\u00a0Are you out of fish to catch?<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\nWhat\u2019s left on your fly fishing bucket list?\u00a0 Steelhead, pike, striped bass?\u00a0 These are pretty simple, you could probably catch all 3 on one trip without a boat if you planned it right.\u00a0 How about things like tarpon, king salmon, muskie, sailfish, or other commonly pursued fly rod trophies?\u00a0 These are a little tougher, but still easily accomplished with minimal resources and a little time.\u00a0 What about marlin? Trevally? \u00a0Taimen? How about a tigerfish? These are the kinds of fish that we\u2019re talking about!\u00a0\u00a0 Fish that really require a high level of commitment\u2014both physical and financial. \u00a0If you are seriously running out of fish to target on your next big trip, or just really want to have one up on your fishing buddies, have I got a trip for you! \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat if you could target a trophy fish with a fly rod, that is still off everyone\u2019s radar?\u00a0 It\u2019s not going to be easy or cheap, but most things worthwhile aren\u2019t. Success is far from guaranteed, your personal safety may be in danger the entire time, and the budget of this will surely exceed that of the last several trips you\u2019ve gone on combined.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nA hundred years ago, this fish was unknown to man.\u00a0 Many people have still not heard of it, very few have actually seen one, even fewer have actually caught one, and almost no one has caught one on a fly.<\/span><\/p>\nThe fish we\u2019re going after could only be one thing \u2013 the coelacanth.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-101.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAren\u2019t those the prehistoric \u2018missing link\u2019 type fish only found in deep water off Africa\u201d is what everyone says now.\u00a0 Yes they are prehistoric, and quite possibly are a missing link between primitive creatures and certain other animals.\u00a0 They do live in very deep water most of the time, but a select group of sportsmen from Africa has discovered times and places when these denizens of the deep come into range of sport fishermen.\u00a0 Sometimes WAY into range.<\/span><\/p>\nI had a chance, and very random conversation at a family function with a friend of a family member who told me the craziest fish story I had ever heard.\u00a0 As unbelievable as it was, I still found myself sending a letter [the paper kind] to a person on the other side of the globe. \u00a0I got a response, and this led to a ton of research, me learning parts of 2 new languages, culminating in a 20,000 mile round trip journey involving almost every form of transportation you could think of, including a giant tortoise that hauled my gear at one point.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nI sold one of my boats to help pay for the trip, sponsors paid for parts of the rest, and my generous hosts covered most of my expenses once there.\u00a0 Now, I am hosting a trip that will allow an obsessed and compulsive fly fisherman to accomplish what virtually no one has done before\u2014coelacanth on a fly.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhile these fish are well established as being denizens of very deep [100-500 meters, or 300 -1500 feet], it has recently be discovered that these fish actually come to shallows at certain times of the year.\u00a0 Remember, it wasn\u2019t all that long ago when we knew nothing at all of this fish, and since the first specimen was caught by a commercial fisherman in 1938 off the coast of Africa, there have been populations confirmed in other locales.\u00a0 My research has even uncovered rumors of American subspecies of coelacanth, but that\u2019s another story for another day.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-121.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nAt the far western fringe of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean are a few very remote atolls that have the unique combination of a remote location, heavy environmental protection, and very specific habitat found virtually nowhere else on earth.\u00a0 These atolls are surrounded by very deep waters that are known to be the home of the aforementioned deep water coelacanths.\u00a0 The atolls we\u2019re concerned with each consist of a ring of islands surrounding very large lagoons.\u00a0 These lagoons connect to the deep ocean through distinct channels that have a high volume of water moving through them when the tide changes.\u00a0 It is in these channels where things get really interesting.\u00a0 While my new friend and guide Captain Stuart Bing is still putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, it is a fact that the C-los [that\u2019s what we call them] come into and feed in these channels at certain times.\u00a0 It is believed that this strange occurrence revolves around a spawning ritual coinciding with a mass exodus of a local type of shrimp that call the lagoons home.\u00a0 During the biggest spring tides, these shrimp leave the lagoons by the thousands, and the C-los lie in wait in the channels, sometimes creating moonlit feeding frenzies that just cannot be believed.\u00a0 Yeah, I said moonlit, this is almost strictly a nighttime deal.\u00a0 These fish are very light sensitive, and it is at the time of the first full moon following the Perigean spring tide that this really gets going.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-13.1-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>One of our favorite channels, there are others just like it!<\/span><\/p><\/div>\nTiming on this trip is crucial.\u00a0 A week too early or too late could mean no fish.\u00a0 We have studied the movements of these fish compared to tides and moon phases for the past few years and are confident that our next trip will be right on as far as timing goes.\u00a0 During this moon phase, it is thought that they stage in semi deep water out from the channel mouths during the day.