Astove atoll has seen an enormous amount of change in a short space of time, culminating with the rebuilding of the original coral house, once home to Mark Veevers-Carter and his American wife Wendy (Day) Veevers-Carter. The couple had founded, operated and sold a successful copra plantation on Remire and hoped to repeat the process on the much larger and significantly more remote atoll of Astove. Wendy Veevers-Carter wrote, “when we landed on Astove, we found palm trees, a roofless wooden house and a graveyard. Part of the British-governed Seychelles, Astove was a ‘lost’ island” but sadly circumstances led to the family leaving the island behind in the early 1970s. Her book, “Island Home” is due to land on my desk any day now but in the meantime, a short update below from Keith Rose-Innes on current day Astove. Charlotte .
After much anticipation and planning the second half of the 2015/2016 season at Astove and Cosmoledo Atoll is finally upon us. If the end of the December period is any indication of what to expect then all the anglers that visit these two incredible destinations will be richly rewarded with fantastic fishing. After the red swimming crab migration moved on from both destinations, the GT’s returned in incredible numbers and hungrier than ever before. The beauty of Cosmoledo and Astove is that they are so close to one another but yet are totally unique in so many ways. What is consistent is the desire of Alphonse Fishing Company to insure that fishing pressure is low and that these incredible places are well looked after. Each destination is limited to 14 fishing weeks per year, which insures the fisheries stay as pristine as the first day they were fished.
Below James, Cameron, Christiaan, Lindi and Alex ………
The start of the Astove season saw the opening of the newly renovated coral lodge consisting of 6 en-suite rooms, a dining room, lounge and all the facilities to make your stay on one of the most remote and hostile places on earth, a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Another new addition to the operation is the construction of two new roads that open up the Southern edges of the atoll, allowing for fishing sessions when these areas are at their best. A new ATV makes for a short walk and skiff ride to the infamous Astove mouth, which is known as one of the best GT spots on the atoll. These contributions have added a complete new dynamic to the way we approach the fishery. In short, less time trekking between spots and more time fishing.
If you would like details on Astove, Cosmoledo or Alphonse please contact Charlotte Chilcott or call the office on ++44 1980 847389. The Cosmoledo report is online HERE.
From seeing it as it was and watching it grow into what it is now, it has been an exceptional undertaking, more so I think than we can credit bearing in mind just how remote this island is.
To what it is today, a very comfortable home to the six anglers who fish Astove each week for the duration of what is a relatively short season.
