Bumphead Parrotfish - FlyCastaway

Providence Blog: 2 – 9 April 2024

Welcome to the 5th week of the Providence blog. This week we welcomed a mixed group of anglers from the United States and South Africa, most of whom, regulars to the Providence fly fishing experience.

The first day of the fishing week was warm with little wind. Due to the tiny tidal range and calm conditions, we experienced warm water throughout the atoll. Despite the tricky conditions we still managed to get a few good catches to hand. Rick, 1 of our few newcomers managed to open his GT account early in the day when he intercepted a GT that was following a shark. Peter W struck gold when a large school of tailing GTs crossed his path, a quick cast into the shoal resulted in a beautiful 96cm GT landed. He later added to his tally with a smaller fish that he convinced to jump on a crab fly on his 9wt. On the tailing species front, Kevin and Carlos each managed to get colourful Triggerfish to hand while Taylor managed to pick up a Bonefish late in the day to close of the catch tally.

The second day was bright and with a slight breeze from the southeast. The day started particularly well for Taylor who managed to land her first ever GT early on when she spotted 2 fish cruising along the edge of a large sand flat. She later added to her tally in a similar fashion while her brother, Colby, wasn’t going to be outdone and landed his first and later another. Well done guys! Nico add his name to the score board with a powerful GT while Peter found himself in the action yet again, landing an energetic GT. It was however Kevin W’s Day, when he spotted 3 large fishing swimming along a turtle grass finger. His fly went down and 3 strips later he found himself attached to an turbocharged GT that pulled loads of backing off the reel. After some fancy boat work by his guide his fish was eventually landed. A trophy of 118cm! Awesome job, Kev! Jeremy, Carlos, and Scott chipped in on the tailing fish front with each of the landing large Yellow Margin Triggerfish.

The third day was warm, and so was a lot of the water in the atoll. Nico found himself in the action on the GT front again, he landed a fin perfect fish off a stingray. Father and son duo, Peter & Kev got it done, 3 and 2 GTs landed respectively while Colby closed off the GT tally with a single decent GT. Kevin landed yet another Triggerfish while Taylor found a Bonefish, which is miraculous considering the conditions. Great job, Taylor!

The fourth day saw a sudden change in the swell around the atoll with large waves breaking onto the outer banks of Providence. The highlight of the day was the exceptional fishing our group experienced for Group and Snapper with loads of large fish brought to hand. Noteworthy catches were Carlos’s 108cm and Kevin’s 95cm Napoleon Wrasse caught within minutes of each other. GTs were part of the returns too, with Carlos and Jeremy both landing GTs amongst the Group and Snapper chaos! Colby landed the only other GT for the day.

The fifth day saw a slight change

in weather conditions with rolling squalls and patchy light. Rick found himself in the right place, at the right time when he stumbled upon some 20 GTs on 3 large stingrays. After a couple of near misses, he eventually got 1 to stick, a proud moment, well done Rick. Carlos managed to complete a flats slam with a GT, Triggerfish, and Bumphead Parrotfish, congrats and well-deserved Carlos. Jeremy however had bigger fish to fry, literary, and landed a bus 116cm GT, way to go Jeremy! Nico chipped in with a GT that was found while it patrolled the edge of the beach and Gerhard managed to get 1 to hand too, encountered while holding in the current near a small depression.

The last day of the week saw us experience a mix of bright sunshine, cloud, and wind with flat calm moments thrown into the mix too – very strange for us on the weather front at the moment. Craig left it late, but got it done nonetheless early on the morning of the 6th day when he found a GT tailing on a stingray in very shallow water. His fly went down and the magic moment happened, he was connected to his first GT. A few nervy moments later his prize was in his hands, well done Craig. He later added another that encountered when a school of GTs arrived during lunch. 2 in 1 day, great work Craig! Jeremy also enjoyed good fishing landing 3 himself, the biggest 81cm. Carlos, Kevin, Peter, and Nico each landed a single GT to add to the tally. Colby landed a colour Triggerfish to put a full stop on the tailing fish species catch report for the week. Kev, left his best for last, while waiting in large surf a large GT happened to swim right at him. He made a fantastic cast and hooked yet another giant. This time, there was no boat to help him with the fight of the fish and he had to make due with a little luck and good gear… Both happened to be on his side this time. His fish, a beautiful 126cm GT was the perfect way to end a enjoyable weeks fishing! Great job, boys!

