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Alphosne Fishing News 5 – 11 January 2013

The milkfish are back and feeding in good numbers on the eastern edge of St François after being absent for most of last weeks wind and rain. The weather changed back to the glorious hot and calm conditions normally experienced during our January weeks, which elevated our milk's to their normal feeding lanes. The St François lagoon has been as spectacular as ever, with the mirrored blue skies only effected by the ripple created by feeding fish. The offshore upwelling's are becoming even more apparent as huge plankton blooms start to excite the milkfish as they began to feed in carefree frenzies. The milk's that are still around and haven't not started their annual spawning migration have been capitalizing on these incredibly rich plankton blooms as they once again start feeding with vigour, which in turn provides for excellent angling opportunities.

"Aurelie Duhec, the archipelagos conservation officer has been analysing the plankton samples I collect on a regular basis and the findings are astounding. The variety of the plankton species is remarkable and makes up a veritable soup of juvenile crabs, shrimps and lobsters. Many juvenile fish species also form part of this zooplankton soup as do copepods and many types of other minute phytoplankton. Its been an amazing exercise as we now know why the milkfish are so incredibly powerful and acrobatic”, enthused guide, Wayne Hasleau.

Dave and Richard, the father and son team from South Africa had a most memorable day's fishing with guide Serge, both catching a really nice GT in the morning. David then upped the anti by catching a milkfish, a permit and then a bonefish to complete an “Alphonse Super Slam.”  What a great achievement and experience for both our father and son team as well as our 14th season veteran guide, Serge. Gavin and angling partner Steve also from South Africa got stuck into the species by tallying up some fantastic bones, GT’s, Bluefin trevally, milkfish and triggers. Uwe from Deutschland caught a spectacular 50lbs GT, which was tailing a big Nurse shark while on the coral flats. This magnificent specimen fought really hard for more than 20min and was finally landed almost 1 km away from where she was hooked. Later on in the week Devan put Uwe and Rob onto some really nice milkfish. After catching one milk each they decided it was the perfect time to switch to dredging tactics in hope of tangling with some of the big Dogtooth tuna which cruise the drop-offs and are eager to eat a fly as long as it gets down to them. Uwe was using the new secret fly tied and invented by our barman and guide Yousuf, called the DT. It’s an extremely fast sinking crustacean, which imitates something that reef fish simply cant leave alone.  In no time the guys were hooked up to Doggies! Rob landed a 22 lbs silver bullet and Uwe pipped him with a magnificent 85lbs trophy. Later on in the week Jonathan Hey hooked a really energetic milkfish which jumped 12 times and on occasion 8 ft in the air. This 30lbs bar of shimmering steel was hard to subdue, which sealed the experience as being one of Jon's best ever. Vadim Titovets had the best of the leapers as he tangled with both leaping milkfish and sailfish during the week. On the last morning he hooked 3 sailfish, all of which came unbuttoned after true areal displays.

Well done to all our guests during this very fishy week. From all the team here on Alphonse cheers until next time.  

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

As always it is a real pleasure to be back to Kau Tapen Lodge on the Rio Grande, the best sea run brown trout river in the world. Kau Tapen has something special, a great atmosphere, nice people, beautiful light and landscape, the best sea trout fishery anywhere and the lodge itself, is a great place to work and to be, cosy, friendly and beautiful that makes our guests feeling home. Most of our staff keep coming back from one year to another so a good percentage of our guests for those reasons!

We started the season the 2nd January progressively with few guests the first days of opening and little by little getting more people coming to experiment for their first time and also repeaters, to have the lodge full on the 6th.

We started the season with rather high water condition. I would say very nice water speed with fast current and good looking pool but with slightly coloured water due to some rain and melting snow. The river has been quite warm having between 6 to 10°C rising to 12°C later on, around the 8th January.

Due to this condition we has been using during this first days, floating line with fast sink tip (Tip 7 or heavier) or full sinking line as a S3-S4 line to go deep and cut the fast water.  The keys was to present the fly deep and slow, close to the fish to interest them and make them take. Both technics were effective depending on the pools, the activity of the fish and water temperature. Bugs, leeches and sunray shadow were the “working flies”.

Fish are coming up the Rio Grande little by little and we can see some of them showing off in the pools. With this high water condition we have caught both fresh fish and fish with some river, as some of them came up river easily with this water high.

