Farquhar Blog: 12 – 19 Oct 2018
Farquhar Blog: 12-19 October 2018
We welcomed a very excited bunch of guests onto the atoll on the 12thof Oct, most of whom were pretty new to fly fishing. We were subsequently super excited to show them what Farquhar had to offer. From a tidal point of view we were on a full neaps, with the mid-morning high tides allowing our guests the opportunity to fish the last bit of the pushing tide and the entire dropping tide.
These tides typically produce better fishing for the tailing species such as Bumpies and so it was when in the end we hooked ten of the gentle green giants. Sadly only one was landed but the thrill of casting at those enormous flagging tails will certainly not be forgotten in a hurry by the group. The GT fishing was unfortunately tough this week as we only managed to hook five, landing three of these normally aggressive predators. Some solid Bonefishing and Trigger fishing also provided good sport but it was Farquhar’s offshore fishing which really made an impact this week. Forty two Sailfish were raised, sixteen were hooked and five were landed. On top of this ten Dogtooth Tuna, four Yellowfin Tuna and two Wahoo provided some adrenaline filled moments in the deep blue. Having an offshore fishery capable of producing that level of fishing is testament to how diverse this atoll really is.
Four friends who were completely new to fly fishing had a great week on Farquhar, Nick landed two beautiful Sailfish (200cm and 207cm) as well as a tank 185cm Wahoo and a 85cmGt. Gert enjoyed a solid week landing a Dogtooth Tuna, some big Bluefin Trevally in excess of 70cm and loads of species. Johan got stuck into a Dogtooth Tuna of 110cm and a Yellowfin Tuna of 110cm, whilst Henk hooked and fought multiple Sailfish and landed a great different number of flats and reef species. Father and son who were also new to fly fishing had a special week as father Kelvin landed a 220cm Sailfish on his birthday whilst his son Shaun landed a tank Dogtooth Tuna of 136cm as well as a 82cm GT.
Jonathan landed a 70cm GT and although he had very little fortune in landing them, he showed great skill by hooking 6 Bumpies during the second week with us. His partner for the week Pierre had a pretty good week, landing a Bumpy, a Golden Trevally of 78cm as well as a Sailly of 195cm amongst some other flats and reef species. Brothers Louis and Stefan had some great offshore success, Louis landing a Sailfish of 203cm, a Dogtooth Tuna, two meter long Yellowfin Tuna and to top it off a beautiful Wahoo of 110cm.
We would like to thank all our guests for a really enjoyable week and really hope to see them back on Farquhar in the future.
The Farquhar Guide Team
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
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- Farquhar Atoll – Seychelles www.flycastaway.com info@flycastaway.com
Boat partners for the week Craig and Gregory had a good one, Gregory landing a Bumpy of 90cm, as well as a Moustache Trigger of 60cm and a small GT. Craig landed a tank 82cm African Marble Grouper amongst some other nice fish. Casper went on to land large numbers of species as was his target for the trip, whilst Neil got GT’s of 72cm & 84cm GT, as well a 103cm Barracuda. Christian who had come all the way from Argentina to target the mighty GT enjoyed some great success landing fish of 60cm,86cm and 88cm. Well done! He too hooked a Sailfish but unfortunately after a long fight the hooks pulled.
We enjoyed some truly great fishing on our first week of the Sept – Dec 2018 Farquhar season with a really fun but hard fishing group of South African anglers. Coming off a full moon spring tide we had large fluctuations in water level and with the strong SE wind still present early season there was plenty of cold blue water for us to explore. It made casting tricky at times but the guys never let it get to them and they were rewarded with some incredible variety as well as some great GT action.
The GTs were around in good numbers and by the end of the week we had landed 33 of these incredible predators including three fish over a meter. Patrick landed six for the week, two of which were over a meter (a 101 & 102cm). François had a few stellar days and capitalised with nine fish between 70 – 96cm. Tom also had a great week landing four, his biggest a 94cm beauty. Andrew too had a special trip landing our biggest fish of 104cm fish as well as two more impressive geets. Brent landed five fish between 75 – 96cm, whilst Duncan’s 96cm fish which was photographed in a suit an tie will not be easily forgotten. Rian got his prize fish with a GT of 92cm and when Brett added his 94cm specimen to the tally it was clear to all that Farquhar remains one of the finest saltwater fisheries on the planet.