That brings us to the end of yet another week of fly fishing the pristine flats of Providence Atoll. This week was 1 of laughter, smiles, adventure, ups and downs. We thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to see all of those who joined us again in the near future!

Our catch tally for the 5th week of the season was as follows:

GTs – 39 (3 of 100cm & biggest 126cm)
Bumphead Parrotfish – 2
Triggerfish – 8
Bonefish – 3
Napoleon Wrasse – 11 (108cm)

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Team

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Providence Blog: 26 March – 2 April 2024

The midway point of our Providence March – April 2024 fly fishing season saw us welcome a mix of familiar faces from South Africa and US with the addition of a handful of newcomers. Excited to see what the atoll had in store for us, we went to work reading everyone’s gear and headed to our anchorage for the week.

The first day of the fishing week dawned dark, with heavy rain and strong winds out of the west. With limited visibility and buckets of rain falling continuously throughout the day our team had to improvise and spend time on the few white sand patches available. Despite the torrid conditions we made the most of the day with most of the group enjoying phenomenal fishing for grouper, snapper and Bluefin Trevally. As for the iconic species… Dave, Paul, Doug, Ben, and Ian all landed a single GT each while Bruce managed to get 2 to hand. Derek got stuck into the bonefish, landing 4 with the biggest estimated to be in the region of 9 lbs. These were fantastic returns considering the trying conditions we endured. Well done, gentlemen!

The second day began with much improved weather… Sunshine, and almost no wind, then by mid-day we were pelted with rain and powerful winds out of the southwest. This massive squall made fishing almost impossible for the duration of the afternoon. Paul, Wayne, and Mark pulled off the impossible bringing a GT each to hand. Thrown into the mix were a few groupers, snapper and Bluefin Trevally split amongst the group. All in all, a tough day on the flats.

The halfway point of the week saw improvement on the weather front, as well as the fishing. With decent light, and more fish on the move our group made the most of their opportunities with Doug managing to land 2 GTs… Wayne, David, and Mark all got stuck into the action too with a 1 GT each. It was however Graham’s Day, when he crossed paths with a genuine trophy GT that was encountered while it patrolled along a lagoon edge. His cast went in and before he could get through his third strip, he was tight to 114cm of pure power. After a long battle he eventually got his beauty to hand, an impressive fish. Great going Graham! Dean later closed off the catch report with a respectable GT of 96 cm.

The fourth day brought with it more action on the flats. The flats team of Wayne, Graham, and Dean enjoyed several opportunities in front of skinny water GTs with the team managing to boat 5 GTs for the day. Well done guys! Derek, however, was the standout angler for the day and landed 4 GTs and 1 Yellow Margin Triggerfish… Excellent returns for a day out saltwater fly fishing! Ben managed to land his first Triggerfish on the fly, a large Yellow Margin. Great going Ben, well done. Add to the impressive action for the iconic species were phenomenal catches of grouper, snapper, and Bluefin Trevally which kept our anglers entertained for most of the day.

The fifth day dawned bright and calm with no cloud cover to speak of. The picture-perfect conditions reminded us of the beauty of the place. Ben went tight early on landing a hefty 87 cm GT while his boat partner, Dereck went 1 better landing a fin-perfect 100cm GT just a few moments later. He wasn’t done there and landed a strong 94 cm fish in the dying moments of the day. Mark, Doug, Jo, and Bruce each landed a single GT while Paul tasted epic success while walking along a finger flat. He saw 2 large fish swimming along the edge of the flat and quickly chased them down, sent out a long cast, and went tight into something massive… After an epic tussle he eventually landed a beautiful 104cm GT. Paul’s PB, a special and well-deserved moment! Dean found himself in the hive of pufferfish and managed to land 4 which must be some kind of record. He also managed to land a 2 beautiful Triggerfish. His boat partners, Wayne, and Graham each landed 2 Triggers bringing the boats total tally for the session to 6 Triggers landed. A very special session, well done boys!

The last day of the fishing week saw us dealt with warm water throughout the atoll. This had a negative effect of the fishing. Jo and Ian landed a GT each while Doug caught his first Triggerfish of the trip. Wayne landed 2 GTs and a Bonefish, while his boat partners Paul, and Dean landed a couple bones each as well.

That brings us to the end of the 4th week on fishing Providence Atoll. We enjoyed improved fishing from the previous week and we all felt rejuvenated with the prospects of the weeks to come. A special thank you to everyone who joined us this week, we hope to see you all again sometime soon.

