Astove Atoll is famous for big GTs. They don’t come along often but when they do, they can be big. Very big. Astove’s shallow lagoon, with one small entrance surrounded by sheer drop-offs, is a sanctuary for juvenile fish and it’s this that makes it one of the most extraordinary fly fishing destinations on the planet. Along with big GTs, Astove is also frequented by bonefish, permit, barracuda, milkfish, bluefin trevally, triggerfish, yellowfin tuna, dogtooth tuna, wahoo, sailfish and marlin. Great fishing can be had on both spring and neap tides with each cycle giving a host of different opportunities.
Keep an eye on these pages where we will update all the news from the Astove Atoll 2024 fishing season.
Astove Atoll 4th to 11th March
A south-easterly backwind, moving towards spring tides with a few clouds around gave us a great week of fishing here on Astove.
On day one, David started off with a fish of a lifetime. He ventured out on the boat, found a log, and spotted a 114cm GT sitting underneath. He cast and it swallowed up the fly. David had a mighty fight! Both he and Simon ended the day in the lagoon, catching 20+ bonefish each.
On the second day, we set off to the mouth. After losing two fish each, Simon tightened up the drag and landed a 65cm fish along with two smaller GTs. The bluefin trevally kept them busy when it got a bit quiet. David finished off the day with a GT at New Pier.
The next day, Simon and David each caught a 60cm+ bonefish at Paulies, right against the cliffs in the slightly higher water. They finished their day off in the lagoon, having fun with the abundance of bonefish.
On day five, David and Simon each landed a moustache triggerfish. Simon learned just how tricky they can be, darting in between the coral. They kept going throughout the day and racked up more bluefin trevally and a surf bonefish each.
Day six welcomed a very long eastern surf walk, which proved to be a great choice. David ended up with two GTs around 70cm each, along with a few bluefin trevally and some surf bonefish at the wreck. Simon got himself a 65cm geet along with bluefin trevally and some wreck surf bonefish.
It was a great week with these gentlemen, and we all had huge amounts of fun! Thank you for joining us.
Astove Atoll 26th February to 4th March
The weather held for most of the week on Astove and every part of the atoll was explored in search of fish. Due to a big rain squall, the last afternoon of the trip ended up at the lodge, chatting about the week’s fishing adventures.
On day one, Shane started off by catching his first GT and bonefish. He managed to capture two GTs and three bonefish for the day. Gareth started off searching for permit, which, unfortunately, didn’t want to cooperate. He ventured out for a surf walk and came across some very skittish fish, which would later turn around.
On day two, Gareth found a very hungry and willing triggerfish that ate the shrimp like ice cream. He got it into the net within seconds. Shane made light work of the bonefish, capturing a good number to add to his tally.
On the third day, Gareth found another willing triggerfish; however, this fish was a bit too smart and ended up breaking off in deeper water. Shane explored the mouth of the lagoon by skiff, coming across some bonefish on the way down. He managed to capture a 55cm fish in the lagoon. As the day progressed, they found plenty of bonefish at Paulies. Together, Gareth and Shane had a lot of fun landing these bigger surf fish.
The next day, Gareth opted for a popper at the mouth, a choice that paid off as he landed four GTs in just 30 minutes. Shane, on the other hand, found himself in awe of the immense power of another GT he captured.
Day five started off a tad slower with some cloud cover. Shane, not wanting to wait, caught those surf bonefish with line peeling off his reel like it was nothing. Gareth found himself on another long walk casting at triggers, which kept giving him the middle fin. Shane and Gareth would end up at Paulies for the afternoon in search of some bigger bonefish. The smaller fish definitely kept them busy.
On the final day, Gareth headed out on the boat and, after just a few casts into baitfish, found himself tight with a 75cm GT. This brought the day to a close for us, so we went back to the lodge, tying flies and talking all things fishing.
This week, our guests showed great perseverance and willingness to explore all the spots of Astove.
Astove Atoll – 5th January to 12th February
We had a bustling week at Astove, filled with daily tales of adventure and fantastic angling.
Mark kicked off the week by landing a 70cm bohar on the dredge, followed swiftly by a 70cm GT and a few other grouper species. He rounded off the day with some surf bonefish, accompanied by a delightful surf walk. Marty and Mark teamed up as boat buddies for the day. Marty successfully landed a 75cm GT on the dredge, followed by a few lyretail grouper. JD also began his day with dredging, where he secured a nice AMG grouper followed by a few lyretails. Taking it easy, Steven caught himself a few lyretail grouper. Warren delved into the GTs, landing a total of six in the range of 60 – 68cm.
