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Providence Blog: 15 – 22 October 2024

And so we began our late 2024 season on Providence Atoll, where we welcomed a group of very eager travelers from Europe and South Africa. Conditions for the week were sunny with gentle winds blowing from a south easterly direction.Tides wise, were heading out of the neaps into springs as the full moon approached.

Our first day of the week provided a good start for the group. The fish were out and about feeding happily and very much in hunting mode. For most of the day the clouds stayed away, providing good spotting conditions for fish cruising the edges and flats. 4 GT’s were landed on the day, the biggest being 84cm caught by Pete. The Sailfish fishing was also on point, with one boat raising up a good amount of fish and converting 1 nice Sailfish to end off a great day.

The second day the fishing was slightly tougher, the odd squall and heavy cloud cover made it tough to see fish cruising over the turtle grass. lan however managed to get into his first ever GT making him a very happy angler. There were a total of 2 GT’s caught on the day, the tough light forcing us to do some bommy bashing to keep things productive. Providence excels in this style of fishing, with Saddle Back Groupers, Bohar Snappers, Bluefin Trevally and other coral hugging species saving the day.

Day three of the week was also slow, with more thick cloud cover making spotting extremely challenging. Ian however was once again rewarded with a great fish after initially hooking a Bluefin Trevally. Whilst fighting the fish, a 114cm Napoleon Wrasse popped out and stole the fly right out of the Bluefin’s mouth. Congrats Ian…what a special catch! There were a couple of good GT’s cruising along the channels but unfortunately none were converted on the day. The rest of the day was spent drifting over coral bommies catching a variety of grouper and snapper between our anglers. As the day ended, heavy rain clouds rolled over the atoll and our thoughts moved towards the hope of better conditions for tomorrow.

Day four and there was a significant improvement in the weather as well as the fishing. With a lot more fish seen cruising the flats and drainages, there were a couple of memorable moments from the day. Early in the morning, Steve managed to hook up to a very nice GT as a pack of 20 or more fish came rushing over the flats, his fish measuring 99 cm…1cm shy of that coveted triple digit number! Later in the day Vaughn managed to make it happen on a beautiful 103 cm GT that gave him a proper scrap in one of the drainages, a truly well deserved trophy fish. There was also good success happening for the boys on the other boat. lan managed yet another nice Napoleon Wrasse while walking along the flats looking for Geets, while Pete had a great day landing three GT’s during the course of his day out…..well fished Pete! Overall day four was a good booster for both clients and guides, the improved sighting conditions certainly lifting the spirits!

Day five and the wind started picking up again making casting tough to say the least ! Thankfully we still had sunlight and some fish swimming. Unfortunately not many were converted, however two nice fish still came out, one fish caught by Pete and the other by Vaughn, well done to both anglers on their beautiful catches from the day. As for the rest of our anglers, good numbers of grouper and Bohar’s got the rods bent and ensured we ended the day looking forward to tomorrow.

As the sun rose on the final day of the week, we were woken by a hard wind blowing out of the south! As the guys set out to the flats, hopes remained high as there was very little cloud cover. As such, we enjoyed some good action out on the flats including a couple of really beautiful fish. Steve managed to hook up to a monster 117cm GT, which showed him their world famous aggression when it charged in and ate the fly right at the rod tip. Truly a fish of a lifetime and well deserved….well done Steve!!! During the day on the other boat, Charlie also managed to get into a decent GT during the day, along with new Prov guide CJ who was training. The boats also enjoyed some exciting Triggerfish and Bonefish fishing just to cap off a really pleasant day out!

We ended our week with smiles all round! The weather had things challenging to say the least but with a terrific group of people it was still a hugely enjoyableweekl. There are signs the fishery is in really good shape for the seasons, so we look forward to the next few weeks!

