It was a week to write home about at Alphonse as the fishing came alive despite unplayable weather. The previous two weeks have been tough, but even though we moved into neap tides and the westerly winds have continued, the GTs showed up in their droves. It was a week of monsters as two particularly memorable fish were landed, one a Mustache trigger of 51 cm and the other a GT of 121 cm. The numbers were also some of the best this season, with 26 GTs being landed, 11 of them coming in on a single day – a day of driving rain and poor visibility. One can only imagine what the week could have been like had the weather played its part.
The coral fingers in particular, operated well this week as the spring tides slackened into neaps, keeping the fingers wet for most of the day and easing the current running over them. These conditions usually make for some of the best trigger fishing, but the GTs can be less predictable. This was not the case this week, however, as most of the GTs caught were found in and around the lagoon rather than near the surf. Shoals of Geets mincing bait on the fingers were seen regularly and took well-presented flies readily. The fish of the week undoubtedly was John’s GT of 121 cm caught popping in the Badlands. Land of the giants, but an incredibly difficult area to land a big fish with all the coral around. Congratulations to John on this fish of a lifetime.
As expected, the coral fingers were littered with hungry triggers, a lot of the bigger specimens making an appearance. The poor visibility normally makes them tough to spot on the turtle grass, but with the lack of current and shallow water, they were fairly easy to see. They were also slightly less spooky with the winds and overcast weather, making them a prime target. Many giant yellow margins were hooked and lost, but three nice moustache triggers came to the net during the week. One measuring 51 cm was caught by Charles, an Alphonse veteran who said that this was by far his largest trigger on the atoll. Charles went out hunting GTs and bones, but when the opportunity of a massive moustache tailing on the Fallujah Flat presented itself, he took it and made it count, one shot, one fish – and a good one at that. Not many people can claim a 100% strike rate against the triggers of Alphonse. Nice one, Charles.
Stay tuned for next week’s report.
Tight lines, Alphonse Fishing Co. on Alphonse Island
TOTAL CATCH STATS THIS WEEK:
Bonefish 123
Giant trevally 26
Triggerfish 3
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.