\u00a0 Then, the C-los move into these channels as the sun sets, and they seem to alternate between feeding and mating behavior.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The shrimp come out of the lagoons on the outgoing tide, the reason for this we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 We don\u2019t see them coming back on an incoming, at least not in any huge numbers, so this must be a time when the shrimp just disperse to populate other areas.\u00a0 When the shrimp start moving, it is not long before the C-los come calling.<\/span><\/p>\nWhen the C-los are feeding, it creates a disturbance that is hard to believe.\u00a0 There is a lot of jaw snapping, thrashing, and splashing as they gulp down these shrimp by the dozen.\u00a0 Other C-los will hear this and join the melee, and before you know it you can have schools of C-los numbering in the hundreds tearing up the channel. When they are feeding this way, they viciously attack virtually everything we have cast at them that even vaguely resembles these 3 -5\u201d long shrimp.\u00a0 Then, perhaps when they\u2019ve eaten enough, the entire group of fish will cease feeding and begin this other behavior that is hard to describe.\u00a0 It is reminiscent of how tarpon form a \u201cdaisy chain\u201d, except that they move in more or less a straight line, so instead of \u201cdaisy chaining\u201d, we call it \u201ccrazy training\u201d.\u00a0 If you are lucky enough to witness it, you\u2019ll see how fitting this name is, as these huge fish follow behind one another, biting at each other, and sometimes sticking their heads out of the water and loudly snapping their jaws.\u00a0 You can actually hear their jaws snapping from nearly a mile away.\u00a0 They always move into the current, and it is always the biggest fish at the front of the train.\u00a0 The others will follow wherever their leader goes, and it often ends up looking like and incredibly long snake as the train sinuates up the channel. Sometimes an intrepid individual will make a move that allows him to cut ahead of the fish in front of him\u2014it usually starts with the trailing fish clamping down on the next fish\u2019s tail hard enough to get the front fish to spin around.\u00a0 This distraction allows the trailing fish to move up a place.\u00a0 Why it is desirable to move up in the train, we don\u2019t know. \u00a0While the C-los start \u201ctraining\u201d, trying to get them to bite has proven futile\u2014they are just not interested in feeding, and we\u2019ve tried various lures and even live shrimp to no avail.\u00a0 This is just as well, because if you were there for the frenzy, it is likely that you\u2019ve had enough fish fighting for a night, now it is time to enjoy the show.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-14-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Our special lights illuminated this group as they changed from feeding to “Training”<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n
\u00a0The moon will be full, or at least mostly full for the duration of the trip, and once you are used to it you can see surprisingly well.\u00a0 There is also considerable bio-luminescence occurring, adding to the bizarre scene.\u00a0 If the moon does not cooperate, we have developed some special lighting systems that not only allow us to observe these magnificent fish, but also seem to draw the shrimp to whichever part of the channel we have staked out in.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSo, we\u2019re fly fishing at night in one of the most remote areas on earth.\u00a0 An area known to have pirates, crocodiles, and huge sharks.\u00a0 Safety is a huge concern on these trips, and we have come up with multi-boat system that allows each angler to hook and land as many fish as is possible during a session.\u00a0 We fish from a Mother Ship that is anchored or staked out at a favorite spot in the channel.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-111.jpg\")
<\/a>Our Mother Ship–the “Tortuga”, named after the giant tortoises found on the atolls<\/span><\/p><\/div>\nAs the night progresses, the fish move up closer to the lagoon, and it is sometimes necessary to make a move in the middle of a session.\u00a0 While the Mother Ship is large, the designated casting area is relatively small, allowing for two anglers to cast at a time.\u00a0 When a fish is hooked up, the angler is escorted into a smaller \u201cchase boat\u201d [captained by your personal guide\/valet] allowing the angler to keep the fish close and land it in a reasonable amount of time.\u00a0 Once the fish is landed, the guide drives the boat back and ties off to the Mother Ship.\u00a0 The successful angler can take a break, enjoy a snack or beverage while he waits for his turn to come up again.\u00a0 In a typical night, each angler will hook up about 5 times with a fifty percent landing ratio.\u00a0 Safety is always a concern, as pirates, smugglers and other malfeasants are known to pass through this area.\u00a0 The Mother Ship has a fulltime security crew including a gunner with a 50 caliber fully automatic rifle.\u00a0 Your guide will always be armed with both a rifle and a sidearm, and the chase boat has emergency supplies should you become unable to return to the mother ship.\u00a0 On more than one occasion it had been necessary to wait until daylight to rescue a chase boat that ended up in the open ocean while pursuing their fish.\u00a0 GPS and beacons make this process relatively simple.\u00a0 When we picked up one angler, he proudly showed off his giant fly reel that had been stripped of the quarter mile of backing.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wildsmallie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/coel-2-216x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Captain Stu with one that was kept for DNA research<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n
