Alphonse Island is open all year round for both fishing and leisure guests. We’ll keep this page of 2024/25 Alphonse Island fishing news updated with all the latest action from this truly superb spot.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 23rd to 30th November
The final week of November was very much a continuation of the weeks gone by in terms of weather and fishing. The weather conditions were near perfect with very gentle winds and hot sunny days. The calm winds and the neap tides made for some very still days with very little water movement, which made the fishing on the flats slightly more difficult at times as always, our anglers persevered and some unforgettable fish were caught.
Angler Connor is no stranger to our flats and knew what it would take to catch some of the more difficult species during his week. In the glassy conditions Connor opted to go and search for some milkfish, which are frequently found in the calm offshore seas. Searching the scum-lines outside the reef, Connor’s guide spotted some feeding milks and pulled up to start fishing them. After a few throws in the right areas, Connor went tight with a submarine sized milk, which ripped line as it attempted to stay with the rest of the shoal. Connor did well to put a load of pressure on the fish to keep the fight under the 30-minute mark. The beast was netted and measured to be amongst the biggest we’ve caught this season – a colossal 105cm! Connor would later in the week land another smaller milk as well as a moustache trigger and a well deserved 70cm GT.
Angler James is also well acquainted with our atoll, and came with GTs in his crosshairs. The first few days were fairly difficult, with plenty of fish seen but not many bites coming his way. By the middle of the week however, James’ luck changed in a big way. His guide was polling him along Top Sticks finger, a renowned GT spot. James’ guide saw two good fish cruising along the edge of the finger and quickly threw the anchor, instructing James to climb off the boat. The pair approached the edge of the finger and made a cast, waiting for the fish to approach the fly lying in wait. At the right distance, James began stripping, and the bigger fish surged ahead of the other to inhale the fly. Quickly realising the size of the fish, James and his guide got back on the boat to follow the big geet. James emptied his energy reserves to pull with all his might, and eventually landed the beastly fish. It measured an incredible 104cm, our biggest geet for the past few weeks and an absolutely beautiful fish. Congratulations on your epic catch James!
A big congratulations to angler Meghan who caught the biggest bonefish of the week, measuring an awesome 65cm as well as a beautiful moustache triggerfish of 40cm which also turned out to be the biggest of the week! Anyone who has fished for the triggers in the ultra calm conditions knows how difficult it is so that is very well done Meghan!
Congratulations to Mindy who had her hands full when she got stuck into a massive milkfish. Mindy had the fight of her life and landed her personal best milkfish of 99cm, a fantastic effort! It was a tough week of GT fishing, with a number of fish seen but not nearly as many bites, and so a big well done to Jim, Chris, David and Chantal who also successfully fooled GTs into eating and landing them!
Also following suit from previous weeks, the Bluewater fishing continues to provide plenty of entertainment to our fly fisherman. Chris, James, Stratton and John were all able to land sailfish on fly during their week’s fishing, an awesome achievement and a serious challenge on a fly rod.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 16th to 23rd November
The third week of November brought picturesque weather to Alphonse and St François, along with fantastic fishing conditions. Gentle southerly winds and hot days characterized the week, with the tides slowing as the week progressed moving back into the neaps. Our guests had an absolute blast on the flats and the bluewater, taking advantage of perfect fishing conditions and testing themselves against some of the most sought-after species in the Indian Ocean.
Angler George came to Alphonse on his honeymoon and was keen to get his hands on as many species as possible. He started the week as most do, getting stuck into the bonefish on the dropping tide. George then turned his attention to the other species that call the flats home to try and ramp up the challenge, and a challenge it was indeed. George was made to work very hard for his fish but it came together beautifully on his second to last day when his guide started the day with a move for a giant trevally. George made his opportunity count and landed his first ever geet, a bucket list fish ticked off. Shortly after he went after some triggerfish which had tormented him all week, with plenty of follows and bites but no hookups. His guide spotted a moustache trigger tailing in the shallows to which he made a cast. The fish followed and George remained ultra-patient until he was certain the trigger had the fly in its mouth, shortly afterwards setting the hook with force. The trigger attempted to run into some corals, but fortunately for George his guide was already charging after the fish, net in hand, and intercepted it. George needed a bonefish for the flats slam which he secured with relative ease, but whilst they were bone fishing his guide suggested going after some batfish. George was keen on anything that bit and began swinging a bluebottle fly at some cruising bats. After a few feeble eats by a couple of bats, they found the hungry one, that you could hear slurping as it inhaled the fly off the surface. After a great scrap, George had secured his fourth species for the day and wrapped up what was an unforgettable day on the flats.