Our catch tally for the week was:

GTs – 38 (3 of 100cm)
Bonefish – 8 (Biggest 8lbs)
Triggerfish – 9
Total tally of other species landed – 168

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 19 – 26 March 2024

Perfect sunshine, soaring temperatures, and 100% humidity welcomed our third group of fishermen to Providence Atoll. Our 12 new guests, all from the United States, hosted by The Fly Shop out of Redding, California were newcomers to the Prov experience and over the moon to finally find themselves on her shores.

The first day of the fishing week was 1 of education. A new marine environment, with new species resulted in us having to spend a few hours couching and tweaking technique before we could get into the action proper. Pat managed to get his first Yellow Margin Triggerfish while Bob, convinced not 1 but 2 Yellow Margin Triggers to his fly as well as a feisty GT. What a way to start, Bob, well done! Evert, meanwhile, got stuck into the Bonefish landing his biggest ever of 9 lbs. and a little while later, he added a colourful Yellow Margin Triggerfish. Dick closed off the catch report with a single Bone.

Day 2 saw a delayed start due to a powerful squall with heavy wind and rain. The second the squall passed us we headed to the flats and enjoyed decent weather for the remainder of the day. The GTs made a good show of themselves with Mike G, Mike, Pat, Evert, Dick, and Bruce all tasting success on this front. Dave managed to land the only Bonefish for the day.

The third day brought with it tricky conditions in the way of dark cloud and little wind. The diminished visibility on the flats really made the fishing tough and only a single GT was caught for the day. Evert, the man of the moment caught a brute 93cm fish that was spotted sitting in ambush position in a small drainage channel. Evert made a great cast and before he could get through his first strip the GT rushed forward and engulfed his fly. Following an epic battle and with a bit of luck going his way, the fish was eventually landed! Great job, Evert!

Day 4 had us endure strong winds out of the southeast. Despite the challenging casting conditions, we still managed to convert several GTs for the day. Matt found himself in the right place, at the right time, and managed to land 2 GTs himself, while Mark pinned 2 hungry GTs from as many stingrays… His fish were found tailing next to the rays which is always a very exciting spectacle for both angler and guide. Dave and Tom added to the tally with a GT each and finally was Bruce’s impressive 93 cm catch, caught while it patrolled along a white sand beach. The fish ate his fly just a few inches from the shore and was certainly a moment of magic that Bruce will remember for a long time to come.

Day 5 was an absolute scorcher. No wind and incredible heat made fishing conditions difficult to say the least. Despite this we soldiered on and managed a handful of decent catches with both Bob and Mike managing to fool a GT each. Dennis added a splash of colour to the day’s catch report with the only Triggerfish brought to hand for the day. Though we experienced difficult fishing the seascapes we were treated too were exceptional… As has been said many times before, a day’s fishing sure does beat a day in the office!

The 6th and last day of the fishing week had us extra motivated to turn things around on the fishing front. All 4 boats headed across the atoll to the eastern side with high hopes of opportunities for the iconic species we so dearly wanted to catch. Mother nature however, had something else in mind for us and delivered a massive weather system by midmorning with incredibly dark clouds, rolling squalls, and periods of almost no wind. This made for exceptionally tricky fishing conditions, and this showed in our catch report with just 2 GTs landed for the day… 1 going to Bruce while the other fell to Dick.

All in all, the third week our season proved to be exceptionally challenging on the fishing front. A mix of hot water and difficult weather conditions culminated to produce the perfect storm so to speak… Nevertheless, we still thoroughly enjoyed exploring our favourite Seychelles fishery with our new friends and hope that they get a better set of circumstances the next time they visit us out here. As for our catch tally, we landed the following fish for the week:

GTs – 19
Triggerfish – 5
Bonefish – 3
Total tally of Grouper, Snapper, and others: 181

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 12 – 19 March 2024

A new day, a new blog! Welcome to the second week’s fly fishing report from Providence for the year of 2024. This week saw us welcome our old friends from Aardvark Mcleod. A full contingent of anglers from England and 1 from Germany all arrived excited, and ready to enjoy a week of fishing our favourite atoll in the Seychelles.

