The stars aligned perfectly for some anglers this week on Alphonse whereas others boarded the charter flight with a whole lot of could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve. Every fishing trip has its ups and downs, but for one angler it was all ups as he banged out the fourth Golden Grand Slam in Alphonse history. The second of the season and an impressive one at that, all fish being on the better side of average.
Daniel and guide, Kyle, went out to St. Francois with high expectations, Dan having already spent a week tormenting the GTs of Farquhar. Little did he know that he was about to become only the fourth angler to complete the coveted Golden Grand Slam, landing a Milkfish, GT, Permit, Trigger and Bonefish in one day.
The morning started with a run around the east of St. Francois to look for milks outside Lollipop Wreck. Dan hooked up on his first cast but broke off on the set. In amongst the shoal and with no time to make a new leader, Dan quickly tied a Milky dream onto his 15 lb Bonefish leader and almost immediately went tight again. The fight lasted for over an hour with a couple of close calls with the resident taxman, but eventually, the fish was landed and measured at just over 100 cm!
A short run to the backline just outside of King’s Cut and Dan was on again, this time with an 85 cm GT. Kyle spotted three nice fish in the deep water cruising on the surface, Dan made the shot, and the rest all went according to plan. From there Kyle headed straight to the hallowed Permit grounds, confidence understandably flying high. Cutting the motor and drifting onto the flat, the first Permit was spotted within a few minutes. A group of fish then pushed up from the lagoon and started making their way towards a nearby high-spot, every now and then stopping to feed. Fishing from the boat with Kyle on the pole, Dan made shots at the fish every time they paused. Seven shots later and Dan had his mitts on a 60 cm Permit.
Having crossed off three of the five with only one more fussy fish on the list, the Golden Grand Slam started to take shape. Kyle and Dan managed to stick a small trigger on Milky Way coral finger and then seal the deal with an average-sized Bone shortly after. Epic stuff.
A massive congratulations to Dan and Kyle on this incredible achievement.
Stay tuned for next week’s report.
Tight lines,
Alphonse Fishing Co. on Alphonse Island
TOTAL CATCH STATS WITH 12 RODS THIS WEEK:
Bonefish 82
Giant Trevally 13
Triggerfish 4
Milkfish 5
Permit 2
CONTACT US
If you would like to know more about the fantastic fishing opportunities on offer on Alphonse Island you can contact our saltwater fly fishing expert Peter Collingsworth on 01603 407596 or via email at peter@sportquestholidays.com.