Fly Fishing Blog by Alphonse Fishing Co™

FARQUHAR ATOLL FLY FISHING REPORT |  10 – 17 APRIL 2024

Ten anglers from America, the UK, and Russia landed in the paradise of Farquhar and took to the pristine waters in search of fishing greatness.

To start things off, Gordon managed to land himself his first GT of the trip, being no stranger to the GTs or Farquhar. The following day was a day to remember for a few lucky anglers. Valerii joined forces with Evan, and first thing in the morning found a large GT and a smaller one patrolling the white sandy high spot near the surf. Evan positioned the boat perfectly to allow Valerii to make a cast between the two fish to see which one would take the fly. One or two strips later, the bigger fish bullied the smaller one out of the way and devoured the fly. After a good tussle, the fish was brought to hand and measured a fantastic 106 cm. What a way to start Valerii, congratulations!

Guide Alex had father and son duo Richard Snr. And Richard Jnr. on the boat with him. They decided to venture to an island in the southwest of the Atoll in search of GTs from the skiff. After just a short while, Alex spotted a nurse shark with several sizable GTs close in tow. Richard Jnr. Laid out a good cast, and the fish lunged forward and ate the fly. As expected, the fish gave a feisty fight, and it took some brute force to bring it to hand. The fish was Richard’s biggest, measuring in at 97 cm. The team then went on a surf walk where both anglers would land another GT each. Just to add to the magical session, a group of bumpies was spotted tailing in the surf nearby, and Richard Snr. had his dibs on the first shot at one. Just a few casts and Richard came tight with the bison of the flats. He had no trouble landing this beautiful fish. Having accomplished his mission for the day, Richard Snr. targeted bonefish and easily got one to complete his flats slam!

Day three saw anglers Ed and Gordon both land GTs. Sean also managed to land a trophy bonefish at 64 cm, which would take any seasoned angler way into the backing.

The following day, Ed landed himself another GT along with Valerii and Sean, making it two a piece. Valerii was not quite done with the day and set out to target bumpies with guide Dean. Dean had Valerii on the bumpy in no time, and after a few casts, he managed to hook one, which unfortunately broke the leader. After resetting, Valerii had another go at the same group that seemed rather content on just feeding despite the earlier commotion. Valerii was soon into another; this time, the fish was well-hooked. With some quick work on the feet, Dean managed to race after the bumpy and net it before any corals could get in the way. This was Valerii’s first-ever bumpy, and it certainly fuelled his fire for targeting the strange fish.

Day five would be one of the most memorable days for guide Dean and Richard Snr. While walking the beach for a permit and already having had a few shots at the elusive fish, another unit of a golden specimen was spotted cruising slowly down the beach. Richard laid out one beautiful cast and made one or two long strips with the snake skin flexo crab at the end of his leader. The fish lit up and ate the flexo with force, and proceeded to empty a fair amount of line from the spool. After the usual stressful fight that tends to ensue when a permit is hooked, Dean managed to net the fish. It was even bigger than they had initially thought and ended up measuring a staggering 68 cm, making it the biggest perm of the season in Farquhar.

We ended on a high note. As the week drew to a close on day six, two GTs were landed, one each for Gordon and Richard Jr.

Thank you for the fantastic week, everyone. We made some incredible memories and can’t wait for you to join us again and make more!

Tight lines, from Blue Safari Fly Fishing on Farquhar Atoll

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