Your guide will be at your side from the time you get picked up in Madagascar until you are dropped off.\u00a0 He will act not only as your fishing guide, but as your valet, assisting you with anything you need every step of the way.\u00a0 These guides are very knowledgeable of the waters and surrounding islands, and are very familiar with the fish and wildlife, as well as local culture.\u00a0 These guides are still learning the nuances of sport fishing though, and may not be able to offer much help with technical fly fishing questions or rigging.\u00a0 If you are not able to select and rig your tackle, tie knots, or handle and unhook fish, then this trip is not for you. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What if you could target a trophy fish with a fly rod, that is still off everyone\u2019s radar?\u00a0 It\u2019s not going to be easy or cheap, but most things worthwhile aren\u2019t. Success is far from guaranteed, your personal safety may be in danger the entire time, and the budget of this will surely exceed that of the last several trips you\u2019ve gone on combined.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A hundred years ago, this fish was unknown to man.\u00a0 Many people have still not heard of it, very few have actually seen one, even fewer have actually caught one, and almost no one has caught one on a fly.<\/span><\/p>\n The fish we\u2019re going after could only be one thing \u2013 the coelacanth.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t those the prehistoric \u2018missing link\u2019 type fish only found in deep water off Africa\u201d is what everyone says now.\u00a0 Yes they are prehistoric, and quite possibly are a missing link between primitive creatures and certain other animals.\u00a0 They do live in very deep water most of the time, but a select group of sportsmen from Africa has discovered times and places when these denizens of the deep come into range of sport fishermen.\u00a0 Sometimes WAY into range.<\/span><\/p>\n I had a chance, and very random conversation at a family function with a friend of a family member who told me the craziest fish story I had ever heard.\u00a0 As unbelievable as it was, I still found myself sending a letter [the paper kind] to a person on the other side of the globe. \u00a0I got a response, and this led to a ton of research, me learning parts of 2 new languages, culminating in a 20,000 mile round trip journey involving almost every form of transportation you could think of, including a giant tortoise that hauled my gear at one point.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I sold one of my boats to help pay for the trip, sponsors paid for parts of the rest, and my generous hosts covered most of my expenses once there.\u00a0 Now, I am hosting a trip that will allow an obsessed and compulsive fly fisherman to accomplish what virtually no one has done before\u2014coelacanth on a fly.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While these fish are well established as being denizens of very deep [100-500 meters, or 300 -1500 feet], it has recently be discovered that these fish actually come to shallows at certain times of the year.\u00a0 Remember, it wasn\u2019t all that long ago when we knew nothing at all of this fish, and since the first specimen was caught by a commercial fisherman in 1938 off the coast of Africa, there have been populations confirmed in other locales.\u00a0 My research has even uncovered rumors of American subspecies of coelacanth, but that\u2019s another story for another day.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n At the far western fringe of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean are a few very remote atolls that have the unique combination of a remote location, heavy environmental protection, and very specific habitat found virtually nowhere else on earth.\u00a0 These atolls are surrounded by very deep waters that are known to be the home of the aforementioned deep water coelacanths.\u00a0 The atolls we\u2019re concerned with each consist of a ring of islands surrounding very large lagoons.\u00a0 These lagoons connect to the deep ocean through distinct channels that have a high volume of water moving through them when the tide changes.\u00a0 It is in these channels where things get really interesting.\u00a0 While my new friend and guide Captain Stuart Bing is still putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, it is a fact that the C-los [that\u2019s what we call them] come into and feed in these channels at certain times.\u00a0 It is believed that this strange occurrence revolves around a spawning ritual coinciding with a mass exodus of a local type of shrimp that call the lagoons home.\u00a0 During the biggest spring tides, these shrimp leave the lagoons by the thousands, and the C-los lie in wait in the channels, sometimes creating moonlit feeding frenzies that just cannot be believed.\u00a0 Yeah, I said moonlit, this is almost strictly a nighttime deal.\u00a0 These fish are very light sensitive, and it is at the time of the first full moon following the Perigean spring tide that this really gets going.<\/span><\/p>\n One of our favorite channels, there are others just like it!<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Timing on this trip is crucial.\u00a0 A week too early or too late could mean no fish.\u00a0 We have studied the movements of these fish compared to tides and moon phases for the past few years and are confident that our next trip will be right on as far as timing goes.\u00a0 During this moon phase, it is thought that they stage in semi deep water out from the channel mouths during the day.\u00a0 Then, the C-los move into these channels as the sun sets, and they seem to alternate between feeding and mating behavior.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The shrimp come out of the lagoons on the outgoing tide, the reason for this we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 We don\u2019t see them coming back on an incoming, at least not in any huge numbers, so this must be a time when the shrimp just disperse to populate other areas.