This season our team of guide is composed of the legendary Max Maemev from Russia, Matthew from Ireland and Maxi from England, and Santiago and Fabian both from Argentina. The first week is also the moment for the guides to check better the pools, to see if there were some changes with the spring flood and start trying flies and rigging to see what works the best. Within few days we found out what was the best option and got onto fish quickly and we landed a fair amount of nice fresh fish as well as some coloured one.

We had the chance to host Tim Romano and Kirk Deeter from Fields and Stream magazine who came to do some recording for the Field and Stream website (www.fieldandstream.com) and Tim did a great job filming and taking picture of our great place and fishery. Lila Rowcliffe came back once again, and it’s always a great pleasure to have her back.

The season is now on his normal cruise and the fish are coming up more and more everyday, giving our guests great fishing, emotion and fight. The fishing has picked up this last days and we are expecting a great season. Come to visit us at Kau tapen to experiment the best sea run brown trout fishery un the world

Best

By Jean Baptiste Vidal

Fishing Manager

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

Desroches January Fly Fishing News

The December weather has truly been spectacular which has a direct reflection on the month's catches.  With almost perfect weather the fly fishing at Desroches, Poivre and St Josephs has produced some spectacular catches on both the flats as well as in the blue.

Every angler that has had the privilege of walking pristine and unspoiled edges of St Joseph’s, cannot help but be mesmerised by the beauty which is reflected off its snow white sand flats. The abundance of marine life that surrounds the islands, flats and coral heads, reflects how unspoilt this atoll really is. The tropical fish, rays, turtles, and small Black-tip reef sharks that frequent these shallow island water edges make for an unforgettable experience. It truly is one of the most beautiful gems in the Seychelles and what makes her even more attractive to our seasoned anglers who visit our shores is the healthy population of bonefish. Not only do our anglers have the the opportunity to target lots of tailing bonefish but there are also some larger specimens that feed on the flats. The biggest of December being a really good fish in the the 8lb range.

Poivre Island continues to hold large numbers of permit and on average it is not uncommon for an angler to have twenty casting opportunities at different tailing permit during a fishing session on Poivre. A recent happy angler, Charles Ingles-Finch landed a fantastic specimen which adds to this months healthy tally. What is becoming very pleasing is that more and more Moustache and Yellow Margin triggerfish are being seen and targeted by our anglers when fishing Poivre.

The anglers that ventured out to try some blue water fly fishing were often rewarded with some exciting action. This month saw 8 sailfish being successfully landed in the month, with a multiple of unfortunate but expected “long lines releases”. To add to the excitement a variety of other species like Dog Tooth tuna, Yellow Fin tuna, dorado, Rainbow Runner and Bluefin trevally where hooked, fought, lost and caught.

Wishing all our angling friends a busy and successful fishing year, from the Desroches Cast-A-Way team!

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

Alphonse Fishing News  29 December – 5 January 2013    

Our 12th Alphonse week started with terrible weather as the tail of a tropical depression swept past Madagascar bringing strong wind and lots of rain. Unfortunately this meant that the sea conditions deteriorated and where deemed as unsafe for the crossing to St François. The first 3 days where spent fishing the magnificent flats that surround Alphonse that are literally on the hotel's doorstep allowing guests the luxury of seeking shelter when need be. Even though the weather was a dampener our team of anglers took to the fantastic bonefishing that Alphonse has to offer as really good catches started to tally up.  Low light, strong winds and tailing bonefish in skinny water make for a challenging but extremely awarding experience. John Dale, a seasoned angler from the USA mentioned that the day he experienced with guide, Scott Keller was one of his best bonefishing days ever. “Big single tailing bones in skinny water is what its all its about”, Enthused Scott.

Anglers also had a good number of shots at the other species which call Alphonse their home. Permit, GT’s and triggerfish are often very unforgiving, making them almost impossible to target with the extreme wind. A impressive number of large Bluefin trevally were caught while feeding in groups both on the flats, along the island shores and in the deeper channels. Our Russian guests Alexy Danchukov and Egor Chulanov caught some really interesting trophies their week which included a lovely Honey Comb grouper, that chased the fly for 8 meters before engulf the “Squiddy” and disappearing into the reef.  Known for their dirty tactics Alex held tight while guide, Wayne managed to get him out of its coral infested domain for a quick photo before letting him go.  

The aweful system moved to the South of Madagascar and the weather gradually improved allowing our team 3 days at St François. As always St François and her wonderful angling opportunities rose to the occasion to make up for the bad weather. A great New Year's party was had by all, which brought in the “New Fishing Year”.  

