The Seychelles was a beautiful trip.   Alphonse is the most wife endorsed place (luxurious and opulent) I have ever been to.  We were supposed to be there at the best time for weather and tides but, somehow, we were trapped in a freak weather system.   It rained and blew most of the time although there were some nice sunny intervals in between.  When the weather was decent, fishing was incredibly good.  One day, we caught 18 bones apiece and they averaged about 4-5lbs apiece and larger.   The guide took us to a pool of them and we just had our fun.  Some were so fierce that I got line burns!    Sometimes, you could see teams of bonefish swimming down on the flats when the tide was going out so there was no lack of fish there.  Eldon and I also caught trevally and barracudas (around 15-30 lb.) as they were also abundant.  Most were caught while on the skiff but Eldon hooked a few while on the flats.   When the weather turned bad (windy and gray), we managed to hook 4 to 5 bones a day.  It just makes you wonder what the week would have been like if the weather remained sunny, which it should have been.  

 

 The sun’s rays can be fierce in that part of the world and the sunblock we used ( SPF 45) wasn’t enough to prevent me from getting  sunburned.   To protect themselves, the native fishing guides used bandanas to shield their faces even though they were already tanned.   

 

As for the booking agent, we chose Angling Destinations who hooked us up with outfitter, Martin and Anna Lewis, owners of the Tam Tam.   They were superb hosts (British) and ran a  first class operation with beautifully maintained boats and equipment plus experienced guides.   I didn't get seasick (an easy thing for me) because their main boat proved large enough to take the stormy waters when the weather conditions turned bad.  Once at our destination, we were taken in a small skiff to the flats. 

 

The Indian Ocean abounds with fascinating sea life.  We saw parrot fish, manta rays, moray eels, sea turtles, and trigger fish feeding on the flats when we were stalking bones. There were also huge lemon sharks (70lbs +) on the flats (not a problem for fishermen).    Alphonse Island  is also known throughout the world for it's first class diving experience especially among the Europeans.