John and Emily S. of Mass. returned for their second visit.  Fishing with Capt. and Michael, the family fished hard for bonefish and mostly waded the flats in search bones.  John and Emily often broke up their afternoon with a quick snorkel during their fishing day. 

Ed B. from NY landed several nice bonefish including a 6-pounder on his first day.  During his first few days, he focused his efforts on bonefishing.  On Wed., he was joined by Scott D.  Scott proclaimed that he had no interest in chasing permit, but he would be happy to watch Ed land one.  Ed joked that he was content with that arrangement and rose to the challenge, landing his first permit that afternoon.  Scott and Ed finished off their week with a nice bonefish double on Fri.

April D. and Tom B. of Colo. spent half the week here with us fishing for permit and bonefish.  April landed her first bonefish with guide Michael and Tom primarily fished for permit.  April also enjoyed spending some time on the Atoll Adventure boat.

Many-time return guests Florence and Rick M. of Calif. were back for their annual stay with us.  Fishing with Dubs, they had consistent bonefishing and spotted permit daily.

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

Alphonse Island Fishing News 9 – 16 March 2013

The sound of spinning blades made way to the friendly banter from a new team of anglers as the plane opened its doors. Along with the fresh faces came a bout of sunny clear skies, which helped kick start the week with some incredible bonefishing. The dropping tides proved to produce the most amazing fishing for tailing bonefish as they caught a final feed before heading off to deeper water. Some teams even experienced hours of casting to big fish as they forage with their backs completely out the water, which is enough to put a smile on any seasoned anglers face. Spots like “Morning Traffic” & “Bonefish Highway” held incredible amounts of eager hungry fish throughout the week.
 
The milkfish are back on the feed as Pelham and Patrick found out when teamed up with their guide Serge Samson. Both rods had numerous shots at these frantically feeding milkfish as they patrolled up and down the scum line to the western side of St François. Patrick was the first to hook up and subsequently become unbuttoned when the hook pulled. It was Pelham who buried the next hook, which in turn expedited an incredible and true to form milkfish fight. The energetic fish gave Pelham a good working over as it darted through the coral lagoon in a attempt to snag the leader. After a tiresome and lengthy fight a magnificent 30lbs trophy was tailed, photographed and released to fight another day.

The beauty of St François and Alphonse doesn’t only pertain to the fishing but also the wildlife on display both in and above the water. Some anglers this week took a break to do some snorkelling in a spot called “Gods Aquarium,” which is known as perhaps one of the most beautiful snorkelling spots in the Seychelles.  The crystal clear water, beautiful coral heads, magnificently coloured fish, inquisitive turtles and biodiversity all contribute to the underwater marine extravaganza. Paul and Ian who are very serious birders joined our local expert Wayne Hasleau for a birding and fishing combo. What better than to walk the St François flats while fishing for bonefish and permit only pausing to admire the different bird species which shelter on St François for a portion of their year.  The area is known for the large numbers of migrant waders,  Frigates, Boobies, Shearwaters and its large colony of the very rare Crab plover. The Crab plover have recently been acknowledged internationally as a site of special scientific interest (SSI).

The Bluefin trevally have been around in really good numbers all season and last week was no different as the teams often encountered these feisty feeders while following rays in extremely shallow water. Pound for pound they are the hardest fighting trevally species making them really exciting to catch on lighter tackle. As always a good number of large predatory reef species, like Bohar snapper, Jobfish and grouper were caught by a number of anglers outside the reef. It wasn’t really a firecracker week for landed GT’s even though there where still some nice fish caught in the 20 to 40 lbs range, both on the flats and in the surf. The biggest fish of 40lbs was caught by Ian whilst cruising the inside of St François lagoon. Paul ended the week off in true style as he landed a nice Alphonse permit on Saturday before jumping onto the plane.

Thanks form the Alphonse team to the wonderful clients from last week. Tight lines and bent butts!

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

Alphonse Island Fishing News 16 – 23 March 2013

The weather was truly magnificent this week as sunny, sunny still days and flat calm seas prevailed. Sebastian set the tone for the week by catching a sailfish and bonefish on his first day to achieve a “Bills and Bones Slam”. To add to his achievement he caught 3 impressive GT’s and also hooked a nice milkfish to end a remarkable day.  Alphonse veteran Tim Aldis also added to the days excitement by having his first cast of the trip at 2 large cruising GT’s.  This wasn’t Tim’s first rodeo and true to form his cast was superb as he lead the pair by a long way. As the fly hit the water the dominant GT charged the fly, engulfed it and headed for the horizon, before shaking the hook. As the week progressed some even more remarkable catches were made by the team. Bruce landed 2 beautiful Indo Pacific permit in a week, the first being a smaller fish and later on in the week a 12 pound trophy on one of his own tied “Gold Flashy Gotcha’s”. Ian Reilly and Julien Pavier partnered up to go offshore and were rewarded with a fly caught wahoo each, whilst fishing with nylon leader.

Generally neap tides really do suite bonefishing as the long periods of the perfect water height allow these grey ghosts to forage up on the flats for much longer periods. The fish tend to spread out rather than funnel into depressions and as a result our anglers get plenty of shots at single and paired fish.

“Day 2 had a phenomenal falling tide, which is prime time for targeting bones. I was lucky enough to guide Mike and Tim who were eager to target some trophies. The bonefishing was “off the charts” as we fished past “the prawn beds” and headed towards “morning traffic”. As the tide dropped the fishing got even hotter as the fish became bigger, more hungry and full of fight. Big tailing single fish on a firm shallow white sand is as good as it gets, so good that we lost count. Mike landed the biggest of the day measuring an impressive 25 inches from nose to fork, which won’t be forgotten in a rush” elated Wayne Hasleau.

Another week in paradise with the Alphonse Team!

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

Is Farquhar the most diverse flats fishery on the planet?

Indian Ocean flats fishing at it's finest!

With just under two weeks to go before the first group of guests arrive on Farquhar, the guides are already out on location preparing boats, rigging tackle and doing some early reconnaissance. Their reports back have been highly encouraging, with good numbers of fish being witnessed on the flats. The bones, bumpies and triggers are currently in all the right areas and we are expecting a bumper season as far as these species are concerned. Some good sized GT's have also been seen scouring the flats, with the size of some of the fish really getting the guides engines revving.

If you would like to get out to Farquhar this season you are in luck as there has been some changes in our schedule and some last minute dates became available.

* 13 - 20 April 2013 (NM 10) - 1 rod open

* 4 - 11 May 2013 (NM 10) - 6 rods open

October - December 2013

* 30 September - 7 October (Sold out)

* 7 - 14 October (Sold out)

* 14-21 October (Sold Out)

* 21- 28 October 2013 (FM 19) - 10 rods open

* 28 October - 4 November 2013 (NM 3) - 1 rod open

* 4-11 November (Sold out)

* 18 - 25 November 2013 (FM 17) - 7 rods open

* 25 Nov- 2 December 2013 (NM 3) - 10 rods open

* 2 - 9 December 2013 (NM 3) - 6 rods available

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

St Brandon's

For St Brandon's, the season is still a few weeks away but we are no less excited. This period of the year has in the past provided us with truly inspiring bonefish and some really exciting permit fishing, and we are really hoping this will be the season where we photograph a 15lb bonefish and 25lb Indo Pacific Permit. Stay tuned!

After the phenomenal fishing we experienced during Nov-Dec 2013 the guides cant wait to get back out there. Each season we are left in awe as to the quality of this fishery, it seems to go from strength to strength. Such is the case, we have very openings for the remainder of 2013, with the October - December period practically sold out. There are however still come gaps in the April-June period, so let us know if these dates suite you:

* 20 - 29 April 2013 (FM 25) - 8 rods open

* 2 - 11 May 2013 (NM 10) - 3 rod open

* 13 - 22 May 2013 (NM 10) - 2 rods open

* 4 - 13 June 2013 (NM 8) - 8 rods open

 October - December 2013 period

* 12-21 October (FM 19) - 1 rod open

* 16 - 25 November 2013 (FM 17) - 2 rods open

* 9- 18 December 2013 (FM 17) - 2 rods open

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

 Alphonse Fishing News 2 – 9 March 2013

This week saw a start to the return of the milkfish schools after they disappeared on their mid season spawning migration to “who knows where”. Although they are back in large numbers, their feeding has become erratic and concentrated to the flats, which makes them hard to target. The guides are keeping their eyes peeled as they know the big autumn milkfish bonanza is imminent. A change back to South-Easterly winds or a stretch of stable weather will trigger these fish to feed in their droves, whilst offshore or in the various deeper channels through out St François.