\u00a0 When the shrimp start moving, it is not long before the C-los come calling.<\/span><\/p>\n When the C-los are feeding, it creates a disturbance that is hard to believe.\u00a0 There is a lot of jaw snapping, thrashing, and splashing as they gulp down these shrimp by the dozen.\u00a0 Other C-los will hear this and join the melee, and before you know it you can have schools of C-los numbering in the hundreds tearing up the channel. When they are feeding this way, they viciously attack virtually everything we have cast at them that even vaguely resembles these 3 -5\u201d long shrimp.\u00a0 Then, perhaps when they\u2019ve eaten enough, the entire group of fish will cease feeding and begin this other behavior that is hard to describe.\u00a0 It is reminiscent of how tarpon form a \u201cdaisy chain\u201d, except that they move in more or less a straight line, so instead of \u201cdaisy chaining\u201d, we call it \u201ccrazy training\u201d.\u00a0 If you are lucky enough to witness it, you\u2019ll see how fitting this name is, as these huge fish follow behind one another, biting at each other, and sometimes sticking their heads out of the water and loudly snapping their jaws.\u00a0 You can actually hear their jaws snapping from nearly a mile away.\u00a0 They always move into the current, and it is always the biggest fish at the front of the train.\u00a0 The others will follow wherever their leader goes, and it often ends up looking like and incredibly long snake as the train sinuates up the channel. Sometimes an intrepid individual will make a move that allows him to cut ahead of the fish in front of him\u2014it usually starts with the trailing fish clamping down on the next fish\u2019s tail hard enough to get the front fish to spin around.\u00a0 This distraction allows the trailing fish to move up a place.\u00a0 Why it is desirable to move up in the train, we don\u2019t know. \u00a0While the C-los start \u201ctraining\u201d, trying to get them to bite has proven futile\u2014they are just not interested in feeding, and we\u2019ve tried various lures and even live shrimp to no avail.\u00a0 This is just as well, because if you were there for the frenzy, it is likely that you\u2019ve had enough fish fighting for a night, now it is time to enjoy the show.<\/span><\/p>\n Our special lights illuminated this group as they changed from feeding to “Training”<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0The moon will be full, or at least mostly full for the duration of the trip, and once you are used to it you can see surprisingly well.\u00a0 There is also considerable bio-luminescence occurring, adding to the bizarre scene.\u00a0 If the moon does not cooperate, we have developed some special lighting systems that not only allow us to observe these magnificent fish, but also seem to draw the shrimp to whichever part of the channel we have staked out in.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So, we\u2019re fly fishing at night in one of the most remote areas on earth.\u00a0 An area known to have pirates, crocodiles, and huge sharks.\u00a0 Safety is a huge concern on these trips, and we have come up with multi-boat system that allows each angler to hook and land as many fish as is possible during a session.\u00a0 We fish from a Mother Ship that is anchored or staked out at a favorite spot in the channel.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Our Mother Ship–the “Tortuga”, named after the giant tortoises found on the atolls<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n As the night progresses, the fish move up closer to the lagoon, and it is sometimes necessary to make a move in the middle of a session.\u00a0 While the Mother Ship is large, the designated casting area is relatively small, allowing for two anglers to cast at a time.\u00a0 When a fish is hooked up, the angler is escorted into a smaller \u201cchase boat\u201d [captained by your personal guide\/valet] allowing the angler to keep the fish close and land it in a reasonable amount of time.\u00a0 Once the fish is landed, the guide drives the boat back and ties off to the Mother Ship.\u00a0 The successful angler can take a break, enjoy a snack or beverage while he waits for his turn to come up again.\u00a0 In a typical night, each angler will hook up about 5 times with a fifty percent landing ratio.\u00a0 Safety is always a concern, as pirates, smugglers and other malfeasants are known to pass through this area.\u00a0 The Mother Ship has a fulltime security crew including a gunner with a 50 caliber fully automatic rifle.\u00a0 Your guide will always be armed with both a rifle and a sidearm, and the chase boat has emergency supplies should you become unable to return to the mother ship.\u00a0 On more than one occasion it had been necessary to wait until daylight to rescue a chase boat that ended up in the open ocean while pursuing their fish.\u00a0 GPS and beacons make this process relatively simple.\u00a0 When we picked up one angler, he proudly showed off his giant fly reel that had been stripped of the quarter mile of backing.<\/span><\/p>\n Captain Stu with one that was kept for DNA research<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Your guide will be at your side from the time you get picked up in Madagascar until you are dropped off.\u00a0 He will act not only as your fishing guide, but as your valet, assisting you with anything you need every step of the way.\u00a0 These guides are very knowledgeable of the waters and surrounding islands, and are very familiar with the fish and wildlife, as well as local culture.\u00a0 These guides are still learning the nuances of sport fishing though, and may not be able to offer much help with technical fly fishing questions or rigging.\u00a0 If you are not able to select and rig your tackle, tie knots, or handle and unhook fish, then this trip is not for you. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>