Alphonse Island is open all year round for both fishing and leisure guests. We’ll keep this page of 2023/24 Alphonse Island fishing news updated with all the latest action from this truly superb spot.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 21st to 28th September
The last week of September was an incredible week of weather and fishing alike, with almost all of our well renowned species showing their faces and taking flies. The south easterly is now slowly changing to the north westerly and that resulted in calmer conditions on the beautiful St Francois flats.
Angler Kane Haffey made his way to Alphonse from the US as part of his honeymoon. Kane got his week off to a flying start with two GTs on his first day, a massive bucket list species ticked off for him. The next day Kane and his wife Maggy went on a blue water outing, armed with some conventional gear but also the 12wt fly rods. Kane caught our first wahoo on fly for the season, and it was a giant measuring an impressive 148cm!
Back out on the flats the next day, Kane’s momentum couldn’t be stopped when he hooked into and landed his first ever permit, a beaut of a specimen measuring 41cm. Kane took a day off and then hit the flats of St Francois one more time. Once again Kane showed off his fly fishing skills, landing a further two GTs, bringing his tally up to four for the week. On the way home Kane’s guide noticed some disturbance on the surface and immediately knew it was a massive shoal of milkfish. After just a few casts Kane went tight with a milk that steamed off toward the horizon. After an intense fight, which they always are, Kane subdued the beast and got some awesome photos with his 95cm milkfish. Congratulations on your epic week of fishing, Kane!
Angler Adam Collins has been out to Alphonse on a number of occasions and caught plenty of incredible fish. The one however that had always eluded him is the Indo-Pacific permit. After starting his week warming up on some bonefish Adam decided it was time to target the golden nuggets which frequent the sandy high spots. A beast of a permit was seen circling a mudding stingray. A well placed cast and a slow strip saw the permit light up and eat the fly in a fashion more similar to a GT than a permit. Adam was in shock as he went tight with the giant, but following the advice of his guide he carefully fought the fish and brought it to net. Our biggest permit of the season and an absolute giant measuring 67cm! Congratulations, Adam that is a fish of a lifetime.
Adam’s father Murray was also fishing this week and was overjoyed with his son’s success on the permit. He however, also wanted one for himself. Murray started his week by taming a milkfish, a species which he loves to spend time targeting. The permit however continued to be difficult, with numerous good shots not getting a bite. Persistence always beats resistance though, and on his second last day Murray managed to convince a beautiful permit to take his fly. After working so hard for the bite Murray took his time with the fight and ensured a net, the beautiful specimen measured in at 50cm, congratulations Murray!
Angler Johannes had a few days of fishing booked and was also itching to get his hands on as many of our flats species as possible. On his first day he caught a solid GT of 70cm and a number of bonefish. A couple of days later he went out again, and in the morning he started off on the milkfish hunt. After finding a shoal feeding aggressively on the surface Johannes didn’t take long to hook up, and he took the fight to the fish landing it in good time. The milk measured in at an impressive 93cm. After getting his milk Johannes went onto the flats where he bagged another GT, and later in the day got his bonefish to complete an awesome flats slam. Congratulations, Johannes!
Johannes’ son Zoran was keen to try his hand at some saltwater fly fishing. He had practiced extensively before coming out here, and considering he is just 10 years old had a very impressive handle on casting a fly rod. He caught his first bone with relative ease and was ecstatic. He now had the itch for fly fishing. A couple of days later he went out and caught over 20 bonefish in a short session, and then to put the cherry on top Zoran caught his first ever GT on fly! Congratulations Zoran on your awesome fishing and what will no doubt be the start of a new obsession!
Almost all who cast a fly rod this week had some excellent success, and so we must also congratulate Jack ‘Chunky’ Carmody who caught a 92cm milkfish, Lily who caught her first ever yellow-margin triggerfish, Chantelle who caught a very infrequently caught orange-line triggerfish, James who caught the biggest GT of the weekend measuring 86cm, James who caught two yellowfin tuna on fly and Maggie Maloney who caught her first bonefish which was her first ever fish on a fly rod. Congratulations on your amazing catches guys!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 14th to 21st September
The week started off in true St Francois fashion with an epic bonefish session. Thousands of bonefish moved off the flats as the tide dropped, and our guides positioned guests strategically to maximise their casting opportunities. Spirits were high after day one, as everyone had a blast catching these “silver bullets.” For those new to bonefish, their speed and strength never fail to amaze.
As the week progressed, the focus shifted to other flats species. Angler Andrew had an exceptional day on one of our finger flats during low tide. He and his guide scouted the flat’s cuts and potholes for triggerfish, with action starting immediately. Known for their fussy nature, triggers require precise, gentle casting to avoid spooking them. Andrew landed both a yellow-margin and a moustache trigger early on, already an impressive feat. However, the highlight came when his guide spotted a large yellow-margin trigger cruising over a sandy section. After a well-placed cast, the fish engulfed Andrew’s fly and ran deep into his backing. This beauty, measuring 46cm, was the biggest of the week. To top it off, Andrew later caught his first-ever Indo-Pacific permit and a bonefish, securing a coveted Flats Slam.
Andrew’s momentum continued throughout the week. On Wednesday, he landed two more permit, proving his first wasn’t just luck. His grand finale came on the last day when his guide noticed nervous mullet and baitfish circling a sandy high spot. Among them were some giant trevally. Andrew made a cast, and after a tense follow, the GT finally took the fly just a few meters from the boat. The fish exploded and ripped line into the distance, but Andrew applied the pressure and landed a beast measuring 97cm. After that, he set his sights on more triggers during a surf walk, landing two yellow-margins and another moustache trigger. By the end of the day, he completed his second Flats Slam of the week.
Angler Gerard also had a thrilling week. While walking the South-Eastern edge of the top lagoon, his guide spotted a GT patrolling the drop-off. Gerard’s cast was perfectly placed, and after a fierce battle, he landed his first GT of the week. Later, on a surf walk, he hooked a moustache trigger and capped off the day with a bonefish, completing his own Flats Slam. Congratulations, Gerard!
Andre came to Alphonse with one goal in mind: catching bonefish. He succeeded, but the atoll had a special surprise for him. A few days into his trip, his guide spotted a stingray with permit feeding nearby. Andre managed to land not one, but two Indo-Pacific permits. Congratulations, Andre—that’s truly special! A shout out also goes to young angler Hugo, who caught the biggest bonefish of the week, measuring an impressive 64cm. Well done, Hugo!
Big congratulations to George who caught his first-ever Indo-Pacific permit as well as a GT, and to Frikkie who landed the largest moustache trigger of the week at 48cm—a real beauty!
On a different but exciting note, the elusive batfish has become a targetable species. For years, they were nearly impossible to catch, until one of our veteran guides, Matt Defillipi, made a discovery. He saw a batfish surface to eat a bluebottle jellyfish and was inspired to tie a primitive fly resembling the creature. His fly worked, and soon, guests were trying the “bluebottle fly” with great success. Carl and Gerard both landed batfish, joining a select group of anglers who’ve caught one on fly. This species is now firmly on the target list going forward.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 24th to 31st August
The Karan family joined us as our only fishing guests for the final week of August 2024. Avron has visited our flats a number of times and was eager to get his seven and nine year old boys onto some flats species and the boys rose to the challenge!
On day one young angler, Symon, had an unbelievable start to his saltwater fly fishing career. He caught himself his first ever bonefish followed by a few more and then he went a step further and caught himself to beautiful little giant trevally! Congratulations, Symon!
Younger brother Eli patiently waited for his day for his first bonefish. He absolutely smashed the snappers, groupers and bigeye trevally to get his eye in for the ghost of the flats. He also caught himself a beautiful batfish, both a rare and difficult fish to catch. When the weather offered a break later in the week, he landed a beaut of a bonefish at point Tamatave on Alphonse. Congratulations, Eli!
The next day both Symon and Eli showed off the skills that they had built up over the week. Catching over 20 bonefish between the two of them as well as a number of bigeye trevally. Well done on your awesome week of fishing boys, we look forward to having you back here in the not too distant future.
Avron was very much content with his boys having success on the flats, but as you would expect he was super keen to get into some serious fish himself. On his last day of the week he headed to East Knoll to try and tempt some of the big GTs that frequent the sandy high spot once the tide had pushed right up. Avron fished brilliantly and caught himself two belter GTs measuring 92cm and 98cm. Congratulations on your last day success, Avron!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 17th to 24th August
This week was full of challenges but, most importantly, triumphs, on the fishing front.
Angler Rodion was the first to boat a significant fish after a slower start to the week. Whilst drifting in some deeper water and casting a massive brush fly, a flash of silver and a large smash preceded line being ripped from the reel, after multiple hairy moments with corals, Rodin landed his first geet of the week, measuring 80cm. A couple of days later, Rodion’s guide spotted two geets on the back of a stingray. After a well-placed cast, both fish charged and to the excitement of both guide and angler, the bigger fish got to the fly quicker. Rodion enjoyed the fight with no corals in sight, landing another beauty of a GT, measuring 84cm. Shortly after landing his fish, a nurse shark presented itself with an accompanying GT, well versed by now, Rodin made it look easy and landed his second fish for the day. Rodion finished with week of strong with an enormous 69cm bonefish, what a week of fishing, well-done Rodion.
Triggerfish and GTs were on Max’s mind this week, dedicating one particular day to targeting a triggerfish he achieved what he set out to do. While walking the Fingers, his guide pointed out a beautiful moustache triggerfish tailing. Max presented a crab to it perfectly with an excellent cast and began stripping. The trigger immediately gave chase and furiously pinned the crab to the bottom to dismember it and then inhaled the fly. Max held the fish, while has guide pursued it, in the famous trigger dash. Max was thrilled when it was safely landed. It was an absolute beauty, measuring 48cm. Well done on your superb trigger, Max!
Angler Feo also had his fair share of challenging fishing, with big GTs being on his mind and the main target species. During his week, he raised a number of big fish, unfortunately none of them sticking. Feo decided to change tactics on his final day though and was rewarded accordingly landing a stunning GT on the flats. Well done, Feo, on your incredible perseverance.
Nikita needs no introduction and is well versed fishing in the Seychelles, more specifically an absolute permit fanatic. As such he fished for the golden nuggets as much as he could during the week. The first few days started off with three GTs. However, things were about to change for him of his last day. Whilst walking the back of One Palm Island, his guide spotted a group of permit. Nikita acted fast and cast straight into the shoal. Almost all the fish charged the fly before one of them ate. Nikita enjoyed the fight after working so hard for one all week and landed a perfect specimen, measuring 40cm.
After ticking the main box for the week, Nikita had another crack at some geets in the deep. It was not long before a solid fish came up and inhaled the fly, ripping line from his hands before hitting the reel. Nikita landed the beautiful GT, measuring 88cm. His guide took them to catch a bonefish and secured the flats slam, with relative ease. After enjoying a Flats Lunch, Nikita’s guide knew a super slam or even the famed golden slam was on the cards. The first step was a triggerfish and then the milkfish, which would be the toughest to get. Guide Cullen and Nikita were walking a finger where they were able to catch a small moustache trigger. The golden grand slam was now in touching distance. The team went to a spot where milkfish usually push up on the flats, a very difficult fish to catch but well worth it. They fished hard and saw out the day, unfortunately though, no milkfish came to hand. Nonetheless, any super slam is unbelievable, so a massive congratulations must go to Nikita and guide Cullen.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 10th to 17th August
August was an extraordinary month with good weather and fantastic fishing. This week on Alphonse and St Francois Atoll was no exception, and our guests had a top-drawer flats fishing experience!