This week was to be remembered by the variety of various big Trevally species that were encountered in really good numbers. Earlier in the week Scott Keller took his Puerto Rican fishing buddies Tony and Paco on an offshore stint, which saw them each landed a trophy GT.  The excitement was echoed through the lodge when the “memorable fish catch bell” was rung by both anglers that evening. As the week progressed Oleg, Tony, Paco and Wesley were also lucky enough to land some sizable GT’s which added to the weeks excitement. The real trophy being a 115 cm hog, which was landed by Wesley while being guided by Serge Samson.

“It was the last full day, known as “GT Friday”, which had me paired with Wesley. My objective was a big GT and as I had a good caster it was definitely achievable.  We walked a few spots whilst waiting for the perfect tide to fish the shore edge at a spot called “The Moon”.  Soon into our walk we spotted the big blue GT as it slowly followed the shoreline hoping to trap some unsuspecting mullet. We had time to prepare for the cast, which was made perfectly ahead of the fish.  The shape reacted immediately to follow the fast stripped brush fly. An explosion erupted as the fish ate only a few meters form us and the shore, before turning and heading off into the distance.  We were running short of line so the skiff was a necessity in making sure we did not lose the battle. After a lengthy, powerful fight we landed Wesley's magnificent 75lbs trophy GT. I’m not sure who was more tired, me, Wesley or the GT,” enthused Serge (Mr GT).

The permit fishing was really good and although only one small fish was landed the various teams  did have a considerable amount of really good shots.  The Triggerfish were hungry as numerous were landed by lucky anglers, Oleg, Ginnaddii and Wesley. There were also some other magnificent catches made like Oleg’s Yellow Spotted Trevally, Brian’s really large Bohar Snapper and Davis fantastic Green Jobfish.  

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk

Desroches Island - On the Fly January & Febuary News

What truly distinguishes Desroches Island as one of the most outstanding fishing destinations in the world is the combination of luxurious island accommodation alongside the opportunity to fish three different atolls. It's an incredible place to fish and an even better place to take your girlfriend, wife or family, knowing that they will have plenty to do while enjoying the luxury that Desroches Island has to offer. It’s the perfect place to take your kids for their first fishing experience.  

The months of January and February have seen some fantastic fly fishing moments, with numerous Permit being hooked, fought, lost, landed and released. The bonefishing at St Joseph’s continues to impress all who venture out there. Every angler that has had the privilege of walking the pristine and unspoiled edges of St Joseph’s cannot help but be mesmerized by its true beauty, which is reflected off its snow white sand flats. The abundance of marine life that surrounds these islands, flats and coral edge, echoes how unspoilt this atoll really is. It truly is one of the most beautiful gems in the Seychelles and what makes the area even more attractive to our seasoned anglers is the healthy population of game fish. Not only have our anglers had the opportunity to target numerous tailing Permit and Bonefish, but there have also been some smaller Trevally species around. Poivre Atoll continues to hold large numbers of Permit and on average it’s not uncommon for an angler to have twenty to thirty casting opportunities at different tailing Permit during a fishing session.

Desroches Island - Bluewater January & February News

The seasonal north-western weather has continued, which brings warm and calm sea conditions. At times we have had 10 consecutive days of glassy weather with fish literally boiling while they feed on the fishing grounds. The diversity of species available is astounding as anglers have had the opportunity to target Giant trevally, Yellowspot trevally, Bluefin trevally, Yellowfin tuna, Dogtooth tuna, wahoo, barracuda, snapper, grouper, amberjack, sailfish and even the odd Black and Blue marlin. To put it mildly it has been chaos at Desroches, St Joseph’s and Poivre over the last few months. The waters have been alive with birds like Sooty Terns, Shearwaters, Frigate’s and Boobies, all getting in on the action as they feed on the remains of baitfish, which have been missed by the Yellowfin tuna feeding in the area. The morning arrivals at Poivre and St Joseph’s have been met by shoals of aggressively feeding Yellowfin tuna as they launch themselves out of the water whilst chasing flying fish. The most exciting fishing has to be catching these huge Yellowfin on poppers as they explode into the air while feeding on anything in sight. There have been some memorable catches like the Barrow families 240lbs Black marlin, which was successfully release to fight another day. 

For further information please contact Tarquin Millington-Drake on 0845 299 6212 Ext 1 or at tmd@frontierstrvl.co.uk