Fly Fishing Blog by Alphonse Fishing Co™

FARQUHAR ATOLL FLY FISHING REPORT |  05 MAR – 12 MAR

A group of ten old friends from America flew into Farquhar met with great weather and high anticipation of what was possible for the week. Day one started off with a bang as Matthew and Benny both landed a GT each. Benny also landed a trophy 65 cm bonefish. Paired up with guide Cullan and Alec having been a guide before for Alphonse, made for a deadly combo and did not disappoint. Cullan spotted a group of GTs moving towards the boat on some deep coral heads. It was not apparent at the time, but some thirty or more huge GTs and several nurse sharks made up the shoal. Alec fired in a great cast with his chartreuse and white beast fly and waited for the fish to see it before stripping. One or two strips and the fish annihilated the fly. Cullan was immediately on the motor and Alec did a great job of setting the hook and fighting the fish hard. After the tussle the pair measured the beast in at 109 cm and started the week off with a trophy GT to hand already.

Day two started with ominous weather on the horizon and before long most of the team had run back to the lodge to wait out the worst of it. Despite the weather, the team still managed some great catches. Alec landed himself another GT, while Luke and Alton managed to open their accounts with a moustache triggerfish each. Paired with guide Chase, Mark headed for the leeward side of the island to avoid the harsh winds and it was a great decision as they stumbled upon a group of large bumpies. A few casts into the group and it appeared that Mark had hooked one of the biggest ones. With expert guidance and a lot of running from Chase, he managed to net the 110 cm brute way out in the surf! Josh was paired with head guide Gerry and braved the conditions the whole day. His persistence would pay off as he landed a GT and a trophy yellow margin triggerfish of 51 cm.

On day three the extraordinary fishing continued with the weather improving. Luke ticked another box when he landed his first ever bumpy and a unit at that, measuring 103 cm. Josh paired up with guide Casey and decided to focus efforts on the leeward beaches on the inside of the atoll. He ticked off the bonefish and the GT rather early on in his day. After some persistence following around a group of permit for some time, Casey decided it best to quickly anchor the boat and walk after the group so as to keep a low profile. One of the permit broke away from the group and ate the tan flexo crab that Josh had expertly presented. After a few tense moments Josh managed to land his 55 cm permit, concluding the first flats slam for the week.

A standout boat was that of guide Cullan. First thing in the morning Cullan spotted a nurse shark with a large fish on it. He chased the shark down on the pole, but could not reach the shark before it vanished off of the edge of the flat. Luckily as they made it to the edge two different fish were swimming high on the surface in the deep water. Benny put out a very short cast given the brief amount of time he was given to make the shot and the fish immediately lit up and ate the fly practically under the bow of the boat with little to no room to spare. Cullan chased the fish down on the motor and had to dive the fly line out from around corals several times during the fight, highlighting the guides’ dedication to the game. His efforts paid off and Benny had his 113 cm trophy GT in the net in no time. Just to add to the crazy day, Alton who was on the same boat, managed to land his first bumpy in the surf slightly later in the afternoon.

On day four, Alton managed to land his first GT for the week. Day five brought some great fishing, albeit still tough weather conditions. Trip, being on his first ever saltwater fly trip, managed to land six bonefish, with the biggest measuring 65 cm. A trophy by all standards! Luke ticked another box and one that not too many get to tick, with his first golden trevally on fly, which is held in very high regards by all the guides in particular as being elusive and difficult to catch. Alton and Peter shared a skiff with guide Casey, who again came through with a solid day. Alton landed himself another GT, while Peter got his hands on a trophy moustache triggerfish in the surf, measuring 52 cm! Alec and Mark teamed up with guide Chad for the day and both anglers had a day to remember. First off Alec made a number of casts into a very happy group of tailing bumpies and eventually the stars aligned just right and he managed to hook one of the brutes. With his drag running tight and Chad running after the bumpy, it was a team effort that helped Alec land his first ever bumpy. As the bumpy was released a different group of bumpies appeared not far from the boat. Mark quickly stripped out his line and made one cast into the group and bang! First cast and he was also tightening up his drag to prevent the bumpy making the corals at the edge of the flats. Having already landed a bumpy for the week, Mark took no time in landing the fish. Next up the group spotted a GT patrolling a rocky island for batfish.

Again, Mark made a single cast and the GT ate. After landing the GT the team decided to seek out some bonefish and permit. Mark was up first for a bonefish. One cast at a single bonefish in the shallows and he had soon concluded his flats slam. Alec took the next few shots and landed a bonefish of his own. Right at the end of the day in the final half hour, Alec made three or four blind casts into a deep hole in the lagoon and hooked and landed a GT of his own, making it a double slam on the boat for the day. Day six of fishing may have been the best the whole week to send the gents off on a high note. Ashley managed to tick off his GT on the last day, while Trip who only just having landed his first ever bonefish the day before, managed to land himself a solid bumpy to end off his trip. Peter also got his hands on his first bumpy to end his trip in style. Paired with guide Chase, Mark walked the shallow water in the Manaha gaps, merely crossing through them to get to the surf zone for a walk, but while doing so managed to land a 50 cm trophy yellow margin triggerfish. Matthew put some effort in for a permit and managed to tick off a smaller but still very welcome golden nugget. The catch of the day was from none other than Luke, who waited until the final day to catch his first GT for the trip. He had that go big or go home attitude and it paid off for him. Paired with guide Cullan, they spotted a large GT patrolling a coral head. Luke made his shot and the fish seemed uninterested, but he fished the cast regardless and another unit of a GT appeared from the deep under the coral and engulfed the fly. Luke set the fish well and Cullan immediately started up and chased the fish down on the motor. To end his trip in the best way possible for Luke, he managed to land the 104 cm trophy GT!

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