Angler Patrick joined us once again for a week of fishing and was fired up to catch a triggerfish. He’d been to other islands in the Seychelles before and fished for these toothy creatures plenty, but landing one had remained an unchecked box. He fished hard all week and caught himself a nice GT which he was chuffed with, and he had plenty of opportunity with triggers but again could not quite clear the final hurdle. On his final day, the hunt continued, this time walking one of the finger flats. His guide spotted the familiar shape of a trigger in one of the potholes, the fish appearing very dark. Patrick made his shot and the fish thundered the fly, immediately going tight as it felt the hook penetrate. The fish was landed and immediately Patrick and his guide Luke knew this was no ordinary trigger, it was an orange-line triggerfish. A super unique catch, and a species we only see one or two of every season. Well done Patrick, that is one hell of a first trigger! Later in the day, Patrick would also go on to bag his first-ever batfish and a bunch more bonefish.
Besides Patrick’s orange-line trigger, we had several interesting catches over the week. One such catch was pulled off by angler Jim who was armed with a seven-weight fly rod whilst bone fishing. Jim saw a sizeable milkfish hanging around some bonefish and thought why not have a shot. He cast his micro alphexo crab and let it sink to the bottom, not expecting much to happen given the fact that milkfish are vegetarian. Then exactly what he did not expect to happen, happened, the milkfish slowly cruised over and inhaled his crab off the bottom. Jim had an incredible fight with the milk on his seven weight and managed to land the fish, which measured in at an impressive 76cm. What an awesome catch Jim, and well done on catching two GTs during your week.
Angler John caught the biggest geet of the week, a beauty measuring in at 84cm. He also managed to catch the biggest bonefish of the week of 63cm. A few days later, whilst bone fishing, John too had a milkfish eat his micro alphlexo crab. Even the smaller milks put up an incredible display of power and endurance. John was chuffed with his 54 cm milk which capped off a special week of fishing, well done John.
Angler Albert booked several days fishing around Alphonse Island and had a great time fishing for the larger bonefish which provided a great challenge. On his second to last day, he and his guide were sitting in the main Alphonse Channel when they saw a barracuda of biblical proportions. Albert’s guide had a fly tied specifically for barries which he hastily tied on before instructing Albert on how to fish it. Albert made the cast and left the fly completely, allowing it to sink slowly, fluttering gently as it descended. This worked brilliantly, and as the fly sank the cannon of a fish bolted to the fly and smashed it. It jumped spectacularly and made long speeding runs as it tried to free itself. The fish was eventually bought a boat side but they were now far from any shallows and the fish was so big they couldn’t get it into one of our big landing nets. Given the situation, an exact measurement was made very difficult but the fish was in the 160 cm region, which is a true giant and an unbelievable catch. Congratulations Albert!
A number of other great catches were recorded this week so we must also congratulate Sandy, Suzy, Bill, and David who caught GTs during the week. Congrats to Angler Charlotte who caught a GT as well as a batfish during the week. A big well done to Tony and Graham who also managed to tick off the batfish during their fishing week.
The bluewater fishing remains very consistent, and angler Dave lead the charge on a week-long bluewater fishing expedition. During his week he managed to land nearly 20 wahoos, six sailfish and a number of Yellowfin Tuna including our biggest tuna seen this season 32kgs.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 9th to 16th November
This week started off a bit trickier than usual in the Alphonse Group, with a few days of low light due to cloud cover and scattered showers early in the week. However, these conditions gave way to postcard-perfect, glassy days to close out the week. The tides transitioned from peak neaps at the beginning of the week to enjoyable spring tides by the end, offering plenty of variety for both wading and fishing from the boat. There was no shortage of fish, with guides reporting numerous sightings of abundant species. Our guests’ dedication and enthusiasm led to some truly remarkable catches, making it a memorable week on the water.
Angler Ben came to Alphonse to make his debut on the flats of St Francois, and with plenty of fly-fishing experience behind him, he was eager to give it horns and catch some memorable fish. His week was off to a cracker start when his guide took him on the search for some milkfish. Once some of these jet-propelled vegetarians were found, Ben got to work by making some great long-distance casts into the feeding group. Before long he went tight, and his Zambian agricultural roots showed, going to work and putting a heap of pressure on a large milkfish. After a typical tug of war with one of these beasts, Ben caught his first serious fish of his trip, a beautiful 95cm milk. Once the milkfish bite had dropped off, the attention was turned to one of the angriest fish in the sea – the giant trevally.
Ben’s guide was polling along the surfline on the eastern side of St Francois when he spotted a black slab sitting above a stingray. Ben made an excellent cast a few rod-lengths ahead of the fish which stormed the fly on the first strip. Ben hit back as the fish ate with a massive strike, which then caused the geet to charge off after feeling the hook. Ben enjoyed a great tussle on the flats with the fish before he successfully brought it to the landing net – a cracker GT of 95cm which would remain our biggest of the week. Later that day Ben ticked off a few bonefish to secure his first-ever flats slam on his first day on our flats, incredible work Ben.