As much as the GT fishing remains a huge attraction for all, it was obvious from the guys feedback that it’s the variety of species and scenarios which one of finds them in which really made their trip special. The Bones were plentiful and provided great sport with the lighter rods, Triggers too were present although never easy to land. Matt did however land a gorgeous Picasso and Francois a nice Moustache. Other notables included one Bumpie, a 138cm Dogtooth Tuna, some truly big Grouper, some Napoleon Wrasse, a small Permit (despite some bigger ones being cast to and pricked), Bohar Snapper, big Bluefin Trevally, a Black Tip Shark, Barracuda and last but not least a very large Yellowspot Trevally which was caught on the flat by Pat. A truly special fish as the adult specimens are normally only found offshore.
This week on Farquhar we welcome a group of 10 guests from the U.S to the atoll for the 7th and final week of the the season. After a short flight from Mahe our guests were greeted by the Guide team and guest house staff and then shown to their accommodation. After settling in we got straight into it with a safety briefing and a tackle setup to ensure everyone was ready for a solid weeks fishing. This week on Farquhar we are into full moon spring tides making the tidal range huge. The large volumes of water being brought onto and off the atoll ensures loads of cool water brought in from the ocean. With mid-morning low tides in the beginning of the week moving to midday lows gave our guests a chance to fish the drop as well as the push. High water in the afternoon gave our guests options to sample the rich diversity of species this atoll has to offer through targeting coral heads as well as looking for GTs by walking an island or sand spit, the chance to go dredging or sail fishing was also an option and proved to be worth it as on the last day 2 GTs were caught during a blue water session.
This week the GTs were around all over the atoll with twenty eight being hooked and ten successfully coming to hand. The bumpies were also seen in solid numbers and our guests had opportunities to target these fish as they tailed in large pods with 12 bumpies hooked and but sadly none landed. It was a fantastic week for triggers as our guests got to see these beautiful fish tailing all over the atoll and made the most of it with 9 hooked and 5 landed. The bones were back on the flats and happy this week as the weather improved from last week and more cold water was brought onto the flats as all of our guests landed bones and some solid fish were landed around 65-70cm.
With the afternoon high water our guests drifted over coral heads and got to tussle with many reef dwelling fish as the species count for the week was really good. Father and son Jonathan and Thomas had a great week, which saw father Tom hook a massive GT on Day 1 only to lose it at the end of the fight as the fish cut him off. Thomas managed to land a Moustache triggerfish on the 4th day and son Jonathan managed to convert his shots landing 2 fish with the biggest being 104cm. Another Father and son pairing Stephan and Benjamin had a good week as they both hooked numerous GTs with son Benjamin loosing 3 in 1 day. First time salt water fly fishing John had a start to remember as he landed a 108cm GT on the first day of the week and went on to land another one. Erik was unlucky with the GTs this week, hooking a few but none coming to hand, but he enjoyed some great bone fishing with a few solid grouper and snapper species. Doug got his GT on the 3rd day landing a fin perfect fish. Terrel hooked 5 GTs before landing his 1st on fly! Fishing buddies Donald and Bill had a fantastic week which saw Bill achieving a Trigger slam on the first day of the week – a Moustache triggerfish, a nice GT and a bonefish to top it off. It got even better for him as after losing 3 GTs in a day himself and Donald managed to double up on a pair of GTs in the deep blue during the final afternoon session. Donald had a great week as he also got a trigger slam – a yellow margin triggerfish, a nice GT and a bone. He also managed to cap off his week with another GT and a moustache triggerfish!
All our guests hooked Geets and got to experience their power and speed, there were bones caught by all as well as some solid Bluefin Trevally, grouper and snapper making the week a great one. The guest house and food were complimented by our guests as they are talking about returning to the island in the not too distant future.
This week on Farquhar we welcomed a group of 10 guests from the UK for our 6th week of the 2018 season. After a short fight from Mahe our guests touched down on the atoll. This week we are into full neap tides meaning minimal tidal fluctuations between low and high, ensuring large volumes of water on the atoll throughout the day. With an early morning push and a late afternoon low our guests got to enjoy the entire drop throughout the week. The weather was tricky during the first part of the week as our guests were greeted by dark and windy conditions with a north easterly changing to north westerly blowing 40 knots at times but as the week progressed the weather improved and with it, so did the fishing.
This group of guests are already looking at dates and planning a trip back to this incredible fishery as all of our guests hooked numerous GTs and got to experience the power and agility of these incredibly strong fish as well as the Bones, Triggers, Bumpies and all the other species that Farquhar has to offer. The guests were highly impressed with the guest house and accommodation as well as the food making the week a resounding success.