Ominous cloud banks and showers on the eastern horizon set the tone, weather wise, for the entire week. The first day nevertheless delivered exciting fly fishing for several of Providence’s iconic species… The GTs were out in full force, and we managed to land 11 for the day with the standout catch going to Joern when he was visited by a lunch time GT that wasted no time in grabbing a bit of lunch itself, charging the fly twice before eventually smashing the little brush fly. Joern’s beauty measured an impressive 102 cm, and was a wonderful way to get things going. Brummy, Steve, and James also enjoyed some hardcore action landing 6 between themselves when a large school of GTs were found with several sharks. Piers chipped in with a colourful Triggerfish and Peter M finally, after several years of fishing Providence, managed to land his first Bumphead Parrotfish, great job and well-deserved Peter!

The second day delivered similar action on the GT front with a total of 9 landed for the day. This time, the top angler was young Jack, with 1 of his 3 GTs measuring 101cm! Piers, found himself in the thick of the action too, when he found himself surrounded by a school of 10 large fish. He landed the fly and hooked a powerful GT that measured 103 cm. A little later during the day he landed yet another Triggerfish. Good job, Piers. Peter M, Peter O, Fred, and Gerry all added a couple GTs to the tally.

Day 3 and the weather took a turn for the worse. With little light and no wind, visibility on the flats was especially limited. Despite this we managed to catch a couple fish. Piers, Steve, James, and Peter M all landed a couple GTs. Fred, managed to land a feisty Triggerfish as well as a large Bumphead Parrotfish. Peter O added a GT and Triggerfish to the tally while his son, Jack, chipped in with a colourful Triggerfish to bring an exciting close to the day.

The fourth day brought with it even more desperate weather conditions. We however soldered on and did what we could to find some action. Peter O, Fred, and James all landed a single GT while Piers, who clearly had his Triggerfish mojo going strong managed to land another one of these colourful and exciting targets. Peter M landed 1 too, his first for the week. Well done, Peter!

The fifth day of the week delivered scratchy fishing with little returns. Peter M landed 2 GTs, Joern a single fish, while Peter O got stuck into the action on the Triggerfish front, this time landing a beautiful Yellow Margin. It was however Peter Mcleod’s day. As he waited on the edge of the atoll on the slack tide, he noticed a slight disturbance and the caught sight of the tip of a fin protruding just above the surface of the water. He quickly sent out a prospecting cast and before he could get through the third strip of his retrieve there was a massive explosion on his fly and he was tight. With line ripping off his reel in a blur and by the size of the wake caused by the fish as it tried with desperate determination to reach the open ocean everyone knew it was a giant. After a long battle the fish was eventually landed and pulled the measuring tape all the way to 113cm. A beautiful fish, and a deserved catch for Mr. Mcleod. Well done to everyone involved!

The final day of the fishing week saw the weather continue in the same manor that had abused us for the entire week. The dark conditions and subsequent cool water on the flats however delivered incredible Bonefish fishing for the team of Peter Mcleod, Peter O, and Jack. The trio landed 23 large Bones between them for the day with the largest going to Jack when landed a massive 29-inch fish which put it in the region of 10 lbs.! A great catch for the young man! James, also landed a real beast of Bone, which was close to the 10 lb. mark while Gerry, Piers, and Joren landed the only GTs for the day. Piers, as you probably guessed it, landed another Triggerfish, this time an absolute bus of a Yellow Margin to close off the fishing for the week.

In summary, this was a week filled with contrasts… Laughter, smiles, and fun despite the depressive weather we endured for the entire week. As always, we enjoyed every minute of it and are grateful that our old friends from Aardvark Macleod did what they could to make the most of their time with us! We can’t wait to welcome you all back next year. As for the catch tally, we landed the following fish for the week:

GTs – 40 (4 of 100cm with the biggest 113cm)
Bonefish – 24 (1 of 10lbs.)
Triggerfish – 8
Bumphead Parrotfish – 2
Total tally of other species landed – 85

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 5 – 12 Dec 2023

Before we knew it, the final week of the Providence October – December 2023 season was here.
Fate would have it that we welcomed back our friends from AOS, Alex and Stephan. They were hosting a full house of guests from Austria, Marco was staying on for another week and our friend from South Africa, Peter, joined the group. A few first-timers to the salt and some guests on their 10th trip to the Seychelles. We were set to finish the week and season strong.

On the first day, we had some patchy light and low winds. Manuel, Gernot, and Chris’s team got straight into the action when they came across a mob of nurse sharks with about 200 GTs with them. Chris and Manuel landed a few GTs immediately, but the day went to Gernot, who landed his first GT and 3 others, including a 112cm. Well done Gernot The husband and wife team of Klaus V and Christina teamed up with Peter. Peter got off the mark early with an excellent GT on a crab. They all landed 1 bonefish each, and Christina got a sizeable yellow margin trigger to hand. Klaus V also landed a nice-sized Napoleon. The new team of Freddy, Klaus and Lucas landed their first GTs for the trip. Alex, Stephan, and Marco also got into the gents and brought 6 to hand. Bring the first day to a close with 17 GTs landed and signs of good things to come.

