Eight guests from Japan, USA, and Germany were greeted at the Farquhar slipway with postcard-perfect weather and the ever-present pet Giant Trevallies.
On the first day of fishing, the guides did their best to hit the ground running. The guests were not left wanting, as the perfect weather continued and the fish were in a feeding mood. Wes, a returning Seychelles guest but a first-timer on Farquhar, started off his week with his first Giant Trevally on the atoll. Husband and wife duo Shannon and Josh both landed their first Giant Trevallies on the atoll as well. Shannon was celebrating her birthday in style with her Giant Trevally as her birthday gift. Returning guest Ed managed to bring in two Giant Trevallies to start his week.
Paired with guide and manager Cullan, Martin started his week trying to ease himself into the swing of things on the inside beaches of the atoll in search of Bonefish. He got more than he bargained for when, after already landing his first few Bonefish, he found himself casting at a few juvenile Permit. By the end of his session, he had landed two of the golden specimens. As if this wasn’t enough for his first day, he then proceeded to hook and land two Giant Trevallies, making it the first for him and the first flats slam of the second leg of the season.
The Giant Trevally madness carried momentum through the second day with Ed, Martin, and Ichiro all landing one each, making it the first for Ichiro. Wesley and Phillip had a great day of Giant Trevally fishing, having both landed two each. Josh kept the ball rolling, upgrading the quality by landing a 94 cm Giant Trevally. Buddy and Ichiro spent a decent portion of their day trying to get their hands on a Bumphead Parrotfish, and their persistence paid off when Buddy managed to hook one of the brutes. In the usual fashion, there was a tug-of-war that ensued on relatively light gear. With coral around at every turn and the Bumphead Parrotfish being hooked right on top of the coral heads, it was obviously a fish with Buddy’s name on it, and he managed to land it.
Day three, and Martin landed his third Giant Trevally in three days. Wes was on a hot streak and landed another two himself with head guide Gerry, but topped off his epic day with a fish that is sought after by the guides, especially as it can be elusive and tough to crack the code on. After seeing large shoals of Batfish and Golden Trevallies feeding together, it was not long before Wes hooked into one of the goldens. He quickly found out that they are not pushovers, fighting very much like Giant Trevallies—perhaps even harder. He managed to land the beautiful specimen and snap a few memorable photos. Paired with guide Chad, Buddy and Ichiro had a Giant Trevally-filled day, with Ichiro landing one and Buddy landing three. Buddy landed his personal best Giant Trevally when a group of Bluefin Trevallies and large Giant Trevallies provided for a tough but doable opportunity that required a very quick backcast with no time to think. The biggest Giant Trevally peeled off from the group and ate the fly immediately as it hit the water. The fish was hooked too shallow to chase the boat, so Chad had to run after it with the net and unstitch the fly line from multiple corals. After a mad dash and some tripping over loose rocks, the fish was netted, and Buddy was elated with his new 97 cm personal best. Paired with guide Yousuf, Ed caught himself a Bonefish and a Giant Trevally fairly early on and finished off the day with a large Moustache Triggerfish of 53 cm to make the second flats slam for the week.
On day four, the fishing appeared to slow down slightly, but the quality of fish remained excellent. Ed and Buddy landed another Giant Trevally each, while Wesley, after some persistence of his own, finally put the brakes on a good-sized Bumphead Parrotfish and managed to break its spirit to land it. On the same boat and with guide Casey, Phillip managed to match Wes’ energy and landed a Golden Trevally and a 64 cm Bonefish. Josh and Shannon went out with guide Chad with the aim of finding big Giant Trevallies first thing in the morning, with the tides looking favorable. It wasn’t long before Josh had a large Giant Trevally engulf his beast fly. Much to everybody’s dismay, the fish bit through the leader and left Josh wanting. Luckily for Josh, it wasn’t even twenty minutes later when another large fish appeared, riding high in the water column but swimming away from the boat into the wind. After chasing the fish down for some time, it eventually made a turn back to the boat and provided a decent chance. Josh sent out a cast, and the fish started coming over, but before it reached the fly, a smaller Giant Trevally ate it. Chad yelled at Josh not to set the hook on the smaller fish. Josh waited for a few anxious seconds for the small Giant Trevally to spit the fly out, and as it did, the bigger Giant Trevally ate it with even more aggression than before. After some coral dodging and great work on the reel, Josh managed to land the 107 cm Giant Trevally, crossing the magic meter mark that he was hoping for.
Ichiro and Martin both landed a Giant Trevally each on day five. Buddy and Josh took it to another level again, landing three Giant Trevallies each. Ed managed to add to the diversity for the day, landing another trophy Moustache Triggerfish.
The final day of fishing proved to be better than anyone could have asked for. Ed and Martin managed another Giant Trevally each, while Buddy landed two. Ichiro ended his week with a Golden Trevally, making it the third for the week. Josh and Shannon continued their rampage on the last day, and with guide Cullan, it was no surprise that they left the flats on a high note. Shannon landed her new personal best Giant Trevally at just over 90 cm. However, before this, Cullan took the couple in search of Permit on the white sand of the inside of the lagoon. It was not long before Josh made a shot at a good-sized Permit. The fish ate the fly several times, but the hook found no purchase. Thinking that the opportunity had gone begging, Josh was amazed to have another shot so soon after the first, and the second fish also ate the fly—this time finding some real estate. After a few tense minutes of cautious fighting, Cullan managed to stealthily slide the net under the fish, and the team was celebrating for the rest of the day—a beautiful Indo-Pacific Permit of 60 cm. To add to his insane day, Josh also landed two Giant Trevallies, one being another solid one at 94 cm. To end the day and the week, he also caught a Bonefish to complete his flats slam.
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.
