You've watched the exciting videos @
http://www.youtube.com/tacklesourcetv showcasing the best the Maldives has to offer whether on boat or on shore. Here's a compilation of the action we'd experienced on foot on the many uninhabited islands that pepper the atolls in this spectacular place.
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| With the help of the humble tender we get our feet wet on an uninhabited island... |
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| Inviting both for a cast and a swim... |
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| First cast and a Bluefin Trev obliges... |
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| The work of the DUO Ikakko... |
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| Next the Ikakko finds a small Paddletail Snapper... |
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| The species list is a long one on these flats. Here's an interesting one - a Flutefish on the Ikakko... |
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| Grass Emperors are hard little fighters that aren't uncommon in these sheltered lagoons. They like Ikakkos too... |
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| An octopus flees... |
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| Did we forget to say the sights were amazing? |
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| A small Dart finds the DUO Ikakko... |
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| The winds were pretty harsh on some days and it hampered the spotting of fish but casts at structure seldom disappointed... |
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| More often than not a Honeycomb Rockcod will find the Ikakko... |
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| A little Lizardfish shows its greed... |
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| Black Botched Emperors are hard fighters which will take lures willingly, especially if they are life-like Ikakkos... |
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| The razor quick Bluefin Trevally hunt in packs and react to harder twitches when working the Ikakko... |
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| A Slender Queenie adds variety to the pelagic species we encounter. Ikakko works on them all the same... |
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| The new Pygmy Popper from Jackson is put to its paces on this trip and it doesn't disappoint, with a Rockcod here... |
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| And a Bluefin Trevally likes the Pygmy Popper too... |
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| Fish of this size go hard on the ultralight gear used and can be a handful to keep away from structure... |
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| Another Honycomb Cod this time on a DUO Poco Poco Popper... |
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| A rare topwater catch : a Surge Wrasse. These things go hard to try and bury you in the nearest coral patch... |
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| The Jackson Pygmy Popper claims another... |
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| A juvenile Peacock Hind finds the DUO Poco Poco popper too irresistable... |
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| Back to the Ikakko and on a sand bar we find this Silver Biddy... |
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| Darts are flighty little creatures but with a well-placed DUO Ikakko they can be fooled... |
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| A stunningly attractive fish. Perfectly suited to hunting on the flats... |
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| A lighter coloured Bluefin Trev, evidence of its soft sandy habitat... |
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| A Crescent Perch, another Ikakko victim... |
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| In the knee deep water, casting to shadows cruising often result in spectacularly visual takes and solid fights on the light rods like the Major Craft Crostage Aji... |
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| These fish go mad over DUO Ikakkos... |
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| Another close cousin that's found on these flats is the Banded Trevally. They feed on the bottom and can be seen grazing the beaches. An Ikakko placed in front is seldom ignored... |
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| A hard-fighting Silver Biddy on the Ikakko. These fish fight well over their weight class... |
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| On a featureless flat we find a feeding Bonefish. Its a nice specimen and a great fight on the Major Craft Crostage rod... |
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| The DUO Ikakko hopped off the bottom wasn't missed... |
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| One never tires of these willing Bluefin Trevally. They go hard and are abundant on these flats... |
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| Ikakkos are the go-to lure bar none... |
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| They often travel in schools and if lucky you can pick off more than one from it... |
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| There's something magical about spotting and casting to fish on what seems like a featureless desert of sand... |
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| A nice Banded Trevally gets its picture taken... |
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| The result of being fooled by the DUO Ikakko... |
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| On the beaches the sheer number of Emperor species is baffling. The one constant is that they all love Ikakkos... |
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| A beautiful Undulate Triggerfish falls prey too. Its colours beam under the midday sun... |
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| A pretty hefty Grass Emperor gives a pretty decent workout on the ultralight Major Craft Airlights rod... |
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| An Ikakko pinned neatly... |
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| Another Black Blotched Emperor, this time on another lure type... |
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| The DUO Yurameki is a long-casting sinking pencil which has the prettiest flutter... |
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| Made to blend into its environment when hunting, this Emperor looks utterly regal in its white coat. The clear Ikakko was also chosen for the same reason... |
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| Another Undulate Trigger falls prey to the Ikakko... |
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| A nice Bluefin Trevally is the reason this Major Craft Crostage is bent full... |
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| A good fish pluck from a passing school. Bigger than the usual flats encounter, this guy showed all the hallmarks of a pelagic speedster when hooked... |
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| The DUO Ikakko looks the perfect snack for this reef hunter... |
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| Set against a surreal scene of beauty, an odd capture tries to flee from the clutches of the Crostage... |
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| A little Stingray that was accidentally hooked, or maybe it went for the Ikakko... |
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| The shallows are a nursery for many juveniles. This is a rather special capture - a Great Barracuda. This species is capable of growing to huge sizes but here is where it all begins... |
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| Eye to eye. Real predator and almost-real prey... |
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| Always eager are the Bluefin trevallies, to hit an Ikakko... |
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| A fat Rockcod that provided some anxious moments on the light outfit in tight country... |
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| Ikakko down its gob... |
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| Typically a reef dweller, this Bluestriped Snapper can be caught on the fringes. On the Ikakko of course... |
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| A fat Black Botched Emperor, as welcome on the Ikakko... |
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| A beautifully marked Peacock Hind. The light pink DUO Ikakko is its downfall... |
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| The reef and beaches can stretch for miles, but every inch is worth a second look... |
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| On these flats these bigger Emperors are pretty near the top of the food chain and they show it in their confident attacks on a passing Ikakko... |
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| Another nice Emperor from the sand... |
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| There can only be one lure... |
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| The species list is too long but it keeps growing... |
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| Colours of the Ikakko don't matter. It is the slinky action which turns fish crazy... |
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| Another Grassie... |
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| And a Sandy... |
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| They all love the same lure... |
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| A Picasso Trigger thrown in... |
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| A Paddletail Snapper... |
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| A Blue Striped Snapper... |
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| A Peacock Hind... |
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| A tiny Sixbar Wrasse... |
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| Another Paddletail Snapper... |
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| A beaut Dot & Dash Goatfish. All on the Ikakko... |
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| We stumble upon a corner where the activity is in full-swing. Cast after cast, Trevallies swarm the Ikakkos and fish are hooked, missed, fought and lost. Amongst the melee a small Bluefin is landed... |
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| Ikakko is the culprit... |
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| Another Bluefin Trev... |
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| A little Yellowfin Trevally... |
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| The flats are full of surprises. This is one of the last places we'd hope to find Mangrove Jack, but did we. It had no qualms about hitting the Ikakko twitched slow... |
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| Bonefish have that added mystic of elusiveness on these flats. They are more a chance encounter amongst the myriad species that call these places home. When one is hooked it is a special moment for the angler... |
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| Though small, it had no trouble finding the Ikakko and went for it with zero reservations... |
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| Over the week we left nothing but our footprints in the sand and took nothing but sweet memories... |
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