Saltwater Fly Fishing | Hosted | Ikari House | Christmas Island

Christmas Island is just North of the equator approximately 1200 miles south of Hawaii.

You will fish inside the huge lagoon which is done on foot, wading the endless hard bottom flats. You will access the flats by boat as you navigate through the maze of channels that feed these flats. For anglers wishing to target the big Milkfish, Tuna and Sailfish you will be fishing from a boat in the blue ocean.

One advantage of our lodge is that we are the closest lodge to the main harbour where you will board the boats each morning. Because of this, the travel time to the boats by truck is less than 5 mins. The time then to your first fishing spot of the day will depend on where you are heading. Some are as close as 15 mins and others, like the real deep backcountry flats, are around a one hour journey. We encourage all of our customers to start early and we like to be boarding the boats at dawn to maximise the best conditions of the day.

The prime species is Bonefish but there are numerous other species including Bluefin and Golden Trevally. There are also several species of Triggerfish as well as Sweetlips Snapper, Wrasse species, Ladyfish, Barracuda and Wahoo.

The very best weeks will see good anglers landing well over 100 Bonefish but when things get hard, landing 4 to 6 a day can be a challenge. All things being equal, averaging 6-10 fish a day is quite reasonable. Most anglers also land a hand full of smaller Trevally. You should get between 6 and 12 shots at larger (30lb) GT’s in a week.

Fishing involves either fly fishing for the various species or for anglers who wish to go offshore, fish can troll lures and then switch/tease to the fly. Lure anglers can fish with both poppers and jigs for the various species.

Yes, our guides speak English. Some guides speak very good English and others do not. However, they speak enough so you can understand each other when fishing.
Note guiding is based on 2 anglers per guide. We do have 1 on 1 guiding available in advance at additional cost.

Anyone who loves to explore vast areas of flats and take full advantage of whatever crosses their path.

Any level of fly angler will enjoy Christmas Island. We have had many beginners catch their first Bonefish and some even 10lb plus on their very first day. We have also educated many fly angler into the dark art of fly fishing for GT’s.

The most demanding is wading the endless flats as no flats fishing is conducted by boat, only by foot. Because of this, anglers should be able to fish, wade and walk 2 to 5 miles per day. The other element to consider is the heat. Christmas Island is a hot climate so only suitable for people who can cope with hot weather.

Christmas Island is truly a year-round destination. Christmas Island is equatorial therefore the destination offers some of the most consistent fishing weather found in the world for the December to March time frame. Angler traffic from America is heaviest during the winter and spring months but this has more to do with anglers looking to get away at this time than the fishing being productive.

Another thing to consider is the various moon phases of the month. Anglers looking for a well-balanced productive time to fish the flats, or want to focus on Bonefish, should book during quarter moon cycles that provide neap cycle tides and long sweet spots of moderate water depth on the flats. Anglers looking for great opportunities for Giant Trevally and blue water species should look toward the full moon and new moon periods of the month. These times provide the greatest alignment of the earth, moon and sun and generate the biggest tide swings. Hybrid weeks with either a full or new moon towards the beginning or end of a week provide good opportunities for both.

From the UK you fly to Los Angeles before then connecting to Hawaii, you overnight in Hawaii before getting the flight the next day to Christmas Island. Once you arrive on the island it is a 30-minute truck ride to the accommodation.

Ikari house is basic, like all accommodation on Christmas Island. However, each room has its own western private bathroom and shower plus hot water. Each twin room has lots of space and table to store and layout all the tons of fishing tackle customers bring. Outside each room, there is also rod racks and freshwater hoses so you can wash and clean down your tackle at the end of each days fishing. Inside each room is a fridge that is checked and restocked each day with soft drinks and beer.

Please note the rooms are based on twin share. However, private accommodations can be arranged in advance at an additional cost
Outside there are communal areas with more fridges and drinks. It is here that customers sit and meet over drinks at the end of each day to share stories about what each other has caught.

Christmas Island is in the middle of the Pacific with no soil and very little water. They do not have a culture incorporating fine food. Prior to boats shipping in rice and noodles, the fare was fish, coconut and breadfruit. However, our cooks and staff are the grand masters at source produce on the island and customers can expect some nice food. If you go with the understanding and expectation that the food is going to be basic you may even then be pleasantly surprised. Each morning, you will make a packed lunch with breakfast. There are always sandwiches, crisps, biscuits, chocolate and fruit to choose from.vv

No, anglers must bring everything they will need with them for the trip.

There is Wifi available at the lodge however Internet on Christmas Island is very slow. It is strong enough to receive and send basic non-picture e-mails or text messages via applications such as Whatsapp. However, you cannot do voice or video chat over the internet.

Christmas Island is very remote and there is not much else to do on Christmas apart from fishing or diving.

We offer the complete package including all flights and transfers. To view all prices and availability click the “Dates & Prices” tab above.

Alternatively, if you wish to arrange all your own travel we can book just the lodge and fishing for you.