As it’s known, Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, is a Pacific Ocean coral atoll in the northern line islands, situated 2,156 kilometres from Honolulu. The island has the most significant land area of any coral atoll globally, measuring 388 square kilometres; it also has a stunning blue water lagoon of roughly the same size. As a country, it encompasses an impressive 33 Pacific atolls and islands; however, on a map, it’s nothing more than a mere dot surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean. It is this remoteness that has made the island what it is today.
Established as one of the first saltwater fly fisheries globally, many modern techniques and fly patterns were forged on its iconic flats, and it’s now known as one of the most consistent wade fisheries on the planet. This unique natural masterpiece combines all the elements critical to saltwater fly fishing success; endless hard sand flats, consistent all-year-round weather and remarkable numbers of fish. It offers spectacular sport with vast numbers of Bonefish, abundant populations of beautiful coloured Triggerfish and groups of substantial Giant Trevally. The island offers some of the best and most unspoilt saltwater fly fishing on the planet, and it remains one of the finest destinations in the world for both beginners and experts alike.
As well as fantastic flats fishing, Christmas Island also offers a prolific bluewater fishery, and it’s possible to catch Bones on the flats and then try for a Sailfish for a ‘Bill and Bones’ slam.
Without a doubt, the main attractions on the flats of Christmas Island are the Bonefish. These sleek, metallic warriors glide the flats in all directions scouring the coral and hard sand bottoms for shrimps, crabs and worms. For saltwater anglers targeting these fish, it’s always a thrill presenting a fly to a hungry Bone, watching them speed over to investigate before engulfing it and shooting off 100 yards of backing in a flash. The unique part about fishing these flats is that all the fishing gets accomplished on foot, and the majority of the time at close quarters, with anglers stalking the flats in full predator mode, hunting the fish down with rods at the ready. The Bonefish average around 2lb to 4lb, but much bigger specimens to nearly 10lb get landed every season.
Along with the Bonefish, the island is equally famous for its Giant Trevally fishing. There are few sights in fly fishing as spectacular as watching a colossal GT smashing mullet in shallow water. To catch one while stalking the flats requires a mix of skill, perseverance, good luck and also discipline, as often when fishing for them, you’ll be letting hundreds of Bonefish opportunities pass you by. The GT’s are large, powerful, can turn on a dime and possess speeds of over sixty kilometres per hour. Committing to fish for these stunning fish for a whole week can be a tough call, but for the few who commit, the rewards can be amazing, and the accomplishment is well worth it. The GT’s average around 40lb but can grow to well over 100lb.
Ikari House utilizes several unique, locally crafted, outrigger-style transfer boats; these boats are fun, reliable and transfer anglers to and from the flats every day. All the fishing on the island, for the Bonefish and Giant Trevally, is performed whilst wading the endless shallow flats. The majority of the wading is straightforward, with the bottom consisting of solid white sand. However, there are odd occasions when you may need to navigate some coral outcroppings, rock shelves or deeper channels, but overall the wading is very easy.
Each day the fishing on Christmas island will see two anglers with one guide; however, upgrades for additional services and single boats are available. The guides are world-class professionals who have amassed a very considerable amount of hard-earned experience regarding all facets of fly fishing at this remote atoll destination. They’re highly skilled in pursuing all the species the island has to offer and have been fishing and guiding the waters for many years. They know which flat to be on, in what weather conditions and in what state of the tide. They are some of the atoll’s most skilled and passionate workers and love nothing more than to share with you their knowledge, and rest assured, they will go the extra mile in search of your fish of a lifetime.
To find out more about Christmas Island fishing and Ikari House visit our YouTube channel.
Located south of Hawaii, Christmas Island is only 200 kilometres north of the equator, meaning it has exceptionally stable weather conditions and consistent fishing all year round. 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. One of the most productive seasons can be Fall, a period often overlooked and one where some of the best fishing spots can go untouched. As the summer months come to a close, September starts to cool off, and weather patterns become more consistent, allowing feeding patterns of Bonefish, Giant Trevally, and other species to become more predictable as a result of cooler water temperatures.
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 most significant alignment of the earth, moon and sun and generate the most considerable tide swings. Hybrid weeks with either a full or new moon towards the beginning or end of a week provide good opportunities for both.
Ikari (meaning Bone Fish) House is a privately owned fishing lodge managed by Jacob & Lavinia Teem. Located in the heart of Ronton, the property lies at the edge of the lagoon entrance with its private beach and a perfect view of Cook Island across the lagoon. Thanks to its central location, excellent service, proximity, and access to all the fishing action, it’s fast becoming the destination of choice for many travelling saltwater fly fishing anglers.
