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 2026 fishing season.
Astove 2026 season round up
The Astove season this year was a short, compact one with a select few anglers joining us over four weeks. The season truly highlighted the incredible fishery Astove is, with every angler leaving absolutely delighted. From the renowned cliff top GT eats, permit cruising the lagoon and surf zones, to explosive bone fishing in skinny water, flats slams, and rods bending throughout. We had familiar faces and new faces alike, with multiple first species ticked off, some lifelong goals achieved, and many anglers excited for what next season has to offer. Our team highlighted some of the noteworthy fish landed, with a brief synopsis of yet another incredible season on this remote atoll.
The giant trevally stole the show this season as they so often do, with almost 150 fish landed in just four weeks. The season kicked off spectacularly on the iconic Paulie’s cliffs, where Greg hooked and landed his very first GT at 75cm before his guide could even finish calling the shot. Jamie followed suit shortly after, landing his first GT in true action packed Astove fashion. Kurt opened his account in a flash and quickly piled several more onto last year’s tally. Rob, Matt, and Laurent all joined the charge, with one outrageous session producing 11 GTs between Rob and Matt, plus two stunning bluefin trevally at 70cm and 78cm, respectively. Matt arrived hunting size and absolutely delivered, landing a powerful 104cm GT that had been harassing tailing bonefish, a very special fish to land on foot. Days later he raised the bar again, muscling in a second metre class fish at a stunning 107cm. Jacques was on fire too, landing multiple GTs including a brutally strong 94cm fish along a shallow sand flat.
Offshore, Dale earned a personal best moment when Steve spotted a GT cruising a floating log, put her on the bow, and watched her fly go tight for one of the standout fish of her trip. George opened his Astove account early and stacked several more on the way to sealing a flats slam. Volkmar punished the offshore drop off with explosive popping sessions, including one outing that produced eight GTs in a single morning. Aldo and Gio put on an absolute clinic on the outer reef, landing eight GTs between them in a single session, while Dawie, Alkuin, and Louis all had their fair share of fish landed, Alkuin landing an impressive 82cm fish along the way and the two finishing the season in style with a pair of 70cm GTs landed on the final morning.
Permit fishing continued its hot run from last season, with 20 of these notoriously tricky fish landed across the four weeks. Bill finally cracked his long standing quest for an Indo Pacific permit, sealing the deal in the closing moments of his trip before flying out to Cosmoledo. His partner Kat got straight in on the action and landed her very first permit too. Matt and Kurt both nailed flats slams headlined by permit, GT, and bonefish. Laurent, after years of fishing the Seychelles without ever cracking the permit code, smashed the streak with his first and then doubled up with a second later the same day. The opening week’s showstopper came in Kurt’s final session. After scrambling down jagged cliffs to chase moving fish, he made the cast count and pulled the biggest permit of the period clear of the rocks and surf, a stunning 68cm trophy.
Volkmar equally had a bone to pick with some permit and stalked his first like a pro, plucking a beautiful 44cm fish from shallow water before sealing a flats slam shortly after. Later in the trip he added another permit as part of a rare super slam featuring a GT, bonefish, and moustache triggerfish. George and Matt both landed permit during an entertaining session along the beach before adding GT and bonefish to seal their own slams. Jacques also connected with a permit while prowling the lagoon and flats. Aldo bagged his first ever permit on a long walk around the island. At the same time, Dawie followed up shortly after with another beauty taken from a group of permit tailing on a stingray, completing his own flats slam to cap off a brilliant week.
The bonefish of Astove need no introduction and kept our anglers entertained in-between all the other action and species. Bill and Kat kicked off their week with over 30 bonefish in a single morning, and the surf and lagoon served up trophies all over, including multiple 60cm specimens for Laurent and Kurt near Paulie’s and along the lagoon edges. Jacques and Dale put on a clinic of their own with 38 bonefish in one morning on the endless white sand flats of the lagoon, while George dropped a stunner of his own with 27 bonefish on the way to sealing his flats slam. Dawie landed a trophy bonefish from the surf, including a great quality fish of 60cm feeding along a sand spit, and Alkuin landed his first ever bonefish in the surf, the ultimate Astove bonefish experience that lives long in the memory.
The moustache triggers brought all the challenge and drama you could expect, with seven of these tough customers landed. Matt got the trigger account rolling with a chunky 42cm fish near the wreck, while Alkuin sealed his very first flats slam with a stunning 44cm trigger. Dawie turned in a standout trigger performance of his own, opening his account with a self-guided 42cm fish he spotted and landed completely independently out on the flats, before piling on more triggers across the week in a relentless display of technical fishing. Volkmar joined the trigger party after stalking a tailing fish along the rocks with incredible patience, finally pulling it clear just seconds before it dived for the coral.
The milk fishing on Astove can ebb and flow depending on conditions, Jacques took advantage of a feeding group and hooked a decent fish. An epic battle ensued as always, and he landed his first milkfish and the only one for the season.
A short, compact season, but it sure delivered some exceptional fish and even greater memories. The team had an absolute blast with the guests and look forward to welcoming some of them back next year for another epic season. The atoll proved yet again why it’s a favourite among the guides, and why it stands as one of the most thrilling, wild, and addictive fly fishing destinations on the planet. If you love wading and a truly rugged fishing experience, there is no better place to do it.
if you’re keen to visit, find 2027 and 2028 availability HERE.
10th to 23rd February
February delivered an exciting stretch of fishing on Astove Atoll, combining exceptional GT action, memorable permit encounters and classic lagoon bonefishing. Anglers experienced everything from first GT’s and permit to metre class fish and impressive flats slams, proving once again why Astove remains one of the most dynamic fisheries in the Seychelles.
Giant Trevally stole the show with an impressive total of 91 fish landed. Matt arrived determined to find a bigger fish and delivered with several memorable captures, including a powerful 104cm GT taken while targeting predators following feeding bonefish. Later in the trip, he raised the bar again with a second metre class GT measuring 107cm.
George also enjoyed excellent GT fishing, opening his Astove account early in the trip and later adding several more fish. Jacques had an outstanding session as well, landing multiple fish, including a strong 94cm fish along a shallow sand flat. Volkmar made the most of the offshore drop off where explosive popping sessions produced outstanding results. On one outing he landed eight fish in a single session before adding several more on the flats.
Strong fishing continued throughout the period with Aldo and Gio enjoying a particularly exciting session on the outer reef where they landed eight fish between them. Dawie and Alkuin also enjoyed consistent action in both the lagoon and surf zones, landing several fish, including a strong fish around 70cm.
Permit fishing delivered some memorable moments with 12 fish landed across the period. Volkmar arrived with the goal of landing a permit and achieved it with a beautifully stalked fish taken from shallow water before completing a flats slam shortly afterwards. Later in the trip, he added another permit as part of a rare super slam, which included a GT, bonefish and moustache triggerfish.
George and Matt both landed permit during a productive session along the beach before adding a GT and a bonefish to complete their own slams. Jacques also connected with permit while exploring the lagoon and flats. Aldo landed his first ever permit during a long walk around the island, while Dawie followed shortly after with another impressive fish taken from feeding permit around stingrays.
Bonefish once again provided consistent action across the lagoon and surf zones with 159 fish landed. Jacques and Dale enjoyed a remarkable morning session landing 38 bonefish on the endless white sand flats of the lagoon. George later had a standout session of his own landing 27 bonefish while completing his flats slam. Dawie landed trophy bonefish in the surf including a powerful 60cm fish feeding along a sand spit. Alkuin also landed his first bonefish during the trip, a memorable catch taken in the surf which many consider the ultimate Astove bonefish experience.
Moustache triggerfish added technical excitement to the fishing with seven fish landed. Matt opened the trigger account with a strong 42cm fish near the wreck, while Alkuin landed a beautiful 44cm trigger as part of his first flats slam. Dawie later added another moustache trigger during a productive surf session. Volkmar also joined the trigger tally after patiently stalking a tailing fish along the rocks before successfully landing it just seconds before it reached a coral hole.
One of the most exciting moments of the trip came when Jacques hooked and landed the first milkfish of the Astove season while casting to surface feeding fish offshore. The powerful fish delivered an unforgettable fight and added yet another species to the trip’s catch list.
Astove delivered an outstanding season, its diversity and action are what keep anglers coming back. From metre class GT and trophy permit to surf bonefish and technical triggerfish, the atoll once again proved why it remains one of the most thrilling and adventurous fly fishing destinations in the Indian Ocean.
29th January to 9th February
The opening weeks of the 2026 Astove season delivered exactly what this remote coral Atoll is known for cliff top GT eats, surf zone permit, lagoon slams, and rods bending from sunrise to sunset. Across the two weeks, returning guests and first time saltwater anglers alike experienced milestone fish, first flats slams, and unforgettable battles in one of the wildest fisheries in the Seychelles.
GT action defined the fortnight, with 51 fish landed across the two weeks, from cliff edges to surf walks and deep coral ridges. The season kicked off spectacularly at the iconic Paulie’s cliffs, where Greg hooked and landed his first GT at 75cm before his guide could finish calling the shot. Jamie followed shortly after, landing his first GT and then adding two more later. His fishing partner responded with three of his own, setting the tone early. Kurt opened his account early and added several more, to his tally from last year. Rob, Matt, and Laurent all joined the action, with one standout session producing 11 GTs between Rob and Matt, alongside two bluefin trevally measuring 70cm and 78cm. The most notable GT of the period came late in the second week when a 90cm fish was landed during chaotic baitfish feeding in the lagoons channel.
Permit fishing continued its exceptional form from last season, with eight fish landed in the first two weeks, including one truly special fish. Bill finally completed his long standing quest for an Indo-pacific permit, landing one in the closing moments before departing for Cosmoledo. His partner, Kat, also got in on the action and landed her very first fish as well.
Matt and Kurt both completed flats slams featuring permit, GT, and bonefish. Laurent, after years of fishing the Seychelles without a permit, finally broke the streak with his first and landed a second later that same day. One of the week’s highlights came in Kurts final session; after scrambling down jagged cliffs to reach moving fish, Kurt made the shot count and landed the biggest permit of the season thus far, a superb 68 cm fish wrestled clear of rocks and surf. Technical, visual, and high stakes, fishing on Astove at its finest.
As always, the bonefish of Astove kept our anglers extremely busy. Bill and Kat opened their week with over 30 bonefish in a single morning. Large surf and lagoon fish featured, including multiple 60cm specimens for Laurent and Kurt near Paulie’s and along the lagoon edges. Bonefish were key to multiple slams and kept rods bending daily, whether feeding along mangroves, cruising the lagoon, or tailing in the surf.
Astove’s fishing delivered variety and power in equal measure, from cliff top action to wading in the surf, it provided it all. The abundance of permit has added an exciting element to the fishery, and the bonefish are consistent as always. All in all, an exceptional start to the Astove season, delivering everything this special fishery and destination has to offer.
If our Astove Atoll News 2026 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.
