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St. Brandon’s Atoll

  • Updated: December 17, 2010
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

If you visit St. Brandon’s Atoll, this will become a familiar pose, as anglers can expect to catch dozens upon dozens of fish in a single day. When a school of fish is located, the game quickly becomes trying to single out the largest fish and keep the smaller fish from eating the fly first.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

The flats of St. Brandon’s are all productive, and on every single one of them, anglers can look 360 degrees and not see another soul on the flat. Each day, FlyCastaway typically pairs two anglers to a guide, who accommodates their every need. He will do everything from spotting fish to swapping out leaders to carrying extra rods.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

If you get tired of catching bonefish, tell your guide that you would like to go on a search for Indo-Pacific permit. They are completely targetable on St. Brandon’s and a real challenge to fool with a fly.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Though they aren’t nearly as common as bonefish, giant trevallies are a real possibility every day at St. Brandon’s. If you are lucky enough to hook one, good luck! These fish are about as powerful as powerful gets, and you really have to put the screws to one in order to stop it from breaking you off on the reef.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Before you go to St. Brandon’s, make sure you push your cuticles back, get a haircut and pluck those eyebrows because photo ops like this one are going to be all around you each and every day.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

If you plan on visiting St. Brandon’s, don’t spend too much time and energy tying a wide variety of bonefish flies because, truth be told, the fish here will eat just about anything. Pick a few standard patterns and tie in bulk, as you will definitely burn through a lot of flies.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Loaded for bear, Keith Rose-Innes of FlyCastaway displays an average St. Brandon’s bonefish. The bonefish at St. Brandon’s are extremely plentiful, and 8-pounders are considered cookie-cutter fish. And because these fish have virtually no pressure put on them, they are good eaters.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Because the flats are so expansive at St. Brandon’s, there’s plenty of room for two anglers to fish the same one without crowding each other. Even the guides participate from time to time, as can be seen in the photo here. The man fighting the bonefish in this shot is Keith Rose-Innes, one of FlyCastaway’s top guides.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Does the fish in this picture look like another fly-rod favorite? It is in fact a permit, but it’s the Indo-Pacific variety. Though somewhat of a subspecies, these fish are every bit as spooky, leader-shy and finicky as permit in any other location around the world. If you land one, give yourself a pat on the back.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Skiffs like the one in this shot are used to transport clients from flat to flat throughout the day. When the fishing is done, anglers hop on these speedsters to head back to the Gryphon, the mothership FlyCastaway uses for its St. Brandon’s operation.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

Don’t forget to eat a hearty breakfast before you leave the mothership – you never know, you might just get lucky and have the opportunity to pick a fight with a giant trevally.
St. Brandon's Atoll

St. Brandon’s Atoll

The bottom of the flats at St. Brandon’s are hard-packed sand and coral rubble, which makes it pleasant for anglers to wade all day long for bonefish, Indo-Pacific permit and giant trevallies. The angler in this photo is making a presentation to a school of bonefish working their way across the flat.
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