It all started in 2023 when we started planning our silver wedding anniversaries. We wanted something special, so it should also be a special trip. After a lot of back and forth, we decided for a family vacation in the Seychelles.

It was important to me to spend a few unforgettable days in and on the water with my fly rod, so I collected as much information as I could in Germany. One heard about one or two nice catches in different spots, but it was quite difficult to find the right spot on site, the right time in conjunction with the tide and the frequent downpours made the undertaking difficult. Some tributaries swallowed by the rain flowed into the sea and made fly fishing difficult. While on the island, I met some people who helped me a lot to understand the fly fishing on Mahe.

I am infinitely grateful for the guiding from Serge, who specializes in fly fishing and offers guided day trips, he is extremely knowledgeable. He has a great boat with which he drives his guests through the lagoons looking for bonefish and various trevally species, sharing his experience. After we had to postpone our guiding a few times due to the weather conditions, one morning we decided to give it a try.

I, a fairly experienced freshwater fly fisherman, tried my first time for bonefish.....that is not easy in itself but the small window of time before the lagoon's water became turbid was unfortunately not enough. Despite all of my guide's efforts and experience, I was unable to catch the target fish. Serge was so kind to offer me another day with him on the water and to try the luck again. A week later, the weather stabilized a bit, we were able to devote ourselves to the bonefish in the lagoon. It was a breathtaking experience for me, and I learned a lot..

After Serge had spotted a good group of bonefish, I was able to present my fly perfectly thanks to his guidance. Immediately after the second cast I hooked my first bonefish. I was so full of adrenaline that those seconds of the first run overwhelmed me and unfortunately I lost the fish after a few seconds. For me that was already a victory and I was incredibly happy about it. I was able to hook 5 or 6 bonefish but unfortunately I wasn't able to land them. Nevertheless, I was incredibly grateful for it.

After a while and with the tide coming in, we decided to keep an eye out for GT, here too Serge could teach us a lot. It's howesome how the GT stick their tail fins out of the water while looking for food on the bottom. We saw a few, but unfortunately not within casting distance. After it started to rain heavily again and we gave up.

I can't thank Serge enough for trying it with me despite the very difficult weather conditions and leading me through the lagoon in the pouring rain, as if he wanted me to catch my fish even more than I did.