Day two started well, with Stuart catching a very nice bonefish close to the 60cm mark. Bluefin trevally kept him busy for the rest of the day, adding a few to his tally. Steven hooked and landed a 65cm GT in the surf, just under his feet. JD got himself three surf bonefish, the largest measuring 60cm. Warren added another bonefish, bringing the total for the day to four.
On the third day, Warren found himself back at the surf bonefish, catching a 60cm specimen and a 60cm GT. Mark got into five surf bonefish around the western side of the Atoll. Stuart landed two more GTs, with his biggest reaching 86cm, as well as a 60cm bluefin trevally. Marty scored a 70cm bluefin in the surf, along with a 60cm GT. JD found himself tussling with an 85cm GT, which he successfully landed.
To start day four off, Stuart landed some bonefish in the surf. Marty landed five GTs, with the largest at 74cm, while Mark added six to his name, the biggest reaching 87cm. JD landed an impressive bluefish on the dredge after catching a few surf bonefish, one measuring 65cm. Warren ended the day with a big smile, catching another GT.
The fifth day saw a friendly competition — a light and fun game between old friends. Stuart caught the largest GT of the day, measuring in at 70cm. However, Mark was the man of the match with a 60cm bluefin trevally, a 58cm bonefish, and a 65cm GT.
The final day had Mark and Marty back out on the boat. Popping, they both landed a 70cm GT, as well as a lyretail grouper, blotched grouper, and bluefin trevally. Steven got two geets in the lagoon on the 9wt, as well as a 60cm bonefish. JD also captured two lagoon GTs on his 9wt, along with an 80cm GT in the surf.
Astove Atoll – 29th January to 5th February
Week 4 of fishing was filled with variety, both in weather and catches. The anglers were faced with some windy days, yet lots of bending rods despite the weather. Martin and Rasmus had come extremely prepared, having already done their loops and leaders, and Astove did not disappoint.
We opened the week with a long surf walk, and they managed to capture two GTs each while seeing a few more. The biggest fish is around 75cm.
Day two saw them venture out on the boat, finding shoals of feeding milkfish. Martin hooked onto his first milkfish and made it count, successfully landing an 85cm fish. A few casts later with a popper on the end of his rod he added a GT to his day’s tally. The day was rounded off in the lagoon with a bonefish showing the versatility of our beautiful atoll.
His boat partner also saw a lot of action on the bow. He managed to land two GTs on the popper with the biggest measuring 92cm. It put a dogged fight in the deep. Later in the day, he managed to raise a sailfish which he successfully hooked. Unfortunately, it spat the fly on one of its awe-inspiring jumps, what an unfortunate ending to an epic battle.
The third day was a bit slower. However, they each managed to connect to a small Gt each to keep the rod bent, measuring close to 60cm.
Astove Atoll – 22nd to 29th January
This week started off with a full moon, which meant high highs and low lows — ample conditions for surf walks.
On day one, John, Mark, and Steven got off the mark with a GT each. John got stuck into some bluefin trevally pushing up on rays on the 9wt with a flexo crab.
Day two saw some cloudy weather, which did not faze the crew. Lagoon bonefish was on the menu. John and Steven racked up 50 between them, catching 20+, while Mark got close, getting himself 15. A spectacular day for bonefish!
Day three was a big eastern surf walk. John captured a good number of bluefin trevally as well as a 65cm surf bonefish. Steven had a hungry pack of GTs charge and managed to keep his cool, place the fly strip, and set. He landed a 70cm GT along with bluefin trevally.
On day four, John stole the spotlight. He managed to add a good number of bluefin trevally to his tally along with a moustache triggerfish to top it all off.
The next day, John got stuck into surf bonefish, adding another six to his list. After these amazing catches, he looked up to find a GT on a ray. Quick rod change, a stellar cast, and he found himself tussling with a GT measuring 77cm. Mark and Steven also found the surf bonefish. There were plenty of triggerfish around for everyone, but they kept showing the middle fin. Nonetheless, Steven managed another GT off the back of a ray. While taking pictures of his fish, he had to chase after another fish heading towards the surf. It was a day full of action, to say the least!
The sixth day started in the lagoon. Steven found a GT in the surf shortly after the lagoon stint. Both Mark and Steven got to see giant GTs that unfortunately decided not to cooperate. John started the morning off seeing a few permit which did the typical permit thing… He landed two smaller GTs in the lagoon on 9wt. During the surf walk, he caught himself three GTs at 65cm, 68cm, and the biggest at 83 cm. He then came across some triggerfish, which he got within a few centimetres before it bit him off.
