Seven guests from the US and Denmark got geared up for another week of flats fishing. Most were returning anglers, with only two seeing the fishery for the first time. Spencer, who joined his father Roger on the trip, was experiencing flats fishing for the very first time, while Preben from Denmark was new to Farquhar but no stranger to the Seychelles. The week delivered a run of bumpies, a remarkable streak of late afternoon GTs and the first golden trevally of the season.
Preben made the last hour of the day his own this week. On day one he landed two GTs out of a small bait school at the end of the day, and he went on to repeat the trick on day four, day five and day six, landing a GT in the final hour each time. On the final day he seemed to be on some other streak of luck, somehow pulling a rabbit from the hat yet again.
Day four saw the fishing slow a little, but a few nice GTs were landed, including Mike’s first of the trip. On day six, Seth finally got his hands on a GT after a few unlucky moments earlier in the week, and his efforts were rewarded.
The angler of the final day, though, was Donald, who only went out for about two and a half hours. He cast at a large fish cruising slowly right on the bottom in a deep, sandy section of flat. At first it was uncertain whether it was a GT or a milkfish, but when in doubt, always make a cast. As soon as his fly hit the water, the now identifiable GT lunged for the black beast fly and inhaled it. Donald burnt his fingers while setting the hook, a sure sign that you’ve done it right. The fish charged out into deeper water and danced around between some rather unfriendly looking coral. With some boat manoeuvres and a bit of luck, it only briefly grazed one coral before it was netted: a solid 98 cm slab of Farquhar GT with some serious shoulders on it.
Spencer decided to switch things up on day five and focused heavily on bonefish, landing his first ever bonefish.
Day one showed plenty of promise, and Spencer started his week in memorable fashion. While fishing a turtle grass flat for bumpies, he laid a cast into a large group of tailing giants, and in no time he was clearing line and losing backing at a rate of knots. After the usual tug of war, Spencer eventually laid hands on his prized catch and locked in a core memory in the process. Catching a tank of a fish on a father-and-son fishing trip is a feeling that is not easily matched. Day two was eventful all round, but only one angler managed to convert. Roger repeated the previous day’s story, but this time it was the father who came away with the tank bumpy, leaving father and son with a bumpy each by the second day.
On day three the tide was just right, or the wind was just right, or something was just right, because the bumpies were wild on the flats and almost every boat came home with one. Donald, Mike, Preben and Ginny all managed to land solid bumpies during the day. On day four the bumpies weren’t out to play, and although several were hooked, they were lost. Ginny was at it again on the final day, landing another sizeable bumpy to round off her week.
Day five was a day of diversity, and Mike capitalised on one of the less-caught species, landing a fish that is highly regarded by the guides, particularly at Farquhar. He was fishing a turtle grass flat when a group of tailing golden trevally appeared within casting range. Switching to the bumpy flexo crab, Mike made one cast into the group, came tight and landed a beautiful golden, the first one of the season so far.
Donald’s GT was the perfect way to end another solid week of fishing. From first-time flats anglers locking in core memories to father-and-son bumpies and the season’s first golden, there was something for everyone. A big thank you to all our guests, and we look forward to seeing you back on the flats soon.