With the first report from Farquhar, we can truly say that the Indian Ocean season is underway so enjoy the read. For more details or to hold space please contact Charlotte Chilcott or call us on 01980 847389 01980 847389.

It was with a huge amount of excitement that we welcomed back some familiar faces onto Farquhar for the start of our 2014/2015 season. An enormous amount of pre-season preparation had taken place, including the addition of 2 new boats to our existing fleet of 5, as well as some basic improvements to the guesthouse and operations which are now being driven by Mona, our new guesthouse manager. We love her already! To say we were ready to get cracking was an understatement.

Rob Tapert (now on his seventh trip with us) was again joined by his son Judah and fellow Farquhar regulars, Dennis and Malcolm. Dirk Ackerman who is another Farquhar regular was joined by new friends, Adam, Sean, Jack and Nic, all of whom were eager to sample the superb fishing Farquhar is rightly known for. As it was the first day of our season and the flight had arrived early we opted to get a quick afternoon session in and we are so glad we did. Rob and Co headed offshore to one of our favourite pinnacles. Between the two boats using conventional tackle, they managed to tame a total of 40 GT’s, as well as a 100 lbs potato bass…a cracking first session in anyone’s book. The rest of the group opted to fish the flats and got the cobwebs out with some solid lagoon bonefishing.

As luck would have it however, the following next few days we were plagued by inclement weather which made conditions tough. Despite this, the determined anglers worked the flats diligently, which resulted in some really good bonefishing and even a handful of GT’s. Farquhar’s triggers and bumpies were around in good numbers despite the weather and Adam capitalised on this by landing his first trigger on the fly. Congrats Adam! Nic then hooked a monster bumpie which proceeded to empty his reel at a frightening rate before his leader gave way. What can one say…that’s bumpie fishing for you. Our offshore guys also stuck to their guns and were rewarded with some solid GT’s which kept the spirits up.

The morning of the 5th day promised much better fishing as the weather cleared. The tides had turned and what we as guides refer to the “phenomenon” came into effect. Chaos returned to the atoll as GT’s stormed the flats feeding on the abundant stock of small baitfish which were present. New to salt water fly fishing Adam and Shaun managed to capitalise landing 6 and 4 fish respectively. I think it’s safe to say that both are now quite literally HOOKED! The old guns Dirk and Jack were into them as well, landing 3 and 4 GT’s respectfully. Jack getting a beauty of 110 cm!

While all hell broke loose inside the atoll, arms were being stretched by our conventional offshore anglers on the outside. Malcolm managed to land a 200 lbs dogtooth tuna, whilst Rob quickly racked up some truly big GT’s (119 cm, 113 cm, 110 cm and 118 cm). To cap it off Malcolm then enticed a 137 cm GT to eat his stick bait. The 5th day had delivered in fine Farquhar form!

Although the GT fishing on the final day slowed a little, the colossal shoal of bonefish that frequents Dipose from time to time showed up. Sean and Adam jumped to it and truth be told landed copious amounts of bonefish fish between them. Three further GT’s did come to the fly on the flats, whilst our offshore teams landed a further 17 GTs as well as a 50 lbs yellowfin tuna. The sailfish too had arrived, 9 of which were hooked on the final day, although on this occasion they got the best of us.

This part of the story is just the beginning!

It was a challenging start to our season considering the horrible weather around on the first few days. That said, we still landed close to 30 GTs on the flats, had plenty of opportunities at triggers and bumpies, plus the guys smashed the bonefsh. Offshore we landed 66 GTs, along with a massive doggie, a 100 lbs potato bass, a big yellowfin and a plethora of other cool reef species.  There is little wonder Farquhar is regarded as one of the most diverse fisheries on the planet! We’re just holding thumbs for some consistent weather over the next few weeks as the fishery really looks in fine shape!

Until next week
The Farquhar Guide Team

For more details or to hold space please contact Charlotte Chilcott or call us on 01980 847389 01980 847389.