The 2024/25 season on Farquhar Atoll has has just kicked off and we will keep you up to date with all the latest fishing reports in this blog.
Farquhar Atoll is the most southerly atoll in the Seychelles islands, lying just over 700km to the southwest of Mahé. This remote atoll has a total area, including the large lagoon, of 170.5 km². The large ear-shaped lagoon provides easy skiff access to the countless flats, channels, and surf zones that make Farquhar such an amazing fly fishing destination.
The atoll is famous for the sheer diversity of fish species on offer to anglers, so if stalking bonefish in skinny water, chasing the golden sickles of a permit, throwing crab flies at crafty tailing triggerfish, trying to hold back the powerful runs of a bumphead parrotfish or holding your nerve as large giant trevally charges in at your fly… well, then Farquhar is certainly the fly fishing destination for you.
There are just a few rods left for the 2025 season:
26th March to 2nd April (3 rods)
16th to 23rd April (3 rods)
23rd to 30th April (6 rods)
8th to 15th October (3 rods)
22nd to 29th October (3 rods)
If you would like more information and prices 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.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 26th February to 5th March
Ten ecstatic guests found themselves at Farquhar’s guest house on the edge of the lagoon with anticipation levels soaring. The weather forecast looked promising and the fishing in previous weeks had been stellar, setting a positive precedent for the week.
Day one immediately broke the expectations of many with some incredible catches brought to hand throughout the day. Marcia started her trip off by landing her first ever bonefish and she ended up landing several before the day was done. Nils also landed a bonefish, but a trophy specimen measuring 62cm. Neil kicked off his week with a trophy fish as well. His fish coming in the form of a 53cm yellow margin triggerfish that ate the fly right on the shoreline of a sandy beach. John had a memorable day with guide Bailey, landing a GT, a yellow margin triggerfish and his own trophy moustache triggerfish measuring 56cm! One boat stood out on the day and that was none other than guide Casey’s boat. Bruce hit the ground running by hooking a large bumpy on the first go around. With some serious running and coral dodging from Casey as well as great angling skills from Bruce, the prehistoric dinosaur of a fish was landed. On the same boat, Justin ticked many of the boxes on offer and managed to complete the weeks’ first flats slam, landing a GT and a moustache triggerfish on a surf walk and later landing a bonefish before heading home.
Day two and Bruce was also ticking some boxes, managing to land a moustache triggerfish. Guide Chase took Nils and Brandon on a surf walk given the ideal tides for it and before the walk was over, both men had landed a bump each to make it one a piece. The angler of the day was Marcia, who teamed up with guide Casey for a surf walk of their own. Marcia managed to hook and land two GTs in the surf. One off the back of a stingray and one free swimming fish. She also landed several bonefish and one of trophy size measuring 61cm.
Day three was slow as it appeared that there were bait balls just offshore and the GTs seemed to remain far offshore most of the day. Despite this, Justin still managed to land a GT in the lagoon. Day four, however, was the complete opposite and the fishing had picked right back up again. Ivan, Neil, Bruce and Brandon managed to all land a GT each. Teamed up with guide Yousuf, Justin had himself another epic day on the flats, again coming away with a flats slam. This time he mixed it up and replaced his triggerfish in his previous slam with a decent permit. Nils was the angler of the day for day four, with what he described as the best day of fishing he’s ever had. Nils, paired with guide Chad, started the morning with two small GTs at the first spot. The pair then went to the second spot for the day, walking the surf in search of triggers and GTs. Nils managed to land a small moustache triggerfish not too long into the session and not long after the pair noticed that stingrays were pushing up onto the flats all around them. As the tide was high enough for the stingrays to get up onto the turtlegrass, no sooner were the GTs pushing up with them, backs out of the water. Nils ended up landing another five GTs, making it seven for the day. To end the day off he landed one bonefish before heading home and in doing so, completed his flats slam.
Day five was another for the books as the team awoke to glassy flat conditions and milkfish feeding everywhere on the surface. Milkfish are not commonly caught on Farquhar as the opportunities tend to be fleeting, but the day offered up some of the best opportunities seen in a long time. Ivan seized them and managed to eventually hook a milkfish. He fought the fish for an antagonising half an hour or so and managed to land the freight train. A 99cm specimen and the first on Farquhar in several seasons. On the same boat and with guide Yousuf, Oleg tried his hand at deep water triggerfish. After losing one or two and having many close calls, he eventually went tight on a trophy fish. A 50cm yellow margin! Marcia, John, Nils and Brandon all landed a GT each to keep the GT tally going up. Bruce managed to catch several bonefish, including one trophy that measured in at 60cm.
Paired with guide Chad, Justin also went out in search of GTs. After a slow morning, the GT sightings started to increase significantly as the tide was dropping. Chad spotted a large GT swimming solo on the surface in a very lethargic manner, bouncing around slowly between coral heads. Justin waited for the go ahead to lay out a cast at the fish. The fish didn’t see the fly until it was almost back at the boat and then slowly turned away back to its coral head. Justin had another go at the fish as it didn’t seem to spook. Leaving the fly to slowly sink while waiting for the fish to come over, another large fish appeared from under the coral and slowly came up towards the fly. One long and slow strip and the fish t-boned the fly with an aggressive eat. The fish wrapped the fly line around one coral, but with some boat action the crisis was averted and the fly line freed. After several minutes Justin had the 111cm fish at the boat and ready for some photos in the middle of the lagoon.
The final day of fishing was upon the team and the good fishing did not let up. Oleg, Neil and Justin all managed to land another GT each to end their weeks. Marcia got her hands on yet another trophy bonefish at 63cm. Brandon and Bruce both added to the moustache triggerfish tally for the week with one each. Paired with guide Chad, John went out in style for his last day and managed to get a flats slam of his own, with a GT, a moustache triggerfish and a bonefish. Farquhar might not have shown off its potential for quantity in terms of GTs as it often does, but showed off in diversity and quality as it always does.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 19th to 26th February
Ten anglers teamed up to take, to the pristine flats of Farquhar for another week of phenomenal fishing. Several of the guest were return guests to our operations however, all where here to experience Farquhar for the first time and the anticipation levels were high.
