Fly Fishing Blog by Alphonse Fishing Co™

FARQUHAR ATOLL FLY FISHING REPORT | 17 – 24  APRIL 2024

The final week of the Farquhar fishing season saw nine lucky anglers take to the flats in search of diversity and quality, which is in no short supply on Farquhar.

To start off, Adrian managed to open his bonefish account with his first ever. On the same boat, Tom landed a beautiful GT to kick off his week. Guide Chad, with his American guests Hardwick and Lindsay, set out to find GTs. After a slow start to the day, it became apparent at the second stop that the GTs were around and hungry. Immediately upon arriving, a GT was spotted near a nurse shark. After chasing down the shark for a while, the fish eventually saw the fly and rushed straight at the bow, devouring the fly a few meters away from the boat. After Lindsay landed this feisty fish, it was Hardwick’s turn.

Seeing a few more GTs without clear shots lined up, Chad then spotted a massive group of GTs following more nurse sharks. One cast in front of the group, and every fish lit up to eat the fly. A large fish was hooked, but there was no purchase. It didn’t seem to matter because as the fly was in open water again, it was violently eaten. After a great tussle, the 92 cm GT was landed. However, even before the fish was landed, more fish surrounded the boat. While Hardwick was still battling his GT, Lindsay dropped his fly into the water right next to the boat and hooked a very large, brassy trevally, resulting in a great double-up. One more drift of the spot, and Lindsay landed another GT to make it two for the day.

The other standout boat for the day was guide Cullan’s, with father and son duo Mike and Nick on board. The duo decided to dedicate a decent amount of time to popping for GT in the hopes of snagging a trophy-size fish. Just before the end of the day, their plan paid off. Cullan positioned the boat near a deep drop-off, and Nick sent a long cast over the edge and popped it well. On the first cast, several large GTs came up from the depths and charged the popper, fighting for their meal. Nick managed to hook a decent fish, or so they thought. Unaware of the fish’s actual size, they tightened down on the line while anchored, but the fish showed no signs of slowing down. Cullan then realised the fish was bigger than expected and pulled the anchor to chase it. After some tense moments, the fish was landed, and their plan had come to fruition—a 102 cm GT and Nick’s first trophy.

Day two saw more incredible GT fishing. Nick continued his lucky streak, landing another fish, along with Hardwick and Lindsay, who both landed one each. The angler of the day was Tom, who was on the boat with head guide Gerry. Upon arriving at a spot known for its large bonefish schools, Gerry noticed a dark shape moving near the corals and, upon closer inspection, realised it was a large GT. Tom made a good cast, and the fish attacked the fly immediately. Experience proved crucial as Gerry reversed the boat away from the coral instead of chasing the fish, knowing that any slack could lead the fish into the corals. With the boat in reverse and tight drag, Tom managed to steer the GT away from danger and landed his trophy, a 105 cm GT – a stellar fish!

After a tough third day, the fishing picked up again on day four. Mike managed to join the party as he landed his first GT of the week. Lindsay also increased his tally with yet another GT. Clive and legendary guide Alex proved to be the standouts of the day. They spent most of their time walking the beach for GTs, and Clive managed to land two, the biggest being 87 cm.

Moving on to day five, Clive picked up another GT on the surf. Mike H also joined in on the action when he landed his first GT on the surf walk too. During the same surf walk with Mike and his son Nick, Nick tried his hand at catching a moustache triggerfish. After a few attempts, he landed his fly close enough to a large trigger to get its attention but not too close to spook it. The triggerfish dipped its head onto the fly and pinned it down, and as it did so, Nick set the hook with perfect timing. Fortunately, the triggerfish was very large and too big to hide in any coral. The fish was easily landed and measured in at 57 cm, making it the biggest of the season!

Jeremy who is no stranger to GT saltwater fly fishing, joined guide Evan in search of the prized fish. After landing his first GT of the week in the morning, Jeremy was already in high spirits. As they arrived at a spot known for big geets Evan spotted at least 15 large black GTs cruising in a group just under the surface. Jeremy cast at the group, and immediately as the fly hit the water, a large GT engulfed the fly but quickly headed directly for the boat and spat it out without tension. Almost immediately after the first GT spat out the hook, another nice fish ate the fly. A great consolation prize for the week coming in at 93 cm!

The final day of fishing ended on a high note. Nick and guide Evan found a big group of bumphead parrotfish tailing in the turtle grass shallows. Just a few casts into the group, Nick hooked into a sizeable specimen. Even with the drag tightened way down, it didn’t seem to slow the beast, but with some neck-deep sprinting by Evan, the fish was netted just as it was about to reach the corals. A beautiful bumphead parrotfish measuring 105 cm! Jeremy and Clive also added to the GT count for the week with one more each.

What a way to end the season’s fishing on Farquhar! A huge thank you to all the guests who joined us this season. We look forward to what next season holds and to having you all back again!

Tight lines, Blue Safari Fly Fishing on Farquhar Atoll

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