Anglers Josh Rosenbach and Amanda Forney made the trip to Alphonse from the USA as part of their honeymoon. On their first day, without any assistance from a guide, the couple got stuck into some bonefish right outside their room. For Amanda, these were the first ever saltwater fish she’d caught. Awesome stuff, Amanda!
Josh and Amanda caught plenty more bones in the days to follow. Now, Josh had is eyes on GT and permit, which kept him coming back to the flats hungrier than ever. After some advice from his guides, Josh found his mojo with the strip-set, and he ended the week with two beautiful GTs, of 80cm and 92cm.
William Snr and William Jr Bennet also travelled from the States to see what the flats of St Francois could offer them. On the first day, father and son went full send on the bonefish, landing 55 of the silver speedsters between the two of them. Incredible performance gents! The bones continued to flow throughout the week, but William Snr was keen on testing himself against giant trevally. With the assistance of his guides, William began to master the art of the double haul cast, an invaluable skill, particularly in breezy conditions. This, coupled with his hunger to tame the gangsters of the flats, allowed him to land not one but two of these beasts.
Anglers Saif Al Zarouni and Allan Stanton are two great friends who love to share their passion for fly fishing in the Seychelles Outer Islands. They joined us a little later in the week for three days of hardcore fishing.
During their quick trip, Saif landed a smaller GT to start off their adventure. After catching two smaller GTs, Allan raised a much bigger fish out of the depths of the Badlands. He set the fish hard and fought it like his life depended on it. He pulled so hard that he did the impossible – breaking a G Loomis GLX cross current 12-weight fly rod. Fortunately, the fish was spent, and Allen was able to land his new PB Geet of 94cm.
The next day, the fishermen decided to split up into two boats and competed against each other. Saif started off slow but, by the afternoon, landed the biggest GT of the week – 98cm!
Allan had different fortunes. His guide managed to find a school of feeding milkfish outside the reef. After a few unsuccessful tries, on the fourth bite, after a long offshore fight, the monster milkfish came in at 101cm. Allan then headed onto the flats, where he caught a smaller GT and a bonefish to complete the flats slam. He indeed went out in style. In the final few hours of his trip, he hooked into another great GT. This time no rods broke as he fought the fish beautifully from hook to netting. Another fantastic GT measuring 91cm!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 3rd to 10th August
The first full week of August was a very special week of fishing with two equally special guests who absolutely loved their time on our islands.
Lars and Katie Losee made the long trip out to the Seychelles as part of their honeymoon. Lars was very keen on getting into some permit action and of course the notorious giant trevally. On day one Lars and Katie both got stuck into the bonefish on the dropping tide, with Lars surpassing 20 fish for the day. As the water began to rise, Lars’s guide expertly positioned them in an ideal spot where he knew the permit would move onto the flats. Like clockwork, the perms showed. Lars made an excellent cast and was duly rewarded. Any permit fight is a nervy one, but when it’s your first ever Indo on the line it’s nerve-racking. Lars and his guide, Luke, worked seamlessly together to land a stunning 42cm permit, expertly guiding the fish into the net. A truly great start to the week!
Lars continued getting his bonefish fix throughout the following days, but the permit behaved exactly how permit often do and refused to eat. Lars had some opportunities with the GT’s but none of the fish quite stuck, but he remained determined. On his fourth day whilst drifting in the deep, Lars had a super angry GT come up on his fly. He had learnt a lot in the previous days and wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip. He set the hook hard and kept a ton of pressure on the fish, doing a great job to subdue it in just a few minutes. His first GT was a beaut coming in at 77cm.
On Friday, the morning started with some very good opportunities. After a few close calls Lars’s guide spotted a big fish feeding amongst some bonefish. One good cast saw the massive golden bar break away from the bones to inhale the flexo crab with an eat so ferocious it looked like a GT eating. Lars went tight and the beast turned and began a series of fast runs. Not many words came out of Lars as he was fully aware of how big this fish was, and nerves were shot as his guide made a few attempts before finally netting the fish, then it was euphoria overload. An incredible 65cm permit. Congratulations, Lars!
With the tanker permit secured, Lars caught a few bonefish and then the hunt was on to get a GT to complete the slam. Lars’s guide took them to the Badlands, a deep area which produces a lot of fish at this time of year. Within about 10 minutes of drifting, a big fish came up and smashed the fly, Lars set the hook and tragically the fly line snapped taking the rod tip with it.
The rod tip was retrieved and a fresh fly line, leader and fly were rigged up, and a new drift began. Within no time at all a pack of five GT’s mobbed the fly, and Lars was tight once again. This time the gear held as Lars put a load of pressure on the fish. He landed the beauty, measuring 80cm and completed the flats slam in style on his final day.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 20th to 27th July
We had five guests join us for the third week of July and they were treated to some excellent weather given the time of year and some of the best fishing St Francois can offer.
Angler Daniel Factor is not scared of blind casting in the deep water in search of the biggest GTs that call the depths home. On his first day, he came away with three GTs, including a massive fish measuring 118cm. Dan’s energy and enthusiasm for blind casting was only spurred on further by his early successes.
A few days later, Dan was back in the Badlands casting a fly as long and thick as a sausage dog for more big GTs. His guide spotted a big geet on the surface, and Dan made an excellent cast, inducing a massive bite. Armed with the heaviest 12-weight set money can buy, Dan put maximum pressure on the fish and landed it quickly. Another giant is measuring 114cm. Dan was far from done. However, the massive fly was vigorously cast around coral bommies during more drifts. Several casts later, Dan’s fly was being stripped back to the boat when another giant fish came up and engulfed it. Another tug of war took place between man and beast, with Dan handing out some serious punishment. This time, the beast was even bigger, measuring in at an incredible 124cm!
Dan later caught another 100cm GT on his last day of the week, finishing with a total of nine GTs for the week and four fish measuring over a meter. That’s some seriously impressive fishing, Dan; huge congratulations to you!
Angler Ashley Royal had yet to test himself against the holy grail of the Seychelles, the Indo-Pacific permit. He came with the sole intention of targeting these beautiful but frustrating creatures. Ashley worked hard and made great shots at the fish throughout the week but was unable to land one. Friday rolled around, and it was ride or die for him. Finally, the right fish was fooled by Ashely’s fly. A nervy fight was followed by further elation when the permit finally entered the net. A beaut measuring 55cm. Congratulations on your huge win, Ashley!
After securing the permit, Ashley finally decided that it was now acceptable to make a cast at a GT. The fishing gods shortly rewarded him with a lovely GT and then a bonefish to cap off his week here on Alphonse. Well done!
Angler Pieter “Faffe” de Preez also came to the island with permit on the brain. Fortunately for him, the atoll looked favourably upon his quest. On his very first day, Faffe was in prime permit groups when his guide spotted a large golden nugget cruising the flat. Faffe made a perfect cast just past the fish’s nose, and it could not resist the temptation. Faffe carefully fought the fish and brought it to net – an incredible 61cm gold slab. Congratulations on your epic permit, Faffe!
As much as Dan loved blind casting for big geets, he too, couldn’t turn down a couple of hours fishing for a permit. He came across a number of large fish feeding around One Palm Island and began slowly sliding his carefully tied Flexo crabs at the fish. He, too, struck gold and landed the biggest permit of the week – a massive 63cm unit. Congratulations Dan!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 13th to 20th July
The middle weeks of July were full of exceptional captures with two phenomenal GTs, a stunning permit, and an impressive number of bonefish.
The Brown family enjoyed some fantastic fishing on St. Francois Atoll, with both William and William Junior landing twenty-plus bonefish in half a day before enjoying Flats Lunch.
After lunch, David, Quin, and Randy jumped on board to try their hand at a little saltwater fly fishing. The ghosts of the flats were scarce for the first hour of the pushing tide but moved onto the flats as soon as the water was shin deep, giving our anglers some exceptional sport.
The Patterson family joined the Alphonse Island Team for three days of fishing. On the first day, Coly landed her first ever bonefish, then proceeded to land six more. Michael had an incredible couple of days on the water, landing 104cm GT on his second day and a 50cm permit on his last. Bill also enjoyed some of the exceptional bone fishing that St Francois has to offer.
The week’s most surprising catch was from William Brown, who landed a 104cm GT while fishing for bonefish in front of the Beach Bar on Alphonse. The most notable aspect of this catch was the fact that the fish was taken on a nine-weight rod with a 12lb leader and a £4 pillow talk. One never knows what surprises await in the salt.
With permit season now in full swing, we look forward to seeing what exciting catches the next couple of months have in store.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 6th to 13th July
Return clients Alan Oliver and Stuart Bird joined us out on the flats of St Francois Atoll for the Explorer Season once again. We had some unsettled weather throughout the week, but the anglers made the most of it and came away with some fantastic catches.
Stuart was joined by his son Mark, who was fresh out of the blocks as far as saltwater flats fishing goes. They both ticked some fantastic boxes during the week, with Stuart landing a wonderful 85cm GT, a moustache triggerfish and a handful of bones. Mark, who was desperately trying to catch his first GT, eventually put the pieces together, bringing in an 85cm GT on the white sand at East Knoll. He also managed to land a beautiful yellowmargin trigger and a bonefish on the same day for a Flats Slam. Congratulations Mark!
Alan Olivier waited until almost the very end when he landed an incredible Grand Slam on the second-to-last day. This impressive win consisted of a stunning Indo-Pacific permit, a big yellowmargin triggerfish, and an 88cm GT. It was a very memorable day on the water; congrats, Alan! He also managed to add another GT to the week’s tally on the final day, bringing the total to four between three anglers.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 29th June to 6th July
Another fantastic week has come to a close in our explorer season. Great tides matched with decent weather provided some excellent fishing on the St. Francois Atoll.
The bone fishing was consistent as usual, with a total of 76 landed for the week between our six anglers. Greg Ghaui managed to get stuck in, landing his first bonefish amongst many more for the week. There was also a good amount of GT and triggerfish action for the week. Greg managed to catch his first GT of 96cm up in the Cosmic Lagoon.
Father and son duo Pieter and Alex Du Preez had some great fishing as well, each bringing a GT and a yellow margin trigger to hand. Fantastic achievements, gents; well done!
Nick ended up having a special trip with two GTs, one of which taped out at 102cm, the biggest of the week. These were paired with a lovely moustache triggerfish and a bonefish on the same day, making it a fantastic flats slam.
Our ‘Angler of the Week’ award most certainly went to Brent Poultney. Brent had an incredible week, landing five GTs and a big moustache trigger of 54cm. He also managed to entice the only permit of the week: a stunning 59cm on Tam Tam Flat. Congratulations, Brent!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 8th to 22nd June
The south easterly season is in full swing in the Seychelles outer islands, bringing cooler water temperatures and cleaner water. Robert Lee joined the Alphonse fishing team for two phenomenal weeks of fishing despite the temperamental weather.
Robert’s goal for the trip was to land an ever-so-tricky Indo-Pacific permit which he achieved on his very first day, less than four hours after his flight landed at the picturesque Alphonse Island Lodge. The permit were plentiful in the early hours of the push, allowing for many opportunities. Luckily for Robert, he had a team of incredible guides, with Brendan queening the boat and Cullan’s eagle eyes on the platform, it wasn’t long before they found a fish eager to eat. When permit fishing, it is always about finding the “right” fish. Robert laid out an exceptional cast and the rest was history! After a strenuous tug of war, Robert landed his fish, a beautiful 60cm slab of gold and silver.
