DIY Seychelles

[bonefishpermit]

Hi all. I am thinking about going to the Seychelles on a fishing holiday
next year but are not sure of the best month to go, also i can get a
package holiday to Alphonse for £1,700 where a fully guided holiday
will cost upwards of £3,500. Is it possible to do diy bonefishing on
Alphonse or any of the other surrounding islands or do i really need a
guide.
Thanks for any help given.
Bonefishpermit.

[SpexnReds]

I've read up on the the Seychelles quite a bit. Due to it's location, temperatures are very consistent, usually between 75F and 90F. Weather, on the other hand, is quite seasonal. It's all about the southeast trade winds-they blow from april through november, so this keeps most of the rain out. The rest of the year, northwest monsoon winds seem to take control and bring quite a bit of rain. Fortunately, the bonefish are always there because of consistent temperatures, but conditions in monsoon winds make it difficult to spot and cast. It is because of this that the best time to catch bonefish is April to November. There are not many good bonefish guides on the island, just guys to take you out on a boat. If you want alot of DIY fishing, this is the place to do it. These guys (other than Alphonse) know nothing about reading flats, tides, fish patterns, etc. So if you want to go DIY fishing on the Seychelles, be sure you know your stuff first. I plan to make a trip there myself in a couple of years, I'm only a 19 yr old Accounting Major at USC right now, and I don't quite have the green. But all the luck to you, and if you end up going keep us posted!

[Soundking]

The DIY is do-able but not from Alphonse. The actual area that you fish is St. Francoix Atol and is about a 25 minute boatride to the flats. The two companies there, US Fly and Tam-Tam have exclusive rights to the fishery. Very good fishing though. If you were to do a DIY charter a bareboat likely from Mahe (either sail or power) and navigate along the various systems they have there and fish the reefs and lagoons from your tender, and wade the flats. The GT fishing there is first rate, and in my opinion much more fun than the bonefishing, and would be the truely cool DIY. Your options also include sailfish, wahoo, dogtooth tuna, yellowfin, jobfish, and even the occasional marlin for the DIY.

[ASetten]

I am going to the Seychelles for my honeymoon.

What size rod do you use for GTs - same as tarpon?
Also any recommendations on flies?

Thanks

[SpexnReds]

GT's are beasts, to say the least. As far as flies go, 6 inch poppers are the magic trick-shoot me an email if you want the specific types, i can hook you up (ghensley@usc.edu). You are going to need a hefty rod and a reel with 300yd of backing at least, because these bulldogs will run and won't stop. I suggest an 11 or 12 wt for them and a reel with 300yd of 30-35lb backing with A GOOD DRAG. Some drag systems are asymmetrical, and GT's will rip them up-a good cork drag system like in any Tibor reel will be fine. As far as anti-reverse goes, it might be a good idea because a GT in full run spools the reel so fast that the reel handle can easily break a finger.

[Soundking]

I would go 14 on the GT if you are fishing them on the reef in anything less than 50 feet of water. Straight 50 to the fly line and put the bricks on em right away. I did well with poppers like spexnreds said, but also really well on the Howe FPF in blue over white in about 4/0 (make sure you use either an owner or gama 2x thick hook). Drag is definately a concern, but more so for the poundage and pressure you put on the fish. Your gonna want to palm that reel and put maximum side pressure on the fish to keep it out of the reef as soon as you come tight. Try to keep it to a death spiral and relatively verticle if you want to keep the fish hooked up. Anything over 50 lbs on fly gear- forget about it. Seriously, pound for pound there is no fish stronger that a GT. For reference, I lost the first dozen or so I hooked wading the reef with poppers, and not a single one was over 30 lbs. I had a 12 pound fish SHATTER a 12 weight using side pressure after a 15 mintue fight. The best way to describe their fight is a tuna crossed with a jack that just smoked a whole lotta crack. They're a sweet fish, just remember to get on em right away and don't give them an inch that they don't need to take. Oh man, now I want to go back and do it again!

[mctrout]

Hey you guys- where did you guys fish in the Seychelles. sounds like allot of great info. Have a friend who is looking to go..