Day one presented challenges with rain clouds and squalls overhead, it was obvious first thing in the morning that the rain jackets would come in handy later in the day. Despite the testing conditions the fishing did not let up, continuing with momentum from the previous weeks’ fishing. Oleg and Steven both landed a GT, while Mark landed two. Several interesting catches took place amongst the rain and wind, one of which was in the form of a beautiful golden trevally caught by Chris. Ivan started his week strong with a bonefish, a GT and just before the weather turned he managed to complete the flats slam in style. Walking the beaches on the inside of the lagoon with guide Cullan, he managed to lay a beautiful cast to a pair of good sized permit. One permit refused the fly and the other broke away and inhaled the fly. After several minutes of cautious battling, he landed the 57cm permit. Another solid fish from the day was a GT that Ping landed. While walking with guide Gerry on the one beach on the islands of the atoll in an attempt to stay on land during a large squall, Gerry spotted a large single fish patrolling the shallows against the beach. Ping put a cast a few rod lengths ahead of the fish and waited for the fish to react to the fly’s presence before stripping. The fish ate without hesitation and began to empty the spool. This was combat fishing in the Seychelles at its finest. Ping did a great job of muscling the 114cm silver-blue brute to hand.
Day two was not quite as eventful, but turned out to be a much better day weather wise. Mark, Biker and Bill all landed a GT each. Ivan went in search of a bumpy after already ticking off three species from the list the day prior. In the dying minutes of the day he eventually came tight on a sizeable specimen. Guide Yousuf managed the coral seeking fish with class and managed to net it in fairly deep water, making it a first for Ivan. Day three and fishing was improving daily. Steven managed to land a trophy bonefish of 61cm, while Chris and Ivan landed a GT each, Ivan’s GT measuring just under a metre at 98cm. Biker, Bill and Colin landed two GTs each. Biker and Bill were on the same boat with guide Gerry, making it four GTs for their boat for the day. One of Bill’s fish was another metre GT, this time measuring in at 101cm and caught in pristine crystal clear white sand potholes on a large beast fly. Oleg also had a belter of a day, landing a GT and his first ever bumpy.
Day four was quiet in terms of numbers, but the quality was not lacking. Colin landed another GT, while Steven landed a golden trevally, making it the second for the week. The man of the day yet again was Ivan, who was paired with guide Chad. On a shallow coral ridge near the surf, the pair spotted a large GT following a nurse shark. The shark turned towards the boat and started coming towards Ivan with the GT tucked behind the shark’s pectoral fin. Ivan could not see the fish at first but made a short cast in close range at the shark, following Chad’s advice. The fish broke away from the shark and swiped at the fly, but missed. A few more strips and the fish turned back around and ate the fly right in front of the boat. The fish took Ivan far into the backing on the first run, even with the drag eventually locked. Chad landed the fish in shallow water, making it easy to keep the fish in the water and making for a great photo and an easy release. The fish measured 110 cm and was the third metre plus GT for the week.
The fishing on day five picked up significantly, with Ping and Mark landing a GT each, while Colin landed two GTs. Ivan picked up the pace even more and ticked off almost every box for the week in a day, guided by head guide Gerry. He managed to land two triggers first thing in the morning. A moustache measuring 60 cm (the biggest of the season) and a yellow margin, measuring 53cm. Between the trigger chaos he also landed two GTs. To finish off his dream day he then landed two bonefish to make it a double slam. The final day of fishing was a day of GTs with Mark and Ivan landing another GT each, Ivan’s measuring 93cm, making it his third GT over 90cm for the week. Oleg had a great day, landing two GTs for himself.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 12th to 19th February
Nine guests of varying nationalities met up at the Farquhar guest lodge, greeted by beautiful weather and a team of experienced guides to help them get set up for landing the fish they sought. Some guests were first timers and others were seasoned returning guests.
Day one started off strong with every boat landing at least one GT each. Tim and Rupert both landed their first each, with Tim managing to land two. Marcus and Scott both also landed two GTs each. Jonathan opened his Seychelles account with his first ever bonefish. The guides and guests took it to another level on day two with another eight GTs being landed, Luke managing to land his first for the week. On guide Yousuf’s boat, Scott was a standout with his outstanding day on the flats. He managed to land a GT and a bonefish, but wasn’t quite done yet. Being Valentine’s Day, his wife asked him to catch a bumpy for himself and sure enough he got the opportunity as the tide got low enough to fish for the brutes. Armed with a flexo crab and 30lb leader on the ten wt rod, Scott sent a cast directly into a bumpy shoal and just by keeping contact with the fly he managed to come tight on a substantial fish. After a great bout on the turtlegrass flats, Yousuf managed to net the fish and subsequently sealing the deal on a flats slam for Scott.
Another epic catch that happened on day two occurred when Marcus tried his hand at permit fishing. Armed with a flexo crab and paired up with guide Chad, it was not long before several permit were spotted. One or two missed shots at permit had eventually led to a pair of permit that were slowly cruising just off the shoreline between sand and turtlegrass patches. With the weather being so calm Marcus laid out a cast a good ways in front of the fish and waited for the fish to wonder into striking range. As soon as Marcus stripped once, one of the permit noticed the fly and with a fin flare and a kick of the tail the fly had been inhaled. The fight went on for several antagonising minutes and Marcus managed to keep a cool head while Chad carefully went in to net the fish. The fish had his name on it and Marcus was soon holding his stunning 66cm permit.
Over days three and four the fishing slowed with some adverse weather conditions playing a large part in the tough fishing. On day four however, some nice catches were still managed among the team. Tim managed to get two GTs again while Rupert landed one. Scott walked the beach in search of triggers and after losing a good size yellow margin in close quarters, he was looking for redemption in the form of a tailing moustache triggerfish in the shallows. The cast landed a little short, but in the calm conditions the fish noticed the fly from some distance and pinned it against the floor the moment it saw it. Scott did a great job in keeping the fish from corals and landed his 55cm trophy trigger.
It was a family affair on day five when Luke, Scott and Xander all landed a GT each. Scott continued in his trophy trigger ways and landed another large one, this time in the form of a 52cm yellow margin. Perhaps further redemption on the yellow margin lost the previous day. The final day of fishing closed the week out in style with Scott and Xander landing another GT each, Xander’s being his best to date at 90cm. Tim managed to land two GTs for himself. Chantal had a goal of catching triggerfish the whole week and paired with guide Cullan was able to tick that one off on the last day with a decent moustache trigger of her own.