Catch tally for the week:

⁃ GT’s: 30 ( 103cm Vaughn, 117cm Steve, 108cm CJ)

⁃ Sailfish: 1 (Vaughn)

⁃ Napoleon Wrasse: 2 ( 114cm lan)

⁃ Total tally of Grouper & Snapper: 115

Till next time,

The FlyCastaway Guide Team

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St Brandon Blog: 24 September – 4 October 2024

Welcome to our 4th week of the season, where we welcomed a group from Westbank Anglers who arrived ready to spend two weeks with us on the atoll.

The conditions we were dealt were slightly challenging at times, but we were back into the neap tides with a fair bit of wind, cloud and minimal rain.

On the Bonefish front, we unfortunately only had sporadic glimpses of what St Brandon is known for i.e big skinny water tailing bones. For the most part they are still schooled up and holding in deeper sections, which is highly unusual for this time of the year. Our guests did however manage to get their presentations where they needed to be when some opportunities presented themselves, coaxing a fair number of bones to the net. Well done to Tench with the biggest of the week, a very respectable fish of 8,5lbs.

The Permit fishing this week was however way more impressive, and despite the fact the total landed during their first week was 5, there were regular opportunities daily, both on the flats and around the islands. Congratulations to anglers Mike, Ben and JT on getting their yellow Permits, who landed the biggest for the week. Three of the fish netted were over 10 lbs,Ben opening his Permit account on the first day with a beauty that pulled the scale to 15lbs, Mike with an incredible specimen of 16lbs the day after and JT’s respectable 10.5lbs prize.

On the Trevally front, we saw lots of Bluefin patrolling the flats and the coral ridges, but for some reason most wanted nothing to do with what we had to offer. We managed to connect with 5 however, the average size ranging between 60cm and 70cm. We also ran into some large GT’s and hooked a couple, but unfortunately only none made it to hand. We are all very excited for the Trevally times that lie ahead and no doubt our numbers will improve as the season moves on and the weather warms up.

To summarise, we only saw glimpses of what the fishery can produce but believe the group enjoyed their first week and were looking forward to their second.

Until then

The St Brandon guide team.

Our catch tally for the week was:

Bonefish – 54

Permit – 5

Bluefin Trevally – 5

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St Brandon Blog: 17 – 27 Sept 2024

Anticipation was high as we headed into our third week of the season, and our guests were already on the atoll eager and ready to start their second week. Tides wise we were moving into neaps which would allow us more time wading the submerged flats and in a more relaxed fashion.

Our guests enjoyed some exciting fishing during their week out on the atol, although the bonefishing sessions we experienced remained a little tougher than we are accustomed to. This was not due to a lack in numbers as everyone had plenty of targets to cast at, but the fish just seemed off for some reason…especially in skinny water. We found some big schools however and managed to get into them during the course of the week. Our largest fish netted was 7lbs, although we did see some really big bones during the 7 days. These big fish are for the most part really smart, most often requiring long and accurate casts along with a little luck.

The Permit numbers we witnessed once again impressed, all the guests having great shots at them. As is their way, Permit are however never easy to convince and despite many refusals and near misses, three fish did make it to the net before the week came to a close. There were some nail biting moments included in these sessions, with fish following the fly for long periods and just not committing….aaaagghhhh! Mark and guide Jarryd however landed a true trophy in the first ten minutes of his last day out on the flat, the fish weighing in at an impressive 16lbs. Congratulations on an exceptional fish Mark!!!!!

The Trevally fishing was somewhat interesting over the last few days. The Bluefin Trevally were few and far between compared with the week before, however the GTs had well and truly come out to play. We encountered a fair number of GT`s during the week, both around the islands as well as the flats, with most, if not all of our guests having opportunities at these ultimate predators. By the end of the week we had managed to hook 5 x GTs and land 4. Congratulations to Scott and Brian on the biggest of the bunch, both 98cm brutes….just falling short of the magical metre mark. All in all though, we had some great shots and saw some really big fish smashing bait which is always thrilling and a great experience to be a part of out on the water.