The next two days there were plenty of opportunities. Ben found success again whilst fishing around the surf zone. On this day he started with a beauty of a moustache triggerfish measuring in at 47cm. Once the push started and GTs began moving onto the flats from the surf, Ben added another 74cm GT to his tally for the week. Ben made sure of a few bonefish to secure yet another flats slam. On his final day Ben went out to put the cherry on top of a fantastic week, ticking off another three GTs with the biggest measuring in at 82cm.
Angler Lance is no stranger to our flats system and made the most of his time, finding success with the triggerfish in particular. Of the five moustache triggers caught for the week Lance accounted for three of those. On the final day of his week Lance was rewarded for all his time and effort targeting geets during the week, landing a lovely 77cm GT.
Angler Alice got more than she bargained for when she was waiting for some GTs in one of our biggest channels. Her guide had her armed with an eleven-weight fly rod, 130lb leader and a massive brush fly specifically for GTs when he spotted some massive triggerfish swimming in the channel ahead of the boat. With no time to waste Alice made a cast with no real expectation of a bite. Much to the surprise of all on board, one of the bigger triggers charged the brush fly, and in doing so fired the rest of the group up to also come and harass the large fly. After a few strips one of the triggers committed and bit the fly. Alice went on and even with the heavy tackle the large trigger put up a great fight. Alice managed to land the fish which ended up being our largest moustache trigger of the week, a canon of 52cm.
Well done to Andrew who also ground through the tricky conditions to come away with our only yellowmargin trigger of the week, a stunning 39cm fish as well as a well-deserved 70cm GT. Angler Bernd took advantage of the batfish which readily took his bluebottle fly when fished on the pushing tide, he managed to land two of these gorgeous fish during his week, the biggest of which was a beautiful 48cm specimen. And finally, a big well done to Roman who fished hard during his week and eventually got his 75cm GT on his final day.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 2nd to 9th November
The first week of November served up some beautiful weather and some very enjoyable spring tides for our guests to enjoy whilst on the water.
Angler David had a superb week of fishing in the week prior to this, ticking off a number of impressive fish. On this particular day he opened his batfish account with a beautiful specimen of 41cm, a very unique catch and a fish he was chuffed to have ticked off. His guide then suggested some GT fishing.
They were fishing just outside Alphonse channel as the tide was turning, casting a massive “Beast” fly in the deepwater to entice a giant from the depths. After numerous casts, David persisted, with full faith in his guide Sean who had put him on a metre geet the week before. A few casts later, a behemoth surged up from the depths and smashed the fly. After the long runs stopped the huge fish simply turned itself broadside in the currents below which made it extremely difficult to pull. Pulling as hard as he could, David was able to raise the fish to the side of the boat. Howls of excitement broke out from all on board when the beast hit the net. After some quick photos the fish was measured and came in at a biblical 114cm, the biggest GT of the season so far.
A massive congratulations to David and his guide Sean on this incredible catch. David would later in the week catch a beautiful 43cm moustache triggerfish to round off an amazing two weeks of fishing with us.
Angler Jonny was another fisherman who had a very successful few days of fishing with us. His guide took him for a surf walk at Lollipop wreck on his first day, a spot known for its abundance of GTs on the start of the pushing tide. Arriving slightly earlier for a triggerfish session they were greeted with plenty of the beautiful fish, casting in all directions to try and tempt one. Jonny came right after some attempts at some spookier fish, landing a beautiful 34cm yellowmargin trigger. After a quick lunch break it was time to begin the big GT hunt, and before they even got away from the boat a big fish was seen cruising in the shallows. Jonny made a long cast and waited for the fish to get closer. As it got to the right distance, he stripped and the fish lit up shortly before inhaling the fly. The geet took off rapidly towards the wreck itself, with his guide in hot pursuit to keep it from a number of corals and objects that would certainly sever the fly line. With some good teamwork they landed the GT which unusually stayed in its pitch black colours – making for some epic photos. Jonny was stoked with his 84cm beauty. On the way home Jonny quickly stopped off at a bonefish spot which secured him his first ever flats slam. Later in the week Jonny would go on to catch himself two more GTs, well done on your excellent fishing.
Angler Vladimir also enjoyed a few days fishing before he continued to fishing adventures elsewhere. On his last day on the flats his guide stumbled upon a shoal of feeding milkfish, a mesmerising sight where the fish swim with their mouths wide open inhaling their food as they go. Vlad loves a milk and persisted with great casts until he went tight. Long runs and a few jumps made the fight a very enjoyable one and Vlad eventually overcame the power of the milk to claim the 80cm prize, he was thrilled. Once the tide completely bottomed out Vlad then went in search of a triggerfish. Without having to look too hard they spotted a nice yellowmargin feeding happily on the bottom. With a soft cast Vlad did what was needed to entice the trigger into an angry eat which then saw his guide charge after the fish to land it before it found a hole or a coral. They landed the beauty and then set off to catch a bonefish to complete yet another flats slam for Vlad.
