Seychelles fly fishing means giant trevally, bonefish, triggerfish, milkfish and Indo-Pacific permit on remote outer atolls: Alphonse, Farquhar, Cosmoledo, Astove and Providence. Each atoll is fished through one small lodge or mothership program, reached by charter flight from Mahé. Alphonse fishes all year, and atoll weeks start from $15,280.

The Seychelles is not a bonefish week with a GT on the side. It is the far end of saltwater fly fishing: coral atolls hundreds of miles from the main island, tides that run across the flats like a river, and a fish list that reads like a dare. This page maps the atolls, the wind seasons, entry rules, the Frontiers programs we book and what our guests have said. For tactics, read The Seychelles Playbook.

The best account of how these atolls became a fishery came from Keith Rose-Innes on Episode 130 of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast, published August 10, 2021. Keith, who then oversaw every Alphonse Fishing Company destination in the Indian Ocean, said that on his first Seychelles trip he saw tailing bonefish the moment he walked off the shore, then took a very long time to catch one, because nobody had written down how it worked. He saw no giant trevally that trip, only permit that ignored everything he threw. From September 2012 his company stopped running liveaboards and took leases on the atolls instead, so anglers' money could fund conservation rather than a boat that visits and leaves. One lodge per atoll, with rod limits on the flats each day: that is why the Seychelles still fishes the way it does.

Where to Fly Fish in the Seychelles

The fly fishing happens on the outer islands, not around Mahé. Each atoll below is fished through one operator, Blue Safari Fly Fishing (the new name for Alphonse Fishing Company). Prices are the operator's starting rate for seven nights and six fishing days on a shared skiff.

Alphonse Island and St François

Alphonse is the all-round atoll and the usual first Seychelles trip: 10,000 acres of white sand flats with easy wading, best known for bonefish but holding milkfish, permit, triggerfish and GTs too. Anglers also fish the uninhabited St François atoll next door and return to Alphonse each night. Twelve anglers a week, the internal flight is included, and the season runs all year. Keith called Alphonse the atoll where a non-fishing partner has the most to do. Starting from $15,280.

Farquhar Atoll

Farquhar, just over 700 kilometres southwest of Mahé, is the bumphead parrotfish atoll; it and Providence are among the few places to target bumpheads on the flats. Keith put its giant trevally numbers alongside Cosmoledo's. Guests stay in the six-room Farquhar Guest House on the lagoon, Wednesday to Wednesday, with a Tuesday night in Mahé. Starting from $16,600.

Cosmoledo Atoll

Cosmoledo is the giant trevally atoll; Keith said no atoll in the world holds that many GTs. It is 560 nautical miles southwest of Mahé, reached by a two and a half hour flight to Astove and a one-hour boat crossing. The Wizard Island eco-lodge takes a maximum of 10 anglers. Starting from $18,790.

Astove, Providence and the quieter options

• Astove Atoll: GT numbers close to Cosmoledo's, and the Astove Wall, where the reef drops from ankle-deep to more than a kilometre. Six-room Coral House. Starting from $16,300.
• Providence Atoll: a liveaboard mothership for GTs, bumpheads, triggerfish and milkfish, reached by charter to Farquhar and a 6 to 8 hour cruise. Starting from $16,950.
• Amirante Islands and Platte Island: also on the operator's list if the headline atolls are full.

For how these atolls compare with other far-flung weeks, read The Bucket List, Honestly Ranked.

When to Go Fly Fishing in the Seychelles

The Seychelles has no cold fronts, just two monsoons. The national meteorological service describes a windy southeast monsoon from May to September, peaking in July and August, and a northwest monsoon from November to March with lighter winds and most of the rain. April and October are the calm transition months. Alphonse fishes all year; the remote atolls run to each program's own calendar.

Intensity:LightModerateHeavy

Species matter as much as wind. Keith Rose-Innes said giant trevally want the warmer summer water while bonefish prefer it cooler, so a GT week and a bonefish week may differ. Book the tide too: spring tides push the most water onto the flats, and GTs love that influx.

Book a Local Pro in the Seychelles

See all FFIP Certified pros, including saltwater guides in Belize and Florida, or plan a Seychelles atoll week through Frontiers below.

Custom Flies and Rods from the Seychelles

Plan Your Seychelles Trip With Frontiers

Frontiers International Travel books the Seychelles atoll programs, with a specialist handling long-haul flights, the Mahé overnight, the charter and travel protection.

We represent many great lodges in the Seychelles through Frontiers International Travel, including the Providence Atoll mothership program, and we will help you choose based on your travel, timing, budget and species. If you are weighing the Seychelles against a winter bonefish week closer to home, read Where to Fly Fish in Winter: 8 Trips That Book Right Now.

Seychelles Tips from Podcast Guests

• Place a fly for bumphead parrotfish, don't chase them
  Drop a crab pattern on clean sand ahead of the school, leave it still, and watch for a fish tilting sideways over it.
  Keith Rose-Innes, Seychelles guide and lodge operator, on Episode 130
• Keep a permit fly moving and change it after two refusals
  Indian Ocean permit reject a fly almost instantly, so stay in contact with a steady strip.
  Keith Rose-Innes, on Episode 130
• Keep a shallow rod bend to land a big GT
  Keep a slight bend down into the cork and let a heavy leader wear the fish down.
  Jeff Currier, traveling fly angler, on Guided EP 10
• Build leaders by diameter, not pound test
  Bruce Chard, flats guide and leader-system designer, on Guided EP 19
• Dry used flies on a safety pin before boxing them
  Salt eats hooks on a long trip, so box only dry flies.
  Stratton Hunter, Western North Carolina guide, on How to Fly Fish and Travel When it is Your Second Priority

Want more? Browse every tip in the Fly Fishing Tips Library, sorted by region, water type, species and skill.

Hear the Seychelles on the Podcast

Shop the Water: Flies and Gear for the Seychelles

Follow your lodge's own tackle list. The usual quiver runs 8 and 9-weights for bonefish and permit, a 10-weight for triggerfish and milkfish and a 12-weight for giant trevally, all on floating saltwater lines. Below: lines, bonefish rods, baitfish flies for trevally and barracuda, and a cap for the equatorial sun.

Seychelles Fly Fishing Questions, Answered

Fly Fishing Insider Podcast has a referral partnership with Frontiers International Travel. If you book after being introduced through us, we may receive compensation at no additional cost to you.

Tight lines, everyone!

By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed October 2026.

Prices, availability, flight routing and entry requirements change. Every figure on this page is the starting rate published by the lodge or by Frontiers International Travel at the time of writing, per angler, and is a starting point for a quote, not a quote. Seasons, lodge capacity, charter schedules, visa and passport rules and license requirements can all change without notice. Confirm current pricing, availability and entry requirements with your Frontiers specialist before you book anything.

Sources: Starting rates, lodges and species: Blue Safari Fly Fishing pages for Alphonse, Farquhar, Cosmoledo, Astove and Providence. Schedules, inclusions and insurance: Frontiers International Travel pages for Alphonse, Farquhar, Cosmoledo and Providence. Entry rules: Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status visitor's permit. Monsoon seasons: Seychelles National Meteorological Services report. Keith Rose-Innes and Stratton Hunter on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast.