Missions to middle of nowhere remote destinations come with their own set of rules. Every fishing trip has its risks and factors that fall out of your control, like the weather, or the water conditions. But most times you can make another plan, reschedule, move spots, wait for the weather to blow past. But when you are a couple thousand miles out to sea, on a 30 plus year old ex-research vessel as your home base, anchored off a remote, deserted 400 square mile Atoll like Providence, factors like the weather become just that little bit more prevalent, and the rules of the game ratchet up a few notches.

Cyclone Kenneth, apptly nicknamed “Kenny Fucking Powers”, the down and out baseball player from Eastbound & Down  by Robb Scott, the merry prankster, impersonator, energiser bunny and baseball player of our misfit group of 12 anglers on board the Maya Dugong, showed us just what what mother nature can dish out when you’ve got nowhere to run to.

But on the flip side, despite Kenny Fucking Powers dishing out a serious shit show of weather, this trip proved more than ever that fishing trips are not just about the fish and the fishing.. they are about the place, the adventure, the experience, the Mission, and more than anything, the people you share them with.

This was my 3rd trip to Providence in 24 months… each trip has offered something new and mind bending.. the 1st trip was a baptism of fire into a place that, as Mike Dawes of WorldCast Anglers says, “You have more chance of dancing with the Devil here than anywhere else on the planet”.

My 2nd trip proved that with us landing 4 Geets over the 120cm mark, including my personal best of 127cm…

This 3rd trip showed us yet another side… Cyclone edge weather aside, we were treated to incredible fishing again, and while GT’s are always the main target out there, the sheer numbers of huge grouper and Bohar snapper on the flats in ridiculously shallow water  is what I will take from this.. as well as the new, and renewed friendships with a group of guys who quite literally made this the best of all my trips..

I think too often people think that because they are heading to fish a destination that their Social Media feed has them believe is a fish on every cast, the sun always shines, the wind never blows, they forget to immerse themselves truly in the experience when they are there.. this could be because the fish are spooky, or the weather is shitty, or their casting quite simply sucks balls… and their expectations don’t match reality..

Reality is that these dream destinations will deliver some of, if not THE best fishing you could ever imagine.. but to get the best out of these trips, you need to adjust to what the fishing gods throw at you… and worry about what you can control, and learn to deal with those you can’t… and revel in every tiny bit of the experience you can.. whether that is the fishing, seeing a wilderness environment in its completely untouched state… watching a 12ft plus Bull Shark tailing on turtles in 4ft of water, huge shoals of Bumphead parrotfish, packs of GT’s marauding acorss a turtle grass flat,  giant Bohar snapper detonating on your fly in shin deep water, or the cameraderie of sitting around a table on the back deck of a 130ft mothership in 12ft seas, and 50 knot winds, drinking and laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing some more with a bunch of the best dudes you could ever hope to meet… soak all that shit up… trips are not all about fish.. they’re about the trip…

Massive thanks to the crew of the Maya Dugong, Capt.Kev, Giovanni, Nella and everyone else who makes up an incredible crew of folks who spent a week dealing with a rowdy bunch of hooligans in some rough ass weather..

And to the Guide Team from FlyCastaway.. as always a cut above the rest.. Timmo, J-Dawg, Wes and Brendan.. thanks lads, you okes are the fucking best.

And to the group of legends I was fortunate enough to share this week of chaos with, thank you.. I feel priviledged to have shared Cyclones and Seybrews with y’all.. Warrels, J-Rod, Lord Fontelroy, Frat, Dawes, Robb, Brian, Terry and his Midgets, SandFlea, Patito, Dave… Hopefully catch you boys in the next storm…

Oh yeah, we caught a few fish too..