The boat of the day was guide Yousuf’s, who was teamed up with husband and wife duo Janice and Marcus. Janice managed to tick off her first Farquhar GT on the last day, while Marcus managed to land three. One of his GTs was also a trophy specimen. While polling a white sand flat in challenging light conditions, Yousuf could see a large shape approaching from the glare. Being a seasoned guide, Yousuf knew that a cast at the USO (unidentified swimming object) wouldn’t cost them anything, but could potentially yield favourable results. He advised Marcus to have a go and as soon as the fly hit the water the fish gave the tell tale signs of a GT gill flare before slowly lumbering forward toward the beast fly presented before it. The fish ate the fly slowly and Marcus, having a fair bit of large GT experience himself, put the brakes on the fish and it never saw the backing. He had his 106cm GT in no time.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 5th to 12th February
Eight guests from Japan, USA and Germany were greeted at the Farquhar slipway with postcard perfect weather and the ever present pet GTs.
On the first day of fishing the guides did their best to hit the ground running. The guests were not left wanting, as the perfect weather continued and the fish were in a feeding mood. Wes, a returning Seychelles guest, but a first timer on Farquhar, started off his week with his first GT on the atoll. Husband and wife duo Shannon and Josh both landed their first GTs on the atoll as well. Shannon was celebrating her birthday in style with her GT as here birthday gift. Returning guest, Ed, managed to bring two GTs to start his week.
Paired with guide and manager Cullan, Martin started his week trying to ease himself into the swing of things on the inside beaches of the atoll in search of bonefish. He got more than he bargained for when, after already landing his first few bonefish, found himself casting at a few juvenile permit. By the end of his session he had landed two of the golden specimens. As if this wasn’t enough for his first day, he then proceeded to hook and land two GTs, making it the first for him and the first flats slam of the second leg of the season.
The GT madness carried momentum through the second day with Ed, Martin and Ichiro all landing a GT each, making the it the first for Ichiro. Wesley and Phillip had a great day of GT fishing having both landed two each. Josh kept the ball rolling on the GT action, upgraded the quality, landing a 94cm GT. Buddy and Ichiro spent a decent portion of their day trying to get their hands on a bumpy and their persistence paid off when Buddy managed to hook one of the brutes. In the usual fashion there was a tug of war that ensued on relatively light gear. With coral around at every turn and the bumpy being hooked right on top of the coral heads, it was obviously a bumpy with Buddy’s name on it and he managed to land the fish.
Day three and Martin landed his third GT in three days. Wes was on a hot streak and landed another two himself with head guide Gerry, but topped off his epic day with a fish that is sought after by the guides especially as it can be elusive and tough to crack the code on. After seeing large shoals of batfish and golden trevally feeding together it was not long before Wes hooked into one of the goldens and he found out quickly that they are not pushovers, fighting very much like GTs, perhaps even harder. He managed to land the beautiful specimen and snap a few memorable photos. Paired with guide Chad, Buddy and Ichiro had a GT filled day with Ichiro landing one and Buddy landing three. Buddy landed his personal best GT when a group of bluefins and large GTs provided for a tough but doable opportunity that required a very quick backcast with no time to think. The biggest GT peeled off from the group and ate the fly immediately as it hit the water. The fish was hooked too shallow to chase the boat with and so Chad had to run after the fish with the net and unstitch the fly line from multiple corals. After a mad dash and some tripping over loose rocks, the fish was netted and Buddy was elated with his new 97cm personal best. Paired with guide Yousuf, Ed caught himself a bonefish and a GT fairly early on and finished off the day with a large moustache triggerfish of 53cm to make the second flats slam for the week.
On day four the fishing appeared to slow down slightly, but the quality of fish remained excellent. Ed and Buddy landed another GT each, while Wesley, after some persistence of his own, finally put the brakes on a good sized bumpy and managed to land it. On the same boat and with guide Casey, Phillip managed to match Wes’ energy and landed a golden trevally and a 64cm bonefish. Josh and Shannon went out with guide Chad with the aim of finding big GTs first thing in the morning with the tides looking favourable. It wasn’t long before Josh had a large GT engulf his beast fly. Much to everybody’s dismay the fish bit through the leader and left Josh wanting. Luckily for Josh it wasn’t even 20 minutes later and another large fish appeared, riding high in the water column, but swimming away from the boat into the wind. After chasing the fish down for some time, it eventually made a turn back to the boat and provided a decent chance. Josh sent out a cast and the fish started coming over, but before it reached the fly a smaller GT ate it. Chad, yelled at Josh to not set the hook on the smaller fish. Josh waited for a few anxious seconds for the small GT to spit the fly out and as it did the bigger GT ate it with even more aggression than it was showing before. After some coral dodging and great work on the reel Josh managed to land the 107cm GT, crossing the magic metre mark that he was hoping for. Ichiro and Martin both landed a GT each on day five. Buddy and Josh took it to another level again, landing three GTs each. Ed managed to add to the diversity for the day, landing another trophy moustache triggerfish.
The final day of fishing proved to be better than anyone could have asked for. Ed and Martin managed another GT each, while Buddy landed two. Ichiro ended his week off with a golden trevally, making it the third for the week. Josh and Shannon continued on their rampage on the last day and with guide Cullan, it was no surprise that they left the flats on a high note. Shannon landed her new personal best GT at just over 90cm. However, before this, Cullan took the couple in search of permit on the white sand of the inside of the lagoon. It was not long and Josh made a shot at a good size permit. The fish ate the fly several times, but the hook found no purchase. Thinking that the opportunity had gone begging Josh was amazed to have another shot so soon after the first and the second fish also ate the fly, this time finding some real estate. After a few tense minutes of cautious fighting, Cullan managed to stealthily slide the net under the fish and the team was celebrating for the rest of the day. A beautiful Indo-Pacific permit of 60cm. To add to his insane day, Josh also landed two GTs, one being another solid one at 94cm. To end the day and the week he also caught a bonefish to complete his flats slam.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 11th to 18th December
Week nine of the season was impacted by some inclement weather and a couple of guests decided to remain on Alphonse while it passed. Two guests, Volkmar and Jan, did, however, decide to brave the conditions and were rewarded accordingly.
The first day after the inclement weather proved what all the guides suspected, top notch fishing with both guests landing three GTs each. The improved conditions meant the return of the other guests to make the most of their weeks. Lauren landed her first GT and her husband Mike, followed suit landing one as well. Chris also managed to open up his GT account with one for himself. Ethan ended up landing six GTs and his father landed a solid fish of 107cm, which ate the fly not far from the boat and proceeded to snap his rod.
The team set out for another day to see what the atoll had to offer, Matt and Ethan had another great day, with Ethan landing three GTs and Matt one. Mike, Lauren, Jan and Volkmar also kept the numbers ticking over, landing another GT each, with Jan also landing his first moustache triggerfish. Volkmar went on a solo walk after the days’ fishing and caught two moustache triggers of his own. The angler of the day was, however, Kevin, who had yet to catch his first GT. Little did he know with a bit of perseverance, this would all change and he ended up landing an incredible 102cm GT, well done Kevin!
The last couple of days saw the fishing continue to improve, with fourteen GTs landed. Lauren and Mike stood out, with Mike landing three and Lauren five. Jan stood out though, landing a GT, a bumphead parrotfish, and a 60cm bonefish to complete his Farquhar slam. Matt, Volkmar and Ethan also finished strong, with Matt and Volkmar each landing one and Ethan landing three GTs, to close off a week of outstanding fishing.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 4th to 11th December
The eighth week of the Farquhar season saw ten guests from South America, South Africa, and Germany gather to take on Farquhar’s flats and the diverse species it has to offer.
Day one, the group focused on catching GTs, with nearly everyone landing one, including first-timers. Nico had a standout moment. After maybe ten casts across the potholes, the tan and grizzly hackle brush fly was eaten off the surface by a large black GT. The GT proceeded to stitch the fly line through several coral heads. Guide Chad, armed with his goggles launched into the water and unstitched the line allowing the fight to continue. After several minutes of masterful fighting by Nico, the fish was brought to hand. A beautiful 108cm slab of Farquhar GT.
Day two saw slower fishing, but still some great moments. Nico completed a flats slam, landing two GTs, a bonefish, and a moustache triggerfish, while others caught a mix of GTs. On Day three, the action continued with more GTs for Nick, Nico, Rodrigo, and Volkmar. Christian dedicated sometime during the day to chasing permit on the white sand beaches on the inside of the lagoon. After just a short while and several casts, he finally tempted one into eating and managed to land a smaller, but still impressive, elusive golden nugget.
The tides on day four were slightly better suited to targeting bumphead parrotfish. Most of the team dedicated the afternoon to bumpies and triggerfish and some guests capitalized on the conditions, with both Jorge and Christian landing their first bumpies. Christian caught three GTs and Nick, with head guide Gerry, landed a large GT over a metre, as well as a triggerfish. Day five brought tougher conditions, but the team still landed several GTs, Nico landed two and James smashed it, landing three for the day, making it nine GTs for the team for the day.
The final day was challenging due to an approaching cyclone, and while fish were not as aggressive, Rafael still landed a GT to close out the trip. The team left satisfied, already looking forward to their next visit.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 27th November to 4th December
The season so far has been epic all round. Nine anglers from America were keen to hit the flats in week seven with huge expectations following previous weeks’ stories.
Before day one even started some of the guests took to the beaches near the lodge after tackle setup and managed to check off the GT from the list right away. Chris and Diane played into the GTs and each landed several before the week had even started. They continued on day one and caught a few more each. Meaghan and Trey also managed to open up day one with GTs, Trey with three and Meaghan with one. The triggers were also happy and feeding. Timothy started off his week with a moustache triggerfish on the turtle grass flats and Taylor landed a moustache aswell, but a trophy at 50cm and this time on the rocky ridges just off the pristine white beaches inside of the lagoon.
Day two showed no signs of slowing down and the fish were still fired up and hungry. Timothy had finished day one without a GT, but put good effort into making it happen on day two, finishing with three GTs. Chris and Diane took to the surf with guide Yousuf to fish for the bumphead parrotfish that frequent the deep surf cuts. After losing several good bumpies, Chris walked onto a sandy knoll in the surf while Yousuf marched back to the boat to bring it closer before the tide pushed too much. While walking the knoll, Chris spotted a large GT approaching and laid out a cast on the white sand, which made spotting the fly easy for the hungry GT. The fish wasted no time devouring the fly and an on-foot battle ensued. Yousuf spotted the commotion and rushed back as quickly as he could to help land the fish. A 115cm brute in the shallows of the surf!
The day was not yet over and on guide Bailey’s boat, Robert and Jako went on a long surf walk. Robert managed to land a GT on foot, while Jako, in just a small area of the surf, managed to land a bumpy, a GT and a bonefish to complete the first flats slam of the week.
Day three and the good times kept rolling. Andrew and Trey managed to land a GT each, while Meaghan landed two. On Bailey’s boat again, Tim had a magical day. He spent most of the day on the beaches inside the lagoon in search of GTs and bonefish. He landed several bonefish and two GTs and then as if it wasn’t enough a large yellow margin triggerfish presented an opportunity along the way. Armed with his EP shrimp, he sunk the fly down to the trigger and surgically coaxed the fish into eventually eating. The fish took heaps of line and provided plenty of nervous but joyful moments during the course of the fight. Eventually he landed the 53cm yellow margin and in doing so solidified himself a well earned flats slam.
On day four the fishing got even better and no shortage of fish were caught and seen. Andrew and Taylor landed two GTs each, while Jako, Robert, Tim, Chris and Diane all landed another GT each. On head guide Gerry’s boat, Trey was on a rampage as he managed to land a GT, a trophy bonefish of 65cm and a beautiful moustache triggerfish to make up the third flats slam for the week among the team.