Sadly, as we often experience on the atoll, the weather can change on a dime, and we woke on the second day to 360 degree glare and rain all day. The teams thus set out to find a few bonefish; Lukas and Klaus landed their first 2 bones each, whilst Freddy caught his first and five more for the day, plus landed his first ever sailfish. Well done gents! Christina and Peter landed the only 2 GTs for the day.

We rose to beautiful weather on day three and set out to try to make up for the previous day’s bad light. Freddy, Klaus, and Lukas kept their momentum going with 1 each and 5 more bonefish. Peter, Christina, and their husband Klaus landed 8 bonefish—five for Peter, 2 for Klaus, and 1 for Christina. Alex, Stephan, and Marco found five lovely bones in the morning, and Stephan landed the first and only bumpy for the week. But the day’s fish went to Marco, who hooked and landed a GT measuring 114cm after a stressful fight involving some coral heads and a few swims. Well done, Marco!

On the 4th day, we had much of the same momentum. The teams kept the GT tally steadily ticking over with many more memorable catches. The trio of Alex, Stephan, and Marco landed 8 GTs, but the most memorable was 1 of Stephan’s fish that ate spectacularly after a long follow-in; the fish also measured 97cm—well done gents! Klaus, Freddy and Lukas also landed 5 GTs, 2 for Freddy and Klaus and one for Lukas, including a nice GT caught by Klaus V. This brought the day’s tally to 13 more GTs.

For the 5th and second to last day of the season, it looked like we would have excellent light and low winds. Peter got off the mark first with an absolute cracker of a fish, which after a short chase and another swim, the fish measuring 115cm was landed. His fishing partners Klaus V and Christina sadly ost a bumpy each shortly after. The other teams used the light well and caught many more GTs. Freddy, big Klaus and Lukas landed 7 GTs between them. The trio of Alex, Stephan and Marco matched this number. Emanuel, Chris and Gernot landed four more, whilst Chris ended the day off with a sailfish. Well done to everyone!

The season’s final day was here and thankfully the weather was going to play fair. We set off with blue skies and high hopes. Big Klaus landed his final GT for the trip which was spotted sitting in a white hole. Marco, Stephan, Klaus V and Peter also finished with a final GT each for their trip. Gernot and Manuel also landed a fish each, but it was Gernot who topped the teams with a second fish in the afternoon. Well done to all on a great week fo fishing and fun to close out our season!

This brings the week tally and the season to a close as follows:

GT – 63 (3 > 112cm)
Bonefish – 33
Bumphead Parrotfish – 1
Triggerfish – 1
Sailfish – 2
Napoleon – 2
Other – 112

Till next season,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 28 Nov – 5 Dec 2023

For the seventh week of the Providence October-December season, we welcomed back some new and old faces, along with great friend Tony who was staying on for his second week. A team of 5 from South Africa, including Andy, Andrew, Mark, Hilton and George joined us, whilst Dan and Charles from the USA made their first trip to Providence and Marco returned for another crack at what the atoll has to offer.

We rose on the first day to almost no wind and bright blue skies, an absolute relief given the conditions we experienced the week prior. Hilton got off the mark early with his first GTs of the trip and the guys got stuck into some excellent Bommie bashing to stretch the lines and see what their gear was made of. Andrew managed to get a GT for himself, but the rod of the day was Tony who made up for the terrible weather the week before. He landed 5 GTs, 2 over a meter (107 cm and a 103 cm) as well as a fish of 97 cm. It is an excellent example of making it count when it matters. Well done, Tony.

We had the same beautiful weather on the second day including some severe heat. There was zero wind but amazing blue skies. Tony landed a nice GT, whilst the team of Hilton and George landed a GT each for the day. Andrew landed a beautiful GT of 93 cm in a big drainage and Mark simultaneously hooked a giant Bluefin, making a great double-up of the photo. The trio of Charles, Dan, and Marco got 6 GTs to the boat between, during which Charles landed 3 and Dan landed his first of 101 cm. Well done Dan! Charles landed an exceptional fish of 109 cm as well.