A number of other fish were caught on the flats and so we also congratulate Damien on catching a massive 95cm milkfish, the biggest of the week. Well done to Darrell on his three GTs caught during the week, Rafael who managed two geets during his week, Ken who managed a GT, a yellowmargin trigger and our biggest moustache trigger of the week measuring 46cm, Francesco who caught his first ever GT and to Charis who caught her first milkfish. A big well done to young angler Alexander who caught the biggest bonefish of the week with a canon 66cm bone.
The bluewater fishing continues to fire on all cylinders and a great number of pelagic species came out during the week. Angler Speedy set the benchmark for the week with his very impressive two sailfish, four wahoo, two dorado and a yellowfin tuna. Well done to Heather who caught two sailfish, two wahoo and a yellowfin tuna. Also getting into the bluewater action was Greg who caught wahoo and sails on the fly, Sue who caught a number of wahoo, Elizaveta with her first sailfish and Flora with her first wahoo.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 26th October to 2nd November
The final week of October bought us a variety of weather conditions and mixed fortunes on the fishing front. In the beginning of the week we had swelteringly hot days with next to no wind, which made the fish quite spooky in the glassy conditions, but as the week progressed, a breeze returned along with the odd shower. Spring tides meant plenty of options around the atoll, and some of the guests had great experiences fishing the surf zones.
One man’s week highlighted the highs and lows that saltwater fly fishing in the Seychelles can provide. Fortunately he got his lowest points out of the way early in the week. On his first day he was on the bow whilst being polled down the eastern grass line when his guide Matt saw a nurse shark cruising in the distance. Knowing that there was a good chance of a big GT cruising with it they approached, and before they even got close David’s guide saw a titanic Geet on the back of the fish. David made an excellent cast and the behemoth followed the fly slowly before engulfing it with its massive mouth. Immediately line was flying around and David and his guide attempted to clear the line safely to the reel. It unfortunately went pear-shaped when the line wrapped around the reel, snapping the fly line and the beast getting away. Gut-wrenching stuff, but an unbelievable taste of the power of a big giant trevally.
A day later David managed to bag his first geet followed by another, he was stoked to tick the species off the list but knew with some more time more fish would come. A couple of days later David had permit on the brain and went after our golden nuggets. The south-eastern corner of the atoll often serves up permit which feed on the back of stingrays, and this is exactly what David stumbled upon. With expert guide Cullan providing instructions, David fished to the beaut and managed to fool the fish into taking his crab. In typical permit fashion it ran multiple times and performed a number of sharp rolling turns before Cullan was able to net it. David was over the moon and grabbed some awesome photos with his beautiful 55cm Indo-pacific permit, a phenomenal specimen and our biggest of the week.
On his final day of his first week David took advantage of some calmer conditions to go on a surf walk. His guide on this day, Sean, took them to a cut on the south-western corner of the atoll to look for GTs and triggerfish. They were on the edge of the cut when Sean noticed a dorsal fin and a small bow-wake in the cut. Not knowing how big the fish was David made a cast and the fish followed briefly before going back into the cut, this happened again on the next cast. On the third cast the fish committed and hammered the fly, peeling line as it went back into the surf zone. David couldn’t believe how brave Sean was as he charged into the surf to scare off a three metre lemon shark which was eyeing out the GT. With the shark still lurking around David pumped the fish back and they landed it, now getting a much better idea of the size of the fish. Both guide and angler embraced, cheering loudly shortly before the beast was measured to ascertain the length of 101cm! A cracker of a GT. Congratulations on your incredible fishing week David!
Angler Paul had a memorable week on our flats fishing for GTs and triggerfish. In a week where the triggers were extremely spooky he was able to put his skills to work and had some great success. He managed to catch three yellowmargins for the week, being the only angler to successfully land one, and also caught a XXL model which measured in at 49cm! Paul had had some difficulty getting the GTs to bite and after his success on the triggers he spent a lot of time going for the gangsters of the flats. On his second last afternoon his guide took them into the Cosmics to look for a geet in some skinny water. Within minutes of arriving in the spot a fish was seen cruising with its back out of the water. This fish didn’t hesitate to eat the fly, with a spectacular boat side eat which saw its whole body come out of the water. Paul landed the beaut of 81cm and was chuffed. Congratulations on your awesome catches Paul.
Angler and great friend of the island Vladimir paid a visit to have yet another crack at the residents of St Francois. His first move of the day was based around finding permit. When he arrived at the a sandy high spot, they were welcomed by a nice GT that was seen hanging around. They moved towards it and the fish, conveniently, came closer to Vlad. As it approached he made his shot and the geet wasted no time in smashing the fly. Vlad enjoyed the fight in shallow water with no coral around, landing the 82cm beauty. A few hours later they were again in a permit spot but this time the permit showed up. Two fish were swimming more or less in their direction when Vlad cast. Much like his geet earlier in the day it charged towards the crab and smashed it very aggressively by permit standards. Vlad fought the fish perfectly and manoeuvred it into the net of his guide. The gorgeous specimen measured 51cm, a very good sized permit. A few bonefish later meant Vlad completed our only Flats-Slam of the week. The next day Vlad showed it was no fluke and bagged himself another 82cm GT.
A very unique and fairly rare catch was recorded on the Wednesday by angler Greg. Whilst wading the lagoon edge he and his guide spotted a massive barracuda patrolling the edge. Normally very crafty and painfully fussy, Greg cast. The fish charged and annihilated the fly, and immediately began long runs and multiple acrobatic jumps. Landing a fish like this without wire leader requires a ton of luck, and fortunately Greg had plenty on his side. They landed the massive animal in some shallow water and got some great photos – the behemoth measuring an incredible 152cm!
Well done to Andrew who also caught two GTs during his week, both on the same day, the biggest of which was a really solid fish of 89cm. Angler Alexander caught our biggest bonefish of the season so far – a monster of 71cm and also caught a moustache triggerfish. Tom also got on the scoresheet with his first moustache triggerfish.
The bluewater fishing continues to provide plenty of entertainment with hard-fighting pelagic species. Targeted on both conventional and fly-fishing gear, catching sailfish and wahoo is a real thrill which a number of our guests found out. Congratulations to Malcolm, Tom and John who all caught sailies on fly and to angler Ashley who was able to get a wahoo on fly. Well done to Kelsey and Catherine who also caught wahoo on conventional gear and young angler Max who caught his first ever sailfish.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 19th to 26th October
Week four of the high season gave us a glimpse of the changing weather ahead. Some days brought calm, glassy waters with no wind—a beautiful sight. Early in the week, we experienced spring tides, gradually slowing into a clear neap tide.
Angler John stopped over on Alphonse for a few days before making the island hop to Farquhar. He hoped to get his eye in and his arms warmed up on a few of St Francois’ inhabitants. On his first day he went in search of our pickiest fish to target, the Indo-Pacific permit. His guide spotted a solo fish to which he made a precise and delicate cast. The fish reacted exactly how John and his guide hoped, turning sharply and inhaling the fly. John fought it superbly and landed the 44cm golden nugget. John then set off in search of a triggerfish with his guide at his side. A big yellowmargin with dark colours was spotted feeding happily some distance up ahead. With another skilful cast and a few slow strips the giant looked up and rushed furiously towards the fly. When John felt the tension he strip set hard and the fish sailed straight over the drop off and into the deep water. With the assistance of his guide, John was able to keep the fish away from surrounding corals and landed the fish after a hard fight. It was a beautiful fish with some amazing colours, measuring in at 51cm. Later in the day John caught a few bones to complete an awesome flats slam.
A couple of days later and after a few attempts which didn’t materialise, John was still searching for his first GT. His guide poled them along one of the finger flats where he spotted a juvenile GT. John made this chance count and netted the 65cm fish with relative ease. With some confidence now, the GT hunt continued but a bigger fish was the target. Along the same finger his guide spotted a pack of GTs. John followed his guide’s instructions and cast way ahead of the pack, allowing his fly to sink slowly as the fish approached. When the fish were within a few metres of his fly John began to strip, and fortunately the bigger fish grabbed the fly. The beast instantly cleared the excess fly line and then hit the reel, still ripping line with no sign of remorse. John cranked up the drag and pumped the fish which eventually broke its massive run. The fish then used its girth to continue the fight around the boat for some minutes. The fish was landed after a massive tug of war and John was as stoked and exhausted. The banger geet measured an incredible 100cm, an unbelievable fish.
Anglers Kevin and Laura continued fishing with us for a second week, eager to experience as much of our flats fishing as possible and curious about the newly targeted batfish they had heard about. They spent an afternoon casting blue-bottle flies at some bats on the pushing tide. Watching these fish rise to the surface with their eyes and backs out of the water is an amazing sight. Laura was able to catch one and Kevin was able to catch three in total, the biggest of which was a real ‘dustbin-lid’ which measured 50cm. Kevin was able to catch himself another GT and a moustache trigger. Laura had loved her time on the flats, but on her last day she was in for a special treat. She kicked her day off with some bonefish on the dropping tide as she had done for most of the week. With her eye in her guide took her to try for a triggerfish. She fished really well and caught herself a beautiful specimen of a moustache triggerfish, her first. Once the trigger was in the bag it was then time to go and try complete the slam – by catching a GT on the pushing tide. Laura’s guide was polling her on the grassline adjacent to the surf when he spotted a geet on the back of a stingray. She made a great cast and instantly the geet lit up and belted the fly. Laura fought the fish expertly and landed it to complete the flats slam – she was over the moon with excitement. Congratulations Kevin and Laura and your awesome fishing and we look forward to having you back on our island again soon.
