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 expectations with some incredible catches brought to hand throughout the day. Marcia started her trip 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 62 cm. Neil kicked off his week with a trophy fish as well, his coming in the form of a 53 cm Yellowmargin Triggerfish that ate the fly right on the shoreline of a sandy beach. John had a memorable day with guide Bailey, landing a Giant Trevally, a Yellowmargin Triggerfish, and his own trophy Moustache Triggerfish measuring 56 cm!
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 Bumphead Parrotfish on the first go. 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 week’s first flats slam—landing a Giant Trevally 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, and before the walk was over, both men had landed a Bumphead Parrotfish each. 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 Giant Trevallies in the surf—one off the back of a stingray and one free-swimming fish. She also landed several Bonefish, including a trophy-sized specimen measuring 61 cm.
Day Three was slow, as it appeared that there were bait balls just offshore, keeping the Giant Trevallies far away most of the day. Despite this, Justin still managed to land a Giant Trevally in the lagoon. Day Four, however, was the complete opposite, with the fishing picking right back up again. Ivan, Neil, Bruce, and Brandon all managed to land a Giant Trevally 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 from the previous slam with a Permit. Nils was the angler of the day, describing it as the best day of fishing he’s ever had. Paired with guide Chad, Nils started the morning with two small Giant Trevallies at the first spot. The pair then moved to the second spot for the day, walking the surf in search of Triggerfish and Giant Trevallies.
Nils landed a small Moustache Triggerfish early in the session, and soon after, stingrays began pushing up onto the flats all around them. With the tide high enough for the stingrays to get onto the turtlegrass, it wasn’t long before Giant Trevallies followed, backs out of the water. Nils ended up landing another five Giant Trevallies, making it seven for the day. To cap it off, he landed a Bonefish before heading home, completing 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 this day offered some of the best chances seen in a long time. Ivan seized the moment and managed to hook a Milkfish. He fought the fish for an agonizing half-hour before landing the freight train—a 99 cm specimen, the first caught on Farquhar in several seasons.
On the same boat with guide Yousuf, Oleg tried his hand at deep-water Triggerfish. After losing one or two and having many close calls, he eventually landed a trophy—a 50 cm Yellowmargin Triggerfish! Marcia, John, Nils, and Brandon all landed a Giant Trevally each to keep the tally climbing. Bruce caught several Bonefish, including one trophy specimen measuring 60 cm.
Paired with guide Chad, Justin also went out in search of Giant Trevallies. After a slow morning, sightings increased significantly as the tide dropped. Chad spotted a large Giant Trevally swimming solo on the surface in a very lethargic manner, bouncing between coral heads. Justin waited for the go-ahead to cast. The fish didn’t see the fly until it was almost back at the boat, then slowly turned away toward a coral head. Justin had another go, letting the fly sink while waiting for the fish to come over. Another large fish appeared from under the coral and slowly approached the fly. One long, slow strip—and the fish t-boned the fly with an aggressive eat.
The fish wrapped the fly line around a coral, but with some quick boat maneuvering, the crisis was averted. After several minutes, Justin had the 111 cm Giant Trevally at the boat, ready for photos in the middle of the lagoon.
The final day of fishing did not disappoint. Oleg, Neil, and Justin each managed to land another Giant Trevally to wrap up their week. Marcia secured yet another trophy Bonefish at 63 cm. Brandon and Bruce both added to the Moustache Triggerfish tally with one each. Paired with guide Chad, John finished his trip in style, landing a flats slam with a Giant Trevally, a Moustache Triggerfish, and a Bonefish.
Farquhar may not have shown off its full potential in terms of Giant Trevally quantity this week, but it certainly delivered on diversity and quality, as it always does.
Tight lines,
Blue Safari Fly Fishing
CONTACT US
If you would like to know more about the fantastic fishing opportunities on offer on Farquhar Atoll, you can contact our saltwater fly fishing expert Peter Collingsworth on 01603 407596 or via email at peter@sportquestholidays.com. He would love to speak with you.
