Unchallenged as the most beautiful of the Indian Ocean island chains, with high granite peaks and dense forest giving way to transluscent waters, the 115 islands of the Seychelles have a population of only 70 000; perhaps the luckiest people on earth, to live in this island paradise where tropical fruits spring from the ground, the seas teem with fish, and there's no income tax! The main islands lie on a continental shelf roughly 120 km by 60 km, within which the water is nowhere more than 70 metres deep, and usually far shallower. For serious gamefishing one needs to be off this shelf, which is not feasable on day charters out of Mahe, the main island. So how does one fish the outer dropoffs? During 1998 the Seychelles -- or more precisely, the Amirantes group some 250 km southwest of the main islands -- have emerged as a major bonefish area. Getting to these bones, and the milkfish, kingfish (trevally) and other shallow water species found on the flats there, is not easy. One can fly from Mahe to DESROCHES, the only Amirantes island with a lodge, and then fish the nearby islands of d'Arros/St Joseph's Atoll from COOKIE TWO, the only gamefishing boat stationed at Desroches. Or, one can arrange to meet the 12-metre liveaboard catamaran TAM TAM at Desroches and sail away to the even more productive waters of the ALPHONSE group, about 90 km further south. Or, one can charter directly in to Alphonse from Mahe, which is the best way to get fishing quickly, but also the most costly. One can also, of course, take TamTam directly from Mahe, but then it makes more sense to fish the nearest deep-water islands of Platt, Bird and the Constant Banks -- too much sea-time is wasted getting to the Amirantes. |  |
But running a large, live-aboard craft in the Seychelles is a costly business. TamTam's 1999 rate is U$ 1,100 per day, and she also charges a one-time "positioning fee" of U$ 600 to be in the Desroches/Alphonse area. That's fully inclusive, for max four clients in two double cabins. The second-largest Seychelles island of Praslin lies within sight of Mahe and is close enough to the dropoff to also offer good gamefishing. There are several sportfishing craft based on Praslin, including William Rose's 11 metre OPTIMIST, an excellent boat. Between them Mahe, Praslin and tiny La Digue offer the best of Seychelles, whether your taste is for five-star luxury or a simple, self-catering beach villa -- and even if you have no interest in fishing at all! We have many Seychelles options -- contact us for our Seychelles breakdown. |