To all of our friends, form the Alphonse team we wish you all of the best and a wonderful, prosperous 2013.

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

Alphonse Fishing News 22 - 29 December 2012

The “Christmas Week” was one of diverse gifts both on and off the flats. It’s been a week full of all the different species that the magnificent atolls of St Francois, Alphonse and Bijoutier have on offer. The bonefishing was once again its normal great self, come rain, wind, storm or sun, our resident bonefish turn up to feed in good numbers on the various flats. The best fishing periods have often been on the falling tide when the bones tail on the flats for as long as possible, while hoping to catch any last snacks before the tide turns. At times the tailing bones seem to be around for ever as some of the teams caught fish on occasions for hours at a time. Tom and Terry paired up for a morning's bonefishing and had a real treat as shouts of “double’ rang out across the flats as they both tussled some above average size bones.

Tommy Hradecka who stayed on with his family for a second week, started his Christmas indulgence  by landing another permit, before deciding to join his Dad when targeting the multitude of various other species on offer when dredging offshore. Dave and Terry decided to join in the experience as the two skiff ventured outside the reef. The amount of different species that can be caught in a couple of hours can be astounding at times. Tuna, snapper, grouper, wrasse, barracuda and trevally all falling prey to the heavily weighted Mega Clousers that are sunk out of sight before whipping them back as fast as possible. Dave enjoyed the dredging so much that he went for a second session later on in the week and ended up fishing with Wayne at the “Hot-Dog Tooth” spot, which is an extremely deep drop just off shore to the West of Bijoutier. True to form the big predators which call this spot their home showed up. Firstly, a huge GT came up from the depths and engulfed a large Lyretail grouper which Dave was in the process of landing, before turning and disappearing into the depths. Later, Dave shouted as a big fish tore in and grabbed his fly and started peeling line off as it returned for the depths.  After a back aching battle, Dave landed a magnificent Dogtooth tuna in the 30lbs range.

Ken landed a superb triggerfish when fishing with Scott only to have it escape from his hands before getting his Christmas card photo. Derek topped his week by landing a superb GT which tested his skills. Tommy hooked a very large and energetic Giant trevally which engulfed one of Yusuf's “Big and Ugly” tied flies. "Tom set hard as the big fish shook its head and accelerated towards the drop off. It was set to be a considerable battle as both parties took an inch when they could. Fifteen minutes into the fight, with Tom handling the rod like a pro, the giant won the battle by wearing through the leader on a piece of coral”, enthused Wayne.  Not perturbed by the loss he went on to add a very special fish to his impressive list of species caught for the fortnight. While walking the surf with guide, Scott he landed a lovely parrotfish on a small crab pattern, ending off his two week fly fishing quest on a high note.

Another great week has come to an end as we wish our guests a safe trip home and prep our boats for our next bunch of friends. From the Alphonse Team, we wish you the best for the New Year and hope that your fishing is full of rewards and success.

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

2012 was a busy year of travel, meeting and working with some wonderful people. This is a celebration of the year with a sincere thank you to all those that hosted, guided, loaded and helped me as well as some great friends.

This is a 30-minute photographic (images not as sharp as normal due to movie format) review of the year covering Indonesia, Seychelles, UK, Iceland, Russia, Norway, Canada and back to Iceland and Russia, ending at home in the UK.

Enjoy…!

Tarquin Millington-Drake

Click here.

Alphonse Island Fishing News 15 – 23 December 2012

The week started at its normal fast pace as the anglers got stuck into some really exciting milkfish, which had once again congregated close to Bijoutier on the Eastern side of St Francois. The milkfish action became fast and furious as the big shoals of surface feeding fish joined in with the resident Manta Rays. The milkfish fishing was simply “off the charts” as 4 anglers landed milkfish on the first day. Our Canadian angler, Dr David Hall, showed that he was a specialist as he landed 3 milkfish out of the 7 which he jumped.

The second days milkfishing was as good as the first, except that some added GT action increased the excitement on the flats. Canadian father and son team Pete and Greg from Saskatchewan were super keen to try theirs skills at the trevally on hand. We started drifting in a particular hotspot and strait away noticed 2 big “GEETS” cruising along the surface. Greg made 2 casts, the second one landing well within their feeding area. The lead fish set its pectoral fins in preparation for a chase as it charged the fly with serious intent. The eat was spectacular and Greg set fast and hard as it disappeared on its first run. The big fish tried all the tricks of the trade to get away, but to no avail. After an exciting fight we got to photograph this magnificent 106 cm trophy, which Greg had literally "travelled half way around the world for the chance to catch,” enthused our resident senior guide, Wayne Haselau.

