Coming off the neap tides we were excited to get up to the northern part of the atoll in search of some exciting Bonefish and Triggerfish fishing. The first day saw this come to light as good numbers of big Bones and multiple opportunities at tailing Triggers were enjoyed by all. The GTs were still playing slightly hard to get. One memorable fish that did come to hand was a very nice 87cm fish, which after eating Kerry’s fly managed to remove a section of his rod. Thankfully after some tense moments we managed to reunite the two sections and Kerry’s first ever GT was landed. Congrats Kerry! The Bluefin Trevally are still around in big numbers and provided some exciting chases and eats throughout the day.
Everyone seemed more in tune with the Triggerfish on Day 2 and some really good Yellow Margins and Moustache Triggers made their way in front of the lens. After their absence the week before, our friends the Bumpies were also back on the flats, Craig managing to subdue a large specimen. Awesome fish Craig! On the GT front a few more opportunities resented themselves. Shamal managed to come agonizingly close to our first 1mt GT of the week. Not that the size worried Shamal who gratefully accepted his first ever GT that measured 99cm.
Day 3 provided a change in anchorages and fishing areas which resulted in more good Triggerfish and Bumphead Parrotfish action, Beat and Kerry each landing a Bumpy! Shamal was again in the mix as far as the GT’s went and this time landed our first 1m fish with a beautiful 104cm specimen. In addition he landed a large Moustache Trigger, which capped off another great day for him. The change in mother ship anchorage saw us back in front of feeding shoals of Milkfish every afternoon. Colby got the job done hooking into an awesome Milk no less then a fly lines length away from the mother ship. After screams of encouragement from anglers already back onboard the main vessel his prize came to hand and we had our first Milk for the week. What an awesome moment!
Day 4 saw us experience tough light conditions. As a result most of the guides worked sand or lighter bottomed flats to maximize visibility. This seemed to work as Oliver landed our second 1m GT for the trip despite a barrage of mishaps. The fish was spotted whilst he and his team were enjoying some lunch on the tender. Chaos ensued as often happens with GTs as everything which could go wrong did. The rod fell out of his hand, he fell out of the boat….the list goes on. In the end though he landed a memorable fish and has with it the story to match. Other chaos was happening offshore at the same time, with Mike and Bernard enjoying some frenetic GT and Snapper action. We will leave it at that!
The weather on Day 5 saw us enjoying vastly improved conditions. Clear skies and a limited amount of wind allowed Mike and Bernd to capitalize on their opportunities, the pair landing a 90cm and 87cm GT respectively. Shamal continued his good form and again raised his personal best with a fish of 107cm. The flat seas and clear skies screamed Milkfish and so a big effort was made by all to hook into one of the most powerful fish that swim our seas. Kerry continued his pursuit of new species and managed to subdue a solid Milky after a 45min fight, the last 15 mins of which were with a broken rod. Rob and Dennis took a break from GT fishing and experienced a thrilling session of Milky fishing. They hooked into 8 fish as the schools and pods were daisy-chained on the slick surface. Despite a series of mishaps they finally managed to tame three, the series of grey hounding jumps and the relentless fight in these fish leaving them captivated. Our groups scorecard for the day did not end there though, a free swimming Sailfish was spotted by Head Guide Tim Babich and after a swift bait and switch technique Colby stared at the electric blue fish which went tail walking across the ocean’s surface. A perfect way to end a rather productive day! With spirits high, our anglers set out with intent to make their final day count, the southern part surely the area which would deliver the goods. The team of Beat and Shamal continued their good form early on in the day, both anaging 90cm GT’s. Unfortunately their good form stopped there as they had shots at exceptionally big fish shortly thereafter. On all three occasions hooks were not set at the crucial moment, sadly the fish swimming off into the abyss without a fly line trailing behind them. Incredibly, one big fish ate both Beat and Shamal’s flies without getting hooked…”LUCKY FISH”! Craig and Oliver also managed a GT a piece on the final day; their fish found hiding out in some pots near the southern storm ridges. This area holds an incredible array of other species as well, including Bohar Snapper, Saddle Back, Napoleon Wrasse, Bluefin Trevally and many more which ensured a busy day for all.
Unfortunately another tough GT week from a numbers point of view, the large presence of swimming crabs offshore clearly attracting the fish away from the flats and offshore for an easy meal. Nonetheless, some cracking fish were landed by the group, including meter plus GTs, Triggers, bones, Milkies, Bumpies, a Sailfish and many other flats and offshore species.
Thank you to all the guests for joining us, we hope to see you on the atoll again in the near future.
Until next week
The Providence Guide team