To summarise the week, we thoroughly enjoyed the time spent on the flats, as well as the camaraderie around the dinner table with our new friends. At times we had to push through some challenging weather conditions, but our anglers still managed to land some cracking fish. Thank you to all our guests for the great time on and off the water. We really hope we get to fish together again in the near future.

The St Brandon Guide team

Our catch tally for the week

Bonefish – 105
Permit – 3
GTs – 4

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St Brandon Blog: 10 – 20 Sept 2024

So we headed into week two on what is surely one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. Joining us were a group of fresh and very excited anglers who would spend and share two weeks with us on this world class fishery, having opted for our two week package option. We unfortunately faced challenging conditions at the start of the week, with strong south easterly winds and rain. Tough conditions for sure, but the guests stuck at it and as the week progressed the weather improved and so did the fishing.

On the bonefishing front, we found good numbers of fish. Schooled up fish as well as quality singles and doubles. Our anglers managed to land a fair number of fish presenting to the schools around the landmasses on the atoll, however the singles and doubles we encountered on the submerged flats were a bit more weary and on the spooky side. As such, long, accurate casts were the order of the day. The biggest Bonefish for the week was a beauty, pulling the scale to 11.5lbs. Congratulations to guest angler Sonya on a magnificent specimen.!!!!

The permit fishing was nothing short of world class, both in terms of overall numbers as well as fish tailing.The flats as well as the islands presented us with a great number of solid opportunities at pods of 3 to 6 fish, and although the catch records don’t suggest it, we enjoyed some of the finest Permit fishing one could hope for. We did however manage to trick a few and get them into the net. A very well done to anglers Mark and Alan on landing their coveted Indo-Pacific Permit.

The trevally fishing this week was very exciting and maybe somewhat of an improvement from the previous week. We saw good quantities of big Bluefin cruising and slamming into bait fish on the flats as well the coral edges, and despite big Bluefin being some of the smartest fish going around we managed to land a few good ones between 60 and 70cm. Some rather large GT’s were seen on the flats and around the islands but none were converted and others did not hang around long enough to have a good shot at them. The only real physical GT interaction this week was a brief one, when angler Scott hooked an emperor which was almost at our feet, when a big GT came out of nowhere and decided he wanted it a lot more than more than we did…..

Overall, conditions were a little tough and at times unsettled, but on a positive note the water is cool and everyone is super excited about what the atoll has in store for us for next week and the rest of the season. All of us here on St Brandon had a great week, had loads of fun and established some new terrific friendships.

Until next week

The St Brandon Guide Team

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish – 88 (largest 11.5lbs)

Permit – 2

Bluefin Trevally – 7

: 6 aggies white M flexo 7.8

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St Brandon Blog: 3 – 13 September 2024

It’s that time of year again! Big bones, tailing Permit, monster Bluefin and hopefully so humongous GT’s. Welcome to St Brandon and our opening week of the Sept – Nov 2024 season where we welcomed a group of very eager anglers.

The week started off with some really strong wind which made things challenging despite some perfect ice cold blue water, however later in the week the weather settled and the fishing conditions became a bit easier. Tidal wise we were moving away from springs and into the neaps.

On the Bonefish front, we found good numbers on the flats during the first couple of days, with fish swimming in singles and doubles in some skinny water which is always really nice. Some of the fish were however a bit spooky (potentially the numbers of other predatory fish around), not letting us and the anglers get close to them. As such, the casts had to be long and accurate to convince them to eat the fly. Later in the week the Bones started schooling up in smaller pods of 5 -10 fish, our anglers managing to get a couple of nice fish throughout the week. Average size ranged around 5/6sbs, with the largest fish for the week being a solid 8 pounder.

The Permit fishing was really good this week, with plenty of fish around. We saw a lot of them in pods of 3-6 fish, whether they were tailing along an island or a submerged flat. Rob had a great time this week, landing three during his week on the atoll, the largest a beautiful 11.5 lbs prize. Brian also managed to get one and so too did Dave, his Yellow Permit coming through on the final day. Well done guys!!!

The Trevally fishing was tough this week. We saw a lot of big Bluefins cruising along the flats and the coral ridges, but for some reason most wanted nothing to do with our flies. We managed to convince a few though, the average size ranging between 60cm and 70cm. We did also see some big GT’s but unfortunately none were converted.No doubt the trevally fishing will get better as the season moves on and the water warms up.

To sum up the week, we had a ton load of fun with a great group of guests, and although conditions didn’t make it easy, we’re very optimistic for what lies ahead. We have spring tides up next and the weather forecast looks promising…until next week!

The St B Guide Team

Catch Tally:

Bonefish: 91
Permit: 5
Bluefin’s: 6
GT’s: 0

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St Brandon Blog: 28 May – 7 June 2024

Here we are in the last week of our April-June ‘24 St Brandon’s season as we welcome excited guests from Scotland. The weather for the week brought heavy winds blowing out of the south and south east as well as multiple squalls blowing over the atoll which made the fishing a bit trickier to start with. The tides for the week saw the neaps heading into springs which will mean slightly spending less time on the shallower flats and shifting our focus more to the islands and other high lying areas of the Atoll.

The Bonefishing for the week started off with a bang as multiple good size fish were seen. There were some skinny water bonefishing opportunities at the start of the week during the afternoon dropping tides which made for some exciting fishing. As the week progressed, we shifted our focus more to the islands and coral ridges due to the higher tides we would be fishing this week. The guests managed to land good numbers of bones in those areas. Some good fish were caught during the week with our average size being between 5 lb and 8lb, with our biggest of the week being 3 beautiful fish ticking the scale to just over the 8.5lb mark.

The Permit fishing this week got off to a slower start with fewer fish seen cruising the flats at the beginning of the week. We did however manage to find more fish around the islands and ridges as the guests enjoyed some good opportunities at happy, tailing fish. As the week progressed we were finding good numbers of Permit and Chaz managed to hook up to a beautiful Permit weighing in at just over 8.5lb, he was over the moon as this was his first ever Permit and he has pursued them for a long time. On the final day of the week, Johnny got in on the permit action landing a fin-perfect Permit weighing in at an impressive 12lb while fishing a flat just behind our home island.

With the cooler water around this time of year the Bluefin Trevally and Gt fishing was once again on the slower side this week. we found ourselves exploring further south looking for them around islands and coral ridges although we were not finding them in the numbers we usually do. We do however expect to see them in much greater numbers in the coming September- November season especially as that season progresses.

And so our April-June ‘24 draws to a close. Our final week on the atoll sees us end the season off on a high with happy anglers setting sail back to the mainland. We are very excited to see what the next season has instore for us out on this beautiful piece of heaven we call St Brandon’s Atoll. from the Flycastaway guide team we would like to thank all our guests who joined us this past season and we look forward to hosting you out there with us again in the near future.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 74
Indo-Pacific Permit- 2 (1x 12lb)
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

Flycastaway Guide Team

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St Brandon Blog: 21 – 31 May 2024

We start the penultimate week of our season, welcoming three new guests and our good friend Terry doing his third week with us on the atoll. As we move from springs into neap tides the water temperature has remained nice and cool, an encouraging sign as we can expect to see more fish up on the flats tailing and feeding. There were some big squalls which came through during the first couple of days with high southerly winds blowing between 25 and 35 knots. This made casting a bit more of a challenge initially. However as the week progressed the skies cleared and the wind calmed, leading to some great fishing.

The cooler temperatures meant that there was a vast improvement in the Bonefishing compared to the previous week. There were many fish seen cruising happily over the flats and feeding in ankle deep water making for some exciting eats as the anglers managed to get into some good numbers of fish. This week we definitely saw more fish on the flats swimming in small pods of 2-4 fish with some large singles also spotted. The average size fish this week was between 5lb-7lb with a couple of 8.5lb and 9lb Bones caught by our anglers. On the last day of the week, Dale hooked into to a beautiful skinny water bone weighing in just over the 9.5lb mark making it the biggest for the week

The guests experienced some great shots at the Atolls Permit this week with everyone getting numerous shots everyday. There were very good numbers of Permit seen around the flats, ridges and islands. Earlier in the week we saw multiple happy fish as they tailed and fed in calf to knee deep water, making for some exciting moments for our anglers. Terry landed yet another beautiful permit of 9lb on the first day of the week. As the week progressed there were many more good opportunities presented to our anglers, and on the last afternoon of the trip Terry managed to end off his stay with a fin perfect 3 lb fish caught on the shallow sand flat.

The Trevally fishing continued to be slow this week although there were some big Bluefin seen around the islands and coral ridges. The guests put in some great shots but unfortunately there were no fish landed. There were also very few GT’s seen around the atoll this week.

We end our 8th week of the season on a high with an action packed last day and happy anglers. The cool wind continues to blow steadily from the east and the water temperatures are down. We move from neap tides into springs for the final week of the season and we expect to spend more time around the islands and higher ridges. Lets see what our last week of the season holds…

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 103
Indo-Pacific Permit-2

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

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St Brandon Blog: 14 – 24 May 2024

Our 7th week of the season is here and we greet our new guests arriving from Zimbabwe and Germany with Terry entering his second of three weeks with us. The week started off with very high winds blowing out of the south east accompanied with heavy rain. The tidal cycle moves from neaps into springs as we expect to spend more time around the islands, ridges and higher lying areas.

The Bonefishing proved to be slightly tougher than the previous week, with not as many fish seen on the flats and more fish schooled up in the deeper sections. The rough, choppy weather due to the high winds resulted in the Bones being a bit more spooky and reluctant to move up into shallower water making it challenging for the anglers to get close to them to make a good presentation. This did not deter the guests however as they made the best of the conditions still landing some good fish throughout the week. The average Bonefish landed for the week was between 5lb and 7lb with some fish reaching the 8lb mark.

The wild conditions also had an impact on our Permit fishing. There were fish seen around the islands and ridges as we moved into the spring tides but they were on high alert and were acting similar to the bonefish often staying just out of reach. As the week proceeded and the weather improved there were more opportunities to cast at happy, tailing fish. Some guests did have a couple of great shots at fish resulting in follows and even the odd eat from a Permit but unfortunately there were no conversions.

The GT and Bluefin fishing was again tough this week with only a couple of trevallies seen around the Atoll. The fish that were seen during the week were big but unfortunately the opportunities to make a good presentation to them were very few and far between. Even though the fishing was tough for the GT’s and Bluefin it is still exciting to watch as they crash into baitfish and terrorise the bonefish schools on the flats.

The conditions this week proved to be very challenging due to the unsettled weather. On a positive note this has kept the flats cool and once the weather settles down a bit we expect the fish to be hungry and moving back up onto the flats,ridges and around the islands. The prevailing south easter is in full swing as is standard for this time of year increasing the chances of finding some larger bonefish. Let’s see what’s to come…

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 31
Bluefin Trevally- 2

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

: KODAK Digital Still Camera

: KODAK Digital Still Camera

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St Brandon Blog: 7 – 17 May 2024

The 6th week of the season kicked off with guests arriving from the United States and Australia. This week we move away from new moon springs and go back into neap tides, these tides generally bring more fish onto the flats while also allowing us more time on the flats due to the less water movement around the Atoll. The wind for the week started off very strong, blowing out of the south east resulting in cool water flushing onto the flats, although it did make casting and presenting a fly a little bit difficult.

The bone fishing was off to a cracking start with many big fish seen tailing in skinny water and feeding happily on whatever was presented to them. Vince had a great start to his trip and with his first cast he landed the week’s first 10lb Bonefish! As the week went on, the bone fishing continued to be outstanding with many fish spotted and caught by our group of anglers. On the third day of the week, anglers Jeff and Terry both managed to land true monsters, with their fish pushing the scale over the 13lb mark ! On the 5th day of the week, Steve also got in on the big bonefish action, landing a beautiful double digit bone which was also just over the 13lb mark. The bone fishing this week was truly a sight to behold with the anglers getting into good numbers every day and the average fish weighing in between 6lb and 9lb.

The guests also enjoyed some phenomenal Permit fishing this week as we saw good numbers of fish around the flats during the pushing tides as well as the high tides around the islands and ridges. On the third day of the week, Alec landed a beautiful 14lb Indo-Pacific Permit during a slow pushing tide in the morning. The fish was sitting stationary on a turtle grass edge, Alec put in the perfect cast and with one strip his line went tight. He wasn’t quite done however as on the fourth day he landed another two Permit of 7lb and 12lb respectively, and yet another on the 5th day of just over the 7lb mark. As we moved into the neap tides there were multiple Permit spotted on turtle grass flats and cruising the edges of sand flats along depressions and cuts. On the last day of the week, Terry managed to open his Permit account landing a solid 8lb fish.

The Trevally fishing this week was once again a little bit slower which is normal for this time of year. A couple of big GT’s were seen around the Atoll with fewer Bluefin hunting around the higher lying areas compared to previous weeks. On the third day of the week however, Jeff had some amazing GT action hooking 4 fish in quick succession but unfortunately not getting a good hook set resulting in the fish having the final say.

The fishing this week was nothing short of spectacular with our guests experiencing what St Brandon’s truly has to offer. The conditions are prime with cool water and the prevailing wind constantly pushing cold, oxygenated water across the atoll. This has the guide team extremely excited to see what the next few weeks will bring us. We await our new clients arriving as the neap tides end and we move back into springs again.

Our catch tally for the week:

Bonefish- 272 (1x 10lb, 3x 13 lb+)
Indo-Pacific Permit- 5 (2x 10 lb+)
Golden Trevally- 1

Yours in fishing,

The St Brandon’s guide team.

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St Brandon Blog: 30 April – 10 May 2024

We have reached the halfway mark of the season, hosting our two eager guests from the United States and South Africa. The tides for the week will see us moving back into springs where we expect to see more action around the islands with slightly shorter windows of opportunity on the flats. Our wind direction has shifted slightly from the previous weeks being more from the south as opposed to the prevailing south easterly.

The bonefishing got off to a tougher start than the previous weeks with the fish sitting a bit deeper than usual, schooled up in high numbers and reluctant to move up onto the flats. We still managed to find some nice skinny water tailing fish during the first couple of days on the afternoon dropping tide. There were big pods of bones surrounding the islands and coral ridges with the guests making the most of the situation, targeting fish on the edges, picking out the biggest ones from the schools. As the week progressed the bones started moving into the shallower sandy sections of the flats with some larger fish seen. Our average Bonefish for the week was between 5 lb-7lb with the biggest coming in at just over the 8lb mark.

The atoll’s famous Indo-Pacific Permit were out and about during the higher water and feeding happily on the coral ridges and islands. Many good fish were seen in various scenarios and our anglers had some great shots, often making pin-point casts but the fish just did not want to play ball. On the last day of the trip, Brent’s persistence was rewarded when he finally landed his first Permit, and to top it all off he hooked and landed a second shortly after that ending his trip on high.

With the higher tides and increased current through the Atoll, good numbers of bluefin were seen herding bait around the islands and sand spits. There unfortunately weren’t as many GT’s around but the few we did see were big! On the second day of the week Bill had a great opportunity at a true giant but just couldn’t get the right shot in as the fish started sliding away into deeper water following a big Nurse shark.

We end our week with the tides moving from springs into neaps. This should give us more time on the flats in the coming week, allowing us to target Bonefish and Permit for longer periods. With the cooler water temperatures around we feel the fishing will continue to improve as the season progresses and we are looking forward to what the rest of the season has in store for us.

Our catch tally for the week: