Providence

This enormous atoll is just short of being the most southerly atoll in the Seychelles, lying 710km south west of Mahe. It is roughly three times the size of Cosmoledo and hosts two prominent land masses, Providence North and the spectacularly beautiful Cerf Island in the south. Providence must rank as one of the wildest and most remote of saltwater fishing destinations.

The Fishing:

The major attractions angling-wise lie in the 30 miles of fishable flats, channels, cuts and lagoons that lie between Providence North and Cerf Island. Fishing conditions include sand and Turtlegrass flats, the surf zone and an enormous lagoon system along with the hundreds of channels and drainage areas.

The variety of the fishing areas along with the multitude of targetable fish species is something quite difficult to put into words, with one of our major difficulties coming about when deciding which rod to carry, 9 wt or 12wt? The one moment you are on the hunt for the delightfully colourful Triggerfish, which literally shoal in a foot and a half of water, you turn around and a metre plus GT has confidently snuck up behind you to see whether you are a potential meal.

Basically Providence has it all, shoals of up to 50 GTs rampaging across a Turtlegrass edge, Bumphead Parrotfish waving their paddle sized-tails as they scour the bottom in search of a feed, fields of Yellow Margin and Moustache Triggerfish on the slower neap tides and the bonefishing during certain tides proving to be quite special, with very few fish falling below the 5lb mark.

Providence has plenty more to offer, specifically her offshore fishery. On the western side of the atoll the drop off is extremely pronounced allowing one easy access to deep water. We try to spend a fair amount of time on the deep blue, and for good reason. The fishing for Sailfish, Wahoo, Yellowfin, and the occasional Black Marlin is often mind-blowing. Needless to say tackle and knots are tested to the limits.

Accommodation:

There are no living quarters on Providence, and the fishing is thus based on a live-aboard mother ship, the MV Dugong. The MV Dugong is an ex-research vessel which has been upgraded and modified into a mother ship catering for long range sea voyages. The vessel can accommodate up to twelve fly fishermen, four FlyCastaway guides, as well as eight crew members who cater for guests’ every need. A large, spacious and extremely stable vessel, the MV Dugong is the perfect base with which to explore the remote outer atolls of the Seychelles and other Indian Ocean waters.

The Programme:

Guests are expected to arrive in Mahe day before or early on the morning of the starting day of the trip which commences with a charter flight to Farquhar. The group will meet an hour before the scheduled departure time at the domestic terminal (next to the international terminal). The flight from Mahe to Farquhar is 1 hour 45 min onboard a private chartered Beechcraft 1900. Guests are met by their guides for the week at the landing strip and are then taken by tractor and trailer to the bay where the MV Dugong is anchored, which will be their home and base for the weeks fishing.

The mother ship will then travel overnight to Providence, and the group will spend the next six days fishing and exploring the islands, flats and channels of Providence Atoll. On the seventh evening the mother ship will cruise back to Farquhar. The following morning the group will have plenty of time to pack their gear before their return charter flight, following which guests can connect to their international flights or overnight in Mahe.

Seasons:

October to mid November and again from March through to the end of April.

Rates – 2021-22

The 2021-22 rate is USD14,100/person

Included:

Return charter flight between Mahe and the mother ship
Full board and accommodation on board mother ship for 7 nights based on two people sharing
Six days fully guided fishing
Tender boats & fuel
Soft drinks & water