AlPhONSE ISlANd RESORt - Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co.

alphonse island resort
THE FISHING
seychelles
Bonefish
The majority of the areas fished for bonefish
are on hard, white sand with minimal
coral and grass growth. It is an idyllic setting
for bonefishing with easy visibility and
a nearly endless amount of targets in skinny
water. Tidal fluctuations in the Seychelles
are quite significant, and the day’s itinerary
is built around accommodating the ebb
and push of water on and off the flat. During
a falling or rising tide, anglers typically
wade looking for bones feeding their way
on or off the flat. One unique aspect to the
behavior of the bones in the St. Francois
Lagoon is there does not seem to be any
huge schools of fish like as often found in
the Caribbean. The fish usually feed in individual
pods of 2-8 fish and present themselves
at predictable and incredibly frequent
intervals. The population of bonefish is
outstanding, easily rivaling any and all other
bonefish destinations in the world. The average
fish is a solid four pounds, with seven
and eight-pound specimens encountered
frequently. Double-digit fish are present;
however should definitely be considered a
real bonus trophy.
Giant Trevally
Many anglers are allured half way around the
word to the Seychelles in search of the dozens
of other species found at St. Francois.
Five species of trevally are found in St. Francois
with the golden, bluefin and giant trevally
most prevalent. The giant trevally is about as
crazed and hard fighting as any gamefish on
the planet…you had better come prepared!
Words cannot describe the power of a large
Giant Trevally. The only way to appreciate it
is to get your hands on an Abel Super 12 reel
and crank down the drag to 100% and try
manually to pull of some line. You are lucky
to pull off one foot of line without breaking
a finger. Now, consider that big GTs have
completely spooled anglers with this same
reel cranked down to 100% drag! You fish for
GTs with super heavy gear… 80-100 pound
straight fluorocarbon for your leader, 5/0 –
8/0 gamugatsu hooks, and 50 pound gel spun
backing is the norm. GTs over 50 pounds require
you to be chasing them in a skiff as landing
one of foot is nearly impossible without a
14 weight. They are truly an incredible fish.
“GTs” or “Jeets” (as the South Africans call
them) are most often found at low tide cruising
the cuts and channels around coral heads
and surrounding the flats in search of unsuspecting
baitfish and other prey. Half of the
time anglers will cruise in the skiff looking for
giant trevally, however, a walk out to a reef can
also be a fruitful way to get a shot at a trevally.
At low tide anglers can stand just inside the
reef and scan the incoming breakers for these
hunting monsters and sight cast to cruising fish
in the surf. On an incoming tide, you can also
find trevally on the flat in very skinny water
crashing bait at warp speed. Although visually
the most impressive form of feeding (huge
bow wakes and rooster tails) trevally in shallow
water can spook easily. No matter where
you encounter the giant trevally, their pure
closing speed and aggressive feeding habits will
intrigue all anglers… There is simply nothing
more jaw-dropping than the eat of a big G.T. –
and if you are lucky you won’t get spooled!
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