On day five Meaghan, Diane and Taylor each landed another GT. Tim managed to land two and after finally being bitten by the GT bug, Andrew went all in and landed four GTs for himself. Trey, after a fantastic previous day, took to the flats again, this time with Bailey in search of GTs. After seeing some in the morning, Bailey eventually spotted a more substantial specimen and positioned the boat for a cast. After losing a massive GT earlier in the week, Trey wasn’t about to let the fish go by without at least a photo and landed the cast perfectly. The fish engulfed the fly and went on a massive first run, immediately darting between several precarious coral heads and testing Bailey’s skills on the motor. The fish wrapped up the fly line in the coral on at least three occasions during the fight and Bailey dove in and rescued the situation to eventually bring the fish to hand. A 103cm GT and the second metre fish for the week.
The final day showed some testing light conditions most of the day, but the fish seemed to just be more fired up, although harder to spot. Gene and Chris landed another GT each, while Trey and Tim landed two each. Andrew also landed another GT, but topped it off with a trophy 60cm bonefish. Meaghan was the angler of the day with three GTs and with the goal in mind she set out to get herself a bumpy before heading home. With guide Yousuf she was always going to come right and during a surf walk, even in the low light conditions she managed to land a great specimen and ended her trip on a high.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 20th to 27th November
The sixth week of the season brought with it epic weather conditions that one might see when looking at a postcard and the fish were fired up, making a deadly combo for fishing. Ten anglers from South Africa and Scotland really made the most of the picture perfect conditions.
Day one kicked the week off with a bang, with many people achieving new milestones for the first time. Gavin started the trip off with his first bonefish and GT. Dougal landed his first bonefish, while Lloyd landed his first GT. Allan managed to land his first GT for the week, while Brett and Justin, teamed with guide Casey, started off strong with two three GTs respectively. The angler of the day was none other than Bill, who was paired with head guide Gerry. He managed to catch a bonefish, his first GT and he topped it off with a moustache triggerfish to make it the first flats slam for the week.
Day two was the day for variety as the team ticked off a few different species. Justin tried his hand at some triggerfish and came away having caught a moustache triggerfish. Allan, Lloyd and Bill all landed another GT each, while Gordon landed his first one. David added more variety with his first bumpy, tailing in a large group in the shallows. Dougal added even more variety and landed a special catch that most of the guides dream of. After spotting some golden trevally mudding in deeper water, guide Bailey positioned the boat for a downwind shot with a GT fly, but the golden didn’t budge. After some time away from the spot, Bailey tried one last time, armed with a sinking shrimp pattern. His persistence paid off and Dougal made a cast into the trevally and slow stripped. He came tight after a few strips and after fighting the fish for some time he managed to land his beautiful 70cm golden trevally. The first golden of the season.
The angler of the day, Anthony, had already made the most of his previous trip to Farquhar, having caught a 118cm GT. He was determined to just get a similar one, but teamed with guide Yousuf, and as they were polling a sand strip on one of the many islands, a large fish appeared a few rod lengths behind the boat. Anthony quickly sent the fly out to the fish with low hopes since the fish was already so close. A few slow strips and the fish inhaled the fly lazily. After an immense tussle off the boat, the massive fish was brought to hand and Anthony could not believe his luck or his eyes for that matter. He never thought he would break his previous personal best, but his new personal best was now sitting at 124cm of silver GT slab. Since this is Farquhar and there are so many fish around, Anthony topped off his day with another smaller GT and his first bumphead parrotfish.
Day three and the GT fishing was only heating up. Allan and Gordon managed to up their tallies by one each, while Brett upped his by two. Justin and Anthony joined up with guide Chad and had an epic day fishing for GTs. Anthony landed three and Justin landed five, with many more having been hooked and lost through the course of the day.
Day four and the fishing slowed down slightly but the great catches were still ticking over. Lloyd landed one GT and Anthony landed another two. Bill ended his day in style, catching a beautiful bumphead parrotfish tailing in the surf, in the final 15 minutes.
Day five and suddenly the GT fishing had fired up there was no shortage seen and caught. Lloyd landed himself another, while Bill another two. Brett and Anthony teamed up with guide Gerry and found one spot in the surf where the GT kept surfing the waves consistently for a few hours. They managed to land seven GTs between the two of them, Brett four and Anthony three.
On guide Yousuf’s boat, the big GT madness continued and Justin and Allan had a day that they may not likely forget any time soon. Both anglers caught two GTs each, both landing one metre plus fish among the four. Justin, who was casting a large beast fly into a deep channel, had a few large fish come for the fly during the day, but one eventually stayed pinned and with Yousuf on the motor and chasing the fish down and away from corals, they eventually landed the beast of 115cm. Not too long after Allan was on the bow and once again they were after GTs, but this time on a sand bottom flat. With terrible light conditions Yousuf spotted a small GT and Allan made a cast. The GT turned away from the fly, but before he could strip his fly all the way in, a larger fish appeared from the glare and ate his fly. Immediately and miraculously running up onto the turtle grass away from the coral danger. After some fancy boat manoeuvres and a few minutes of high tension pulling on the fish, the 101cm fish was landed.
The final day of fishing and the anglers were hell bent on beating the season’s GT record. The record was within everyone’s sights and the day did not disappoint. Bill, Anthony and Brett landed another GT each, while Allan landed two. Amongst the GT madness Lloyd managed to land a trophy bonefish at 62cm. The angler of the day was none other than Justin, who caught three GTs with guide Shaun. In the final minutes of the day they drifted a deep channel again, blind casting for a big one. It surfaced with violence and ate the fly on the surface, taking heaps of line. Shaun on the motor chased the fish down for some time until eventually they were able to net it. A 128cm GT ended the ridiculously epic week of fishing as well as beating the season’s record for the most GTs landed.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 13th to 20th November
Ten anglers and friends from America joined forces and set out to conquer the flats of Farquhar, some returning guests and some seeing the picturesque atoll for the first time.
Day one of the week started off a little slower than usual with overcast skies, but Bill, a long time guest in the Seychelles, kicked his trip off with a GT right away. Guide Yousuf had a fantastic day with his guests Wes and Lake. Wes landed himself the first moustache triggerfish for the week and Lake was the angler of the day having caught a bumphead parrotfish, a GT and a bonefish all on foot and, all in the surf to round off his flats slam. Proving that when you find the right spot you can catch multiple species in close proximity.