As the week progressed the weather turned for the worst with dark skies and rain for the majority of the week which made for tough spotting. The fish were around in good numbers still which forced us to concentrate even harder, Nicole and Kevin (after having just completed a week on Farquhar) did not take long to tail their first Geets for the week, together with Basil (who has been having a love hate relationship with these fish after them winning the battle on a few previous trips) he finally won this time landing a couple GTs for the week, congrats Basil!
Bully got it done as well by getting the second fish over a metre for the week, measuring in at 101cm, well done Sir. The Bumpies were around and making their presence known in huge numbers on the later neap tides of the week with Penka, Brian, TJ, Roger, Judah and Rob all managing to capitalize and land their first ones ever which was an awesome achievement as anyone who has ever tangoed with one of these beast would know you feel completely under gunned – hooking it is one thing but the landing part is where things get challenging! We also experienced some really good Bone fishing despite the bad light, it wasn’t tough seeing 5+lb fish tailing in super skinny water.
The Triggers were around in decent numbers with Penka and Brian managing to get one each of these tricky fish to hand. On the final day the skies finally decided to clear which increased everyone’s hopes for a great final day and it sure paid off with good numbers of GTs, Bumpies and species coming to hand. Judah landed his first GT ever on a fly rod and as he is a conventional angler says it was an unforgettable experience and the whole charge and eat will stay clear in his mind for a long time to come. All in all it was a tougher week out there but we still managed to get some good fish to hand and most importantly we all had a lot of fun.
Our guests arrived mid-morning after a short flight from Mahe. After being greeted by the guides and guest house staff they were then shown to their accommodations which was followed by a safety briefing and a tackle setup to ensure everyone was ready for a solid week of fishing. This week on the Atoll we are into full spring tides with huge tidal ranges ensuring large volumes of water brought onto and off the atoll. A steady South-Easterly wind blew through the week. The GT fishing was really good with 33 fish hooked and 24 fish landed, 5 of which were over the 100cm mark.
Father and son Arthur and Christopher, who were new to salt water fly fishing got to tangle with the Geets, Arthur opening his account in style with a first ever GT on fly of 105cm! Christopher hooked a few GTs throughout the week but unluckily never managed to land any. His persistence paid off when he landed a solid Bumpy on the last day. Brothers John and Anthony had a good week with John landing two GTs, the biggest being 103cm. Anthony managed to bag a 71cm GT to go along with solid numbers of Bones and reef dwelling species. Bob landed his personal best GT on fly, a 104cm fish to go with another GT of 84cm. Christopher landed the biggest recorded Bluefin Trevally on fly on Farquhar, a massive 88cm fish. He managed to get a grand slam with a Moustache Triggerfish, a Bumpy and a Bonefish as well as a GT to cap it all off. Kevin managed to land two GTs in the week with his biggest being 82cm, while Nicole landed the only Permit for the week, a 52cm fish, well done Nicole! Regular guest to Farquhar Marko had a fantastic week landing 7 Geets ranging from 70 – 101cm. Marko managed a Trevally slam consisting of a GT, a Bluefin and a Yellow Spotted Trevally on his last day of fishing. He also landed a Moustache Triggerfish. David had a week to remember landing 8 Geets during his stay ranging from 82 – 106cm. David also landed two massive Golden Trevally on his first day of fishing, the biggest being 77cm. He scored a Moustache Triggerfish, a Bonefish and a GT to finish the slam and celebrate his birthday in style.
This was a great week with our guests enjoying some incredible fishing. All of our guests caught good numbers of Bones and other species. There were solid numbers of GTs seen all over the atoll with every one of our guests hooking more than one GT. The Bumpies were seen in large pods around their feeding grounds. We saw loads of tailing Triggers with a few coming to hand.
Day one started off with good numbers of fish coming to hand with a few schools of GTs midway on the atoll. Congrats to Patricio, Jose, Hill, Paul and Watts for managing to capitalize on their first GTs ever on the fly, well done guys! We also experienced some insane skinny water Bone fishing on the north eastern side of the atoll, with fish averaging 6+lb. The Triggers were also around in good numbers, as we are on the last few days of the neap tide, with Jeff managing to get not only his first, two Triggers to hand and Bryan also managing one for the day, great job guys!
