Providence Blog: 9 – 16 April 2024
The 6th week of the Providence fly fishing season for the beginning of 2024 saw us welcome a mixed group of 9 guests. 3 of the group from last week stayed on for their second back-to-back week of fishing, how lucky they were to have another 6 days of fishing this beautiful and outlandish fishery!
The first day of the week saw us experience a mild breeze from the southeast and high-altitude cloud which made for tricky visibility on the flats. On the fishing front, we still had several opportunities with some of them turning into catches. Tim got things underway early on and managed to get 2 GTs to hand on his first day, well done Timo! Andy also managed to open and eventually close the GT catch report with a single fish caught during the incoming tide. The boat team of Carlos & Patricio were very interested in the atoll’s Bumphead Parrotfish and they made the most of their opportunities each bringing 1 to hand. Great Job gents! Bryan, managed to sneak alongside a large school of these strange green creatures and after a couple of good presentations he felt tension through the line and set the hook. Chaos ensued and he was tight to a massive Bumpie, after a long battle he eventually landed his prized fish. That concludes the first days catch report.
The second day saw a marked improvement on the GT front with loads of fish encountered in varied scenarios. Edgard managed to live his fly fishing dream, which was to catch a Giant Trevally in shallow water on the fly. While walking along an extensive turtle grass finger flat he was treated to several opportunities. Eventually, one of the bow wakes accepted the challenge and jumped on his fly. A moment we’re sure he’ll remember for the rest of his life. Well done, Edgard! Then, as if things couldn’t get any better, Dennis, on his first Indian Ocean fly fishing experience, managed to hook an absolute monster of a GT. The fish took loads of backing and eventually got wrapped around a large coral head and got stuck. Miraculously, his guide managed to unstitch the fish and eventually bring it to hand. Dennis’s fish pulled the measuring tape all the way to 109cm! His first ever GT and a moment of magic from Providence! Tim also got into the big fish action when hook and landed a beaut 106cm GT. Well done. Paul enjoyed some action too, hooking a monster but unfortunately losing it to a coral head, he later landed 2 GTs. Carlos, landed another Bumpie and Brian landed a particularly large Bluefin Trevally that measured 78cm.
Day 3 saw us treated us to perfect weather with a slight breeze from the southeast and bright blue skies. The fishing was good and our guests bumped into fish throughout the day and tide cycle. Patricio landed his second Bumphead Parrotfish for the trip, and later followed that up with a lively GT. The boat team of Andy, Paul, and Brian enjoyed good action on the trevally front with Paul getting 2 to hand while Andy managed to coax a single GT to his longing hands. Tim, while waiting patiently on a large coral head, had a GT swim within a foot of his knees. A quick cast past and over the fish resulted in a spectacular take. He eventually landed the fish, well done, Tim! To round off the fishing report for the day was Dennis’s lonesome GT landed late in the day.
The 4th day treated us to more great weather, with perfect sunshine a little wind to speak of. It turned out to be a particularly special day for Kevin who not only managed to land his first ever Bumphead Parrotfish but also, a massive Giant Trevally of 116cm! Both special and well-deserved catches, well done, Kevin! Scott found some action on the tailing species front yet again and chipped in with beautiful Yellow Margin Triggerfish. Meanwhile elsewhere on the atoll Paul, Andy, and Brian got stuck in the GTs when they encountered fish tailing on stingrays which delivered fantastic flats fishing action for the trio. Their catch returns were 1, 2, & 2 respectively. 1 of Brian’s fish was a brutish 96 cm, broad and heavy GT which made for wonderful images of the moment.
Day 5 and yet more blue skies but with a little more wind than the previous 2 days. Dennis finally managed to convince a Triggerfish to accept his fly, landing his first Yellow Margin which made him very happy. Brian and Andy enjoyed more action on the Giant Trevally front landing 3 and 1 GTs respectively while Tim had his way with the atoll’s Bonefish, bringing 4 to hand as well as a single GT. Patricio managed taste sweet success when he went tight on his first ever meter GT which was powerful fish of 104cm. His boat partner, who had been quietly going about his business did one better by landing a monster of 112cm! A special catch, Carlos, great job!
The 6th and last day of the fishing week had us all go the extra mile for our guests. Despite the effort we unfortunately didn’t get the returns were hoping for on the flats. Scott, however, managed to land his first GT of his trip which was a massive achievement! Great work, Scott! Kevin, Carlos, and Paul each landing a single GT to tidy up the catch report for the 6th week of our season.
We really enjoyed our time on the flats with our guests. It was special to share first-time catches with many of those who joined us this week. To the old and the new friends, we hope to see you all back with us on Providence in the near future. As for the weeks catch tally, it was as follows:
- GTs – 33 (5 over the meter mark, biggest 116cm)
- Bonefish – 4
- Bumphead Parrotfish – 7
- Triggerfish – 2
- Total tally of Grouper & Snapper – 116
Till next week folks,
The FlyCastaway Guide Team
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 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 last day of the w
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. 
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 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! 
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:
