Fly Fishing Blog by Alphonse Fishing Co™

ALPHONSE ISLAND FISHING NEWS | SEASON ROUND UP

As the festive season unfolded on the flats of St. Francois, new angling adventures came to life. From epic GT encounters to wrangling permit and milkfish, we have it all. Stay tuned as we share the highlights from the Festive Season on Alphonse Island.

Week 14 on Alphonse Island started with stormy weather, but with spring tides, there was still great potential to find the sought-after GT. Nikita Mishin led the group with an impressive seven GTs, while Mark Holme claimed the title for the biggest fish, landing a 95 cm GT! We welcomed newcomers, Jack, Graham, Dinah, Renzo, and Adam, who marked their entry into GT fishing with their first-ever GTs on fly.

The spring tides provided prime opportunities for milkfish. Young anglers Lilly, Holly, and Emma showed their stellar teamwork, hooking and landing a 95 cm milkfish, Lilly’s brother Adam also got involved in the milkfish action landing himself a beautiful 93 cm fish. Nikita’s skills bagged him a monstrous 110 cm milkfish. Special mention to Adam Collins for his beautiful 93 cm milkfish.

A standout performance came from Feo Mishin, earning the title of Angler of the Week with back-to-back flats slams featuring GTs, a yellowmargin, and bonefish. The consistent fishing on Alphonse and St. Francois is just a little taste of what is to come.

Week 15 started with a diverse number of species taking center stage, with hot and sunny neap tides providing tough conditions for our anglers. Hot and green water means one thing on St Francois: epic milkfish, and this week was no different with an abundance of milkfish in the lagoon, where John Miller landed an impressive 111 cm fish. Hooking this fish in the lagoon’s confines made for a thrilling fight.

Epic stories unfolded as anglers achieved milestones, with Spencer Thorington catching a stunning triggerfish and an 81 cm GT. Matt Naber’s phenomenal performance featured the biggest GT of the week at 93 cm and a massive 101cm milkfish, securing a memorable flats slam.

Anglers Harry Thornburn and John Miller scored flats slams each. A special mention goes to Yousuf Shaikh, who guided three consecutive slams, making history in the Blue Safari Fly Fishing community.

The anglers and fishing sure didn’t slow down in week 16 which showcased epic fishing, with the atoll providing a variety of species, as we shifted towards springs, creating the perfect conditions.

Konstantin Sherbovich, aiming to add a GT to his record, achieved success with a 102 cm giant trevally after a thrilling battle in Rattray’s Channel. John Miller had his sights set on milkfish and ended up landing one each day for five consecutive days, with the largest measuring an impressive 111 cm. John completed a flats slam on the same day by also landing a GT and a bonefish.

John Linen had a phenomenal week, catching all but one of the big five species, including a rare 147 cm barracuda without a wire trace. Ilya Sherbovich focused on Indo-Pacific permit. Challenging conditions did not stop him as he ended up landing a 57 cm beauty after an unusual episode of the permit lying flat on the bottom and then jumping over the guide’s head!

Week 17 of the fishing season presented anglers with challenges due to a passing tropical cyclone that brought higher winds and rain, making sight fishing difficult. Despite these conditions, determined anglers achieved some noteworthy catches.

The wet and rainy days cooled the water of the flats, attracting hungry permit. Markus senior, fresh from a week of GT fishing on Cosmoledo, skilfully hooked a beast of a permit, measuring an impressive 62 cm. His success continued with another 55 cm permit later in the week. Markus Junior landed himself two permits during the week, a commendable achievement for the family.

While it seemed that the milkfish were moving on, they could still be found in the channels on the slow drop. Anglers Otto, Gary, Olli, Sterling, and John took on the physical challenge of hooking and landing these powerful fish, with catches ranging from 100 cm to 104 cm.

GT fishing faced its own challenges with poor lighting, but this did not stop the anglers. Otto, Olli, Markus, Gary, Jack, Matt, and Mike demonstrated patience and skill, successfully landing GTs during the week.

Congratulations to all the anglers for their remarkable achievements in the face of challenging conditions!

Week 18 on St. Francois showcased exceptional fishing despite variable weather. As neap tides gave way to springs, abundant water movement attracted a flurry of fish activity.

Returning angler Chris Griffith achieved memorable flats slam within an hour, starting with a 59cm Indo-Pacific permit, followed by a 51 cm moustache triggerfish and a cruising GT measuring an undisclosed size. Using an 8/0 hook meant for GTs, Chris skilfully landed the trigger.

Logan Hitchins, accompanied by her husband Aaron, showed exceptional angling skills despite challenging weather conditions. Logan, pregnant with their first child, out-fished Aaron, landing a massive 47 cm yellowmargin triggerfish and a stunning 45 cm yellowmargin, along with three GTs for the week.

Will Harris, a first-time Seychelles angler, faced overcast conditions but persevered. He bagged an epic 92 cm GT catch during a massive feeding frenzy known as ‘the Capel Shoal.’

Former head guide Alec Gerbec returned for big GTs, successfully landing the week’s largest GT at 96 cm in the top lagoon, showcasing his expertise and connection with the atoll. Notable mentions for joining the GT scoreboard go to David, Chris, Harry, Konstantin, Harris, John, and Aaron.

Congratulations to all the anglers on their remarkable achievements!

Week 19 started off with a bang, and multiple GTs sighted. The ever-present shoals of bonefish provided great entertainment despite some challenging wind conditions throughout the week.

John Eames, an experienced angler, had a spectacular first day, catching two beautiful GTs. He then targeted a yellowmargin triggerfish that eagerly raced to eat the fly; after a short battle, he landed a massive 50 cm specimen and completed the slam with a bonefish. John didn’t stop there and had an awesome week, adding two more GTs later on.

GTs stole the spotlight at the beginning of this festive season, but an impressive score of milkfish quickly swam into the top spot. An elusive barracuda was added to the mix, making for an even more memorable time. Regardless of some challenging weather the anglers encountered, that did not stop our guests from reeling in memorable flats slams. This fishing festive season brought much to celebrate! We hope to see you all back next year.

Stay tuned for the coming week’s report!

Tight lines from Blue Safari Fly Fishing on Alphonse Island

EXPLORE OUR FLY FISHING SPECIES

Fly fishing tips, facts, flies, tides, rods & more

• Bonefish
• Indo-Pacific permit
• Triggerfish
• Yellowfin tuna
• Milkfish
• Bluefin trevally
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• Giant trevally
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EXPLORE OUR SALTWATER FLY FISHING DESTINATIONS

• Alphonse Atoll
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• Cosmoledo Atoll
• Farquhar Atoll
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