We went to a completely different weather conditions on the third day: gloomy grey skies and all-day rain awaited us. We waded out into the gloom with high spirits. Andy landed his first triggerfish on his first trip to the Seychelles, an excellent achievement that can often take many trips to achieve. Andrew landed a beautiful sailfish and Marco landed another GT for the day.

On the fourth day, we hesitantly peeked out the window hoping that the weather had gone! To our joy we were back to beautiful blue skies and low winds. Tony kept his momentum going by landing a GT and a sailfish in the morning. Hilton also managed to bring a sail to hand, however George was the hot rod on his boat by landing 2 GTs before the end of the day. The ever-steady Marco landed yet another GT for the day, whilst Charles and Mark found a few bonefish and brought 6 to hand.

The 5th day held more incredible weather and the teams were well into the swing of things.
George caught his first trigger of the trip….well done George. Hilton and Andrew landed 1 GT each and Tony also kept his average up by getting yet another GT. The ever-consistent Marco landed two GTs out of a drainage, 1 of them measuring 90cm.

For the final day, it almost felt like the weather might be too nice in that warm water might play a part. The trio of Andrew, Hilton and Mark found some GTs, and Andrew cashed in by landing 3 by himself. Hilton also snagged one to bring his Prov trip to a successful close. Andy caught his second trigger for the trip. Well done. Tony did exceptionally well to land four triggers for the day, a personal record for himself. Well done, Tony. The trio of Charles, Dan and Marco landed 2 GTs and Charles and Marco landed their first triggers of the trip. Well done gents!

This brings the week’s tally to:

GT – 32 ( 4 > 1m biggest 109cm)
Bonefish – 6
Triggerfish – 7
Sailfish – 4

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 21 – 28 Nov 2023

We welcomed a near full boat of return guests, some from South Africa and some from New Zealand, along with Tony who was about to start a 2-week stint with us.

After an early dinner and a good rest, all the guests rose on the first day to storms, rain, and almost no light. The teams headed onto the flats to look for bonefish and other tailing species. Despite the conditions, Chris M got off the board with his first GT of the week with the rest of the group enduring a torrid time on the flats due to the weather. Eventually after a massive storm we all scampered back to the safety of the Dugong in the early evening.

We had great hope that would be the last of the weather, but the second day held much of the same. With the tides still okay for a few bonefish, we tried to make do with what we had. Chris M landed another GT while Tony added a perfect GT of 92 cm to the tally. The boat grouping of Charles, Richard, and Craig found a few bonefish, it was however Charles who enjoyed the bulk of the action landing 5 bones, 2 Napoleons, and a barracuda. Richard meanwhile joined a unique club, the Bills and Bones Club, landing his first of each. Well done guys!

By the third day, we had become low light and strong wind specialists. Craig, Rich and Charles continued to enjoy the bonefishing despite the weather hammering us relentlessly. Craig managed to finally land his first GT as well as a powerful Napoleon. The father & son team of Chris and James managed 2 bones, a special moment shared between the pair as this was James’s first-ever experience with a bonefish. He later added a GT to his catch tally for the day. Tony found a triggerfish somewhere in the haze and did very well to land it while his boat partner David landed another Napoleon.

We finally rose on the fourth day to what looked like a little bit of a break in the weather, with some patches of blue sky showing up amongst the clouds. Tony and David did very well; Tony landed a GT in a channel of 85 cm and later he landed a speedy sailfish. Chris W, Chris C, and Pete managed to land 1 GT each for the day while Richard finally got the monkey off his back when he landed his first GT of the trip. Well done Rich!

The fifth day saw us battle the wind, rain and lack of light once again. Restricted to a few white sand flats available to us we managed to scratch out the odd opportunity for the iconic species we were after. Catches of note included Chris W’s 2 GTs, a handful of bonefish for Tony and David as well as a big dogtooth tuna landed offshore.

Before we knew it it was the final day of the fishing week and we finally had some pleasant weather consisting of manageable wind and patchy sunlight. Chris C was the rod of the day landing a beautiful 101 cm GT. His fish was encountered as it attempted to cross a shallow area on an isolated flat. With a full quarter of its body exposed, Chris’s fly went down and the fish rooster tailed 10 meters in a second to smash it. A lengthy battle ensued and eventually the fish was landed – A tremendous fish for the week despite everything thrown at the group! Chris C’s success didn’t stop there, he along with his fishing buddies Chris W and Pete got stuck into 3 enormous grouper, culminating in an awesome triple, a massive Napoleon wrasse, an even bigger saddleback grouper and a large bohar snapper. Later, Pete would add yet another trophy Napoleon to his tally for the day. Special stuff guys, well done. Chris W then, in the dying moments of the last fishing day managed to hook a sailfish that actually spooled him. With the fishing gods on his side, the knot to the reel spool held strong just long enough to gain some line on the fish and then eventually land it. What a way to end the fishing week!

