I traveled to the Seychelles on November 3rd with 11 other fishing buddies.  We took the 10 hour flight on Air Seychelles from Paris to Mahe, the capital island.  It is a few hundred miles East of Tanzania, just North of Madagascar, 7 degrees south of the equator, in the Indian Ocean.  From here we boarded a small twin turboprop for the one- hour flight to Alphonse Island, where the luxurious Shackleton Resort is located.  The main lodge facilities include reception area, dining rooms, bars and pool. The client quarters are 2 bedroom bungalows located along the white sand beaches on both sides of the lodge.  Transportation to and from the bungalows is by bicycle, which helps keep one in shape.

 

The first evening, we met with the guides at the Fishing Center.  They checked out our gear (most of us had 8, 10 and 12 wt. rigs), organized flies and gave us an orientation for the week.  The next morning we were on the water at 7:30 am traveling about 45 minutes in a comfortable catamaran to Francois Island.  This is an uninhabited atoll with a lagoon about 7 miles long and 4 miles wide.  There are only 12 fishermen per week allowed into this paradise.

 

 Fisherman are divided into pairs and an assigned guide and transportation to the fishing spots is efficiently handled with small skiffs powered by 50 hp Yamaha motors.  The general routine is for the guide-fishermen team to choose a fishing venue for the day, and head off.  Usually the day starts sight fishing bonefish on the flats with the changing tide.  It's normal to land 8 - 10 bones each in a 2 hour period.  Then as the tide movement subsides, the team concentrates of other species. This frequently involves sight fishing for Permit, Trigger Fish, Parrot Fish or Trevally.  However, sometime is often spent blind casting into the surf or off a deep drop-off for "whatever" strikes.  Our group landed 28 different species of fish during this week.  These included the fish named previously as well as grouper, milkfish, emperor fish, snapper, barracuda and many others I don't know the names of.  The bonefish averaged around 6 lbs., with some in the 10 lb. range.  Giant Trevally were quite prevalent, with about 15 landed, the largest at 60 lbs.  Several milkfish were hooked, but no large ones landed.  Guides were rotated daily, so everyone got a different guide experience each day.  All in all, it was a great experience in a tropical wonderland.

The trip was organized through Frontiers, and cost about $6500, which included air charter from Mahe to Alpohonse Island.  Travel from the states to Mahe is not included.  Economy air from Paris to Mahe runs about $900.  The fishing season runs approximately from September through March.  Prime time seems to be October to December, with apparently more wind to contend with later in the season.

 

My overall rating for this trip is high.  The fishing is superb and the visual surroundings spectacular.  The guides are experienced and all speak English.  Also they'll customize the day to your desires.  The Lodge facilities are first class, although the food is mediocre and the drinks expensive.  The bungalows are nice, with plenty of space and amenities.  The only unknown at this time is that in December 2006, the ownership of the property will change hands.  A South African "rich guy" bought the whole place and apparently has some grandiose plans to expand and further upgrade the resort.  No one seems to really know what the result will be , so only time will tell.  I can only hope this wonderful place doesn't change too much!

 

Regards,   Bob Tacy  tacyhome@msn.com

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