Having landed his target species, Robert decided to dabble with some other species that St Francois had to offer. One particularly calm day allowed for some milkfish action along the western side of the atoll. A couple of fish were hooked during an hour of exciting fishing, unfortunately, none were landed.
The giant trevally also made an appearance over the two weeks with four fish landed. The largest was an 87cm fish that Robert managed to subdue in the final hours of his final day. Brendan spotted this fish cruising between the mangroves in the upper reaches of the Cosmic Lagoon and poled after the fish until Robert could get a shot. Robert laid out the miniature beast fly with the precision of a sniper, catching the GT by surprise, and firing up its predatory instinct.
St Francois atoll once again proved how much it has to offer over these couple of weeks despite the temperamental weather.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 18th to 25th May
With our explorer season underway, we experienced a quieter week than usual. Blue Safari Fly Fishing guest David had a single skiff and the whole of St Francois Atoll to himself, which proved to be an amazing experience.
Joining us for the first time, David had many new species to target and boxes to tick off, which he wasted no time in doing, landing his first milkfish within the opening hours of the first day. His second day of fishing was definitely one to remember! Textbook Seychelles weather lined up with great tides, and David managed to complete a Grand Slam. His first GT, a lovely bonefish, and not one but two Indo-Pacific permit, all in one day! Another incredible achievement David, congratulations!
Unfortunately, the next three days of fishing were very tough. The wind speed and direction changed overnight, bringing some unfavourable fly fishing conditions. Lots of rain and very strong winds made it difficult to cast and manoeuvre the skiff into the right spots, but David persevered. We still managed to get out to St Francois Atoll two of the three days, and the other was fished around Alphonse itself.
The hard work paid off on the final day of fishing. David got his fly in front of a special fish which is not caught on a regular basis. An enormous barracuda on the flats, stretching the tape to 146cm. A fish of a lifetime in these parts and one of the biggest landed for the season! However, he was not done yet. In the dying minutes of the final day, David brought an 84cm GT to hand on East Knoll. A very respectable fish and a great way to sign off for the week! Well done David!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 11th to 18th May
Our final week before Explorer season was marked by a waxing crescent moon. Our tidal range slowed down and moved towards neaps, which proved to be excellent fishing despite some wind and rain.
The opening day was definitely one of the craziest milk fishing days we have experienced this season, with countless big schools feeding on the surface in the lagoon. There were five milkfish landed between the three skiffs – Russel, Brian, Jerry, and Dan all getting in on the action. Dan landed two for the day, one measuring a respectable 97cm. That same day, Brian also landed a lovely yellowmargin trigger and a handful of bones to complete a Grand Slam. Nice job Brian!
That was not the last milkfish. Jerry got another in the net the following day. Blake opened his milkfish account later on in the week, bringing the milkfish tally up to a staggering seven for the week, between six anglers. Russ landed the permit of the week, his first and a beautiful specimen at that, measuring
58cm. He closed it off with a nice GT and bonefish that same day, scoring a Grand Slam – the second of the week. Another incredible achievement!
The bonefish fishing was exceptional as usual, with a nice spring drop the first few days of the week. Our anglers were able to rack up some great numbers, with Jerry leading the front. We ended the week with 163 bones between six anglers, 20 of which came from Jerry on the final day of fishing.
Despite some challenging weather, it ended up being a great week of GT fishing. Fishing partners Dan and Gerry spent a lot of their time fishing in deeper waters, looking for big fish. Their hard work was not in vain as they landed six geets for the week. Two of which were magnificent fish landed by Dan – 110cm on the Capel Shoal in the Top Lagoon and the biggest fish of the season, 128cm in the Bad Lands. These are the fish of a lifetime, Daniel, congratulations!
GT Friday did not disappoint, either. Blake and Russ had an exceptional day on their boat, catching sizeable fish measuring 81cm and 84cm, respectively. The fish of the day definitely went to Brian. After struggling to entice his first GT throughout the week, all his hard work paid off. He got his hands on a beautiful 109 cm fish close to Ratrays Channel. It was a remarkable way to end the week, Brian. Well done!
Thank you to all our guests for a phenomenal week. The exceptional bonefish numbers — not to mention the incredible-sized GTs — made for a spectacular week!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 4th to 11th May
The start of the week was met with spring tides and textbook Seychelles weather. With only three skiffs on the water, the anglers ended up having the whole atoll to themselves, and the week ended up being extremely enjoyable with some great catches.
On the last cast of his first day, Parker opened his account, landing his first GT on fly. It was close to the island in the Cosmic Lagoon, a lovely 82cm specimen. Later in the week, he also managed to land a trophy moustache triggerfish measuring 51cm on the finger flats.
Father and son duo Alexey and Ivan also had a fantastic week. Young Ivan was undoubtedly our bonefish champion of the week, racking up some incredible numbers. He managed to land more than 20 in a single day, as well as a beautiful yellowmargin triggerfish, which is a remarkable achievement. His father Alexey also managed to tick some extraordinary boxes, bringing his first milkfish to the net and having an unbelievable encounter with the infamous Capel Shoal in the St. Francois Lagoon – landing a 112cm GT after a 25-minute battle. An absolute fish of a lifetime; well done, Alexey!
Our Angler of the Week award most certainly went to Christian. He is no stranger to Seychelles, or a GT for that matter, bringing a very respectable five GTs to hand in his six days of fishing. The highlight of his week would have to be the run-in with the elusive Indo-Pacific Permit. Christian hooked four and landed two during his stay, one of which was combined with a GT and a bonefish on the same day – a grand slam, another impressive accomplishment. Christian then topped off his week with a nice milkfish on Milky Way finger in the dying hours of the last day.
A few of our anglers also spent some time offshore on the bluewater boats. Alexey and Ivan had a great day out, both landing their first wahoo on the fly. Parker and Nicky also got in on the action, having a very memorable sailfish session when they had a double hook up. Parker’s fish, unfortunately, came off midway through the fight, but thankfully, Nicky’s stuck, and she got up close and personal with her first sailfish on the fly.
A huge congratulations to all our anglers who joined us for the week, we hope you had just as much fun as we did.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 27th April to 4th May
We had another beautiful week here on Alphonse. Our anglers enjoyed calm days that provided excellent fly fishing conditions.
At this time of year, with the south-east wind prevailing, even during calm periods, you’ll find few guides who aren’t eager to get out there. The south-easter brings cooler, oxygen-rich water, ideal for targeting larger GTs and witnessing the spectacular influx of Indo-Pacific permit.
Targeting big GTs is a dream for many of our guests, and this season has already seen plenty of impressive catches. Guides wasted no time in encouraging guests to pursue these beasts. The largest GT of the week was landed by seasoned angler David on the St Francois flats. While polling along ‘Top Sticks’ Finger, David’s guide, Cullan, spotted two XL specimens passing very close to the boat—an unusual but challenging opportunity. Cullan directed a short cast ahead of the fish. David made the cast within 30 feet of the boat. Within moments, one of the giants struck the fly and bolted into the top lagoon. David applied maximum pressure while Cullan expertly manoeuvred the boat. The beast measured an incredible 117cm—a true monster! Congratulations to David and Cullan on an amazing catch.
Throughout the week, several other substantial GTs were caught. Besides his giant, David also landed another 90cm GT. Special congratulations to Shawn, who caught 83cm and 88cm GTs, tallying three for the week. Shawn is sure to return after encounters with these giants. Shawn’s boat partner, Chris, also had a successful week, landing three GTs, with his largest measuring 81cm and 88cm — very respectable catches. Well done to Andy, who added two more GTs to his tally, and to Robert and Ricky, who also had GTs during their week.
When guests took a break from GTs, many sought after one of the world’s most challenging fish—the Indo-Pacific permit. While sightings increased, only angler Greg struck gold, landing a prime specimen measuring 40cm. The numbers of larger fish are rising, promising exciting permit fishing for upcoming guests.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 20th to 27th April
This week on Alphonse the size and quality of the fish were real highlights. Our guests had a great time and experienced some unforgettable moments on the water.
The undisputed angler of the week was Julian. He kicked off his week aiming for his first GT, which he landed on day one. On the second day on the flats, he achieved a flats slam with a moustache triggerfish, GT, and a bonefish. Julian’s streak continued with a cracker milkfish and two impressive moustache triggers, an 85cm GT, and another bonefish, earning him an incredible super slam just two days later. Julian capped off his week with a cracking 91cm GT. Congratulations on your world-class week of fishing, Julian!
The big GTs were active this week, with three fish over the coveted metre mark caught and many more sighted. James Gilchrist was the first to achieve this rare feat. While poling around one of the grass lines on Alphonse Atoll, James’s guide spotted a massive black fish cruising ahead. A well-placed cast a few rod lengths ahead of the fish resulted in an explosive strike. After a thrilling fight, James landed the fish, measuring an incredible 105cm. Congratulations on your massive GT, James.
On his last afternoon, angler Hugo stopped at Bijoutier Island on his way from St Francois to explore what the small island might offer. During a short walk around the island, Hugo’s guide spotted a huge GT patrolling the beach. With a precise cast and skilful manoeuvring, Hugo hooked and landed the beast, measuring a brilliant 103cm. Congratulations on your epic catch, Hugo!
Angler Andrew had heard about the large GTs and was eager to catch one for himself. While poling in the Badlands, Andrew’s guide spotted a massive fish on a coral head. After a thrilling fight, Andrew landed a gigantic barracuda, measuring 148cm!
The following day, Andrew encountered another big fish in the Badlands. After an intense battle and expert boat handling to avoid the surrounding corals, Andrew landed an astonishing 112cm fish. Congratulations.
Congratulations also to Nick, who caught his first ever GT along with a hard-fighting 90cm milkfish, and to his father Peter, who also landed his first GT, measuring 80cm. Congratulations to Rob and Gordon as well for their GT catches during the week. We hope you all enjoyed your time on our flats.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 13th to 20th April
We had another spectacular week showcasing a variety of species here on Alphonse and St. Francois. Returning guest Tom Leslie has not had an easy ride when it comes to triggerfish. On a previous trip, he hooked his fair share but wasn’t able to land any. Everything changed this trip. On the day he arrived, he only had the afternoon to work with, but grabbed the opportunity with both hands, bringing to net a massive 52cm moustache trigger, which ate the fly at least three times before being hooked, fought, and caught. An epic start to the week and a fantastic first trigger. A few days later, Tom bagged his first-ever Indo-Pacific permit, another fish which has eluded him on a number of visits to the Seychelles Outer Islands.
Tom’s momentum was unstoppable. On his last full day of fishing, he hooked a massive 100cm milkfish, another moustache trigger, and managed to wrap up a lovely flats slam. Tom celebrated accordingly that evening, and while enjoying some cold ones at the bar, he learned that his flight was only leaving quite late the following afternoon. He got hold of guide Graham Hayward, who told him they would go out for a morning session before his flight. Tom had no idea that making history awaited him.
Tom and Graham set off on one last triggerfish mission the following morning. Tom proceeded to tuck into the moustache triggers, bringing in a total of six, with the biggest being 51cm. In addition to the moustaches, Tom landed two yellow margin triggers, the biggest coming in at 43cm. These fish were all caught in the space of about three hours: incredible fishing and the most triggers caught in a single day in our fishing history. Congratulations to Tom and guide Graham on an extraordinary morning.
Angler Gavin Laidlaw is also no stranger to the flats of Alphonse. He started his week off with a stellar first day, catching a beautiful 42cm permit, a massive 100cm GT, and a bonefish for a top-tier flats slam. He carried on his streak on day two and netted himself another permit. He completed the week with two more GTs and a cracker of a milkfish. Congratulations on your epic week of fishing, Gavin.
Angler Gordon McHaney came to Alphonse from a trip to Farquhar, hoping to catch one of the elusive “gold bars” found on St. Francois. While walking on the Moon, his guide spotted two fish cruising the shallows. In a spectacularly un-permit-like fashion, one fish charged after the fly and made several attempts before swallowing it up. A nerve-wracking fight ensued, but Gordon succeeded, landing a beautiful 47cm permit. This was the biggest of the week and a prize that left Gordon speechless, smiling ear to ear. Congratulations on your first Indo, Gordon.
There’s always potential for something special to happen when big fish man Ed Aremia is in town. Ed visited us after his trip to Farquhar and, as usual, was keen to go after the big GTs. The first fish of his stay was a thick 95cm GT, a magnificent specimen. He then stepped up his game while fishing on Alphonse’s flats. His trusty guide, Yousuf, spotted a group of fish just off the edge of the flat: two good ones and one monster. Ed made the shot, and as one would hope, the big guy made a change and engulfed the fly. Ed fought valiantly and brought the beast to the net, measuring a mammoth 111cm. Congratulations on your beast of a GT, Ed—the biggest of the week and another brute to add to your tally.
Congratulations to Lucas, who bagged a couple of GTs; Gary, who caught his first-ever moustache trigger; and Julian and Jim, who each caught GTs.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 6th to 13th April
This week on Alphonse showed us just how temperamental the flats of the Seychelles can be. The fish were around in great numbers once again, but a couple of days of the week we could not get a bite. Despite a few days of fish having the dreaded ‘lockjaw’, the days on which they did bite made up for it well and truly.
The biggest story of the week was that we had an incredible Super Slam caught by returning guest Reade Griffith. His day got off to a flying start when his guide, Reece, spotted some feeding milkfish in the Milky Way channel. A few casts later, Reade went tight with a bus of a milk; he fought with it for a while before landing the beast, measuring 100cm on the dot. An epic milk inside the lagoon. No more than 15 minutes after the milkfish, Reade was directed to a beautiful GT. After a perfectly placed cast, the fish lit up and hammered the fly. Reade put a lot of pressure on the fish, and it too was successfully landed. It measured a cracking 90cm.
With the day still young, Reade caught himself a bonefish to secure the slam, which he did with relative ease. Reece then ran around the outside of the atoll and jumped in through the surf to take Reade on a surf walk. Reade then proceeded to catch another beauty of a GT measuring 82cm and, not long after, in the same spot, Reade caught himself a beautiful moustache triggerfish measuring 46cm. Massive congratulations to Reade and his guide, Reece, on the top-drawer Super Slam! Those are some seriously impressive fish, all in one outing.
Angler Chris Cabot can certainly attest to the feast-or-famine nature of some of the fishing days. On his very first day, he went out and bagged himself three GTs, the biggest of which measured a phenomenal 95cm—our biggest geet of the week. He then had a two-day GT drought, which he went on to break with another incredible three GTs in one day, this time all three fish measuring in the 70cms. Congratulations on your fishing achievements, Chris!
Angler Jeff Murphy shared similar fortunes. He had a tough start to the week where he had shots at a ton of fish, which would not commit to the fly. He ended up getting his first geet after a few days and a lot of grind, and fortunately, it was a great fish measuring 83cm. Jeff well and truly turned things around when he had a massive three GT day, the fish measuring 77, 83, and 85cm – a very successful day with really good-sized fish. Jeff capped off his week with one last geet to finish with a total of five. Congratulations Jeff, you showed that persistence will always beat resistance!
Well done to angler Erik who caught himself a 94cm milkfish as well as our only permit of the week. Well done to Francois, who fished just one day but still caught himself a banger 90cm GT. Well done to Max, Adam, Peter, and Lucas, who all also caught GTs during the week.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 30th March to 6th April
Week 29 on Alphonse was an absolute beauty all around. The weather and the fish played ball, with the story of the week being numerous GTs of impressive stature roaming the flats and taking flies.
Angler Ronnie Hoffman had his intentions set on catching GTs, and obviously, the bigger the better. His week started off slow, with some tough tries that did not quite go his way. At the end of the week, his luck changed. While poling down the Milky Way with veteran guide Matt Defilipi, they spotted the greatest sight one can possibly see on St Francois Atoll – the notorious “Capal Shoal”. The shoal consists of an angry mob of nurse sharks and massive GTs, which usually feed ferociously on coral outcrops. Matt carefully maneuvered the boat to put Ronnie in the perfect position to cast at the shoal. Of the many gigantic fish in the shoal, one of them turned for the fly and engulfed it, showing off its massive bucket mouth as it ate. Ronnie set the hook against the fish, which was already heading in the opposite direction, breaking Ronnie’s 12wt rod in the process. The fish remained pinned, and Matt and Ronnie battled to keep it from cutting them off on one of the many coral heads surrounding the finger. The beast eventually tired out and landed, measuring an incredible 114cm. Big congratulations to Ronnie on your monstrous fish, our biggest geet of the week!
Angler Ryan Fields had a truly memorable week fishing at our atoll. He bagged two slams for the week, the first consisting of a beautiful 47cm yellow margin trigger, a massive 97cm milkfish, and a bonefish. The second slam consisted of an 82cm GT, a permit, and a bonefish. In addition to these slams, he caught three other GTs, the biggest of which was a massive 107cm giant caught on a beast fly in some deep water.
Ryan’s brother-in-law, and boat partner, Jamie, also had an epic week fishing the flats. He caught a GT and his first Indo-Pacific permit. On the same day that Ryan caught his big geet, Jamie caught two crackers for himself, measuring 93 and 98cm!
Angler Art Schneider also had a successful week of fishing. His focus was mostly on bonefish, and he did some serious damage, showing that the bones on St Francois are definitely growing in size! His three biggest bones came in at 60, 62, and a staggering 68cm. In addition to his bonefish exploits, he caught himself two GTs measuring 70 and 77cm.
A number of anglers had some very memorable catches. Christ Walsh caught himself three GTs, two of which measured 84cm. Tom Randgaard caught three geets, the biggest of which was 87cm and a massive yellow margin came in at 49cm (the biggest of the week). Angler Alister Grant caught himself a beautiful 97cm GT, his first ever! Roy Maynard got himself three GTs and a moustache trigger of 40cm. Bob Stowe caught himself a geet and a moustache trigger. Scott Hutchinson had a hard-fought battle with an 88cm milkfish. Cody, Matt, Santiago, and Deborah all caught their first-ever GTs on the fly.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 23rd to 30th March
We had another phenomenal week that showcased the impressive diversity that Alphonse and St. Francois have to offer. Spring tides and sunny weather are great combinations for landing perfect catches.
Returning angler John Stott took it upon himself to have a crack at the bigger GTs that the atoll has to offer. He ended up with three GTs for the week, including two tankers measuring 91 and 94cm – the biggest GTs of the week. Congratulations on your epic fish, John! A big shout out to angler Thomas, who also bagged himself a beautiful 91cm GT.
On the scoreboard as well, a very well done to Mike and Gaden, who caught their first GTs. To Chris, for yet another GT under his belt, and to Piers, who finished the week with two GTs.
Larger triggerfish can be a serious challenge on the fly. Making a cast without spooking the fish is the first step; getting it to follow and eat is the next task, which is never easy. Once hooked, the triggerfish surges off in the direction of any nearby coral to try and wedge itself, usually resulting in the leader parting. Angler Swifty McGarvin is no stranger to the challenge posed by triggerfish and went after them with fire in his belly. He finished the week with 51, 52, and 53cm moustache triggers and two yellow margin triggerfish, measuring 51 and 52 m, respectively. In addition to his five massive triggerfish, he caught five GTs for the week.
Also on the trigger train, a big congratulations to Allan, who bagged a beautiful 47cm yellow margin, to Thomas, who caught a 46cm moustache trigger, to Paul, who got one too, and to Piers, who caught a beauty while doing some dredging in the deep water.
The permit have been growing even more numerous on the flats, with the wind slowly transitioning back to South-Easter. To catch a permit is a phenomenal achievement. We had three permit caught for the week, so big congratulations must be given to Bill Jr, Art, and Neil, who also went on to catch a GT and a bonefish on the same day to complete a well-earned flats slam!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 16th to 23rd March
This week was another all-around beauty on Alphonse and St Francois. The neap tides slowly made way for the springs, bringing greater fluctuations of water on the flats. The weather was fairly stable, which made most days very pleasant for flats fishing.
Every season is full of great stories, and this week was no different. Angler Jorg Weber stayed over on Alphonse for a few days before a week of fishing on Farquhar and was eager to dive straight into fishing. One particular morning, Jorg set off for the surf at around 6:30 am in the morning; he was determined not to waste a waking minute of fishing. He noticed a large swirl on the surface next to him and made a short cast, instantly going tight with something seriously strong. Line peeled off the reel, and Jorg tightened his drag and had to apply pressure with his palm, leading to the infamous “knuckle sandwich”, causing some serious bruising on his fingers. This was all worth it as soon as he realised he had caught a monster GT. The beast came in at a massive 112cm. Congratulations, Jorg, on catching the biggest geet of the week.
Angler Chris Walsh is a veteran of the flats of the Seychelles. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on some of the epic fish that call our atoll home. He started his week nicely with some GTs. Then, on his second last day, it all came together magnificently. His day started with a beautiful 75cm GT, staying black for the entire fight. A few hours later, he brought in an even bigger GT, measuring 80cm. In the afternoon, he landed two moustache triggerfish, the bigger of the two measuring a massive 52cm. After these four fish, Chris and his guide headed back to Alphonse, very happy with their haul for the day. However, the day wasn’t over just yet. Chris’s guide noticed a massive shoal of milkfish right outside the Alphonse channel. Within just a handful of casts, Chris went tight with a big milkfish. He put a heap of pressure on it and managed to land it in 10 minutes – very impressive stuff! The fish was estimated at 100cm, which is a giant milk. Well done on your epic flats slam, Chris!
The next day, Chris set out with his eyes set on the holy grail, the last of the “big five,” a fish he needed to tick off his list. Chris did exactly that when he plucked a 45cm permit out of a shoal of feeding bonefish. An incredible few days of fishing, Chris!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 9th to 16th March
We had another phenomenal fishing week on Alphonse. The spring tides provided plenty of water movement and allowed us to fish for all of the fish species that call St Francois Atoll home. Picturesque days, often with dead calm conditions, were more than enough four our guests to enjoy their days, but the number of fish around made it even more special week.
The great number of GT sightings on the flats was once again the highlight for all our guests. Targeting these apex predators is a thrill like no other, and getting a fish to eat the fly is a sight that stays in the memory bank. What made the GT fishing even more exhilarating was the presence of good-sized fish; we landed four GTs measuring over 80cm for the week and landed three fish over 90cm. This gives a great indication of how many impressive fish are out there because as they start getting to those sizes, they are not easily fooled into eating a fly.