Week 6 goes down as one of the tougher weeks we’ve encountered. Hats off to the guides and guests for hanging in there, all while laughing, joking and fishing hard every single day.

The week’s catch tally was:

GT – 14 (biggest 101cm)
Sailfish – 4
Bonefish -12
Triggerfish = 1
Total number of other fish species landed – 143

Yours in fishing,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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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.

The week’s catch tally was as follows (tough light and strong winds made it difficult, but we still managed to record some great catches):

• GT – 27 ( 2 of 1m ) biggest 105cm

• Bonesfish – 56 ( 2x 10lb)

• Triggerfish – 5

• Barracuda – 3

• Sailfish – 3

• Napoleon – 3

• Total tally of other fish landed for the week – 356

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 7 – 14 Nov 2023

For the fourth week of the Providence season, we welcomed a mix of seasoned guests and first-time Indian ocean fishermen to the Maya’s Dougong. Julius and Rob stayed on for a second week to see what they could find, while Mike, a seasoned Providence guest, joined Mark and James as first-time anglers to the Indian Ocean. We were also excited to welcome back the Mako Reel team of Justin and Matt who made up a two-ball while Vladimir and Gregory, both seasoned anglers finished off our roster of guests for the week.

The first day of week 4 started with a bang for both Mark and Mike. The pair managed to land their first GT and several bonefish. Julius, now entirely in the swing of things, got his first Providence Slam consisting of a GT, bonefish, and triggerfish. Well done, Julius! Matt and Justin got stuck into the GTs, landing 12 for the day and 2 bones and a triggerfish, resulting in a Providence slam for Justin. Gregory and Vladimir landed 3 GTs, a trigger, and 1 milkfish.

On the second day, we woke to beautiful weather, clear skies, and almost no wind. Mike kept the momentum going by landing 4 GTs. Gregory landed his second GT of the trip as well as a large yellowmargin triggerfish. Justin chipped in with a huge trigger, while Julius did the same adding another trigger and a bonefish to his trip’s catch tally.

On the third morning, we rose to yet of the same weather-wise with low winds and good sunlight. The team of Justin and Matt did incredibly well to land 1 milkfish and 1 sailfish each for the day. Vladimir got himself a beautiful GT of 95 cm with several bones while Gregory added a lovely triggerfish to the catch tally. Rob and Julius landed 3 GT’s, 2 milkfish and a triggerfish.

On the fourth day, Julius and Rob got off the mark in spectacular fashion, with a GT double…..the fish measuring 107cm and 101 cm respectively. This incredible achievement was made even better by 2 more GTs for the day. The cherry on top of Julius’s day was a speedy sailfish he managed to get to hand in the dying moments of day 4. An absolute cracker of a day shared between father and son. Well done guys! Meanwhile, elsewhere on the atoll, Mark managed to get another GT and Justin and Matt’s team added 3 more milkfish to the score, as well as 1 bumpy and 1 GT… A busy day on the flats indeed!

The fifth day saw us deal with tricky conditions in the way of weather, with strong wind and rain making for incredibly tough fly fishing scenarios. Thus, Justin and Matt were the only team to catch any of Providence’s iconic fish, each landing a single GT for the day.

The final day of the fishing week saw Justin and Matt keep their good momentum going. Justin landed an outstanding catch in the way of a 60 kg dogtooth tuna as well as a fantastic GT of 98 cm. Rob and Julius managed to land a couple GTs, 1 triggerfish, and sadly, lost a sailfish. The trio of James, Mark, and Mike managed one each for the final day.

Our catch tally for the 4th week of the season was:

• GTs – 43 (2 of 100cm)

• Triggerfish – 9

• Sailfish – 3

• Bonefish – 14

• Bumphead Parrotfish – 1

• Milkfish – 8

• Total number of other fish caught – 155

Till next week,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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Providence Blog: 17 – 24 October 2023

The opening week of the Providence Oct-Dec 23 fly fishing season saw us welcome a few Prov veterans as well as a couple of new faces to the atoll. Excited nerves served as fuel while our team quickly readied everyone’s gear while acclimating to the warm tropical atmosphere, that would be our home for the next 2 months.

