St Brandon’s Atoll, Mauritius

St Brandon’s Atoll represents one of the finest bone fisheries on the planet. Anglers will find large bonefish in high concentrations and double digit fish are not uncommon. There are also great chances to cast at golden trevally, giant trevally, bluefin trevally and permit. 

A saltwater fly fishing gem

St. Brandon’s is saltwater fly fishing wonderland with scattered islands, vast connecting sandbanks and flats of hard white sand and broken coral. There are flats which hold turtle grass, however they are few and far between. St. Brandon’s has some of the most spectacular bone fishing you will ever encounter. On most tides, anglers can expect to see vast shoals of these shallow water speedsters as well as enormous singles and doubles. The largest bonefish landed to date was 87cm which, according to studies, puts these fish in the region of 15lb.

There are also plenty of Indo-Pacific permit for those anglers wishing to target the ultimate shallow water gamefish. Other notable species frequenting the flats of St. Brandon’s are bluefin, golden, yellow dot and green spot trevally, as well as the notorious giant trevally which reach weights in excess of 100lb.

Everything about St Brandon’s atoll is big. The flats are big, the bonefish are big, the GTs although not common, are enormous and the permit don’t get lost in the vastness of the atoll.

The guides will lead you onto the flats and help you identify the desired target species, the areas which they frequent and the tactics used to target them.

Charming guest house accommodation

Guests are accommodated in a low key but charming guesthouse on Raphael Island in the north of the atoll. The guesthouse accommodates a maximum of eight guests in four twin, air-conditioned rooms. Each room has two large single beds, is tastefully decorated and is serviced daily. Laundry is done twice during a standard seven fishing day tour. The guesthouse currently has two fully renovated bathrooms. A covered outdoor dining and lounge area provides an idyllic setting for enjoying a cold Phoenix (local beer) at the end of a great day of fishing. A separate mudroom/tackle room ensures all your gear has been cleaned and is neatly stored away and ready for another great day of wading.

“Awesome… bonefish like barracuda and good numbers of them. Caught my record bonefish consecutively on the first five, largest being over 10lb. What and adventure!” J.T. – UK

Catch the largest bonefish in the world

St. Brandon’s is a group of over 50 small islands, islets, coral ridges and vast sand flats on an extended reef in the Indian Ocean. Situated 268 nautical miles north-east of Mauritius this area is rich in fish stocks, flora and fauna.

These islands have a total land area of only 1.3sq km.  The reef measures more than 50km from north to south, is 5km wide and is cut by two major passes. The magnificent condition of the coral and the lobster infested outer reefs is proof that, other than a small population of Creole natives who live on the north of Raphael Island, this area has had very little human interference.