Day two saw great weather conditions and better results all round among the team. Don, James, Wes and Dick all opened up their GT accounts for the week. Skip and Jim opened up their moustache triggerfish accounts, with Jim catching a trophy specimen of 53cm. On day three Skip landed his first GT for the week, while Bill and James both landed another one each. Wes managed to land another moustache triggerfish as well as another GT. Day four was the day of the GTs. Brett landed his first for the trip, while Don, Skip, Wes and Bill all landed another each. James was not to be outdone and topped the day’s leaderboard with two GTs.
Day 5 was another one for the books with many epic catches having been brought to hand. Don and Dick both landed a GT to up their tallies. Bill and Brett managed to land two GTs each. It was evident that Skip was becoming something of a triggerfish connoisseur and landed himself another two moustache triggerfish, which can be a difficult task for even the most skilled anglers to accomplish.
On guide Chad’s boat a monumental day ensued as one of the anglers would go on to catch the fish of a lifetime. Wes and Lake set out on a mission to try catch a large GT. Wes opened the account for the day with a small GT to get the ball rolling. After spotting a nice fish on a coral head, Lake laid out a beautiful cast to the fish and after a few strips the fish ate the fly aggressively and turned, immediately sending Lake’s fly line shooting up over his reel and rod butt. Using a Seigler reel with a lever for quick release on the drag, Lake managed to loosen up and sort out the line quickly. After some coral dodging and team effort the fish was landed and measured in at 99cm, just missing the ever sought after trophy metre plus mark. Still a beast of a fish nevertheless and one to remember for Lake.
Wes was shortly back at it again with another smaller GT, but would soon upgrade to most likely his permanent personal best. After polling a deep cut near the surf on the outgoing tide and having seen little, Chad decided to come back to the same cut on the pushing tide in search of cool, clean water and potentially more fish. The drift paid off and as Wes made a blind cast to nine o’clock a massive GT came up off the bottom at two o’clock. Wes had to strip the line in a hurry and put a quick back cast in at the fish. As he stripped the fly past the fish it lunged at the fly but missed. Wes slowed the pace of the strips down and the fish slowly turned around and followed the fly all the way to the boat. Nobody in the boat thought that the fish would eat the fly in such close quarters, but on Farquhar anything can happen and the fish sipped the fly in slowly like a trout. The first run was massive and took Wes into the backing in seconds. After chasing the fish down through precarious coral heads at every turn for some time, the fish swam deep and refused to come up for ages. Wes put just the right amount of pressure on the fish and managed to lift it up for Chad to net it boat side. The fish barely fit half way into the net and it took Chad and Wes to hold the fish, measuring in at 131cm, making it the biggest GT for the last few seasons on Farquhar and one that Wes will never forget!
With so much action already having taken place it was hard to believe there was another day still to fish and the final day of fishing did not disappoint. Dick and Bill managed to land another GT each, while Douglas got what he was after and landed his first GT for the week in the nick of time. On guide Shaun’s boat the fishing was on fire for the last day. Don landed himself two GTs, while Skip landed three and many more were seen during the course of the day.
On guide Casey’s boat, Wes and Lake were at it again and making every shot count. Wes landed two GTs to end off his trip, while Lake was the angler of the day once more. While walking the surf and with great light conditions, Casey spotted several GTs on stingrays and Lake managed to catch two of them. Not long into the surf walk and Casey found a large group of tailing bumphead parrotfish, clearly in feeding mode. After a few casts into the group, Lake went tight with a solid specimen and in full combat fishing style, battled the fish in the surf on foot in a tug of war until eventually tiring it out enough for Casey to net the fish. He then topped off his trip with a bonefish to complete his second flats slam for the week.
Week five proved what Farquhar can offer in terms of variety and quality. Great fish were caught every day and the species checkbox was ticked throughout the week. What a week of fishing on Farquhar!
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 6th to 13th November
Week four of the season started off with ten guests from across Ireland, USA and the UK. Good fish were seen, and several anglers made their shots count, coming away with many bell ringer’s during the evening ceremonies.
Firas and Peter both kicked off with a great start, landing their first GT on fly. Laurel also joined the list of firsts and landed her first bonefish on Farquhar. Day two proved tough with some trying overcast conditions, Peter kept the hopes up and landed himself another GT.
Day three was one for the books with Curtis landing his first GT for the week. James and Bill paired up on guide Chad’s boat, James landed his first GT for the trip and Bill took the angler of the day award. Landing his first GT on his first cast of the day, he then backed it up with another great specimen, with both anglers having landed fish Chad convinced Bill and James to go look for a big fish in the deep. Polling towards the first coral head it was apparent that multiple large black GTs were scattered amongst the corals. Bill made a cast into the middle of the black mass of fish and chaos ensued with multiple fish seeing the boat and spooking, after a great recast further from the boat a hefty black GT broke the surface violently and the black and purple brush fly vanished from sight. During the commotion of the fight Bill managed to lose the top section of his fly rod, with cool heads and some heart stopping moments the fish and the top section of the rod were netted together. Bill came away with a true gangster of the flats experience and became a member of the metre GT club. A stocky and healthy 100cm GT.
Firas also had a day to remember, teamed up with guide and manager Shaun, he started his day with a juvenile permit just to get the fish sense tingling. A little later in the day while having lunch, Shaun and Firas spotted a large permit patrolling the beach on a very specific route that Shaun had noticed before. Having identified the permit as one he had been after for some time. Shaun ran down the beach with Firas to line up a shot, armed with a white flexo crab, Firas laid out two casts and had no reaction. The third cast worked a charm and with a few strips, the permit ate the fly aggressively. Firas played the fish carefully and Shaun kept a close eye on the sharks in the area, managing to keep them at bay until Firas could tire out the fish enough to be netted successfully. Neither Shaun nor Firas could believe what had just happened. A 71cm Indo-Pacific permit and a trophy that only a short list of people have managed to claim. The GT count continued to tick over on day four and five, with Peter, Bill and Curtis all landing another and Simon joined the club with his first for the week.