The first day was themed by all things with teeth. Dave, Joe, and John set off on a mission for GTs and despite tricky light and strong winds they still managed to land their first GTs of the trip. Drew got on the board with his first and second GT ever while his boat partner, Jean-Christophe managed to tame a beautiful 97 cm specimen. Great work, JC! Over in the lagoons, Joern also got himself on the board with a respectable GT and enjoyed productive fishing for the atoll’s native grouper and snapper which brought a satisfying end to Day 1.

Day 2 and determined to make the most of the tides, we headed to the flats as fast as our boats would take us! There was much more cloud cover than expected, and the teams did very well despite the conditions. Dave, Joe, and John had a couple of good shots at GTs, but were a bit unlucky. Dave, however, landed his first GT on the flats and measured a respectable 80 cm. Well done, Dave. The returning trio of Mike, Keith, and André were hard done by with bad light and a few unlucky shots at GTs. Keith did however manage to get on the board at the end of the day with his first GT of the trip. Well done, Keith. Over in a small drainage, JC, Jacob, and Drew had a stella day on the GT front, coming home with many stories and a few fantastic GTs. Drew landed a monster of 105 cm, Jacob managed to land one of 95 cm as well as a massive fish of 112 cm. Well done, gentleman! Another fish hooked by Jacob was taxed dramatically by a bull shark close near the end of the fight, which got his and his guide’s heart racing and made for a bittersweet victory with just the head coming in to hand. Joern also quietly kept his tally going with another GT, he also sadly lost two bumpies after lengthy fights.

On the third day we arose to terrible conditions including 20-knot winds and total cloud cover. Undeterred, we headed out for the day’s fishing. Joern and Ron kept their good streak going by landing another GT each. Over on a lumpy coral flat, JC, Drew, and Jacob beat the conditions by getting stuck into 9 very large bonefish. They had a triple-up with all 3 bones measuring over 65 cm, 1 of which was a 10-pounder caught by JC. Another excellent catch JC, well done! They didn’t stop there, with Jacob hooking and landing 2 triggerfish, 1 of each species. A little further down the same flat, Drew fished brilliantly to 4 different pairs of Permit but sadly he couldn’t convince any of them to eat his fly. Mike and Keith also did very well to land 2 GTs, 1 apiece and a special moment shared between old friends. Towards the end of the day, everyone got stuck into grouper and snapper, some of which were exceptional in size.

We didn’t think the conditions could get any worse than the day before but they sure did. We endured 30-knot winds and zero sunlight for most of the day. Like true troopers and despite Mother Nature’s best efforts, Jean Christoph, Drew, and André all landed their first sailfish on the fly. Well done, gentlemen! Joern landed a trophy 101 cm Napoleon Wrasse as well as a Bumpy, both terrific fish. Great work, Joern! Elsewhere on the atoll Jacob, John, Ron, and Mike all managed to catch GTs while 2 teams found a couple of bones, landing a total of 11 bonefish for the day.

On day five, the conditions seemed to intensify. Fortunately for us, there were plenty of fish around. The trio of Jacob, Drew, and Jean Christoph added to the GT tally with 4 total for the day. Mike, André, and Keith enjoyed excellent bone fishing and landed 27 for the day between them; Andre tragically lost a permit that changed direction and swam towards him, causing a small loop to wrap around the tip of his rod. Heartbreak! On a happier note while walking along the beach, Joern, sighted a beautiful GT cruising the shallows and made a perfect cast that was graciously accepted by the 95 cm fish, making for a great fight and a beautiful photo. Toward the end of the day, John landed yet another sailfish. Well done, John!

The 6th and final day saw the conditions remain tricky though not quite as severe. Mike managed to land 2 GTs for the day, 1 of which was 111 cm. A terrific fish caught offshore. Well done, Mike! Joern and Ron kept the bonefish numbers growing by landing another 6 for the day. However, the real triumph for the day was a 14-pound permit landed by Ron, a genuinely remarkable fish, and a team victory as many of our group had had shots without managing to convince these picky feeders to accept the fly during the week.

That brings us to the end of an enjoyable opening week. Barring the absenteeism of the Milkfish we enjoyed the full spectrum of fly fishing diversity available in these warm waters. Hopeful and excited for the next week of fly fishing, we bid our guests farewell.

Our catch tally for week 1 was: