Providence Blog: 4 – 11 April 2023
The 5th week of our season had us welcome a full group of guests from the US constituting of a mix of new and familiar faces hosted by Brian of Fly Water Travel.
Day 1 saw us enjoy perfect weather which complemented the fishing and resulted in 9 GT catches. A special mention goes to Paul and Brian, who both managed to land trophy GTs measuring 102cm, which they each skillfully fought out of a large coral garden. What a wonderful way to start the week, well done, gents!
The good weather continued for the second day and so did the action on the GT front, with a total of 14 GTs brought to hand for the day. The standout catch went to Tim who managed to land a brute of 108cm! Great job, Tim. The first Milkfish of the trip was also landed late in the day after an intense one-hour battle. Well done, Dan!
Day 3 was one to write home about for Paul, Andy, and Brian. They experienced both the euphoric excitement of taming trophy GTs as well as the gut-wrenching disappointment of losing them. This was brought about by the astonishing amount of tackle that was donated to the Indian Ocean in the battles that took place during the day. A note-worthy disaster that can only be described as “that’s GT fishing” happened between Andy and Brian when they both hooked up into monster GTs. While trying to clear their running line, each of their running lines managed to get sucked up into the other’s rods! Sending a cluster of lines and the majority of each other’s rods flying off the boats as the two fish dashed in opposite directions. They both looked to head guide, Tim for wisdom, to which he had nothing to offer. Although both the fish were eventually lost, the rods and now eternally fused fly lines were recovered. On a happier note, both Brian and Paul eventually landed GTs of 102 and 100cm respectively while Andy landed an absolute monster, measuring 126cm! Well done, Andy.
Day 4 produced numerous catches of all things toothy, with loads of Bohar Snapper, Grouper, and Bluefin Trevally brought to had during the day. Highlights on the iconic species front included GT returns for Andy, Tom, Brian, and Gene. Each angler brought a single fish to hand, adding 4 to the group’s tally for the week.
The 5th day provided our guests with more of the same action on the flats with a diverse fly fishing experience enjoyed by all. Loads of Snapper and Grouper of varying shapes and sizes were landed, as well as a couple of GTs for Andy and Tim before a very large weather system settled in for the afternoon.
The 6th and final day saw conditions deteriorate even further with hazy overcast skies and sporadic cloud bursts endured for most of the day. Undeterred, our group headed out with the same intensity as day 1, determined to make the most of their final few hours on the flats. Despite the conditions, the fishing gods looked favourably upon us and delivered some action. Catches of note went to Brian landed a 10lb bonefish, his personal best. Bill left things late and eventually landed his first GT of the trip, a powerful fish that measured 104cm! Great job, Bill, while Drew had his hands full as he fought and landed a 60lb Dogtooth Tuna offshore. The catch of the day, however, went to Brian while fishing for Sailfish he managed to hook and eventually land a Black Marlin that was estimated to be +- 200lb! An exceptionally special catch on fly fishing gear in Seychelles. Hats off to you, Brian…. well done!
Our catch tally for the week is as follows:
- GTs – 54 (6 over 100cm)
- Golden Trevally – 1 (20lbs plus)
- Bonefish – 2 (1 of 10lb)
- Milkfish – 1
- Dogtooth tuna – 1
- Black Marlin -1
- Barracuda – 2
- Other species – 186
Until next week,
The Providence Guide Team