ALPHONSE, a tiny atoll in the Indian Ocean, has a mystical place in the pantheon of fly-fishing. It is our Xanadu. It is on one of the remotest inhabited islands in the Seychelles: you typically have to fly into Mahé, the largest island, and spend a night there (I stayed at the Eden Bleu), before continuing on your journey the next day.
Alphonse is surrounded by the most astonishing flats that brim with fish. It is like walking through an aquarium. It is also one of the most glorious islands to visit, even if you have not the slightest intention of ever casting a line across the sparkling azure waters. I know because I was accompanied by my wife, Rachel.
This, perhaps, hadn’t always been the case. As the fishermen fished, the wives and non-angling partners of the past had little
