Three weeks, thirteen anglers, and one atoll that never stopped producing. Alphonse Island and St. François Atoll saw conditions shift from spring tides to calmer neaps and on into breezier trade winds, but through it all the flats kept delivering: first bonefish for newcomers, hard won trophies for more seasoned hands, and no shortage of stories to bring home.
The Giant Trevally made more of an appearance the last couple weeks, Mark opened the show early, coming tight with his first GT on fly, then before the day was out did it again. Chris also put in some effort on the flats and had a great session landing three GTs, the best of them a 110cm brute. Out on the white sand, Lance found a similar rhythm, doubling up on GTs in one session, while Chris and Enrico each added a fish of their own, Chris’s stretching the tape to 94cm. David also got in on the action and landed his first. Johan had waited all week for his moment, and it finally came on the last day, fittingly dubbed GT Friday. Not far away, Damien wrestled an 85cm fish to the sand, and Francesco went one better, landing two GTs of his own, one stretching to 92cm.
Few species command more respect on the flats than the permit, and this period delivered its share of triumphs over the notoriously fickle fish. Chris’ came first, a gorgeous 66cm specimen that rewarded hours of careful stalking. Chris followed with a 47cm fish of his own, hard earned after a tense standoff, while Enrico went one better still, landing not one but two permit, the first during an opening flats slam and the second on his very last day, the perfect way to bow out and David completed the set with his own first permit.
If Giant Trevally provided the thrills, bonefish supplied the volume, and the numbers tell their own story, more than 300 landed across the three weeks. Liam, Mark and Marna all got stuck in from the first day, and from there the tallies simply kept climbing. We even had some first time anglers join us on the flats. Joris, Charlotte, Helena and Cezanne wandered out for a single afternoon, and each walked away with a first bonefish to their name. Lance, Chris and Enrico all used bonefish to complete their flats slams, while further along the sand David, Johan and Nick opened their Alphonse accounts with bonefish of their own before Damien, Dale and Francesco piled on for a combined weekly tally of 104.
Triggerfish, ever the stubborn adversary, yielded just twice, but both catches were worth the wait. Lance patiently stalked the surf on a falling spring tide to bring a moustache triggerfish to hand, while Enrico, after a string of maddening refusals, finally made good on a long standing ambition, tempting a yellowmargin triggerfish to eat in a moment he had chased for years.
The flats offered up a few surprises along the way. A trio of milkfish fell early on, one apiece as part of three separate flats slams, and Lance rounded out an already spectacular run with a barracuda measuring 147 cm, all teeth and speed, the perfect exclamation point on an outstanding week.
Three weeks on, the tally speaks for itself, but it’s the moments in between the numbers that anglers will remember. A first GT, a permit finally converted after days of refusals, a barracuda that nearly took the rod with it. Alphonse Island and St. François Atoll once again proved why they belong among the very best saltwater fisheries in the world. We congratulate every angler who fished with us and look forward to welcoming them back to the flats soon.