A number of other great fish were caught during the week, and so a big congratulations also go out to Steven who caught two more geets in his second week of fishing, the biggest of which was a beauty of 82cm. Well done to angler Ted caught his first ever GT on fly, a gorgeous 70cm specimen. Angler Francesco also caught a really nice GT of 82cm and his first ever yellowmargin trigger, congratulations! Andrea worked hard for his fish and caught himself a moustache trigger and a batfish. Steve was able to catch himself a GT whilst fishing around Alphonse which made his trip, well done Steve.
The bluewater fishing, and particularly the wahoo, have made a very timely appearance right as the ocean has calmed down. Congrats to Robin who ticked a wahoo off the list and to Philip who caught a wahoo and a sailfish on the same day. Ed had the privilege of catching one of these bluewater speedsters on fly, a very unique achievement. The Walsh party however really got stuck into the wahoo, a big well done to Michaela who bagged one and to brothers Steven, Anthony and Paul who were all able to catch a number of wahoo both conventionally and on fly.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 12th to 19th October
Another fantastic week of weather and fishing was enjoyed by the guests who joined us for the third week of the high season. We enjoyed some massive spring tides with more or less two meters of tidal movement on and off the flats every day, this coupled with the calmer breeze allowed for surf walks and easier fishing in the deeper areas. Overall we had fantastic flats fishing conditions.
Angler Wylie has visited our island previously and has had his fair share of success in the past. His week began with a bang catching the biggest yellowmargin of the week, measuring 54cm. On day two, after a slow morning, Wylie’s guide suggested popping offshore. On the last cast of the day, a black missile charged from the depths and smashed Wylie’s popper, he quickly put pressure on the fish to keep the hook pinned. He landed the geet, his first of the week, a beauty of 95cm. The following day he got another yellow margin trigger which kept his fish tally on the rise. The day after however it all came together with some bonefish action alongside his father Bob in the morning. On the low tide towards the middle of the day his guide suggested targeting triggerfish. After barely starting the walk a solid trigger was spotted on the edge of the finger flat. Wylie made a perfect shot and once the fly had sank, Wiley began stripping to get the trigger’s attention. With fury in its eyes, it charged the fly down and began crunching, Wiley hit back and the fight was on, with his guide charging after the fish to land it before it reached any coral. Wylie landed the fish, a beautiful moustache trigger of 48cm.
Satisfied with another solid trigger, Wylie hit the deep water in search of another GT. He was casting a ‘beast’ fly around coral bombies in an area known as the Badlands, when his fly was t-boned by a nice geet which immediately turned and began heading for a coral. Wylie has a serious reputation for pulling back with incredible force, and this GT felt his wrath. In just a few minutes he landed the 87cm beauty, and completed an excellent flats slam.
In his final days Wiley closed out his already great week in style with another monster moustache trigger of 51cm and another 90cm GT.
Angler Marthinus Van Staden made his debut at Alphonse and was chomping at the bit to get his hands on as many species as he possibly could. He began his week with a number of bonefish, the speed and power of which blew his mind and he absolutely loved it. The next day however his attention turned to the notorious giant trevally, a fish which any fly angler dreams of catching. The day proved fairly difficult with a number of chances not coming to fruition. The tide was now very high and Marthinus’ guide took them to the final spot of the day for the last bit of the afternoon. His guide, Matt, was up on the platform when he saw a sight every guide loves to see on the flats – a nurse shark cruising along the bottom. Knowing that there was a high chance of a good geet with it, Matt polled closer to inspect. He saw what he’d hoped to see, a massive geet swimming tightly against the shark, which was now moving into the glare of the sun making seeing it difficult for Marthinus. Matt expertly described to Marthinus where he needed him to cast, with the fish now almost invisible due to conditions. Marthinus in turn made a great cast and began stripping slowly with both hands and the rod under his arm – making the fly move slowly and consistently. As a lot of big fish do, it approached the fly lazily, and then sped up slightly as it inhaled the fly with its massive bucket-mouth. The beast turned and put up a great fight, ripping line off a locked up reel with ease. Marthinus survived its powerful surges and put pressure of his own on the fish, and bought it to the net wielded by Matt. It measured an incredible 110cm, an absolute monster, being our biggest GT of the week.
Marthinus built on this success and also caught himself a beautiful 46cm moustache trigger the next day and the day after went on to catch himself two gorgeous permit.
Angler Kevin had a great first week of his ten-day fishing expedition. He caught the joint biggest yellow margin of the week, with a tanker measuring 54cm. On the same day he ticked off the GT and some bonefish for a brilliant flats slam. The highlight of his week however came on his third day, when his guide took him permit fishing. It was quite late in the day and the sun hovered just over the horizon, casting glare over the water making spotting fish challenging. Some permit were spotted hanging around the drop-off between the flats and the lagoon, but the glare made spotting their exact movements difficult. On the instruction of his guide Kevin made a cast over the edge to where his guide believed the fish were moving to. In GT-like fashion, one of the bigger fish made a charge and smashed the fly off the surface much to the surprise and excitement of both guide and angler. A tense thirty-minute fight ensued, where Kevin fought gently to not break the thin leader. The permit eventually hit the net which set off an eruption of cheering from Kevin and his guide Branden. The beautiful fish measured a very impressive 62cm, a giant of a permit.
Angler Steven who was also here for two weeks, enjoyed some great success in his first week by catching two nice GTs and a massive 53cm moustache triggerfish. He was also keen to try out the dry-fly action for some batfish. He couldn’t believe the way these beautiful fish come to the surface to try and eat our blue-bottle imitations. He was fortunate enough to hook and land our only bat of the week.
A big congratulations to Laura who caught her first ever yellowmargin trigger of 31cm and to Joseph who caught a beautiful moustache trigger of 47cm and a sailfish on fly.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 5th to 12th October
The second week of the high season was a very special week of fishing on St Francois. Our guests took advantage of our massive bonefish population, with a great number being caught. Much to the excitement of both guides and guests alike, the triggerfish bite turned on in a massive way – some real giants were caught and the triggers were very receptive to flies thrown their way. The GTs showed their angry faces and also seemed to be in a slightly hungrier mood this week.
Angler Francois was treated to a week of fishing which he will never forget and most likely never beat. On his first day of his week, he charged out there and caught himself a moustache triggerfish, and the only milk of the week – a 98cm beauty, and a bonefish, completing an effortless flats slam. A hot start to his week.
The very next day, Francois had no idea what was in store for him. His first move of the day saw him arrive at a spot known as East Knoll, searching for the big geets which frequent this sandy high spot. His guide, Sean, spotted a massive single fish that was corralling a school of bonefish. Francois made a cast a long way in advance of the fish and waited for it to approach. Once it was close enough Francois began stripping and immediately the giant charged, inhaling the fly in the shallows and powering off into the deep. Sean and Francois worked beautifully together to land the giant, which measured an incredible 110cm. What a fish and what a start to the day!
A few hours later once the tide had dropped, Francois and Sean set off in search of some triggerfish. Before long, Sean spotted a massive yellow margin trigger on an isolated grass patch, just on the edge of the sand flats. These fish are notoriously spooky, so Francois stalked it very patiently before making a delicate cast. The fish did not hesitate once it caught sight of the fly, engulfing it and running off with speed and power. Luckily there was not much coral around and Francois could enjoy the fight before Sean was able to land it. The fish was a monster, and made for excellent photos with its beautiful dark orange colours. The tanker measured an astounding 56cm, a size that will be tough to beat this season.
The triggerfish hunt continued, this time on one of the finger flats. Francois was pointed in the direction of a sizeable moustache triggerfish, tailing on the edge of the flat. This fish was equally as fired up and smashed the shrimp pattern Francois was throwing. After some serious pull the fish was netted, and measured in at 50cm – a well above average size trigger. Francois then went in search of our smallest trigger of the flats – the picasso trigger – to complete the triggerfish slam. As you would have guessed, he got the job done and landed one of these small beauties – completing only our second triggerfish slam of the season. Later in the day he also landed a bonefish to secure a second consecutive flats slam. Francois then went on to catch two more GTs and another giant of a trigger – a 55cm moustache.
Angler Matt, who had fished a few days of the previous week, had a great end to his stay on Alphonse. In his final days, he completed a flats slam, landing a GT, a yellow margin, a moustache trigger, and a bonefish. He then got another beauty of a GT, coming in at 87cm, as well as three more moustache triggers! An epic finish to a great week of fishing.
Angler Oliver also had a great end to his fishing trip where everything fell perfectly into place. He successfully caught his first ever triggerfish- a gorgeous moustache trigger. A couple of days later he got his first ever GT of 80cm, a very respectable first geet. On his final fishing day, he surpassed his previous GT catch with a solid 82cm giant trevally. That same day, he checked off another large triggerfish species with a stunning 42cm yellow-margin triggerfish, and finished off the day with a bonefish, completing an epic flats slam. Congratulations!
Angler Tim also had a great send off from his first ever saltwater fly-fishing trip. He ended his stay with two more moustache triggers and then his second flats slam of his trip which consisted of a 77cm GT, a yellow margin trigger and a bonefish. Congratulations on your epic week of fishing Tim, it’s very hard to believe this was your first time fishing fly in the salt!