Day six proved to be a memorable one for a few of our anglers finishing a phenomenal week of fishing on a high. Firas, Curtis and Peter all landed another GT each, ending their trip on a high. Andrew put all the stakes on the table and was able to catch a GT in the nick of time before weeks end. He and Simon then had an offshore session to remember when guide Chad spotted a bait ball just offshore. Racing out to the birds with GT brush flies in hand, hundreds of flying fish were spotted breaching the surface and taking flight, most likely escaping from yellowfin tuna. Simon and Andrew both managed to hook multiple tuna and in the end, three were landed. Two for Simon and one for Andrew, finishing the day off with a bang.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 30th October to 6th November
Seven guests from the UK and Ireland joined forces to tally up the species and numbers as best they could for week three of fishing on Farquhar.
Day one proved fruitful right away and several guests walked away having caught decent fish at the end of it. Nick and Harry both landed their first GTs for the trip and Bill showed off a little, having caught two by the end of the day. Niall added the variety to the mix and landed a beautiful moustache triggerfish.
Day two was the day of the GTs with many being spotted and good numbers being landed. Greg, Nick, Bill and Harry all added GTs to their lists, while William who had been quiet on the first day, came back with a vengeance and landed two GTs. The angler of the day was Niall, who teamed up with guide Yousef and caught himself three GTs.
The momentum rolled over into day three with Dan, Bill and Harry all landing another GT each. Niall was top of the leaderboard once more for the day and landed himself two beautiful GTs. The diverse atoll offered up another moustache triggerfish, this time for William to end off another day of solid fishing.
The GTs kept coming on day four, with Greg and Dan both landing a fish each and Niall another two. Harry took the angler of the day though, landing a solid 100cm GT. Guide Gerry had spotted a solid fish and positioned the boat nicely for Harry to have a decent shot, with only a strip or two the GT lit up and engulfed the fly, but continued to swim directly at the boat after eating the fly. No tension was met for a while and it seemed that maybe the fish had spat the fly out already, but Harry persistently stripped until tension was once again gained. As soon as he came tight with the fish, it took off on a blistering run that GTs are famous for. After some drag tightening and tugging the 100cm fish was landed.
Day five brought diversity to the week and a mixed bag of catches were celebrated during the evening’s traditional bell ringing ceremony. Nick managed to land himself another GT. Niall continued with his fish whispering ways and landed another four GTs! Harry, teamed with guide Bailey, and managed to land himself another GT, but sweeter still he also managed to land a sizeable bumphead parrotfish before the day was over. A phenomenal week for Harry so far! Also coming home having had a fantastic day was Dan who caught a GT, a beautiful bonefish and the cherry on top was the 50cm yellowmargin triggerfish, making it a flats slam, and the first for the week.
The final day of the week saw some tough weather, but Greg, Niall and Nick stuck it out through the ominous clouds and shifting wind conditions to each land a GT to end their trip to Farquhar!
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 23rd to 30th October
After an unforgettable opening week, our new guests arrived with stories of good times shared by the previous week’s visitors. With the weather now settled, all anglers kicked off their adventures on a high, ready to reel in more memorable moments.
Day one began with rain clouds building and gloomy skies, leaving everyone with just an ounce of doubt despite the reputation that Farquhar has. The ominous skies did not put a damper on the fishing and several memorable catches were still landed. Jonathan, a returning guest landed his first GT of the trip. Ed, fresh from a successful week on Alphonse, started his trip strong with two GTs, while Jeff, also coming from Alphonse, landed his first GT of the trip. Lana started her trip off with a bang catching her first GT ever. Joel put in some effort trying to land a sizeable bonefish and came away from the first day having caught a trophy specimen of 64cm. Mike mentioned first thing in the morning that bumpies were on the top of his list for the week and in the final half an hour of the first day he made it happen, hooking a decent bumpy on the turtle grass flats. With his drag nearly locked and with the boat anchored away from the edge of the flat, Mike played the fish with as much tension as possible. After a few tense moments (even having a turtle swim into the leader mid fight) the fish was netted, making it the first bumpy of the season.
On day two, GT fishing heated up as the weather conditions improved. Lisa and John joined in on the GT action with their first GTs of the week, with Lisa catching two and John one. Lana, Ed and Jeff all increased their GT numbers with Jeff even landing three for the day. Mike was the man of the day having caught two GTs and a beautiful moustache triggerfish all on the same beach walk.
By day three, it was clear that most of the fish had gathered in a small area, drawn by baitfish trapped on the flats flanking the southern channels. Those who were in that small area capitalised on the abundance of hungry GTs. Outside of the area of abundant GTs, Ed managed to land another GT for his impressive tally. Inside the area of chaos in the south, on guide Chase’s boat, Jonathan managed to land himself another two GTs. Lana was on a roll through the week with catching GTs and she added another two to the list as well, however, one of the two was a special one. Chase, having seen two large GTs following a nurse shark, positioned the boat perfectly for Lana to get a downwind shot at the fish. As the fly landed one of the fish inhaled the fly without hesitation. The fish immediately ran off the flat into the deep coral filled abyss. After getting into the backing the fish managed to stitch Lana through several coral heads. Chase, with goggles in hand launched into the water and unstitched the line from the coral several times, until eventually the fish was near enough to be netted underwater before the breaking the line. With a great team effort the 114cm beast was landed, making for an epic story of overcoming difficulties.
On Gerry’s boat and in the same area, Greta had a day that blew everyone’s expectations out of the water. She managed to land nine GTs altogether, making it the highest number of GTs for a single boat in a long time. Amongst all of the GT chaos Gerry spotted a sizeable specimen circling a coral head. Gerry knew this fish well and had tried catching it the previous day with no result. He managed to drift down to the coral head with precision and positioned Greta for a great down wind shot. The pitch black GT ate the fly as if it would be the last bait fish it ever saw. Another epic tug of war around the coral heads ensued. Luckily this time no diving was required and with some crafty manoeuvres of the boat the fish was landed. A stunning dark GT measuring in at 103cm. Just to add to the already ridiculous day she was having, Greta managed to also land a moustache triggerfish on the GT fly, just proving how hungry the fish were.
Day four and the GT numbers kept climbing. Joel and John managed to land a GT each for the day. Joel’s GT measured in a 90cm and was a great consolation prize after losing a few bigger ones earlier in the day in the Deep South coral ridges. After a few broken leaders and one broken fly line he came right with his decent GT. Mike landed another two GTs during his day four.