The standout angler of the week was undoubtedly Ben Foley, who really showed off his fly fishing skills. On one day, he caught a 42cm moustache triggerfish, a bonefish, and then three GTs measuring 87, 88, and 93cm for a flats slam right off the top shelf. Later in the week, he caught a tanker 66cm bonefish, a 70cm milkfish, and an 81cm GT for yet another brilliant flats slam. He landed another three GTs over the course of the week. Congratulations on your phenomenal week of fishing, Ben!
With the number of GTs around, many of our guests had their eyes focused on the prized giant trevally. Angler Lance Campbell finished the week with six GTs under his belt. Congrats on the fierce fishing, Lance!
John Graham notched up five geets for the week, including three in one day. On his very last cast of the week, he landed a cracking 82cm fish that had him tap dancing on the bow of the skiff to unwrap the line from his feet. John is an avid angler and targets anything that swims. In addition to his excellent geet fishing, he caught multiple bohar snappers, a host of grouper species, some massive blue-spangled emperors, and a whole list of other fish. John really proved the sheer volume and incredible variety of fish St Francois has to offer besides our ‘big five’ species. What a spectacular week, John, a huge congratulations to you!
Jean-Louis Lacombe caught a 78cm GT and, whilst fishing in the surf zone, caught our biggest geet of the week, measuring in at 99cm. It was agonizingly close to that metre mark but nonetheless a brute of a fish! Mark Boulle, who had never caught a GT before, set the bar really high by opening his account with a beautiful 91cm fish. Congratulations on your fishing successes, gents. We hope you loved your experience.
A big congratulations to anglers Katherine and Michael, who managed to land our two permits of the week. Katherine also added her first-ever GT to her catch tally. Well done to Greg, who worked hard at the milkfish all week and was finally rewarded with a beauty milk as well as a GT on the same day.
We look forward to another exciting week of fishing with the next group of enthusiastic anglers, who are excited to see what our fishery has to offer.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 2nd to 9th March
This week of the season was slightly tougher than expected. The weather was absolutely stunning, with a number of “glass off” days featuring no wind and bright sunshine. As much as the weather was picturesque, the absence of any wind can sometimes make the fish a bit skittish on the flats. Nonetheless, our guests managed to catch a number of awesome fish.
Bonefish are, without a doubt, the backbone of our fishery, and they sometimes don’t get the appreciation they deserve. On almost any tide and in any conditions, our ghosts of the flats are always willing to take a fly and peel line off the reel. Many of our guests this week hadn’t caught bonefish or had not seen them in such plentiful numbers and feeding so aggressively. For that reason, almost all our guests gave the bonefish a good go, for at least a few hours each day. We loved hearing the stories of how impressed and excited our anglers were with the quality and quantity of bonefish caught.
As great as our bonefish action is, almost all of our guests wanted to target the angriest fish of them all, the giant trevally. The GTs were spotted in good numbers once again, but glassy conditions made them slightly apprehensive to take the fly. Persistence always beats resistance, as a number of GTs were fooled into taking some of our feather-dressed hooks. Big congratulations to Robert Card, who showed off his fly fishing skills and managed to land five GTs over the week, the most of any angler.
Angler Leifur Kolbenisson displayed his fly fishing skills in a series of exhibitions to emerge as the top GT angler among the 10-man strong Icelandic group. He fished the week with four GTs, including the biggest of the week, measuring a phenomenal 91cm.
A very special mention to angler Bjarni Bjarnason, who caught his first-ever permit, which was also our only permit of the week. He then got a stretch on the 12-weight setup to catch himself a GT. Great stuff, Bjarni.
Notable mention also goes out to Gudmundur, who caught the only moustache triggerfish of the week, and to Hilmar, Kjartan, James, Lance, and Joe, who all caught GTs during the week.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 24th February to 2nd March
To no surprise, Alphonse Island continued to provide prime catches this week. Even with some strong winds and rainfall, our anglers had a memorable time with lots of excellent catches.
The spring tides provided the opportunity to target all of the species that inhabit the Seychelles Outer Islands. With an early morning high and a dropping tide, our guests generally opted to start the day looking for GTs. As per the norm, they were out and about in good numbers. Angler Alistair Crawford has been to Alphonse Island almost yearly for the past 20 years, but this trip was different; on one special day of the week, he had what he described as his best day over all those years he has been fishing with us.
Alistair was on a mission for plus-sized GTs, and with the advice from his guide Reece, they were poling the top lagoon on the lookout for big fish on coral heads and making blind casts when required. Alistair’s day turned out to be an absolute dream! Within the space of about three hours, he landed three GTs measuring 82, 85, and 93cm. It was an absolute beauty of a morning, and we are thrilled to have been a part of such a special day for Alistair.
Angler John Ravenberg is also no stranger to the flats of St Francois, and he was keen to go for it once again. With his experience to assist him, he went out and had a banger of a day. On his first cast, he caught a beautiful moustache triggerfish, then a GT, and a monster 65cm bonefish, completing an epic flats slam!
Another long-time guest and friend of Alphonse was angler Ross Brawn. He had some tough luck during the week, but on his second last day, it all came together beautifully. His guide suggested a run on the outside to look for milkfish, which were found to be in reasonable numbers. On his fifth cast at the feeding fish, Ross hooked into a beauty, which took a huge run and made multiple massive jumps. Ross overpowered the beast and caught the only milkfish of the week, measuring in at an incredible 91cm. After getting onto the flats, no more than 20 minutes later, he caught a GT and some bonefish to complete a great flats slam.
Angler Ed Aremia topped the standings of the week with a GT that tested him and his tackle. He got stuck into a tug-of-war with a GT and used all of his strength and experience to land it. The fish measured an epic 97cm, just shy of the much-sought-after meter mark.
Notable mention goes out to Matt Fox, who caught four GTs during the week, including three on the same day. Angler Elizabeth Hart topped the standings in the triggerfish department with a monster 54cm moustache trigger – a truly spectacular fish! Angler Matt Prest took it upon himself to tackle with the permit. He managed to catch the only one of the week, coming in at just under 40cm.
A big pat on the back to Tom for fishing the week with three GTs, to Donald for his three, including a lovely 80cm fish, to Meredith for her two GTs, to Elizabeth for catching two GTs along with her massive triggerfish, and to David who caught a beautiful 44cm moustache trigger.
Thank you for the fantastic week to everyone who joined us!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 17th to 24th February
This week turned out to be yet another awesome one on Alphonse and St Francois. The atolls showcased their continuous consistency in providing some phenomenal catches. Whilst a bit of wind and a few small squalls passed our island paradise, the conditions were mostly sunny and pleasant all week.
Anyone who has fished Alphonse and St Francois will know the sheer number of bonefish that frequent the flats. Bonefish are one of the purest fly rod species to target, usually caught in ankle-deep, clear water. They rip huge amounts of line off the reel in mere seconds. Without teeth and being a very clean fighting fish, they are incredible to catch for anglers of all skill levels. We absolutely love them as they are almost always willing to eat a fly.
Angler Brian McLean had an absolute beauty of a week when he managed to land himself not one but two bonefish, which measured in at 66cm. Bonefish this size can be extremely picky and very conscious of fly lines and the splashing made by anglers’ steps. Catching two fish of this magnitude is a serious achievement. Brian did not just show off his skills with bonefish; he managed to land three serious GTs over the course of the week, two of which were 81cm and 90 cm beasts. Huge congratulations on an epic week of fishing, Brian!
For a number of weeks now, the GTs have been out in force and terrorizing smaller fish that inhabit the flats, and this week was no different. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed targeting them as they were readily found just about everywhere across the atolls.
Angler Hugh Langmuir visited Alphonse once again to target our coveted GTs. On his first day, he was teased by a few fish following his fly, attempting to bite but missing. On his second day, he finally landed a 70cm fish! On his last day, Hugh’s guide spotted a big free swimming fish and instructed Hugh to make the cast. Without hesitation Hugh did just that and after a great fight ended up bagging an impressive 94cm GT. This was our biggest GT of the week and an unbelievable reward for Hugh’s hard work. He also managed a tanker of a bonefish, coming in at 60cm.
Big congratulations to Bill Kinney and Kathy Bieler, who each caught a sailfish on the fly. Kathy caught a bonefish to wrap up another bills and bones slam.
Notable mentions for the week include Johan, who caught a beasty 65cm bonefish and a GT, Ed who caught a 61cm bonefish, Mike who caught five GTs, Johnathan who caught three GTs, Donald with two GTs, Alistair who landed the only moustache trigger of the week, Robert who bagged a beautiful 81cm GT, Conor who also caught a cracker 81cm GT and Tom, Tryggvi, Kay, and Libby who also caught GTs!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 10th to 17th February
This week was yet another epic week of fishing and weather on Alphonse and St. Francois. Sunny days, light winds, and spring tides ensured that many fish were out and about on the atolls, and the conditions made sight fishing as easy as it could possibly be.
The major highlight of the week was the sheer number of GTs present on the flats. The gangsters of the flats loved the spring tide pushing, and in the early mornings, when the water was still high, these coveted species could be found almost everywhere on St. Francois. Besides the fact they were easily spotted, they were also in a particular feeding mood. From hearing all of the stories after each day’s fishing, our guests had an absolute ball targeting them.
Angler David Goldberg has apparently considered retiring from all forms of fishing after the mind-blowing week he had. He finished the week with a total of eight GTs under his belt. Out of all the days, his final day is the one he will truly not forget. His guide was poling him down the eastern grass line of St. Francois when he noticed a nurse shark cruising the shallows with a big GT trailing it. David cast ahead of the shark and began stripping his black brush fly, which the GT charged and inhaled. After an intense tug-of-war where an overwind caused a line wrap in the reel, David landed an epic 100cm GT!
Roughly nine minutes later, David was back on the bow, and once again, a shark was spotted with a massive geet circling around it. The shark moved over some dark turtle grass and the fish seemed to disappear. David made a cast and began stripping when the geet re-emerged from the darkness, making an epic surface eat, showing the full extent of its bucket-sized mouth. Another huge battle of man vs beast ensued, and David emerged victorious. This giant measured an incredible 109cm! A massive congratulations to David and his guide, Bailey, on a truly unforgettable day. Two metre-long fish in one day is a truly spectacular achievement.
Angler Ron Young also had a very special day out on the flats. He started the day with some bonefish and then walked the beach in a spot known as the “back of the moon”. His guide spotted a nice permit feeding right against the shoreline. Ron cast and let the fly sit on the bottom, and the permit approached. Before he even gave one strip, the fish picked up the fly and made off. Ron set the hook and began fighting the perm with minimal pressure. The fish was landed and measured an awesome 59cm – a cracker of a permit! After this adventurous experience, they decided to head to Alphonse to fish the pushing tide. Right at the end of the day, Ron plucked a GT off a stingray to complete an epic flats slam. Huge congratulations, Ron!
Congratulations also to Darrell, who caught three geets, including an 81cm fish. To Tim, who caught a permit and three geets, the biggest of which was 82cm. To Brian, who caught three geets and a milkfish, and Betsy, who caught a geet and the only moustache trigger for the week. A final congrats to David Derry, Lucien, Mark, and Charlotte, who all caught GTs this week!
We had an absolute blast showing our guests what our beautiful atoll has to offer.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 3rd to 10th February
This week of the season brought a mixture of weather conditions. Many days featured some sunshine, but squalls would build at times, bringing wind and rain. Despite the weather challenges, our guests displayed total commitment and still managed to catch some memorable fish.