A big congratulations must also be extended to Ray, who caught a stunning 48cm yellow margin trigger, a GT and a moustache trigger during the last few days of his stay. Angler Kevin caught his first ever GTs on fly – finishing with two for his week. Angler Mike caught his first ever moustache trigger and a GT during his week and his boat partner and close friend Brad Robson got two moustache triggers, one of which was a beauty coming in at 48cm
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 28th September to 5th October
An absolute belter of a fishing week kicked off our high season on Alphonse and St Francois Atolls. We had an incredible week where all of our ‘big 5’ species were spotted and caught, our anglers were treated to some great weather and serious action on the flats.
Returning angler Tristan has fished our flats once before but returned on this occasion to really show off his skills. His week got off to a flying start landing a cracking 87cm milkfish, followed by a moustache triggerfish and a number of bones to secure a flats slam. Day two he started with some triggerfish action, getting a lot of interest in his flies and landing a good moustache trigger of 46cm. As the tide began to push he set off with his guide in search of a permit. It wasn’t long before a good fish was spotted and cast to, Tristan went tight and delicately fought the fish to net – landing his first ever Indo-Pacific permit of
50cm. A bonefish in the afternoon secured a second flats slam in two days. Later in the week Tristan caught himself two beautiful GTs of 76cm and 78cm and another moustache trigger. He also ventured into the deep blue and caught a wahoo on the fly.
Angler Chris also had an extremely memorable week with some phenomenal catches. On his second day whilst poling a spot known as Betsy’s flat his guide spotted two massive GTs on a shark. Chris made a cast and one of the fish had a massive go at the fly but missed and the pair started making their way over the drop off. On his guide’s instruction Chris cast again as they approached the deeper water and began stripping. Once again, one of the fish exploded onto the fly, this time however the hook found its place in the corner of the GTs mouth. A great scrap ensued with Chris piling on the pressure, eventually bringing the fish to net and measuring in at an incredible 100cm – our biggest GT of the week. Later in the day Chris caught a 47cm moustache trigger (also the biggest of the week) and a bonefish for a world class flats slam. Chris continued to succeed the whole week, landing two more moustache triggerfish and two more GTs – one of which was also another beast measuring in at 97cm.
Rasmus and Martin from In The Loop Magazine joined us for a week of fishing to document the beauty of our fishery and its inhabitants. They too were treated to some proper flats fishing action. Both of them had caught wind of the new batfish craze and were keen on throwing some blue bottle flies at these gorgeous fish and seeing the way they went about eating. Both Rasmus and Martin got on the batfish scoreboard and had a blast fishing ‘dry fly’ style on the flats. Martin made a big splash when he caught our biggest permit of the week – measuring in at a very impressive 62cm – an absolutely beautiful fish. Martin would also go on to catch himself a GT during his week. Rasmus has a knack for catching triggerfish, and when it goes well why would you slow down. On one of his days Rasmus caught himself a beautiful 84cm GT, and thereafter went on the hunt for triggers. He came right with two moustache triggers, a yellow margin and a picasso triggerfish for a super-rare triggerfish slam – a truly phenomenal achievement. A few days later Rasmus ticked the permit off the list for the week by landing a stunning
47cm permit which was then followed by another yellow margin trigger and a bonefish to complete a flats slam. Rasmus also notched up one more yellow margin on his final day which turned out to be our biggest margin of the week measuring 45cm.
We had new guests join us during the middle of the week, one of which was angler Tim who had never fished the saltwater with a fly rod. He couldn’t have asked for a better start to his saltwater fly fishing career and his week after he landed a 42cm moustache trigger, a 65cm milkfish and a bonefish for an epic flats slam!
Almost everyone who gave the flats a go this week tasted some success and so we must also congratulate Johannes who caught a tanker of a milkfish which reached the one meter mark, Johannes also caught himself a 67cm GT for good measure. Well done to Anthea who caught a heap of bones during her week and also caught a beautiful yellow margin triggerfish. Pieter caught a number of bonefish as well as a couple of wahoo on the fly in the deep sea. Young angler Hugo fished with us for nearly a whole month and capped off his stay with his first ever GT of 70cm! Well done to Michael who caught a cracker of a GT measuring 85cm.
Richard had never fly fished in the salt before and caught a number of bonefish and his first ever GT. Ray started off his week in style with a fantastic 87cm GT. Matt, who is no stranger to our flats, finally got his first ever permit – a beaut of a fish measuring 49cm. Oliver also got into the trigger action with his first ever moustache trigger!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this Alphonse Island fishing news and would like more information and availability on Alphonse Island, please contact Charlotte Chilcott or Peter McLeod or call us on +44 1980 847389. Alternatively click HERE if you would like us to contact you.