This week we greeted long time clients Marcel, Patrick, Bill, Tom and Donald, each of whom has fished with us on a fair number of occasions. This would however be their first visit to Providence. Joining them would be new friends and also first time visitors to the atoll Shaker, Joe, Ottavio, Giacomo. Dennis and Rob rounded off the team; they would be exploring the bluewater fishing for the second week in a row. Despite some tough weather conditions, our first day saw a mix of species come to hand with loads of snappers and grouper getting everyone into the swing of things. Some good sized Bones and Triggers were also around, and when Bill hooked and landed our first solid GT for the week we were well and truly up and running. 
The tides on the second day allowed us to explore certain areas on the eastern side. This change in scenery didn’t disappoint with guide Tim and clients Donald, Bill and Shaker hooking into 15 GTs during the day, 9 of which came to hand! Donald landed the biggest fish for the day with his beautiful 109cm trophy. Equally special was the fact that it was part of a double up with good friend Bill landing his 95cm fish at the same time. These very special fish along with numerous other species ensured it was a day never to be forgotten by the group. On another boat Rob continued his Milkfish streak, hooking and landing another one of these immensely powerful algae feeders after it put up one of the most spectacular aerial displays one can imagine! The other group who fished the eastern side had an incredibly exciting session as well. Stingrays pored through onto the flats through a white sand channel, most of the rays having GTs accompanying them.
Unfortunately a couple of opportunities went astray, however Joe managed to capitalize on a perfect GT/ray situation. The fly was presented 15 feet in front of the fish and the fish immediately charged in, engulfed the fly and the fight was on. Shortly after a solid fish came to hand! The third day presented Tom with some great fishing in particular. He firstly subdued our first Bumpie for the week, before landing a good sized GT. An awesome eat, the fish surfed in on a wave before annihilating the fly. Sadly not everything went according to plan after that as Tom went in search of Slam. A Trigger and a big single Bonefish felt the sting of his hook but never made it to the net. Bad luck Tom! Donald, Joe and Shaker capitalized on the extraordinary amount of Bluefin Trevally that are still on the flats ad managed to bring a large number of these fish to hand. The fourth day would see a very exciting day out in the surf chasing GTs. Fish after fish surfed in on a wave as they broke across a white sand bar, the memory of which is surely burned into each guest privileged enough to encounter it. Good numbers of GTs were subsequently landed and the biggest fish of the day and for the season so far now belongs to Bill’s 123cm monster … ..a fish of a lifetime!!!! 
The fish had been spotted by guide Warren during lunch and was making its way in and out of a cut. Warren placed Bill in the cut to see if the fish would continue visiting the area. Warren had made no less than ten steps back toward the other guests when he looked back and saw a large fish lift up in the waves. He was about to shout to Bill when he noticed Bill was already attached and the big fish was heading out to deeper water. Maximum drag was applied and the fish was turned just short of the outer reef. The importance of having good gear in these moments cannot be overstated, as the fish would certainly have made it to the reef with inferior gear. This was however not Bill’s first taste of GT fishing and with great skill and loads of pressure he got the fish back onto the sand bar where his guide could land it. An awesome moment! The fifth day saw much of the same with the clients lined on fish rich banks. This time it was Shaker who got the job done! Despite bad light and rain making spotting tough, a large shark appeared. A quick call from his guide stating there was a GT on the back of the shark was all Shaker needed to get a quick back cast out. Three long strips were made and the grey fish charged the fly, ate and the hook driven home. Textbook! 
The last day saw us approaching the neap tide. With the extended amount of time, lower water and less current we enjoyed prime Bumphead Parrotfish fishing. As a result, six Bumpies were hooked, two of which came to hand. Patrick managed to land the brute of the pack that measured a hopping 106 cm. Congrats Patrick! Joe who had made it evident from the start of the week that a Bumpie was high on his list managed to land a quality specimen in injury time. The French team also took full advantage of some quality Bonefishing that the weaker tides dished up. They managed to land a couple of good quality fish that were found tailing in super skinny water. Donald opted to join Rob and Dennis offshore for the day and added a number of quality species to his list, the best of which was a good size Dogtooth Tuna. This fish screamed off with intent and after a good battle he had a magnificent fish at the boat. All in all a very enjoyable week, even though we experienced some tough weather conditions. It seems that the GT numbers are finally starting to climb and we are itching to see what our last week has in store for us.
Until next time
The Providence Guide Team