[SpexnReds]

I've never been. Seeing as I am a 19yr old business student at USC, i just don't have enough money for that, and if i asked my parents to pay for it i'd just get laughed at. I am just a saltwater flyfishing nut. If you are interested going to the Seychelles, get in touch with Randall Kauffman-he wrote the book Bonefishing! which is the most comprehensive book on saltwater flats fishing ever written-every flats fisherman must have a copy. He and his photographer/fishing buddy where the pioneers of bonefishing the Seychelles and the Marshall Islands. Kauffman has a website where he books trips for people -www.kman.com-any adventure loving fisherman oughta check him out cause he has some destinations that are waaayyyyy out there but have some SERIOUS fishing.

[biker]

I went on a DIY to the Seychelles five years ago. I went to Desroches Island for a week and got skunked. This was my first bonefish/flats trip ever. But being a seasoned angler with access to Google and the local library, I thought I had it all figured out. The Seychelles are ultra expensive, but also a very exoctic and beautiful place. I island hopped, but I never made it out to some of the atolls you read about, including Alphonse, and St Joseph's, but went to La Digue, Mahe, and Praslin. I hired a guide for day on Praslin and he took me wade fishing on flat near the airport. I caught several bones and a nice pompano that really maxed out my 8wt. I took a bus the next day to same spot and caught two nice bonefish w/o the presence of a guide. Have fun.

[Soundking]

I fished alphonse for 5 days with the US fly guys. Fly caught species included: bones, indo-pacific pompano (basically permit in regards to size/habits), milkfish, gt, bluefin trevally, yellowfin trevally, jobfish, wahoo, sailfish, dogtooth tuna, several albie-like tunoids, various species of snapper, three species of triggerfish, and a huge baracuda.

The biodiversity is staggering there, and I STRONGLY reccomend only spending about a day on the bones. I know, I know, but the other fish there are so much stronger, exotic, and more difficult to catch. The bonefish are a little too easy there. On a three hour tide, expect a competent angler to land upwards of 25-40 fish sightcasting. It's really like a never ending parade of fish. Small fish, however, mostly between 3 and 7 pounds with the ladder few and far between. Hell, the bones there are so easy that I got one to rise on a turk's tarantula. But, it does get boring fast. I would usually wander off alone to the edges of the reefs and cast along steep dropoffs with a 500 grain and a 12 weight and a big flashy fly and see who came to eat, and was usually rewarded with a fish every cast, and rarely the same species consecutively.

The topography is such there that one can successfully target deepwater fish from standing depth. One such drop goes from 3k to 50 to 3 feet in about 200 feet. Unreal.

Where I would apply most of my time there is with the GT and milkies. Imagine milkfishing like fishing for giant steelhead that are shot out of rockets. Milkies that are targeted are on the edges of the flats where they empty into the lagoon, in roughly 10 feet of water. They eat pieces of plankton and seaweed that are moved off of the flat on the dropping tide. The method behind fishing them is to dead drift a neutrally bouyant fly with plenty of movement on a stout size one hook. This is sight fished to stacked up schools of milkies. A tight line results in a scorching run often in excess of 200 yards and several good leaps. Crossbreed a tarpon with a bonfish and take the best atributes of both and you have the milkfish.

I could write plenty more on the topic if needed....

[ikan besar]

I spent five weeks DIY fishing just Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue a few years ago. As others have said in this thread, the diversity of fish species is very impressive. Probably the single most common fish I encountered were bluefin trevallly followed by thumbprint emperors. Decent sized bonefish, multiple species of trevally, some truly odd fish and some fairly common ones too. I caught plenty of barracuda and even a few small tarpon. Three different species of pompano, some fish required serious research upon my return to even figure out what they were (take photos of what you catch so you can figure it out later).

If you go, be sure to take as many Borski shrimp as you can tie or afford - EVERYTHING ate those flies, even decent sized trevally.

Take a spinning rod and some plugs for the reef passes that are out of fly casting range. An outgoing tide can really be amazing with all the fish waiting to eat whatever you throw out there.

Very exotic and beautiful place, enjoy!

[DBLHL]

Hello bonefishpermit,

DIY in the Seychelles can be done but it will involve excellent on-site knowledge. I suggest you contact sixgunner71@gmx.net for information about planned live-aboard trips at affordable rates.

Cheers