The ghosts of the flats were targeted during the dropping tide when they stacked up and moved toward deeper water. Guests were pleasantly surprised not only by the number of fish but also by their size. Fish over 55cm were frequently caught, and a number over the 60cm mark were also added to the tally. The bones provided excitement and screaming reels, resulting in an epic week with nearly 250 bonefish landed.
GT fishing proved slightly more challenging, as many fish had locked jaws and were not easily fooled by the fly. Despite this, Conny, Dave H, David C, Ilya, Valerii, Vlad, and John Miller deserve congratulations for netting some of these impressive species. Most of the catches this week were spotted cruising on the back of stingrays. These fish are often jet black when sitting on the ray and can be spotted from some distance away. Nothing beats the excitement of seeing one of these fish charge off the ray and smash the fly right in front of the boat.
A special mention goes to angler Philip Friesen, who achieved the rare feat of catching both a yellow margin and a moustache triggerfish on the same day! Congratulations on your spectacular day of triggerfishing, Philip!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 27th January to 3rd February
We had another epic week on St Francois and Alphonse Atolls with superb weather and incredible fishing. The fish were eager to play the game, with some really solid, plus-sized GTs making an appearance.
On day one, our man Valerii got it done properly with a monster of a GT. Valerii and his guide arrived at Tam Tam flat a couple of hours into the pushing tide and were instantly greeted by a group of hungry geets feeding on the lagoon edge. A quick cast and some long, slow strips, and Valerii soon hooked the fish of a lifetime. A brutal fight ensued, and after following the fish for a couple of minutes and dodging coral heads, the fish was in the net. An impressive 115cm GT!
Kevin took a very keen interest in our pristine bone fishery and managed to get over 100 bonefish throughout his week, with a couple of those over the 60cm mark. Kevin also got stuck into some GT action and got himself a healthy 85cm fish at the back of One Palm Island. While wading for bones, Kevin and his guide, Alex, spotted a lemon shark with three good GTs following close behind. A quick drop of the 9wt and an accurate cast with the 12wt did the trick!
One Palm Island seemed to be a hotspot for fish, with John landing a lovely 34cm permit. An epic fish to go along with 20+ bones for the day. Robert did exceptionally well, managing his first-ever GT on fly, and ended his week with a total of three lovely giant trevally under his belt, with the biggest being 70cm.
The trigger fishing was tough this week, but the guys managed a few to hand and also had some very close calls, with some good fish being lost to corals and bitten off. Bill was our top trigger fisherman, with an absolute beast of a moustache trigger stretching the tape to 53cm.
Extraordinary memories for all this week and some insane fish were caught. All in all, it was another successful week on Alphonse and St Francois!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 20th to 27th January
This week was undoubtedly our best GT fishing week and arguably our best all-around fishing week so far. Our guests enjoyed excellent weather, great tidal movement, and heaps of hungry fish, making many dreams come true.
The GTs were the standout feature of the week, and no matter where you found yourself around St. Francois, you were only ever a few minutes away from spotting one or more. Plenty of GTs were sighted and caught off the back of stingrays and sharks. Packs of GTs were seen in the surf on the pushing tide, with plenty of free-swimming fish in between.
Angler Bo Ribaudo has fished the outer islands of the Seychelles more than the average angler. She knows what the flats can offer, but even she was pleasantly surprised by how good her week turned out. Bo’s week included four GTs, two moustache triggerfish measuring 41 and 43cm respectively, a flats slam composed of a 42cm yellowmargin triggerfish, a GT, and a bonefish. She later caught another fantastic yellowmargin trigger and, to cap it all off, bagged a fantastic 63cm permit. Congratulations on your epic week of fishing, Bo!
Similar fortunes awaited another returning guest, Kasja Larsson. Her first day on the flats yielded three GTs, the biggest being an epic 107cm! The big GT was spotted following closely behind a nurse shark when it was hooked. A few days later, Kajsa picked up a superb 41cm yellowmargin trigger and another beautiful 87cm GT. On her final day, not long after her partner Bo caught a massive permit, Kajsa also hooked and landed a gorgeous 57cm permit.
Angler Steven Blackbeard was concerned that he might not get a GT during his trip with us, but this magnificent Atoll did not disappoint. In his last week, he caught a good-sized GT at 81cm. He went from strength to strength with GT fishing and had a tremendous five GT day where he could not do a thing wrong. With his fantastic momentum, it only went up from there. In addition to these five fish in one day, he caught four more, finishing his week with a total catch of 10 GTs!
On one of his days, he said to his guide that he had his eyes set on a triggerfish after hearing all the stories from the guides and fellow anglers about how tricky they can be — he was up for the challenge! Steven would go on to catch two 51cm moustache triggers and a 46cm moustache trigger in one afternoon!
Clearly, all the rumours about how difficult triggers can be did not matter to Steven.
Angler Julian Anntes also had a top-tier week of GT fishing, ending with a total of seven GTs under the belt, and most notably, on his final day, he landed a massive 100cm GT.
Notable mentions must also be extended to Patty, who caught three GTs during the week and also managed a flats slam with a GT, a 46cm yellowmargin trigger, and a bonefish.
Big congratulations to Avron, who caught a phenomenal 91cm GT. To Per and Marcus for catching two GTs each, and to John, Ferdinando, Paul, Staffan, and Michael, who all caught GTs over the week.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 19
Week 19 started off with a bang, and multiple GTs sighted. The ever-present shoals of bonefish provided great entertainment despite some challenging wind conditions throughout the week.
John Eames, an experienced angler, had a spectacular first day, catching two beautiful GTs. He then targeted a yellowmargin triggerfish that eagerly raced to eat the fly; after a short battle, he landed a massive 50cm specimen and completed the slam with a bonefish. John didn’t stop there and had an awesome week, adding two more GTs later on.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 18
St. Francois showcased exceptional fishing despite variable weather. As neap tides gave way to springs, abundant water movement attracted a flurry of fish activity.
Returning angler Chris Griffith achieved memorable flats slam within an hour, starting with a 59cm Indo-Pacific permit, followed by a 51cm moustache triggerfish and a cruising GT measuring an undisclosed size. Using an 8/0 hook meant for GTs, Chris skilfully landed the trigger.
Logan Hitchins, accompanied by her husband Aaron, showed exceptional angling skills despite challenging weather conditions. Logan, pregnant with their first child, out-fished Aaron, landing a massive 47cm yellowmargin triggerfish and a stunning 45cm yellowmargin, along with three GTs for the week.
Will Harris, a first-time Seychelles angler, faced overcast conditions but persevered. He bagged an epic
92cm GT catch during a massive feeding frenzy known as ‘the Capel Shoal.’
Former head guide Alec Gerbec returned for big GTs, successfully landing the week’s largest GT at 96cm in the top lagoon, showcasing his expertise and connection with the atoll. Notable mentions for joining the GT scoreboard go to David, Chris, Harry, Konstantin, Harris, John, and Aaron.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 17
Anglers had some weather challenges to deal with this week due to a passing tropical cyclone that brought higher winds and rain, making sight fishing difficult. Despite these conditions, determined anglers achieved some noteworthy catches.
The wet and rainy days cooled the water of the flats, attracting hungry permit. Markus senior, fresh from a week of GT fishing on Cosmoledo, skilfully hooked a beast of a permit, measuring an impressive 62cm. His success continued with another 55cm permit later in the week. Markus Junior landed himself two permits during the week, a commendable achievement for the family.
While it seemed that the milkfish were moving on, they could still be found in the channels on the slow drop. Anglers Otto, Gary, Olli, Sterling, and John took on the physical challenge of hooking and landing these powerful fish, with catches ranging from 100cm to 104cm.
GT fishing faced its own challenges with poor lighting, but this did not stop the anglers. Otto, Olli, Markus, Gary, Jack, Matt, and Mike demonstrated patience and skill, successfully landing GTs during the week.
Congratulations to all the anglers for their remarkable achievements in the face of challenging conditions!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 16
The anglers and fishing sure didn’t slow down in week 16 which showcased epic fishing, with the atoll providing a variety of species, as we shifted towards springs, creating the perfect conditions.
Konstantin Sherbovich, aiming to add a GT to his record, achieved success with a 102cm giant trevally after a thrilling battle in Rattray’s Channel. John Miller had his sights set on milkfish and ended up landing one each day for five consecutive days, with the largest measuring an impressive 111cm. John completed a flats slam on the same day by also landing a GT and a bonefish.
John Linen had a phenomenal week, catching all but one of the big five species, including a rare 147cm barracuda without a wire trace. Ilya Sherbovich focused on Indo-Pacific permit. Challenging conditions did not stop him as he ended up landing a 57cm beauty after an unusual episode of the permit lying flat on the bottom and then jumping over the guide’s head!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 15
Our week started with a diverse number of species taking centre stage, with hot and sunny neap tides providing tough conditions for our anglers. Hot and green water means one thing on St Francois: epic milkfish, and this week was no different with an abundance of milkfish in the lagoon, where John Miller landed an impressive 111cm fish. Hooking this fish in the lagoon’s confines made for a thrilling fight.
Epic stories unfolded as anglers achieved milestones, with Spencer Thorington catching a stunning triggerfish and an 81cm GT. Matt Naber’s phenomenal performance featured the biggest GT of the week at 93cm and a massive 101m milkfish, securing a memorable flats slam.
Anglers Harry Thornburn and John Miller scored flats slams each. A special mention goes to Yousuf Shaikh, who guided three consecutive slams, making history in the Blue Safari Fly Fishing community.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – week 14
This week started with stormy weather, but with spring tides, there was still great potential to find the sought-after GT. Nikita Mishin led the group with an impressive seven GTs, while Mark Holme claimed the title for the biggest fish, landing a 95cm GT. We welcomed newcomers, Jack, Graham, Dinah, Renzo, and Adam, who marked their entry into GT fishing with their first-ever GTs on fly.
The spring tides provided prime opportunities for milkfish. Young anglers Lilly, Holly, and Emma showed their stellar teamwork, hooking and landing a 95cm milkfish, Lilly’s brother Adam also got involved in the milkfish action landing himself a beautiful 93cm fish. Nikita’s skills bagged him a monstrous 110cm milkfish. Special mention to Adam Collins for his beautiful 93cm milkfish.
A standout performance came from Feo Mishin, earning the title of Angler of the Week with back-to-back flats slams featuring GTs, a yellowmargin, and bonefish.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 2nd to 9th December
Another exceptional week of fishing unfolded on St Francois Atoll, characterised by favourable neap tides that ensured ample water throughout the fishing days. The triggerfish, in particular, made a notable appearance in abundant numbers, adding to the excitement. Despite intermittent storms, the overall weather featured calm winds and sunshine.
While triggerfish can be pursued on any tide on St Francois, the preference for neap tides was evident among both guides and guests. The slower drops and pushes resulted in weaker currents, allowing triggerfish to feed more comfortably along grass lines and finger flats. Right from the start of the week, it was evident that the triggers were in a feeding frenzy, providing our guests with an exhilarating experience. Even in their fired-up state, triggerfish present a formidable challenge to fly fishermen with their robust jaws, sharp teeth, incredible speed, and a knack for seeking refuge in coral. Despite the challenges, the allure of these fish kept anglers returning for more.
