February delivered an exciting stretch of fishing on Astove Atoll, combining exceptional GT action, memorable permit encounters and classic lagoon bonefishing. Anglers experienced everything from first GT’s and permit to metre class fish and impressive flats slams, proving once again why Astove remains one of the most dynamic fisheries in the Seychelles.
Giant Trevally stole the show with an impressive total of 91 fish landed. Matt arrived determined to find a bigger fish and delivered with several memorable captures, including a powerful 104 cm GT taken while targeting predators following feeding bonefish. Later in the trip, he raised the bar again with a second metre class GT measuring 107 cm.
George also enjoyed excellent GT fishing, opening his Astove account early in the trip and later adding several more fish. Jacques had an outstanding session as well, landing multiple fish, including a strong 94cm fish along a shallow sand flat. Volkmar made the most of the offshore drop off where explosive popping sessions produced outstanding results. On one outing he landed 8 fish in a single session before adding several more on the flats.
Strong fishing continued throughout the period with Aldo and Gio enjoying a particularly exciting session on the outer reef where they landed 8 fish between them. Dawie and Alkuin also enjoyed consistent action in both the lagoon and surf zones, landing several fish, including a strong fish around 70 cm.
Permit fishing delivered some memorable moments with 12 fish landed across the period. Volkmar arrived with the goal of landing a permit and achieved it with a beautifully stalked fish taken from shallow water before completing a flats slam shortly afterwards. Later in the trip, he added another permit as part of a rare super slam, which included a GT, bonefish and moustache triggerfish.
George and Matt both landed permit during a productive session along the beach before adding a GT and a bonefish to complete their own slams. Jacques also connected with permit while exploring the lagoon and flats. Aldo landed his first ever permit during a long walk around the island, while Dawie followed shortly after with another impressive fish taken from feeding permit around stingrays.
Bonefish once again provided consistent action across the lagoon and surf zones with 159 fish landed. Jacques and Dale enjoyed a remarkable morning session landing 38 bonefish on the endless white sand flats of the lagoon. George later had a standout session of his own landing 27 bonefish while completing his flats slam. Dawie landed trophy bonefish in the surf including a powerful 60 cm fish feeding along a sand spit. Alkuin also landed his first bonefish during the trip, a memorable catch taken in the surf which many consider the ultimate Astove bonefish experience.
Moustache triggerfish added technical excitement to the fishing with 7 fish landed. Matt opened the trigger account with a strong 42 cm fish near the wreck, while Alkuin landed a beautiful 44 cm trigger as part of his first flats slam. Dawie later added another moustache trigger during a productive surf session. Volkmar also joined the trigger tally after patiently stalking a tailing fish along the rocks before successfully landing it just seconds before it reached a coral hole.
One of the most exciting moments of the trip came when Jacques hooked and landed the first milkfish of the Astove season while casting to surface feeding fish offshore. The powerful fish delivered an unforgettable fight and added yet another species to the trip’s catch list.
Astove delivered an outstanding season, its diversity and action are what keep anglers coming back. From metre class GT and trophy permit to surf bonefish and technical triggerfish, the atoll once again proved why it remains one of the most thrilling and adventurous fly fishing destinations in the Indian Ocean.