Reflections on an Extraordinary Trip to the Seychelles

A Spring back in my step

There are fishing trips you look forward to, and then there are fishing trips that ambush your soul — the sort that leave you standing in your kitchen a week later, still grinning like a man who’s either won the lottery or been hit very hard on the head. My recent adventure to the Seychelles falls firmly into the latter category.

I went out there for the fishing, of course. GTs, bumphead parrotfish, bonefish, triggers — Fishing in general has the ability to make grown men behave like excitable schoolboys. But what I didn’t expect was everything else the place gave me. In fact, the fishing, brilliant as it was, ended up being only half the story.

Poling the flats

Endless stretching flats and GTs with Attitude

Let’s start with Farquhar. If you’ve never been, imagine a place so beautiful it makes the Caribbean look like Lossiemouth on a Tuesday in February, well, maybe a little far, but you get the drift. The 19 miles of lagoon protected by a reef with Gin clear water. What about the fish…? Well, I'll do my best to describe... GTs are built and flight like Mike Tyson with fins! Hooking one of those was like attaching your line to Lewis Hamilton going flat out half way down the Hangar Straight. Exhilarating comes close, but not quite there!

Giant Trevally on a beautiful day in paradise

I managed five GTs — each one a heart‑stopping, knee‑trembling, “Oh my God” moment. They hit the fly like they’ve been personally offended by and want to exact revenge on it. One of them came at me so fast it was like a Tsunami of water being pushed in front of it. I cannot properly describe what it was like to feel one of those for the first time, such was the raw power. As with any other fish and fishing trip, anticipation is the main thing, and after feeling and catching one of those, it was like a drug, I just had to get more!

Giant Trevally on a cloudy, but very warm, day

And then there were the bumphead parrotfish. If you’ve never cast at a herd of these prehistoric bruisers. They head and tail, slowly moving around the Turtle grass and Coral like a herd of Red Deer hinds, slowly and warily grazing their way over a hill. Those are the most wiley of fish and for me, make for the most fantastic stalk. If you like the thrill of the chase, those are the perfect quarry. If any fish brings out the hunter in us, this must be right up there. And amazingly, every now and then, one decides your fly is worth eating, after which its, hold on and think of Scotland! Those are seriously strong. The chasing of those fish took be back to so many nice fishing and shooting experiences with my father and in my past, a very happy place indeed.

Bumphead Parrot Fish

However, there's one thing I didn’t see coming, and that was the Positivity this trip instilled back into me.

Our group was made up of people from all walks of life, each with a common bond - Fly Fishing, and every evening, over dinner and a dram, sitting in the warmth of the southern Indian ocean, the conversation was nothing but positive and fun. No moaning. No doom. No “the world’s going to hell.” No talk of Fish-farms and Beavers. Well, maybe the latter just the once! Just good people enjoying good company, sharing stories, laughing, and importantly, lifting one another up.

It reminded me of those nights fishing the Alta with my friend, Andy Majerus, that same buzz, that same atmosphere and sense of anticipation in the air. It also took me right back to those magical nights on Lower Pitchroy, guiding clients into sea trout in the darkness. I'll never forget the glow and expression of sheer delight and joy on their faces when they came off the water. Many said, “If you could bottle this feeling…” Well, Farquhar has just provided me with just this, a bottle of of feelings and memories, like those others above, I'll never forget.

And the staff — young, upbeat, enthusiastic, and genuinely delighted to be there helping you. Their energy was infectious, interestingly, reminding me of me and my enthusiasm for those nights at the Sea Trout. You couldn’t help but feel lighter being around this team.

The Unexpected Gift

I came home with something I hadn’t felt in a long time, a proper spring in my step. The kind of lift you don’t notice until you’re back in the real world and realise you’re smiling and blethering to strangers in the supermarket.

It made me realise just how important positivity is in our lives, not the forced kind, but the real stuff. The kind that comes from being surrounded by people who love what they do, who support each other, and who see the world as full of opportunity rather than obstacles.

Fishing gives us that. The river gives us that. And Farquhar, well, it provided all of us with so much of this and more.

Hosting Trips & Casting Courses in Paradise

After experiencing the magic of the Seychelles, GT and Bumpie fishing first hand, I simply have to get back and I know its something many of my previous customers will want to do.

This in mind, I’ve decided to set up and host a few trips down there in the coming seasons. Those will be run in the same way as I have run my bespoke hosted trips to Iceland, Scotland and Norway, where I will take care of all your needs and requirements prior to travelling. I’ll be on hand to help you get the very best out of the fishery, offering the best advice I can based on first hand experience.

I’m also planning to run casting‑specific sessions. Over the years I’ve developed a few techniques that make a real difference when you’re dealing with wind, distance, and fish that move like guided missiles. Most people I know fish, and are comfortable with, a double handed rod, but less so with Single handed fishing and the Double Haul. However, having seen what is required I will have some specialised, short, double handed rods made with lines matching to make the job easy for us Salmon Fishermen. Five minutes of coaching on the flats can transform someone’s trip, and if I can help people hook their first GT or finally master that quick, accurate delivery, then all the better.

Think of it as a blend of adventure, learning, and the kind of camaraderie that makes these trips unforgettable.

A Trip of a Lifetime. Everyone deserves one of those.

I’ve spent decades helping people find the right fishing experiences and those who know me, know I never oversell, or sugar‑coat, just matching the right person to the right place. And I can say, hand on heart, that the Seychelles is one of those rare destinations that delivers more than it promises.

This is not just a fishing trip, It’s a reset button. Its that never to be forgotten trip.

If you’re looking for an adventure that leaves you changed not just with stories, but with a renewed sense of energy, then The Seychelles, GTs and Bumpies, are waiting.

And if you want to join me on one of these weeks, or fancy sharpening your casting in paradise, or before you get there, you know where to find me.