Growing up in Malawi left Charlotte with an unshakable love of travel and particularly for searching out the little known and seldom travelled parts of Africa. Having spent several years as a systems analyst for Lloyd’s for London, Charlotte spent the 10 years before joining forces with Peter McLeod working for a specialist safari and white water rafting/kayaking company.
Having travelled extensively through Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Morocco, South Africa, Turkey and Nepal, Charlotte added to the tally with fishing operations elsewhere in Africa, Seychelles, Iceland, India, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize. Her knowledge is particularly invaluable to the non-fishing members of a group. Her meticulous attention to detail and planning ensures that each and every trip is unforgettable.
While her passion for fly fishing remains primarily focused on saltwater she spends her holidays searching out freshwater predator species notably Tanzanian tigerfish, Golden Mahseer, Largemouth Yellowfish and more recently, Nile Perch in Cameroon. When home she is often spotted in the evenings on one of the nearby Hampshire or Wiltshire chalk streams.
Combine the flats of Alphonse and St Francois atolls with the 5* star comfort of the Alphonse Island Lodge and you have a destination second to none. The fishing is superb and leisure guests have plenty to enjoy too.
The fisheries of the Mnyera and Ruhudji River in south west Tanzania have a well deserved reputation as two of the finest freshwater fisheries available to the adventurous travelling angler in search of trophy tigerfish.
As well as being one of the finest bone fisheries on the planet, St Brandon’s Atoll is also a great spot to cast your line for golden trevally, giant trevally and bluefin trevally.
Listen to your guide and go out each day with an open mind. We all have species we desperately want to catch but focusing solely on them can mean that you miss out on other species.
Pack at least one set of fishing clothes, spare glasses (or contacts) and medication in your hand luggage. If your hold bag does not arrive with you, sourcing tackle is normally much easier than finding these other items.
Always have a clear colour photocopy of your passport in your hand baggage. If you lose your passport, a colour copy is going to be much more useful in getting you replacement documentation than an indistinct, grainy black and white copy.
If you have any questions during your trip or are unhappy about any aspect of it, discuss it with your host or lodge manager whilst there; they are on hand to help and to resolve any issues.
