ALPHONSE ISLAND FLY FISHING REPORT | FESTIVE SEASON ROUND-UP
ALPHONSE ISLAND FLY FISHING REPORT | FESTIVE SEASON ROUND-UP
7th December – 14th December
The second week of December was undoubtedly our best fishing week of the high season so far, with excellent weather, calm winds, and a tide cycle moving between springs and neaps, providing perfect conditions for fishing. Our guests enjoyed a variety of successful sessions across different spots, with all five of our major species coming through in both size and number, making it a week to remember.
One highlight was the sudden aggressiveness of the yellow-margin triggerfish. These fish are typically very picky and difficult to tempt, especially as they grow larger. However, this week, for reasons unknown, they were feeding aggressively. Murray Collins had an incredible session, landing two big triggers at 48 cm and 51 cm. While his guide was measuring one, Murray spotted another nearby and managed to hook it as well—landing both in the same net! He capped off the session with another 48 cm yellow-margin, marking one of the best triggerfish days we’ve seen. Colin Kingsnorth also had a phenomenal day, landing a 49 cm yellow-margin and a massive 55 cm fish, which was just shy of our biggest trigger of the season. Other anglers like Adam Collins, Alan Olivier, Avron Karan, and Chris Bach also had great success, catching triggers up to 47 cm, making it memorable week for yellow-margin triggerfish fishing.
The GTs were, as always, a major draw, and this week we had plenty of action. Alan Olivier took the top spot with the biggest GT of the week—an impressive 101 cm fish caught while blind casting in the ‘Badlands’. Alan also completed a flats slam that day, adding a 50 cm permit and a 60 cm bonefish to his catch. Steve Shell came close with a beautiful 99 cm GT, just shy of the one-meter mark. Throughout the week, other anglers like Feo Mishin (with four GTs), Nikita Mishin (with a 90 cm beauty), and Andrew Haynes (with an 86 cm fish) also landed some impressive GTs. Congratulations to everyone who managed to catch a GT, including Graham and Steve Taylor, Collin Kingsnorth (90 cm), Chris Bach (84 cm), and father-and-son duo Ethan and Matt Campbell, who each caught their first GTs during their stay.
The indo-pacific permit also surprised us with some rare action. Adam Collins landed a beautiful 47 cm fish, found feeding on the back of a stingray. Nikita Mishin, a seasoned permit angler, was able to land a stunning 51 cm permit. On the same day, he added a milkfish and a bonefish to complete a flats slam. The biggest permit of the week was caught by Charlie Watson, who spotted a fish cruising the shallows while walking the ‘Back of the Moon’ beach. After a perfect cast, the Permit charged the fly and took line almost immediately. Despite some nerves, Charlie expertly fought the fish on a seven-weight rod and landed the dark, bronze-coloured beauty at 59 cm—an outstanding first permit! Milkfish also made an appearance this week, and with calmer conditions, we were able to target them more regularly. Nikita and Feo Mishin both landed impressive milkfish, as did James. Mark Holme also caught a true giant, measuring in at 101 cm. These powerful fish are known for their endurance, and it was great to see our anglers successfully land some of these tough fighters.
Overall, it was an extraordinary week with fantastic catches across all species. We look forward to another exciting week ahead and are hopeful the fishing will continue at this high level.
14 – 21 Dec 24
This week of December on Alphonse and St François was another fantastic one for our anglers, despite some challenging weather with plenty of rain. The week started with the traditional spring tides, featuring low tides around midday, before shifting towards neap tides later in the week, with low tides occurring in the late afternoon. While the weather remained rough at times, the wind stayed manageable, and our guests had a great time targeting some of our favourite species.
Chris Agar had an outstanding week, kicking things off with two GTs on each of his first two days. After an impressive start, he shifted focus to Milkfish, a species he had never caught before. His guide took him to the western side of the atoll, where they found a school of feeding Milkfish. After a few shots, Chris hooked into his first Milkfish, enjoying a hard-fought battle before landing it. The next day, Chris was after a bigger fish, and once again found a feeding school of Milkfish. His perfect cast hooked into a massive specimen that tested his strength, eventually landing a 100cm Milkfish after a lengthy fight. Chris then capped off his week with a flats slam, landing a GT and a bonefish – a truly epic fishing experience.
Nick Gunn had an unforgettable moment on his third day when his guide, Brad, spotted a Guitar Shark while poling the Eastern lagoon edge for GTs. They approached and found two large fish circling the shark, but it was difficult to identify them due to the deeper water and overcast conditions. They cast a GT fly anyway, only to discover that the fish were actually two sizable Permit. Nick quickly switched to his Permit setup, made a perfect cast, and hooked one of the fish. The fight was intense, with the Permit using its strength to pull line and stay away from the boat. After 15 minutes, Nick landed the fish, which measured a very impressive 63cm. A special catch indeed!
Murray Collins had a great week, even though he wasn’t on the water every day. He started with a solid GT and then, a few days later, landed a massive 52cm Yellow-Margin Triggerfish. Later in the week, he went on a Milkfish mission, catching two good-sized specimens and nearly landing a few more. His son Adam also had an excellent week, catching a GT and, during the Milkfish session, landing the biggest Milkfish of the week – a monster measuring 102cm, which put up an epic fight.
