Providence Blog: 14 -21 Nov 2023

We welcomed a full group of anglers from our friends at Yellowdog for the 5th week of fly fishing during our end-of-year season. Most of our new arrivals had never been to the Seychelles before, while a few others had recently spent limited time fishing another atoll in the region. Eager to show our new visitors our office for the next 6 days, we quickly got their gear ready and set off for an afternoon in the deep blue, hoping to catch a couple of edibles for the week ahead.

We got off to a great start on the first full day with 14 GTs shared between the group. Matt, John, George, Jarret, and Jud all opened their Providence GT accounts during the day, Jud’s fish a special catch breaking the fabled 100 cm mark. The top rod of the day however was Andy who landed 4 GTs, both impressive fish measuring 105 and 97 cm respectively. These 2 fish were caught in as many casts and within a minute of each other! Exciting stuff, well done, Andy!

With good weather conditions and energy levels that matched that of the day before, we headed to the flats excited about the fly fishing potential that lay before us. Pete got off the mark early with a nice GT, while Andy kept his good form going with another GT. Jud got off to a flying start as well with 2 GTs early during the day. On the tailing species front, John C got his and the group’s first bumpy to hand, as well as a Napoleon in a busy afternoon session somewhere deep in the atoll. Well done, John! In the deep blue, the team of Jay, Jeb, and George experienced some extraordinary fishing for speedy sailfish; landing three and hooking many more!

On the third day, the light continued to play ball, but the wind had other ideas, cranking up several notches. Jay got his first GT of the trip, while Matt and John landed their first-ever Bumpies. Well done, gents! The late afternoon Bluewater run produced a very respectable yellowfin tuna for John C, something that was greatly appreciated by everyone on board the Maya’s Dugong!

On the 4th day, we focused our attention on the tailing species and our guests made quick work of the opportunities that presented themselves. John D and Andy landed their first trigger each, as well as 5 bones and 1 small GT, resulting in a slam for John D. Ian and Rob also managed a GT each for the day while Jud added a triggerfish, bumpie, and greater barracuda to his growing list of species landed for the trip. Elsewhere on the atoll, George, enjoyed a purple patch of action landing his first bumpie, 2 GTs, a triggerfish, and a large barracuda. His boat partners, Pete and Jay, chipped in with a bumpie each bringing a busy day of flats fishing action to an end.

The 5th day had us dealing with bad light and strong wind, which resulted in very challenging fly fishing conditions for our guests to contend with. Despite the conditions, Jeb and Jarrett both enjoyed success, each landing their first bumpies, a colossal achievement! John C managed the only GT of the day, while his boat partners, Andy and Rob got stuck into the bones landing 16 between the pair. Ian, Pete, and John D landed 5 bonefish as well as several shots at Big Permit between the bonefish action. The anglers that caught fish on day 5 should be proud of their efforts considering the severity of the weather conditions.

We woke on the sixth day to clear skies, and we thought that we might be in luck, but shortly after breakfast, the clouds closed in, and the wind blew gale. Despite this, the teams did very well. Jud and George landed some bonefish and got some shots and truly massive GTs. John C and Jeb each landed bonefish of 10 lbs. Well done, guys! Andy, Matt, and John D landed 13 bonefish for the day. John D also added a giant barracuda and another triggerfish to his collection, which is a perfect way to end the week.