The second day proceeded to deliver the goods with Patricio achieving a grand slam with a GT, his first Bumpy and Giant Triggerfish plus a solid Bonefish to put the cherry on top, great job! Jose also managed to land his first Yellow Margin Trigger and Bryan getting his first Bumpy to hand. Mark and Jeff also got it done to land their first GTs on fly, with Mark getting two to hand for the day getting the skunk off and putting them in the zone for the days that lay ahead. The week delivered us with some great shots at a lot of different species and the guys did a great job.
Hunter, after a few days of bad luck on the GT front, capitalized on his opportunities and landed three in one day, getting the monkey off his back. Jeff on the final day, after chasing Bumpies all week ended in style with a GT to start the day, a Giant Triggerfish later on and shortly after landing a well-conditioned Bumpy to complete his slam, well done Jeff!
The Milkfish were also around this week, but won the battle until, José finally managed to get one in the net on the final day after an hour fight before finally giving up. All in all it was a solid week with a lot of fish moving around giving the anglers good opportunities at a diverse range of species. This week gave them the true Indian Ocean flats experience. Most importantly a great time was had by all and with a lot of unforgettable moments throughout the week.
After arriving on the island, our guests were shown to their accommodation and then we got straight down to business with a safety briefing and tackle setup. The guests were then free to fish for the afternoon on the North Island. Nicholas made the most of it landing a tank 110cm GT which set the tone for the week. Great job Nicholas!
Our guests during the rest of their time on the atoll enjoyed loads of opportunities at GTs with 37 fish hooked, of which 24 were landed. Whitney and Sarah really got stuck in, Whitney landing 4 Geets for the week (77cm, 83cm, 85cm and a 98cm specimen on the final day) and wife Sarah landing 2 small GTs along with a solid 72cm fish.
Wayne landed the biggest Bumpy of the week with a fish 105cm, as well as a really pretty 80cm GT. Dean managed 2 fish of 72cm and 83cm respectively while Jeff had to wait until the last day to land his first GT. He also had the incredible fortune of landing 3 Napoleon Wrasse on one day, the fish measuring 55cm, 57cm and 62cm fish.
Jean-Christophe and friend Francios had a solid week racking up the numbers of species including some great Bonefishing. Francois also landed 3 GT’s, 70, 75, 75cm. After starting his week off with that impressive 110 cm fish, Nicholas went on to land 3 more GT’s (78cm, 80cm and 81cm) and lose 2 fish to snapped fly lines. He also landed a really solid 64cm Bonefish.
Peter had a great week landing 5 GT’s, including fish of 75cm, 80cm, 81cm as well a tank 114cm fish on the last day in the surf. Andre too was on top form this week, landing the only Trigger for the week (a Moustache Trigger of 52cm) as well as a solid Bumpy of 93cm. He also got stuck into the GTs, hooking up with numerous fish and successfully landing fish of 72cm, 82cm, 85cm and the biggest fish of the week which stretched the tape at 118cm. It was a fin perfect GT caught during a surf walk on the final day. Well done Andre!
Our guests got solid numbers of Bones this week as well and over the high water periods we enjoyed some great species bashing. The Bumpies were around in the early parts of the week but as the low tide depths increased, conditions became less optimal for Bumpies and Triggers. All in all, it was however a great week to be a part of and we would like to thank all our guests for coming out to fish this incredible fishery with us!
The first day of our fourth trip of the season started off solidly with good numbers of fish on the flats. Shamal, who is no novice when it comes to landing big fish got the monkey off his back with a solid GT of 101cm, whilst his teammates Deon and Mike also got in on the action before the first day came to a close.
The opening day will however be remembered for a very special fish, Lee’s 120cm certainly the biggest fish of it’s species we are aware of coming out on the fly. Congrats Lee! John who was only 16 years old had a great time with the multitude of species Prov has to offer, whilst Matt, Hal and Spencer all new to the Indian Ocean managed to get their first ever GTs on fly during our first day out.
Hal came in with an amazing fish on the second day, his 109cm GT our second metre plus fish for the week. Jim too joined the GT club with his first GT on the fly and when Lee landed his first GT on fly, everyone had ticked the box.
Shamal had one fish that he really wanted to tick off his bucket list. So when he landed a rare Saddle Back Grouper his excitement was audible for all to hear, The Milkfish were a bit scarce this week, although a few Sailies and large numbers of Yellowfin Tuna busting up bait provided some exciting blue water action.
