Farlows Epic Seychelles Adventure 2014

Farlows Travel have recently returned from 3 hosted weeks tropical saltwater fly fishing in the Seychelles - 2 weeks in Alphonse & 1 week in Cosmoledo. As you'd expect the fishing was outstanding, with all anglers catching a wide range of species. We've pulled together a full report of each week with all the highlights & some incredible photos!

Farlows Travel Host Two Weeks in Alphonse: 8th - 22nd November 2014

From the moment you touch down on this remote island paradise, time begins to race by and there simply aren't enough minutes in the day. Wake up calls are normally pushed back to 05:45. Driven by the need for a strong coffee and a fresh selection of breakfast delights, the group begins to stagger out of their cozy bungalows and onto their bicycles towards a stunning beach bar to assess the wind direction, cloud cover and our chances for the day.



The day starts with a 7am meeting at the fishing tackle shop to replenish fly boxes and choose from the tasty lunch menu. From here anglers are eagerly transferred from Alphonse to St François lagoon by the 40′ mother ship to where the skiffs await for you... in the middle of nowhere! Rotating through the knowledgable guides everyday, we then spread out across the sandy flats, lagoons, channels and reefs where you are spoilt for choice as to which species to target.

Farlows Travel again hosted primetime back to back weeks on Alphonse in November this season. We are pleased to report that the fishing along with their professional and dedicated staff all continue to live up to this operation's world class reputation. We all had a tremendous time!

Alphonse Fishing Report: 8th – 15th November 2014

The first day of the week kicked off with 2 “Flats Slams”, 8 GT’s, 2 Triggers and 112 Bonefish. Arthur Wickson and Simon Dawes both landed GT’s, Triggers and Bonefish during the day to complete their “Flats Slams”, while Justin got stuck into the GT’s and ended up with a tally of 3 for the day. As the week progressed the GT catches continued with numerous fish in the 80 – 95cm range. Day 4 was a memorable one with Rafn Valur Alfredsson landing his first GT of 104cm (50lbs) and Justin his first Indo Pacific Permit.  By the end of the week there were 17 GT’s, 8 Triggerfish, 396 Bonefish, 1 Permit, 2 Sailfish, 19 Bluefin Trevally and 2 Wahoo landed on fly.



Alphonse Fishing Report: 16th - 23rd November 2014

The north westerly winds finally arrived and so to did the Mantas and Milkfish.  This was a fantastic week with flat calm seas, spectacular sunsets and a vast variety of species to catch.  9 Triggerfish, 5 GT’s, a big Barracuda for Pat, 3 Milkfish for Vladimir, Mike, Peter and a bucket load of Bonefish for us all. Plus many other species were landed. In addition, to my “Alphonse Flats Slam” (a GT, Trigger and Bonefish), I also found a 120cm GT to go with Gregory's 97cm beauty. Great fishing along with a great bunch of guests made for an unforgettable week.



Many thanks to Keith, Devon and Jordyn and the rest of the Alphonse team for their excellent organisation and charming hospitality.

Farlows Travel Host One Week in Cosmoledo: 22nd - 29th November 2014

It all started out when a group of good fishing friends touched down on hot airstrip in the middle of nowhere on the remote island in the South Indian Ocean called Assumption. Although we did manage to find a few large GT's lurking along the beach, we later realised that they were stuffed with crabs explaining the lack of attitude towards our assortment of brush flies. Fortunately this was not the case with the milk fish that began to gather near the mothership with the setting sun.



That evening we rose our glasses for kind weather and good friends, the anchor was hoisted and we chugged through the night on an 8 hour journey further south to Cosmoledo.

Arriving under mostly sunny skies, plans were discussed amongst the experienced guides and then confirmed by the veteran guests. Although we did put some miles in, we also had plenty of fishy chances along the way. Hard work and perseverance was rewarded by screaming reels, broken rods, severed lines, snapped tippets and line burned fingers. Our team combined to land 160 memorable GT's in the week.

There were also good numbers of triggers about which Vladimir along with his son seemed to have the right touch including that afternoon Vladimir Jr. got comfortable in the turtle grass presenting 5 different flies before landing his large yellow margin on the final day to complete his well deserved flats slam!



Whether is was the wrong moon, tide, or wind - we had a challenging day at Astove although my fishing partner Alex and I really can't complain after being surrounded by permit inside the lagoon for about 4 hours - not to mention the 5 good GT's up to 40 pounds. By the time the sand had cleared we had cast at countless small groups of permit, seen a party of 40 smaller fish travelling together, hooked 3, and lost 1 after a good 15 seconds before finally hooking a small yet most satisfying permit.



The southern atolls are a fly fishing paradise. A magical place far-away filled with colour, where the daily dramas of a pristine ecosystem play out in front of your very eyes, providing a rare and privileged opportunity to gaze into a wild world.

Many thanks to Keith, his guide team along with the reliable skipper Kevin. Daniel, the master chef prodived excellent food throughout our stay - so a huge thanks to him.

Farlows Travel is planning to return in November again next season. We are forming our group now for 2015. Please email justin@farlowsgroup.com & let us know if your are interested in joining us.

Looking forward to fishing with you again soon!

Justin McCarthy - Farlows CEO