DOCTOR, DOCTOR!

NAMED SURGEONFISH BECAUSE THEY BEAR ERECTILE, SCALPEL-LIKE, DANGEROUSLY SHARP SPINES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CAUDAL PEDUNCLE, THEY ARE RUMOURED TO SING LIKE BUMPHEAD PARROTFISH AND, APPARENTLY, THEY HAVE AN ALPHA FISH THAT LEADS THE SCHOOL. ALPHONSE FISHING COMPANY GUIDE BRADLEY YOUNG TELLS US WHAT HE’S DISCOVERED TARGETING HIS LOCAL YELLOWFIN SURGEONS IN THE SEYCHELLES.

Photo. Alphonse Fishing Company

There is no shortage of surgeonfish on Alphonse, specifically the yellowfin surgeon (Acanthurus xanthopterus). Seen frequently around coral bommies, in the surf, and on finger flats, we have grown accustomed to their constant presence on the atoll. Since I arrived in 2022 the general consensus has been that the surgeon is herbivorous and unlikely to take a fly.

With their vegetarian reputation preceding them, they are never even a consideration for an angler heading out on the flats. Certainly, on my off days, they weren’t even close to a fleeting thought.

The night before a particular off day of mine, I tied some extrasmall tan shrimp on a Grip Hooks Size 6 with the intention of fooling some of the spooky triggers that call Alphonse home.

We stopped on a finger flat around two hours before the dead low on a spring tide. After coming right with a moustache trigger, I spotted a tightly packed group of about 10 surgeons tailing on some of the finger’s white sand. With the trigger box ticked I thought to myself that a surgeon and its beautiful colours would make an epic grip-and-grin photo. Armed with the same tan shrimp and some confidence (having just caught the trigger), I put in a speculative cast just ahead of the shoal, the tiny fly landing with minimal disturbance to the water. The fish continued tailing towards the fly as I began an ultra-slow strip. To my surprise, I hooked up and fought the fish for a short while before the hook pulled.

After blowing what I thought would be my only opportunity of catching one of these fish, I continued along the finger and found a similar shoal of surgeons also tailing on some white sand. Another gentle cast and a painfully slow strip later I hooked up again. Using its dinner plate-shaped body, the surgeon put up a fantastic fight with some powerful runs. The stoke was real when the fish came to net. After I’d taken the sought-after photo, the fish was safely released… most likely never to be caught again.

Whether it was the right place, the right time, the right fly, some damn good luck, or a combination of these factors, I’ll be going after these awesome fish again.