The angler of the day was none other than Ed, who landed eight GTs. Guide Chad, having learnt of the chaos near the channels the previous day poled around one single flat for most of the day just to the right of the channel where most of the fish were landed the previous day and it paid off. As soon as the boat was in position the day kicked off with the first GT. There was a constant flow of GTs throughout most of the day and the shots were relatively easy. Large schools of GTs travelling through channels and on the lagoon edge were spotted as well as multiple GTs on stingrays. The phenomenon from the previous day seemed to still be in full swing.
Day five and the southern channel areas were still operating. Joel, Greta and Jono managed to land two GTs each. Mike and Lisa both landed a GT each as well. Lisa’s GT was her personal best so far measuring in at 92cm.
With most of the guests leaving the atoll for a Providence trip, there were only three anglers left to try and break the previous week’s record of 48 GTs. The anglers were currently sitting on 48 already so one GT for the day would get the job done. The anglers did not disappoint and didn’t stop at one. Ed closed out his trip with a GT in ankle deep water in a lagoon in the last half an hour of the final day. Jeff went to inspect if the chaos around the channels was still ensuing and although tapering off the fish were still around the channels in good numbers and Jeff capitalised, landing two GTs on his final day on Farquhar. A solid end to the week and beating the previous week’’ record, which had already beaten the previous whole season’s weekly record.
Farquhar Atoll 2024/25 Season Fishing Reports – 16th to 23rd October
The opening week of the Farquhar season started off with an aura of expectation. Seven guests from Russia, Germany and America were greeted with beautiful weather upon arriving on the island. The famous Farquhar pets were there in numbers and fired up, creating further excitement among the guests.
Day one delivered one of the best season openers we’ve seen in years. Sixteen GTs were landed on the first day, providing ample high spirits for everyone involved. Fran landed her first ever GT. Slav, a returning guest, managed to land himself a GT as well. Jason, another returning guest, along with his guide Bailey, managed to land six GTs. The man behind the fly fishing nation camera, Mats, put down his gear after a days filming and landed his first GT on Farquhar. Stephan, being the man on the other side of the lens for the day and paired up with manager and guide Shaun, had a monumental day on the flats, landing seven GTs with two being over a metre (102cm and 106cm) and were both caught on foot from the beach of Goullette island, which is famous for it’s bird eating GTs. Neither fish needed much convincing as Stephan laid out casts within the visual range of the GTs and after just a few strips the fish were already committed to the fly.
Day two saw some decent action although not quite what day one offered up, it was still a successful day with Aleksander landing his first two GTs ever. Jason kept the good times rolling by catching another GT to add to his already impressive tally. Stephan and camera man Mats were at it again with Stephan landing two GTs and Mats completing the first slam for the season; a bill and bones slam. He landed a sailfish in the dying minutes of the day and bonefish earlier on to secure the slam. He also added another GT to his growing list of commendable catches.
Day three and the GTs were still on the loose with another five landed among the team, Mats, Aleksander and Jason all increasing their GTs numbers.
Day four was by far the standout day of the week, if one could believe that after the epic days already had. Greg managed to join the GT train and landed his first one. His wife, Fran, also landed a GT and Stephan added to his numbers with two more of his own. Two men, both on the same boat, with guide Yousuf, had a day they’ll never forget. Jason, landed three GTs in the morning and during a surf walk later in the day landed himself two moustache triggers with a bonefish as the cherry on top, completing his first ever flats slam. Mats also landed two moustache triggerfish during the same surf walk and landed one GT in the morning. In the final few minutes of the day in the deep waters off of Goullette, Mats decided to blind cast a large black and red beast fly in the hopes of raising a GT of a different calibre. His persistence and good thinking paid off as the beast fly was decimated with violent intent. After a tug of war in the deep water from the boat, the 112cm GT was brought to hand. Mats had already broken his personal best GT twice earlier in the week and took it up a few notches.
One man really stood out on day four and had a day that will likely live in his memory for as long as he lives. Aleksander, paired with guide Chad, took to the inside of the lagoon to scout the white sand beaches for any signs of GT and bonefish action. While walking the beach and stalking a school of sizeable bonefish, Chad spotted two substantial GTs well out of casting range from the beach cruising past the area. With a mad dash to the boat and GT rod already stripped out and ready to go, a chase ensued by polling the boat over to intercept the GTs before they went completely out of sight. As the fish turned broadside in front of the bow, Aleksander laid out a cast in trying wind conditions that landed between the two fish. The fish at the back noticed the fly as soon as it moved and as the fly stripped over its head it inhaled the tan and grey baitfish imitation. The fish swam directly at the boat and made setting the hook difficult, but Aleksander took the advice given and continued to strip set until the line tightened fully and the hook was firmly set. Having been hooked on the white sand with no coral in sight, Aleksander played the fish slowly and carefully until eventually it was landed. A solid 121cm GT that Aleksander will never forget. As if his day couldn’t get any better, Aleksander took to the bluewater in the afternoon in search of a sailfish and after just a short while of looking for them he managed to come tight with a beautiful specimen that he fought well and managed to land with ease.
Day five and the action continued. Stephan, Fran and Slav all managed to land a GT each. Greg, having never caught a triggerfish before, tried his hand at the tricky specimens while walking the surf. The very first triggerfish that Greg cast at ate the fly with aggression and Greg did an expert job of setting the hook and with some dancing around and chasing the trigger away from coral danger the fish was brought to hand. Just a short while later and Greg had learnt well from his first triggerfish experience and landed another, making it two moustache triggers for the day. The angler of the day was Jason, who, for the second day in a row, came away with a flats slam, landing himself a moustache triggerfish in the surf, a sizeable bonefish on the white sand and a GT on a stingray.
Day six, the final day of fishing, came all too quickly for the guests. Slav and Jason managed to land another GT each, Stephan managed to land three GTs, all while wading, making the catches just a little more special. Greg and Aleksander both continued their hot streaks and both completed flats slams on the final day. Aleksander managed to land some bonefish, a GT and the first permit of the season, guided by Chase. Greg managed to land a GT, several bonefish and another moustache triggerfish, making it three triggers for him in two days.
All in all, the Farquhar season could not have started any better with a total of 48 GTs (four over 1m) and the guests left the island with expectations exceeded. What a start to the season!
If you would like more information about Farquhar Island and availability 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.