Providence Blog: 30 November – 7 December 2021

Welcome to the 8th and final week of the 2021 Providence Atoll fly fishing season. Following a quick yet thorough tackle setup, we steamed towards Providence with an excited expectation of what the atoll had in store for our group which was made up of new and familiar faces. 

The first morning dawned with clear skies and a stiff south-easterly wind. Water conditions were perfect for the atoll’s tailing fish species and our guests managed to convert several opportunities, with Sergey and Maxim landing a colourful Triggerfish each. Jeremy got stuck into the Bones landing 9 himself, one of which was an absolute monster of 10lbs. After seeing a forked tail break the surface on the edge of a turtle grass pancake, Jeremy presented his fly to the fish and after inducing the take, watched as his backing was stripped off his reel at lightning speed. After an intense fight he eventually managed to land a beautiful Bonefish and a genuine trophy…congrats Jeremy! A total of 2 GTs were landed for the day, with Claire and Michael sharing the spoils each landing their first Providence GTs on the fly. The day however belonged to Michael who after landing a Bonefish and a GT, managed to hook and land a large Bumphead Parrotfish to complete an Indian Ocean flats slam on his very first day fly fishing in saltwater! What a way to announce yourself to the Indian Ocean, well done Michael!

Day 2 dealt us challenging conditions which consisted of strong winds and overcast skies for most of the day. This made fly fishing opportunities for the faster moving targets a little trickier to convert, which resulted in just 2 GTs landed for the day. The tailing species, however, were out in full force and our guests managed to bring numerous special catches to hand. Most notable was a large lead fish Bumphead Parrotfish for Claire who expertly  presented her crab and set the hooks on. She kept her composure and after a long tug of war, she managed to land her first ever Bumpie on the fly. Great work Claire. The duo of Claire and Kevin then went to work on the atoll’s Bonefish population landing several fish each during an exciting skinny water walk and stalk fly fishing session. The high tide then allowed us to try our hand for the resident Sailfish population. Sergey took his chance, hooking and landing the first Sailfish of the week. 

Day 3 dawned with clearer skies and a moderate south-easterly wind. The good light and better conditions from a visibility perspective resulted in more convertible opportunities on GTs . A total of 7 were landed for the day. Steve and Jason managed to hook and land their first-ever GTs. Jason’s fish was an extra special one that was caught after he spotted a large stingray mud trail with several GTs feeding in it. Jason closed the distance between himself and the school and made his presentation only managing to get through a few strips before going tight and eventually landing a trophy of 104cm. A well-deserved catch, well done Jason! Jeremy also converted his chance when he saw a big fish bow waking between two deeper potholes on a large turtle grass flat. He made a long cast across the fish’s path and watched as it blasted towards and eventually inhaled his fly. An intense battle ensued with the fish giving several powerful runs before his beauty measuring 103cm was landed… nicely done, Jeremy! The big fish report continued with the fish of day going to Kevin, who after seeing a fish tailing along a mottled turtle grass edge, got into position and presented his fly with long fast strips. The fish covered the distance to the fly in a blink of an eye and engulfed it in the classic GT style. With the hook set the fish proceeded to strip backing with an aggressive first run and after a dogged back and forth he managed to get the fish to hand. The fish pulled the measuring tape to an impressive 116cm. A fish of a lifetime, well done Kevin!

Day 4 saw us enjoy clear skies and conditions favourable for productive Giant Trevally fly fishing. This resulted in a total of 10 brought to hand for the day. Maxim, who was on his first-ever saltwater fly fishing trip, managed to hook and land his first GT on the fly when he encountered a fish following a stingray during the incoming tide. The fish wasted little time charging down his fly in exceptionally shallow water, throwing water 4ft into the air when it turned following the hookset. An exciting moment and wonderful spectacle, congrats Maxim! 

Day 5 and more of the same from a visibility perspective. The great visuals on the flats assisted our group in converting their opportunities, with us landing a total of 15 GTs for the day. The highlight of the day’s exploits went to Claire after she spotted a massive blue shape creeping its way up the edge of a coral pancake flat. Waiting patiently, she delivered an accurate presentation as the fish came into range. The moment the fish spotted her fly, it accelerated forward smashing her baitfish imitation. After the hookset, the game was on to wrestle the fish out of the coral gardens and after successfully doing this her trophy was brought to hand. A new personal best of 113cm!!! Well done on completing a magnificent catch, Claire!

The final day of the fishing week saw us experience severe weather conditions, with strong gusts of wind and heavy rain for most of the day. Despite the challenging conditions our group managed to land a total of 9 GTs, the standout catch going to Michael who had been on a mission to land a trophy GT on the fly. His efforts paid off when a shoal of 5 fish was spotted swimming along the edge of a large turtle grass flat. He made a great presentation several yards ahead of the fish, waited for them to swim closer, and then began his retrieve going tight shortly thereafter. He later brought in a powerful 98cm GT,  which was a great catch considering the trying conditions experienced at the time. Well done Michael. 

With the wind at our back, we bring the first half of the Providence 2021 season to a close. Our catch tally for the week was: 

• GTs – 46 (5 over a meter)
• Bumphead Parrotfish – 3 
• Triggerfish – 2
• Sailfish – 2
• Bonefish – 25 (1 of 10lbs.)
• Total tally of other species caught – 375

We enjoyed so many special moments on the flats this season! Shared smiles, laughs, and the odd moment of heartbreak together. A big thank you from us to the larger FlyCastaway family, we look forward to welcoming you all back in the near future.

Unit next season,

The Providence Guide Team