Mark Holme started the week with a solid GT, but saved his best day for last. He landed a beautiful 93cm Milkfish that showed off some incredible acrobatics during the fight. Mark spent the rest of the day targeting Triggerfish, landing the only Mustache Triggerfish of the week. He finished with a bonefish, completing a memorable flats slam.
Other notable catches included Nikita’s 89cm Milkfish and a GT in his final days of fishing, Chris Bach’s additional GT on a trip to Farquhar, and John Miller’s two GTs, the largest measuring 77cm, along with the biggest bonefish of the week – a 68cm giant that put up a serious fight on his 9-weight rod. Matt Naber had a standout catch with the biggest GT of the week, measuring 80cm, and an impressive 85cm Milkfish. Steve Hickman, fishing for the first time in saltwater, caught a bunch of bonefish, his first-ever GT at 75cm, and the only Batfish of the week, measuring 44cm. Harry Thorburn also landed a GT, and a special mention goes to his son Felix, who caught his first-ever GT, a fantastic achievement.
It’s been another action-packed week on Alphonse and St François, and we’re looking forward to even more exciting fishing adventures during the festive season.
21st December – 28th December
The last full week of 2024 brought another great week of fishing, despite some weather conditions with rain and occasional wind. The neap tides and low water levels provided our guides with plenty of options to fish various flats, and our guests enjoyed successful sessions across a range of species.
Caroline Johnson, had an incredible week. After a slow start, she quickly improved her casting and went on to land her first-ever GT the very next day. The following day, she caught over twenty bonefish, including a stunning 64 cm fish, and then added a 48 cm moustache triggerfish to her tally. Later, she completed a magical flats slam with another GT. Caroline also had success with milkfish, landing her first-ever specimen, and concluded the week with a yellow-margin triggerfish and two more GTs. A very impressive performance! Her husband Charles also had a fantastic week. He started with two GTs on his first day and then hooked into a monster milkfish, which he landed after a thrilling fight. This 105 cm fish was our largest milkfish of the week. Charles followed up with another milkfish, a moustache triggerfish, and a flats slam. Congratulations on a stellar week, Charles!
Young angler Jack Dale, returning to the flats after a long break, made his mark with some impressive catches. After warming up with bonefish, he successfully targeted milkfish, landing a 92 cm fish, and a moustache triggerfish. He then completed a flats slam with ease. Later, Jack landed his first-ever GT, followed by another big one measuring 76 cm. Well done, Jack! Ray Palmer had a strong start with two GTs on his first day. After a few days of great bone fishing, he finally hooked a milkfish on the flats—his first in eight trips to the Seychelles. Ray landed the fish after a tough fight and completed his flats slam. Congratulations, Ray!
Philip Fleming also joined the flats slam club, landing a milkfish, GT, and bonefish in quick succession. Rob Fleming caught two GTs, Lorna landed her first-ever GT, and Ben caught a massive 49 cm moustache triggerfish—our biggest of the week. Great fishing all around for the Fleming family! Other anglers who made their mark included John Jellinek and Kyle Dale, both catching GTs, and Matt Naber, who landed a milkfish on his final morning. Young Max Thorburn, catching a 78 cm GT just before his flight, topped the GT leaderboard for the week.
It was another action-packed week, and we look forward to more great fishing stories next week!
28th December – 04th January
As 2024 came to a close, we welcomed some determined anglers to our atoll for an exciting week of fishing and New Year’s celebrations. The weather remained typical for the season, with short weather systems bringing rain and wind, followed by sunny spells. Spring tides opened up surf walking opportunities and allowed us to target all our favourite species throughout the week. Fish were spotted in good numbers, and our guests enjoyed plenty of action, with many landing some memorable catches.
Preben Damm had an unforgettable finish to his week, with two incredible days of fishing. On his second-to-last day, he started early targeting milkfish and hooked into a chunky 90 cm specimen before moving on to triggerfish. He landed two Moustache Triggerfish, the only ones for the week, and then quickly completed a flats slam with a bonefish. As the water pushed, Preben added a GT to his tally, completing an epic Super-Slam. On his final day, he once again targeted milkfish, landing a second fish after a tough fight on a seven-weight rod. Preben then landed another GT to complete a second flats slam in two days—an outstanding performance!
Regular guest Gavin Laidlaw had a stellar week, catching nine GTs, including the biggest of the week at 87 cm. Walking the surf and fishing for GTs in ultra-shallow water brought him plenty of action. He also landed a beautiful 90 cm milkfish, making for a truly impressive week of fishing. Jason Miller, a permit enthusiast, spent a few extra days fishing exclusively for indo-pacific permit. After a slow start, Jason’s persistence paid off on his second day when he spotted a large permit at the back of One Palm Island. A perfect cast and a well-timed strip led to a great fight with the 62 cm fish, marking an incredible catch for Jason.
Other notable anglers included Jack Dale, who added another milkfish and GT to his tally, and his father Kyle, who landed two more milkfish, including the biggest of the week at 92 cm. Ray Palmer, Caroline Johnson, Charlie Pethtel, and Charles Johnson all added GTs to their impressive catches. First-time visitors Denise Pethtel and young Max Debufanos also caught their first Permits, while Chris Griffith and Jane Jellinek landed their first milkfish. Terri Hyatt caught our only batfish of the week, a stunning 46 cm specimen.
As we head into the first full week of 2025, we’re excited for what’s to come and hopeful that the fishing will continue at this high level.
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