This was my last morning here at the Hotel la Roussette here in Mahe, Seychelles. This is a great place with incredibly nice staff. But never in my life could I have imagined spending a solid week here and never seeing Providence Atoll when I left home eight days ago. I’m still stunned and the shock and sadness of coming this far and being cancelled by a cyclone will linger for months. But, despite all that in the back of my mind, after breakfast I headed out on the nearby flat to hunt for the bonefish I saw yesterday.
The flat looked awesome and I started with utmost confidence. An hour in however the netters joined me on the flats and the only thing I mustered up was this needlefish. I’m by no means complaining. In fact I’m already giggling at the fact that my “hero shot” from the Seychelles 2019 is a needlefish!
I fished the flat for at least four hours and finally found a bonefish. Just like last night he was a mighty one. But any large fish in this area must be as clever a fish as there is. This one sized me up and after a polite look at my fly jetted off into the sunset.
The reason I could fish today is that my flight out is at 11:55 PM tonight as is the remaining four guests with me. This includes Sammy Vigneri. Sam and I will get off our flight in Dubai to fish with my friend Nick Bowles of Ocean Active. Not sure the plan yet but we’ll figure it out. The rest of the gang will say goodbye and head home.
To kill the afternoon before our flight, I drew up some sharpie art for the guys. You can count on this if you join me on a hosted trip. This is Mike Pilch with the GT he wasn’t able to try for this trip.
Last but not least, we will be back. Most my guests had travel insurance and eventually they’ll be sorted out. We also get the good fortune to rebook Providence at a more than appealing rate. Furthermore, beyond rescheduling this trip, I’ll be back hosting in 2021 to Astove and Cosmoledo. While Astove is completely booked, feel free to contact me about the Cosmoledo part. No cyclones please!
Hey Jeff. I know you’ve had a tough week. But all of us destination anglers know that sh%# happens on these trips and nothing will change their friendship with you. Have a great time in Dubai! I’ll miss you at the Denver show this year as I’ll be sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Wishing you and Granny a great holiday season and New Year!
Yep, if you travel to fish you know mother nature can be a Beeeeeaaaatttcch, LOL That’s what makes epic trips so epic….the one in between where they aren’t always as epic.