Captain’s Log: The Inner Island Crossover — 8 Days of Flats, Boulders, and Bluewater

Trip Details

• Trip Type: Inner Island Technical Expedition (Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Casting)

• Region: Granitic Islands (Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue, and the Mahe Drop-Off)

• Date Range: 27 September – 5 October 2025

• Duration: 8-Day Liveaboard (Vessel: Poerava)

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Environmental Conditions We saw the Southeast Trade Winds begin to falter this week, signaling the start of the inter-monsoonal transition. We dealt with a residual 1.5m swell for the first two days around Silhouette, but by the time we reached the Mahe Drop-off, the ocean had flattened significantly. Water temperatures averaged 27.5°C—the cooler end of the spectrum, which kept the baitfish active and pushed predators into the shallower current lines. Water clarity was excellent (25m+) except for the incoming tide periods near Praslin.

Catch & Activity

• Fly Fishing (Flats & Inshore):

  • Bonefish: 5 landed. The western flats of Praslin were particularly productive during the neap tides .

  • Indo-Pacific Permit: 1 landed (est. 6kg). A rare Inner Island trophy taken on a tan crab pattern after three days of relentless stalking.

• Light Tackle & Casting:

  • Yellowfin Tuna: 9 landed. Most were caught on the Mahe Drop-off using 115mm stickbaits on PE6 setups.

  • Giant Trevally (GT): 4 landed. These were “Inner Island” residents—thick, dark fish holding in the white water around Silhouette’s rocky points .

  • Bluefin Trevally: landed on light popping gear. The vibrant blue hues of these fish around the granite boulders are unbeatable

  • Species Variety: Numerous Bohar Snappers and Green Jobfish were taken on light jigs while moving between Silhouette and North Island.

The Mission: Highlights from the Water We departed Mahe at first light on the 27th, bypassing the standard troll to get the fly rods into the water at Silhouette by midday. The granite boulders here are essentially “Grand Canyons” for fish; we focused on casting streamers into the wash, which produced a flurry of Bluefin Trevally and one very angry 18kg GT that nearly spooled our 10wt outfit .

Days 3 and 4 were spent around the Praslin and La Digue sector. We focused on the “stealth mission”—wading the skinny water for Bonefish and Permit. The transition weather worked in our favor; the lighter winds allowed for technical sight-casting that would have been impossible two weeks ago .

The trip concluded with 48 hours on the Mahe Drop-Off. While this is usually “heavy tackle” territory, we stayed with the light-tackle theme. Chasing Yellowfin “bust-ups” with sinking stickbaits provided high-octane action. Seeing a Tuna launch itself at a lure while you’re holding a light casting rod is the definition of a “screaming reel.”

Tackle & Techniques

• Fly Gear: 9wt and 10wt outfits were the primary tools. We found that “fleeing crab” patterns in natural tones were the only thing the Permit would look at. For the GTs in the surf, we moved to 12wt setups with large, weighted streamers .

• Light Tackle Casting: We ran PE5 and PE6 braid on 14000-class reels. Using smaller 115mm–140mm stickbaits allowed us to match the small baitfish current-running along the drop-off .

• Tactical Note: The fish were finicky in the glassy afternoon heat. We found that dropping to 60lb fluorocarbon leaders was necessary to get the bite, though it meant a higher risk of break-offs in the rocks.

Captain’s Insight The “Reversal” is here. The shift in wind direction is already concentrating the Yellowfin along the 1,000m contour of the Mahe Drop-off. For the fly anglers, the next four weeks represent the “Golden Window” where the clarity is high and the winds are low.

Conservation Note: This was a 100% catch-and-release trip for all reef and flats species. The Permit was handled with extreme care in the water and released within 60 seconds.

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