This week we welcomed Morgan, Lee and Ryan to the flats, with Andy and Elizabeth, Steven and Betsy, Laura and Kevin, and Andrew joining our anglers later in the week. Hugo also continued his stay with us. The week started as it usually does, targeting bones on the peaceful, sunny flats of St François Atoll. As the days went on, our guests began trying their luck at the more technical species, and by Wednesday we had our first two slams. By Friday we had celebrated three flats slams, a Bills & Bones double and the biggest permit of the season so far.
Two giant trevally came to hand this week, and both were memorable. On Tuesday, behind St François Island, Morgan landed his very first GT, measuring in at a lengthy 100cm! On Friday, Steven, a guest adored by all of us here at Alphonse, went one better with a monstrous 110cm GT off the fingers of the top lagoon. That fish was the first leg of an epic slam, which he completed with a permit and a boatload of bonefish.
Five permit were landed this week, and Lee’s was the standout. On Wednesday he caught his first ever permit, and it turned out to be the biggest of the season so far, a staggering 65cm golden unit! On Thursday, Hugo took to the flats once again and showed the older anglers how it’s done, landing a 45cm permit off the back of a ray on the eastern side of St François lagoon. On Friday, Steven added a respectable 49cm permit to his GT on the way to his slam.
The bones did the heavy lifting with 206 landed, and they played their part in every slam of the week. Hugo, Lee and Steven each wrapped up their slams with a handful of feisty bones, while on Friday Lee, Morgan and Ryan all landed a few on the flats of St François before heading out to the blue water in search of something with a bill.
Seven triggers came to hand this week: four yellow margin and three moustache. Hugo got things going on Tuesday with a stunning moustache trigger caught right on his front doorstep on Alphonse Island. On Wednesday, Lee didn’t stop at his record permit, he went on to catch not one but two yellow margin triggers of 50cm and 51cm, the first triggers he had ever caught, and completed his slam with a handful of bones. Unbelievable!
On Thursday, a now very competitive Morgan set out and landed two triggers of his own: a beautiful moustache and a tank of a yellow-margin at 50cm. Andy, who only arrived on Wednesday, started his week with a respectable 49cm yellow-margin.
Our only batfish of the week was a chunky 48cm fish taken by Hugo on the flats of St Fran çois on Tuesday. Together with his moustache trigger and a couple of bones, it made Hugo the first of our guests to complete a slam this week. Not a bad day’s work, Hugo!
Friday was the last day of the week for some and only the beginning for others. Lee, Morgan and Ryan decided to try their luck at a Bills & Bones slam, and after all three had landed their bones on St François, they headed out on Suli. It didn’t take their skipper long to find them a group of sailfish. Lee and Ryan both came tight in a father-and-son double up, and both landed their sails to complete the Bills & Bones slam! It is an amazing achievement that isn’t possible in many parts of the world.
Yes, it was an amazing week of slams here at Alphonse! Thank you to all our guests for sharing the flats and the blue water with us, and congratulations on some truly unforgettable fish. We are so excited to see what the new week brings. Stay tuned for next week’s report!