The Hradecka family comprising of Jan, Dana and Tommy have been coming to Alphonse for many years to target all the various species that Alphonse has on offer. This year was to be a special one as Tommy caught his first sailfish on fly and later on that day went on to catch a bonefish, which made him the the youngest angler to complete the now famous Alphonse “Bills and Bones” achievement. The very next day Tommy had a shot at a beautiful permit as it waved its golden sickle fins in the air as it selectively fed in the shallows. A perfect cast made the fly irresistible to the 10lbs trophy as it pounced on the fly. This wasn’t the only permit caught during the week as Brian, one of our South African guests waited until the last hour of the last day to catch a magnificent 13 pound beauty while fishing with Serge. Another one of our South African anglers, Chris caught a really special “Super Grand Slam,” whilst fishing with fishing manager Devan. Chris landed a milkfish, GT, trigger and bonefish to give him this fantastic achievement, which is just one fish short of the fabled “Golden Grand Slam”.  Despite the extremely hot and windless conditions, its been another a super week.

Until next week, tight lines and Merry Christmas from the Alphonse team.

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

River Test

June          9 - 25

July       14 - 27

August   18 - 31

River Itchen

May         2 -  8

June          5 - 15

July           4 - 13

Aug          13 - 23

The 4 week notice period to management to take over before the news season has been an amazing experience, with lessons learned and incredible support from the Alphonse staff. The guide team lead by fishing Manager Devan Van Der Merwer and the hotel team lead by hotel management Chris Leslie and Ann Leslie have made incredible improvements to guest experience over the last 8 weeks. There will be a lot more changes to come prior to next season which will make Alphonse more appealing in many ways.

We are now in a position to open reservations for the 2013/2014 Alphonse Island season. There will be a few changes for next season, which will make Alphonse as appealing to non-anglers as it does to anglers.  There will be added activates such as tennis, diving, snorkeling, eco walks, sunset cruises and bluewater game fishing.  The 15 A-frame, bungalow accommodations will remain the same except for maintenance and some minor upgrades. The 4 Villa’s will receive minor upgrades and will now be available to guests that would like something a little more spacious and private.

The 2013/2014 Season

The season for now will commence 5th October 2013 and end 31st May 2014.  There is however the option to book at other times with a minimum group of 6 pax. The trips will be based on a Sat/Sat week long trips, with the possibility to increase the package to a 10 day trip (Wed/Sat or Sat/Wed) (6 days fishing) should there be a minimum of 6 anglers wanting to do a so. There is also the option for private charters which will allow guests to come and go as they please.

Prices

Note - Rates are subject to change, but only for unconfirmed bookings.

Standard A-Frame Beach Bungalows

Single Accommodation/sharing skiff and guide $6,500 (increase of $300)

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

Non-fisher Rate sharing $3,220 (decrease of $490)

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

Non-fisher rate - Single Accommodation $4,620

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

Beach Villas

Single Accommodation/sharing skiff and guide $8,500

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

Non-fisher Rate sharing $3,920 (decrease of $490)

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

Non-fisher rate - Single Accommodation $5,250

Return IDC (Island Development Company) Flight Mahe/Alphonse/Mahe $1,150 (increase of $55)

INCLUDES:

7 Night Package with all all meals included.
Fishing Package: Includes 6 days fly fishing on St Francois & Alphonse Atoll’s.
Season: October 2013 – Ma y 2014

EXCLUDES:

Park Fee: USD 175 pp (USD25 per day) (Paid in cash on the island).
All drinks (other than coffee/tea), laundry, items of a personal nature & telephone charges.
International flights
Gratuities

Fly Fishing

As per this season there will be a max of 12 fly anglers on St François at any time. Alphonse and St François will continue with its strict no conventional/spinning fishing on the flats and reefs.

Bluewater Fishing

There will be 2 bluewater boats available for chartering. One will primarily be used for fly fishing and the other for conventional. There will be no conventional angling next to the reef as the aim of the conventional boat will be purely for targeting pelagic species. We do require a considerable amount of fresh fish for the hotel guests and targeting pelagic’s will have very little effect on our resident species.

Diving & Snorkeling

Diving will commence in the new season and we will have a fully operational dive centre with all the necessary dive equipment.  There will be the option for guests to be picked up on St François, taken out for a dive and returned to the flats for further fishing. There will also be a rental option for snorkeling gear as well as snorkeling trips.

Tennis

There will be tennis rackets and balls available on the island for use at any time and the court is lit for night tennis.

Internet Connections

There is and will be wireless connections in the bar area and a network cable connection in the internet room.

Rates

Rates are subject to change, but only for unconfirmed bookings. There will be a first right to refusal for the guests which took the same week this past season. Unfortunately there are 2 weeks which have been blocked out by the owners which are 16 – 23 Nov & 23 – 30 Nov 2013.Please note that the conservation fee of USD 175 (USD25) per day is not included in the rates and will be payable on the island in cash. The diving and game fishing rates sheets will be available early in the new year.

First Right of Refusal

A guest has 2 weeks to confirm their spot after they return from their trip. There after the spots will automatically be opened up to reserved bookings.

Terms & Conditions

Payment terms:
Reservations will be held for 2 weeks
We require 50% deposit to confirm the booking
Final payment is to be made 3 month prior to arrival

Cancellation Policy

A 10% fee shall be levied if cancellation is more than 180 days prior to arrival alternatively the booking may be moved to an alternative date.
A fee of 50% shall be levied if cancellation is between 180 and 90 days prior to arrival
A fee of 100% shall be levied if cancellation is 90 days or less prior to arrival
All cancellations & provisional bookings must be confirmed in writing
All activities require the client to sign an indemnity
All clients require “From Scene of Accident”medivac and medical insurance

On Location Activities

Payment terms

Booking and payment prior to arrival receives a 10% discount
Full payment required to confirm the booking

Cancellation Policy

A 10% fee shall be levied if cancellation is more than 180 days prior to arrival alternatively the booking may be moved to an alternative date.
A fee of 50% shall be levied if cancellation is between 180 and 90 days prior to arrival
A fee of 100% shall be levied if cancellation is 90 days or less prior to arrival
All cancellations & provisional bookings must be confirmed in writing
All activities require the client to sign an indemnity
All clients require “From Scene of Accident”medivac and medical insurance

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

Alphonse Fishing News – November / December 2012

Alphonse has without doubt proven to be the only milkfish destination that continues to offer anglers a life time dream of catching big milkfish on fly. The records keep rolling in as for the first time in the history of Alphonse Island, all the guests caught a milkfish on the same day, some even catching three. The last 6 weeks have seen almost all its guests catch at least one milky, which means it has simply been “off the charts”.  It’s evident that our healthy population of milkfish are back to stay as not only have there been extreme amounts to target but most of these have been above the normal average size which is testament to our continued conservation ethics that are starting to bare fruit for the future. In the last 4 weeks our anglers have averaged 11 milkfish landed per week, for a total of 44, which means that over 120 had to have been hooked.  The beauty of this magnificent fishery is that milk's are only one of the numerous game fish species on offer that will test your tackle to the limits.

The GT fishing is really starting to warm up as a large number of fish have started entering onto various other flats to feed on the abundant shoals of mullet , bonefish and pursemouths which have been concentrated around the South. In that last few weeks there have been some magnificent trophies caught with various techniques and fly choices. To add to the excitement of a GT take, the NYAP (Not Your Average Popper) designed by one of our star guides James Christmas has proven to be “the big fish catcher”.  A true indication of the amount of GT’s frequenting the flats is when I got a frantic call from our resident fishing manager Devan for more 12 weight fly lines to be sent out as a matter of urgency.

The Trigger fishing has been superb as some anglers caught as many as 3 Triggers in one day.  Numerous permit have been landed in the last few weeks and one angler even had an enormous fish hooked which almost spooled him before breaking him off on his backing. The big barracuda are around which creates momentary mayhem when anglers find themselves hooked up to a 1.5 metre plus fish which removes 300 meters of backing in a couple of seconds while greyhounding into the distance.

The bonefish fishing  has been amazing as always which means that anglers have often been selecting  the prime time tides for the other species and filling in the gaps with Bones.  

The bluewater species are an added bonus as guests have been trying their skill at sailfish, Yellowfin & Dogtooth tuna, wahoo, Green jobfish, grouper, snapper and various other trevally species.

Don’t forget that the already achieved “Alphonse Golden Grand Slam” wins a free fishing trip to Alphonse worth $6200. Join Matvey Ivanov on the honor roll with the other anglers that have enjoyed Super Slam’s, Grand Slam’s, Trigger Slam’s, Trevally Slam’s and Bills and Bones”.

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