St Brandon Blog: 22 Sept – 4 Oct 2018
St Brandon’s Blog: 22 Sept – 4 Oct 2018
The second week of the September – November 2018 season on St Brandon was an extended trip with guests spending 9 days out on the flats with us. The Bonefishing was slightly more patchy than normal although there were still plenty of world class sessions. We enjoyed another solid 6lb average for the week but many fish in the 7 – 8,5lb range were still landed. One of the more notable fish was Eugene’s 9.5lb specimen which caught as it snuck onto the flat from the lagoon. Mike however landed our two biggest fish of the week, his first fish of 11lbs caught on a huge sand flat and his second, a very fat 10.5lb fish after initially being spotted snaking up a turtle grass edge. The fish tried to eat the fly twice before crushing it and tearing off towards the horizon. A double-digit Bone is a very special achievement and to catch 2 in a trip is just amazing, well done Mike!
The Permit fishing we experienced during the nine days was nothing short of spectacular. With fourteen Permit landed during the trip this group of guests have now broken our previous record of twelve fish during a trip. Tim and Patito both caught solid 10lb fish each, Eugene landed three for the week including his first ever Indo Pacific Permit when he landed a fin perfect 6lb fish. His second and third fish were both weighed at 9.5lbs. Zack landed two Permit for the week, his first Indo Pacific ever came in at 7.5lbs and his second was a trophy 11.5lb fish. Zack’s first fish was not only special because it was his first Indo Pacific but it was also part of a Permit double up with his good friend Sandflea. This is only the second time ever on St. Brandon’s where a Permit double has happened, and it is truly an occasion that neither of them or their guide ever forget. As for Sandflea, the fish he caught in the double up was his second for the day and one of seven Permit he landed in during the trip. His fish weighed in at 9.5lb, 10lb, 4lb, 12lb, 11.5lb, 5lb and a massive 17lber. Just catching one Permit can be tricky at best but catching 7 in a trip and to be part of a double up is testament to skill level Mr Sandflea has at his disposal!
A few of the atoll’s infamous GTs were also seen during the trip and although never easy, the clients did have some shots. Zack had the best chance at landing a bus when one ate the fly only for it come out shortly after. So close! Jed however landed a solid 65cm Bluefin Trevally that absolutely crushed the fly as soon as it moved and with the odd Yellow dot and Golden Trevally being picked up our guests enjoyed some nice variety as well.
This has been an incredible week with large Bonefish and a record number of Permit landed! With St Brandon’s fishing this well we can only look forward to what the rest of the season has in store for us.
Until next time
The St Brandon Guide Team
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The first trip for the September – November 2018 season on St Brandon’s got off to a cracking start with some phenomenal Bonefishing. Both numbers and average sizes were impressive, the large numbers of fish found in shallow water reconfirming to our guests why St Brandon is so highly thought of in the Bonefishing world. On top of this we landed ten fish over 8lbs, three of over 9.5lbs and one trophy fish of 10.5lbs, Randy’s monster hooked whilst it’s back was out of the water. Randy presented his shrimp, the fish rushed over and crushed the fly before speeding off to the horizon. What a special fish!
The amount of Indo Pacific Permit seen out on the atoll during the trip was nothing short of staggering. The guests enjoyed multiple shots each day at these highly sought-after fish, but as can be expected with Permit, it didn’t always go to plan as there were a few eats that didn’t stick and fish coming unbuttoned during the fight. Fortunately, we did put six Permit into the net before the trip came to end. Randy fished really well and in the end was rewarded with fish of 4lb, 5lb and one of 10lb. Ferdie also got stuck into the Permit action with a perfect 5,5lb fish, however the biggest Permit for the week went to Andre who landed a 10,5lb fish that was feeding into some heaving current despite the shallow water. ‘Dre’ sent out a pin-point cast and the fish followed for 10 feet before inhaling the crab. After a tense and dogged fight, the fish was slid into the net and the celebrations began. Andre also added to his Permit tally on the last day of the trip with a stunning 4lb fish. Great job!
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.
Calm conditions greeted the first group of guests for the 2018 April – June St Brandon’s season. With some warm water around at the start of the week the Bone fishing proved to be quite tough yet the guests still managed to land some great fish during their trip. The conditions improved as the week went on and thanks to some windier days and mid morning lows there was some phenomenal skinny water Bone fishing enjoyed later in the week with a solid 6.5lb average coming to hand. Rich had a great trip catching his largest ever Bonefish with 2 8.5lb fish. John and Eugenie got stuck into some really big fish, landing a 9lb and 9.5lb fish respectively. The Bonefish of the week has to go to Shaun who after landing 23 fish in a single session managed to get an absolute beast Bonefish and the first 10lb-er of the season.
During the week the guests enjoyed many shots at the Atoll’s famed Indo Pacific Permit and by day four 7 had been hooked but the fish had the final say. It was not all doom and gloom as 3 Permit were landed during the week. Rich continued his hot streak with his first ever Indo Pacific Permit of 3lbs. Brian got in on the Permit action too, landing a respectable 5lb fish that was tailing on a marl ridge around an island in the north. There are good numbers of Permit seen on Raphael island every season and Dave managed to land an 8lb fish right next to where the fisherman moor their boats behind the island.
The warmer conditions meant that there were many of the Atoll’s Trevally around and the guests enjoyed some amazing fishing. Many large GTs were around, harassing baitfish and bonefish alike. Brian Noyes managed to hook one of these brutes on the very first day only for the hook to pull mid fight, tough luck Brian! We have been seeing large numbers of Golden Trevally tailing aggressively amongst schools of Bonefish and John took full advantage when he hooked and landed a beast 14lb Golden while fishing to a very large Bone fish. Shaun had a cracking week and added a 12lb and 15lb Golden to his double digit Bone from earlier in the week. The Bluefin Trevally on St Brandons were ever present and although there weren’t many landed during the first week there were some notable catches from Rich who landed a 69cm fish that was hunting in a pack behind a Nurse Shark in a coral garden at the edge of a flat. Dave landed the largest Trevally of the week when he hooked an aggressive 78cm Bluefin that was terrorizing baitfish in a lagoon. The fish smashed the fly and proceeded to tear off into the distance taking many metres of backing with it.
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!
This week we experienced a full moon spring tide which brought about large tidal fluctuations. With mid-morning low tides to start the week and a midday low tide to end the week our guests were able to fish a full drop and a full push, giving them ample opportunities on the flats. On top of this we enjoyed stable weather, moderate southerly winds and cool water throughout the week which provided ideal conditions. Our guests really capitalised with 35 GT’s being hooked, 23 of them being landed and photographed. Well done everyone!
There were loads of Triggers on the flats as well, our guests hooking 17 and landing 7. The Bumpies also provided some great sport play but like the GTs and Triggers not all hooked fish resulting in a fish being landed. Two of these very special were however brought to hand an provided great excitement to angler and guide alike.
As for the Bones, solid numbers came to hand including a few large specimens. The species fishing during the high water periods plan with some large Grouper, Bohar Snapper and Green Jobfish coming to hand. All in all we enjoyed an excellent week on Farquhar, with loads of fish seen throughout the week. There were large pods of tailing Bumpies, GTS on stingrays and surfing in on waves, good numbers of tailing Triggers and plenty of Bones.