Returning angler, Alan Olivier, showcased his expertise in targeting triggerfish. His patience faced a stern test on the first day when he hooked up and lost 15 fish! Undeterred, he returned the next day with renewed determination. Guided by Reece, Alan spotted a massive yellowmargin trigger tailing and feeding in deep water. A well-placed cast led to an electrifying moment as the fish charged the fly, only to wedge itself in a nearby coral head. Reece, with his skill and experience, dove into action, making several attempts to free the fish. Eventually, success prevailed, and both angler and guide erupted in celebration as they realized the magnitude of the catch—an astounding 54cm yellowmargin trigger, the largest of the season. Congratulations to Alan and Reece for this remarkable achievement.
Alan’s stellar week continued as he went on to catch a moustache triggerfish and three GTs, with his biggest giant trevally measuring an impressive 94cm, the largest of the week. Well done to Alan on an incredible week of fishing.
Chris Burgess, journeying from Australia to Alphonse Island for the first time, was awe-struck by the abundance of fish. He chose triggerfish as his primary target and made a remarkable impact. On day one, Chris landed the largest moustache triggerfish of the season, an enormous 56cm specimen. The following day, he achieved almost the same feat with another giant, a 55cm triggerfish. Not to be outdone, Chris’ wife, Este, joined the action and landed her first moustache trigger. Congratulations to Chris and Este on these extraordinary catches!
Special congratulations are also in order for James, Edward, Rafael, Mark, Mia, and Abbey for their successful GT catches during the week. Roman and Adam also had their share of triumphs, landing moustache triggers.
The sailfish remained cooperative for those venturing into the deep blue with a fly rod. Five anglers targeted these high-speed predators, and all five managed to land a sailfish on the fly. Edward, David, James, and Phil deserve special mention, with an extra nod to Mark for achieving a ‘Bills and Bones’ slam, a feat rarely accomplished in any other part of the world—catching both a sailfish and a bonefish in the same day.
Anticipation is high for another epic week of fishing, and we’re looking forward to sharing upcoming stories in next week’s report.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 18th to 25th November
Another unforgettable week on Alphonse with some incredible bone fishing and some extremely noteworthy GTs. The weather and fish both played their part, with multiple fish caught on clear windless days, just what the Seychelles is known for.
The neap tides meant that there was lots of water on the flats and with that came massive shoals of Alphonse bonefish. The majority of the anglers were keen to get stuck in and our guides knew exactly where to take them, this led to our best bonefish week of the season so far by some margin. With a total of 379 bones netted during the week, you can just imagine how reels were screaming non-stop every single day.
The highlight of the week was no doubt a massive GT caught by angler Mike Nowak. Mike and the newest guide to join the AFC team, Josh, were fishing the top lagoon late on Tuesday afternoon, casting at one of the many coral heads within the lagoon. With fading light and some slightly dirty water, Mike’s fly was smashed by a monstrous fish which immediately peeled line and began threading its way through the surrounding coral. With only 80lb monofilament leader, Josh had to delicately unstitch leader and fly line from the corals as he frantically chased down the fish and tried to get on top of it.
After some stressful moments the fish was bought to the side of the boat and both angler and guide were completely shocked at the massive proportions of the fish. The fish was measured and came to a staggering 128cm, a true dinosaur of the top lagoon! Congratulations to Mike and his guide Josh who managed to catch our biggest GT of the 2023/2024 season on Alphonse so far. Mike also managed to catch another beautiful specimen measuring 89cm later in the week, a very memorable trip for Mike indeed!
Robert Smith had a very special first visit to the atoll. He arrived with very clear intentions to catch a giant trevally and made it happen, managing to land his first of the sought after species. Although his primary goal had been achieved, he didn’t kick his feet up, and went after our Indo-Pacific permit and managed to catch the only golden nugget of the week.
Well done to anglers Paul, Tom, Bruce and Mike Timms who also managed to catch geets and again to all the anglers for making the most of the incredible bonefish population out here!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 11th to 18th November
Hungry fish and excellent conditions led to one of the best weeks’ fishing of the northeast season so far. It was certainly one for the books and we are thrilled for the guests who were here to experience it.
The talk of the week was a massive resurgence of GTs on the flats. After a fairly tough week prior, with eight being brought to hand, both guides and guests were very pleased to see great numbers of geets out and about. A very special mention must go out to angler Sarah who jumped onto her father’s boat for the day and landed an incredible 100cm GT, an unforgettable first of the species. Congratulations Sarah that is a catch of a lifetime!
With the gangsters of the flats around in healthy numbers, everyone was eager to have a crack at catching one. We had a hat-rick of anglers who managed four giant trevally each throughout their stay. Congratulations to Peter Rippin who’s biggest GT was an awesome 84cm, Dan Christensen with his biggest at 74cm, and Mark Turley who caught three of the species in a single day, the biggest being 77cm. Further congratulations also go out to Bill, Niall, Harry, Tom, Greg, Henrik, Bruce and Paul who also joined the party and caught GTs over the week. An epic week of GT fishing.
Whilst the GTs provided plenty of excitement on the flats, the milkfish showed up in their masses on the outside of the atoll. With tons of water moving off of the flats on the large spring drops, the milkfish fed aggressively in the scum lines almost every morning of the week. Gary Neil was stretched to the limit in an intense 55 minute fight with a milkfish, he fought back hard and ended up landing a specimen of 105cm. A serious catch, well done Gary! Congratulations to Peter who caught three milks during the week and to Dan, Mike, Chantal and Tom who also landed milkfish.
Niall Turley had a memorable week, taking full advantage of all St Francois Atoll has to offer. In addition to his GT, he landed two fantastic moustache triggerfish measuring 47 and 45cm as well as a beautiful 55cm Indo-Pacific permit! That’s an epic week Niall, well done!
Dave Robinson joined us for some bluewater fishing. He had a super productive week and caught 16 wahoo, nine sailfish and eight yellowfin tuna! Dave nearly ended the week with a black marlin, which are very rare in our waters. Unfortunately the hook pulled and the fish escaped. What a week Dave, we look forward to having you back to get that marlin next time.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 4th to 11th November
Another great week of fishing for the nine anglers who stepped into the diverse fisheries of Alphonse Island and St Francois Atoll. All of our recognised ‘Big 5’ species were caught, and plenty of opportunities were presented. In the true nature of fly fishing, some were lucrative, while others were missed.
With calming winds and strong currents on account of the neap tides, massive shoals of milkfish continued to pop up almost every morning outside St Francois Atoll and in the Alphonse channel. It’s hard to say no to such a feeding frenzy, which led to most of our guests having a crack at catching one of the powerful beasts. Returning angler David Powter found himself in a battle of endurance against an impressive 95cm fish, he emerged victorious and was rightfully stoked with his efforts. Anglers Noah and Gary also managed to tame the mighty milkfish during the course of the week. Catching these fish requires a skilful and accurate cast, so a big well done to these anglers.
The fishing headlines were again dominated by Noah Ramos, who showed off his tremendous fly fishing skills. In addition to his milkfish, Noah added another yellowmargin triggerfish, moustache triggerfish, a couple of GTs, including the biggest of the week at 79cm, and the only permit of the week to his impressive tally. Just when we thought his Farquhar week couldn’t be topped, Noah made easy work of St Francois Atoll during his stay.
Congratulations must be extended to Theo Hoffs, David Menten, and Kathy Bieler who all caught their first GTs on fly – an awesome achievement and experiences we are sure they will never forget! David Powter, still reeling from his milkfish earlier in the week, also worked his magic on the giant trevally, managing to catch three during his stay.
Our bonefish very seldom disappoint, with all the anglers dabbling in their fair share of these ghosty fish. Angler Bernard Bailey put the bonefish populations to test and caught over 20 fish on his first day out on the flats.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 28th October to 4th November
What a few days it was for the anglers who found themselves on our little island paradise this week. The northwest season is now in full swing with lots of hungry and willing fish around.
We welcomed the return of surface-feeding milkfish to the outside of the atoll. Father and son, Noah and Fernando took full advantage and each landed quality fish, the biggest of the two stretching the tape to an impressive 97cm.
Noah didn’t stop at the milkfish, and proceeded to put on a GT fishing masterclass, bagging himself a total of five geets for the week, the biggest coming in at a cracking 96cm. In addition to this, Noah bought to hand an epic 51cm yellowmargin triggerfish, a monster by any standards and a serious challenge just to hook, let alone land. This trigger did not come easy, and in typical triggerfish fashion it charged into a hole in the coral once hooked. After a dive and recovery attempt by both guide and angler the fish was eventually landed. Congratulations on some epic fishing Noah.
Angler Ashley, who is still getting into fly fishing, certainly will not forget her time fishing the flats of St Francois. Amongst some bonefish, Ash caught herself two beautiful geets and a massive 53cm moustache triggerfish! Congratulations on your awesome week Ash and we look forward to having you back again soon.
On the permit front, Fernando can be very proud of his fantastic 63cm permit. The only permit for the week and an absolute beauty of a fish. Dennis claimed the bonefish angler of the week awards, catching a massive 64cm bone which gave a proper account of itself on the nine weight setup. Well done Fernando and Dennis.
The blue water fishing continues to remain consistently action packed. Anglers William and Kathy went out for a morning session and each landed a sailfish and wahoo on the fly. These powerful pelagics are a serious physical challenge on fly and we are stoked that William and Kathy were able to get it done.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 21st to 28th October
This week proved slightly tougher than the weeks prior. Whilst many fish were spotted out on the flats, the bite was definitely a bit slower than expected, some inclement weather at the start of the week most likely contributing to this. However, this didn’t stop our group of determined anglers who still managed to bring some excellent fish to hand.
By far the most notable catch of the week was caught by Dudley. After winning an epic battle with a beautiful 90cm GT earlier in the week, Dudley’s quest for fishing greatness bought him to a spot known as ‘back of the moon’. After some walking along the beach, Dudley and his guide, Jason, spotted a massive permit tailing in the shore break. The fish swam towards the pair, coming so close that Dudley was forced to make a roll cast. As soon as his Alphlexo crab hit the bottom the perm showed interest, and after stripping his fly almost to the rod tip the fish ate and a nervy 35 minute fight ensued. Measuring an incredible 67cm, this permit will not be forgotten by either angler or guide. Congratulations Dudley.
Returning guest Ray was also eager to make his mark on the scoreboard. He opened his week with a phenomenal 49cm yellowmargin triggerfish, notoriously skittish and difficult to catch. He also managed to catch a GT and some bonefish on the same day to cap off an awesome Flats Slam. Later in the week Ray managed to further improve his triggerfish count by landing a massive 51cm moustache triggerfish. Well done Ray!
Ray wasn’t the only one who had a hold on the tricky triggers, Hanley also managed to land an awesome yellowmargin measuring in at 43cm. Gabon bagged his first moustache triggerfish. Congratulations to both Hanley and Gabon, any angler who has fished for them knows that those triggers don’t come easy.
The second biggest geet of the week was caught by returning guest Paul who added a magnificent 85cm fish to his already impressive tally of giant trevally over the years. Congratulations Paul.
As always, we are grateful for the famed bonefish population on Alphonse which provided plenty of entertainment when the weather made fishing for other species challenging. The big bones made their presence felt with a number of fish over the 60cm trophy mark being caught.
We look forward to another exciting week of fishing, the sun looks set to shine and we expect the fish to come join the party. Stay tuned for next week’s report.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 14th to 21st October
An awesome group of anglers was welcomed to the world class fishery that is The Alphonse Group for an exciting week. With decreasing wind speeds and sunny days, our anglers were treated to excellent conditions out on the flats and in the deep blue. The spring tides meant plenty of water movement and options to fish sand flats, fingers, channels and the surf.
Each of the anglers enjoyed some spectacular bonefishing to get warmed up for the week, many of whom were pleasantly surprised at the extraordinary number of the species. Particularly on the spring drop, the bonefish stack up and move in large shoals off the flats. Making the most of this, the anglers got stuck into them and a few managed to land more than 20 fish in a session.
As expected, the permit fishing has remained consistent for this time of the year with many fish being seen. Two permits were landed this week with the biggest measuring 62cm, well done to Gareth George on landing this beauty.
No one comes to Seychelles to fly fish without a burning desire to land the fabled giant trevally, and this week’s guests were well and truly up for the challenge. Nine geets were landed in the week, and a number of these were firsts. A special mention to angler Pete who opened his GT account with an epic 92cm fish, and then went on to catch two more to prove his quality fly fishing skills.
Another angler who showed his angling versatility was Albert, who brought to hand a beautiful 84cm GT. Eager to add more fish to his tally, Albert turned his attention towards sailfish on the fly rod. In an action-packed day, where equipment was tested, and in excess of 30 sailfish were raised, Albert managed to land a total of five sailfish on fly. Well done, Albert!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 30th September to 7th October
It’s been a tough week on Alphonse Island with gusting winds and unpredictable rain making fishing conditions harder than usual. Despite the weather, the small group of anglers for the week persevered and managed to get some good fish to the net.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and the less favourable weather conditions, strong winds and high tides meant fresh, cold, and clean water was constantly moving over the flats and into the lagoon. This made ideal conditions for big GTs with anglers being spoilt daily for opportunities at them. A total of four giant trevally were landed, all of which measuring more than 80cm.
The permit fishing was also quite exciting, but at the same time a bit heartbreaking. Anyone who has fished for these fish know that they are up there as the toughest to convince to eat a fly. There were a lot of them around during the week, many following thorny-back rays. A few were missed, some lost, but one lucky angler managed his first permit.
A variety of fish species have been around in healthy numbers and the weather is on the cusp of change, with the northwest season imminent, offering different advantages to the southeast trade season we are coming out of. We are looking forward for what is to come in the weeks that follow.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 23rd to 30th September 2023
Another incredible week gone by on Alphonse Island! With a serious case of permit fever amongst the anglers and guides, this week was certainly one to remember and another one for the history books.
The anglers took full advantage of Alphonse’s world-renowned bonefish fishery, targeting the ghostly fighters throughout the week, landing a total of 189. There were also handful of trophy bonefish over the 60cm mark.
The finger flats fished consistently throughout the week, triggers were spotted in abundance and the anglers were met with good opportunities to fool these wise fish. A handful of triggers won the battle, getting the best of the anglers, cutting or biting them off and running into their holes. The losses made the few landed so much more rewarding, with the biggest trigger measuring a massive 53cm. The week ended with a total of seven triggers, four moustache and three yellowmargins!
Friday started off fairly slow, but Flats Lunch along with a pushing tide, seemed to provide some luck. St Francois showed her true colours, and the permit came out to play with a whooping 13 permit landed among four anglers. One of the young anglers, Finley, managed five by himself on the day! A total of 17 permit were landed, another week proving the incredible permit fishing to be had on Alphonse during our southeast trade wind season.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 16th to 23rd September 2023
Our fishing week on Alphonse Island was an absolute hit with 12 eager anglers. Despite the weather playing its mischievous games, we managed to reel in some awe-inspiring catches and create memories that certainly left the anglers and guides grinning.
The southeast trade winds kept the water on St Francois exceptionally clear, which meant we were in for excellent permit and GT fishing. Talk about a sight to behold: the sneaky permit made their presence known, small groups of them indulging in a series of gourmet feasts off the backs of rays on the white sand flats. Neill Katzeff set the bar on the first day of fishing, landing a beautiful 69cm permit with his guide Dean. Justin Kemp, who had the magic touch this week, landed not one, not two, but four permit, including a mesmerising 67cm beauty. Well done Justin and Neill. A total of seven permit were landed for the week.
The giant trevally were out and about with a total of 12 on the tally at the end of the week. Angler Kyle Powter, a newbie to the saltwater fly fishing world, found himself amidst a shoal of colossal GTs. The battle that followed was nothing short of EPIC—an adrenaline-pumping boat chase, a flickering rod battling against the geets strength. Kyle emerged victorious, hauling in a whopping 117cm geet. Well done Kyle!
A couple of the anglers opted to spend a few days blue water fishing and their trips were nothing short of a sailfish extravaganza. These acrobatic marvels are around in large numbers at the moment, flipping and twirling through the air like daredevil circus performers. The best blue water day of the week saw our anglers skilfully catch and release eight majestic sailfish.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 9th to 16th September 2023
Another successful week of fishing the beautiful St Francois Atoll. With plenty of fish around and five optimistic anglers fishing throughout the week, we managed to bring in a good number of fish with a few trophies in that mix, all in spite of the consistent southeast trade winds which made for trickier conditions.
The week kicked off as usual with what the guides call “bonefish Sundays” where majority of anglers get into the swing of things and find their rhythm for the week targeting bonefish. On St Francois, the bones were abundant in their massive schools and were happy to eat a well-presented fly, the anglers enjoyed the fights these fish put up and a total of 95 bonefish were caught.
The fingers flats were full of life, with plenty of triggers doing their thing, tailing and feeding. Anyone who has fished for triggers knows how meticulous they can be when choosing what flies to go for, even after a perfect presentation, but this week seemed different. The triggers played their part and were more than happy to attack most well-placed flies. The dirty fighters that they are resulted in quite a few being lost, getting bitten off, running into their holes but it ended with two yellow margins and four moustaches on the board, with biggest moustache being a massive 55cm!
Our anglers of the week, Richard and Colin, both managed to catch four of our big five (just missing out on a milkfish each) during their stay. Colin had been searching for his first geet for a while and after coming close on multiple occasions, he was really eager to get it done by Friday. Colin and his guide, Gary, searched hard the whole day, and with the last hour of the day approaching, things were not looking favourable. The last move of the day for the guide was to wait in a channel between One Palm Island and St Francois on the pushing tide, expecting fish to move through the channel pushing up with the tide. A golden opportunity presented itself at 3.15pm when three big geets swam towards the anchored boat, Colin lay out the perfect cast and waited for the fish to swim onto the fly, one strip and the fish lit up and engulfed the fly. The fish measured 100cm, a great catch and even more impressive being a first of the species. Shortly after the GT was landed and tagged, the day sweetened as a shoal of permit swam up the same channel, one cast into them and Colin was on, landing a permit with the last cast of the day to complete a flats slam and to end of a great week of fishing!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 1st to 8th July 2023
This week held some epic fishing with three anglers out on the water. The weather played to our advantage, and we were lucky enough to get across to St. Francios easily each day. A slight wind meant the fish were feeding happily, making them excited to see a well-presented fly.
The week began with Alan Olivier and Stuart Bird both landing beautiful permit and Alan landing a brute of a moustache trigger. A good number of bonefish were caught between the two anglers and the fishing just seemed to get better as the week went on. Grant van der Walt managed to get to the island a bit later in the week and landed himself three awesome moustache triggers and of course, some trophy bonefish.
Around this time of year, we start to see a lot more permit on the flats due to the southeast winds that blow predominantly throughout the months of May to October. This allows the water temperature to drop to a cooler 20-24 degrees Celsius, favourable for the permit. A large number of porcupine rays were seen on the eastern side of the atoll where the permit start to sit on their backs while the rays feed and ‘mud’ in the sand. We always get very excited by this as it allows for an easier shot at the feeding permit which, as permit anglers know, is never very often. With this, the anglers and guides are given enough time to position themselves up wind and make accurate shots at the feeding fish on rays.
Alan took every chance he could get to go after permit and with his determination and help from our excellent guides, he managed three permit for the week. The biggest was a monster measuring 67cm, caught between east knoll and pompano channel. An absolute fish of a lifetime. He went on to catch a beautiful moustache trigger, trophy bone and ended the day off with a lovely 60cm GT on Milky Way finger. A fantastic super slam for Alan, and his third flats slam for the week!
The GTs were also around this week with Stuart landing two nice fish. Alan managed an 88cm GT in the cosmic lagoon which made for some nice pictures in the mangroves. We saw some very large fish and the guys had some close calls along with some epic shots.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 25th to 30th June 2023
This week began with lots of big bonefish on the flats. It also held many firsts with a number of anglers landing their first bones and plenty of trophy fish caught throughout the week. A nicely sized GT and a moustache triggerfish started the week off on a great note.
The second day saw a yellowmargin triggerfish and some milkfish being landed. Mid-week produced a number of GTs with the biggest one stretching the tape just over the magical 100cm mark. Milkfish were also on the mid-week menu and a couple more were landed, along with the first permit of the week. Despite the permit’s small stature, the golden feeling those fish give you never ceases!
Towards the end of the week, the anglers were still revelling in the feeling and excitement of the first golden nugget, meaning they were keen on targeting more permit. With their eye on the prize, a couple more Indo-Pacifics were landed and contributed to two slams comprising permit, GT and bonefish. The week ended with yet another incredible day of fishing on this remarkable atoll. We reeled in the week with a third slam, more permit and more GTs, one measuring an impressive 107cm in size.
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 18th to 21st June 2023
With the south easterly wind picking up during this period, there is a misconception that the fishing opportunities are scarce, but with the water on the flats cooling slightly, the fish come alive in a different way.
This ‘week’ we spent three days on the water with five fishermen who were eager to make the most of the excellent fishing at this time of year. The first day was spent fishing Alphonse with plenty of bonefish being landed, as well as a nice giant trevally caught off the back of a mudding ray.
The following day held more of Alphonse’s well-known specialty. The anglers opted to continue fishing around the island which produced plenty more bonefish and ended with a flats slam consisting of a giant trevally, bonefish, and a beautiful 50cm moustache triggerfish.
The anglers headed to the prolific St. Francois Atoll on the mothership the end their few days fishing. The flats were alive with lots of fish activity and everyone having plenty of opportunities to target all the main species. Another flats slam was landed with both a moustache and yellowmargin triggerfish being caught.
Although no permit were landed, good catch numbers were seen on both Alphonse and St. Francois. There were plenty opportunities narrowly missed, leaving the anglers all very keen to return next year!
Alphonse Island Fishing News – 29th April to 5th May 2023
It’s been another action packed week on the flats around Alphonse. Here’s the latest fishing news from this superb fishery.
The permit fishing proved to be phenomenal with the shift in the wind and was undoubtedly the highlight of the week. The eastern flats’ crisp blue waters are showing fish in greater numbers, giving the anglers some nice shots. Three permits were landed this week, including a 61cm donkey caught by Nick Bowles who was being guided by Jason. What a way to kick off the permit season.
The south-easterly has been stronger this week on Alphonse, so poles stayed in the caddies on most days, and the legs worked extra hard! As always, some good fish were landed, despite the challenging conditions.
Big GTs have been seen more frequently in and around the lagoon over the season, but these wise old geets proved rather tricky to land this time around. Some smaller fish were out over this week, giving us something to keep the reels spinning and play around with. A decent yellowmargin and a moustache triggerfish were landed while some bigger fish were hooked on the edge of the finger flats, but all ended in break-offs.
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.