PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF WITH A 65 CM GT!

This week on Astove, we experienced a challenging week with neap tides and some southeasterly winds. Nothing would hold back an angler, though, determined to capture. After tackle set up and a brief explanation of the atoll, the group headed out to capture some bonefish and get some practice casting.

Day two marked the start of the catches; Hennie got himself stuck into some bluefins on both the 12-wt and nine-wt, racking up a good number of small and more significant specimens. Jaco decides to hold the 12-wt, standing ready for those flats’ gangsters, perseverance paying off, and capturing himself a 65 cm giant trevally on a stingray.

Day three was a group effort with Hennie, Adriaan, and Jaco getting stuck into a few GTs, brassy trevally, and bluefin. Jaco was picking up a 67 cm fish on the popper. The group then switched rods and walked the lagoon, finding a good amount of bonefish each.

Friday would be a very memorable day for Jaco. After a very short wait on some rocks, a good cast, and a powerful strip strike, 17 minutes later, landed a 102 cm GT. The rest of the day, he daydreamed over his catch.

Adriaan decided triggers were his choice for the day, making his shot count, getting himself a beautiful yet feisty moustache triggerfish turning his four-piece rod into five; beers were on him that evening.

Saturday would be a tough day, with lots of cloud cover pushing over and stormy conditions. A few fish were seen, but the weather made it difficult to get it done, so the team decided to capture a few more bonefish in the lagoon. Adriaan got a 61 cm tailing fish in super skinny water. Hennie and Jaco are adding numbers to their scorecards. Sunday would be a tough day in the office, with strong winds making it difficult to put the fly where you wanted. The crew would see how quickly fish could break off the 130-pound leader in their scissors with two fish doing that to them.

Tight lines,
From Alphonse Fishing Co.