Tight lines, Blue Safari Fly Fishing on Astove Atoll
Astove Atoll 2024 – Week 3
Week three heralded a full moon giving us the ultimate highs and lows, with good conditions for surf walks. On their first day, John, Mark, and Steven got off the mark with a GT each.
John got stuck into some bluefin trevally pushing up on rays with a flexo crab on the 9wt. The next day, the men had bonefish on their lists. John and Steven racked up 50 between them, while Mark got close, getting himself 15.
Day three was a prominent eastern surf walk. John captured a good number of bluefin trevally as well as a 65cm surf bonefish. Steven landed a 70cm GT along with bluefin, keeping Mark and Steve busy throughout the day. In the days to follow, John managed to add a good number of bluefin trevally to his tally, along with a moustache triggerfish. He got stuck into the bonefish, adding another six to his list, looking up to find a GT on a ray. A quick rod change and cast, and he found himself tussling another GT measuring 77cm. There were plenty of triggerfish around for everyone, but they kept showing the middle fin. Steven managed another GT off the back of a ray. While taking pictures, he had to chase after another fish heading towards the surf.
On the final day, we started in the lagoon. Steven found a GT in the surf shortly after the lagoon stint while John captured two smaller GTs in the lagoon on the 9wt. The surf walk found him landing three GTs at 65cm, 68cm, and the biggest at 83cm. Trigger fishing showed true to form for John, hooking and ever so closely landing a phenomenal fish that was lost at his fingertips on the last day.
A trip of great adventure. Congratulations on your wins, John, Mark, and Steven.
Astove Atoll 2024 – Week 2
In the second week, north-easterly winds could not stop Jim, Nigel, and Bill from scoring some impressive catches. Moving towards neap tides meant little water movement. This means that fish stay in certain areas to feed for longer periods. Nigel landed seven bonefish while Jim and Bill searched for permit.
The days that followed saw a good number of GTs hooked and landed. Nigel got himself a 65cm fish in the last minutes of the day, while Bill landed his first-ever GT at 86cm with his final cast. Jim caught two smaller specimens in the morning; however, the action picked up in the afternoon. He hooked a 76cm fish, which was his first actual GT. Looking up to see a rather large GT in front of him, a short flick saw a behemoth 111cm GT eat his fly, followed by absolute carnage. Backing stripped from his reel, and the fight began! A short while later, about 100m around the corner, the fish was landed, pictured, measured, and freed to swim.
The final day saw the anglers move to the mouth area, protected by the wind. Bill ended the day with four GTs ranging from 60-70cm. Jim found mudding rays in the lagoon and managed five around 65cm. It was an exhilarating week full of great fish and incredible memories!
Astove Atoll 2024 – Week 1
We’ve plenty to report in terms of Astove Atoll News 2024 for the start of the season which provided some incredible GT fishing. This week was full of powerful father-son duos. We had a brilliant start to our first week, and it ended just as well. Spring tides meant working the surf or walking the rocks on the high tide under clear skies. Rob and Sam started their trip with 65cm GT each and a good number of Paulie’s surf bonefish reaching up to around 60cm. They then got stuck into action at the mouth, with Rob landing a 65cm GT and Sam a 93cm fish. Rob landed two more fish measuring 75cm, while Sam got a 74cm GT as well as an 80cm fish. On their last day, Rob and Sam added another GT to their list, and Sam managed four good surf bonefish.
Matthew and Parker made sure they got off to the same start, both landing 65cm GTs in between catches of bluefin. Parker and Matthew kicked off their second morning with Paulie’s bonefish and ended the day around the mouth, catching a 97cm GT each. Successful angling clearly runs in the family. On day three, Matthew and Parker ventured into the lagoon, racking up around 15 lagoon bonefish each. On day four, Matthew couldn’t get enough of the surf bonefish and added another three to his tally, while Parker got himself four surf bonefish and ended the day with a 91cm GT off Paulie’s rocks. On day five, Matthew, on a roll, got himself another GT for the day and nine more bonefish. Rob added two surf bonefish to his tally.
It was a fantastic week full of father-son bonding and exceptional fishing. Congratulations, gentlemen!
If our Astove Atoll News 2024 has piqued your interest and you would like more information on this superb fly fishing destination or any of our other Seychelles operations please contact Peter McLeod or Olly Thompson or call us on +44 1980 847389.