The lodge offers twelve comfortable guest rooms, each equipped with two twin beds or one king-size bed. All feature air conditioning, ensuite bathrooms with hot and cold water, storage racks for fishing tackle, table and chairs and an area outside to sit and relax after the day’s fishing. They also offer running freshwater for rinsing down all your kit at the end of each day. All cabins have a small fridge that can get stocked with soda and beer at an additional cost.
A thatch-roofed local maneaba, situated in the back of the main facility, serves as the bar and dining lounge for meals and entertainment, luau and afternoon drinks.
All meals are prepared within the Ikari House kitchen and feature various fish dishes, rice, chicken, pork, pasta, and salads. Lobster, when available, is a true speciality. Each morning anglers will eat a breakfast consisting of toast, eggs, bacon, and various fruits. A table consisting of lunch items will be provided for anglers to make their lunch during breakfast. We recommend anglers bring some snacks from home on their trip as extra food is limited. After each day of fishing, anglers are served appetizers in the open lounge area, which will consist of fresh tuna and wahoo sashimi, chips and dip and cheese, and crackers. Ikari House only provides beer, but spirits can get purchased in Honolulu at the Duty-Free shop at the airport.
All Christmas Island fishing trips are seven nights and include six days of guided fishing. Because the island can only be accessed by a charter flight that runs once a week, all packages are fixed at one week in length.
The reason to make the trip to Christmas Island is to fish. There is minimal infrastructure on the island and minimal non-angling activities. Aside from wading the flats, guests who don’t fish can enjoy walking the beach, snorkelling and birdwatching.
There is no cell reception at Ikari House, but Wifi is available. It can be very slow and just strong enough to receive and send basic non-picture e-mails or text messages via applications such as Whatsapp.
Although the fishing days are fixed, the below itinerary is still flexible should you require additional free days to explore at the beginning or end of your holiday; we can tailor this itinerary to suit you personally. Feel free to talk to our travel consultants who can explain all options available.
Depart UK (alternative routes available)
Arrive Los Angeles Depart Los Angeles
Arrive Honolulu
On arrival, you will transfer to your Hawaii Hotel by taxi.
Overnight Accommodation: Hawaii Hotel (Twin Room) R/O
After breakfast catch a taxi to the airport.
Depart Honolulu
Arrive Christmas Island (Note: this is only a 3-hour flight from Honolulu but you cross the International Date Line)
Overnight Accommodation: Ikari House (Twin Room) F/B
In the morning leave for a full day fishing with guides. Fishing is based on 2 anglers per boat each day.
Overnight Accommodation: Ikari House (Twin Room) F/B
Each day you depart via boat for the day’s fishing. Virtually all fishing will be done while wading and entails sight casting to visible fish in shallow water.
Overnight Accommodation: Ikari House (Twin Room) F/B
Why not spend the day fishing offshore for Tuna and Wahoo?
Overnight Accommodation: Ikari House (Twin Room) F/B
You will be transferred back to the airport for your return flight to Honolulu.
Depart Christmas Island
Arrive Honolulu
On arrival catch a taxi to your Hawaii Hotel.
Overnight Accommodation: Hawaii Hotel (Twin Room) R/O
Free time to relax or explore.
Depart Honolulu
Arrive Los Angeles Depart Los Angeles
Arrive UK
The season runs from All year.
Season: All year
Peak: October to February
Weight: 1lb to 13lb
Average Weight: 3lb
Season: All year
Peak: October to February
Weight: 1lb to 40lb
Average Weight: 8lb
Season: All year
Peak: August to February
Weight: 5lb to 140lb
Average Weight: 37lb
Season: All year
Peak: August to February
Weight: 1lb to 30lb
Average Weight: 3lb
Season: All year
Peak: November to December
Weight: 5lb to 30lb
Average Weight: 7lb
N/A
Remember that Sportquest Holidays' services are completely FREE! When you book a trip with Sportquest Holidays, you never pay more than when you book directly with the lodge and flights independently.
Departing | Returning | Days | Price | Availability | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01/06/2023 | 30/06/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/07/2023 | 31/07/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/08/2023 | 31/08/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/09/2023 | 30/09/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
10/09/2023 | 21/09/2023 | 12 | £7,098 | Enquire Now | ||
Exclusive Sportquest Hosted Week | Exclusive Sportquest Hosted Week | |||||
01/10/2023 | 31/10/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/11/2023 | 30/11/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/12/2023 | 31/12/2023 | 12 | £6,548 | Enquire Now | ||
01/01/2024 | 31/01/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/02/2024 | 29/02/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/03/2024 | 31/03/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/04/2024 | 30/04/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/05/2024 | 31/05/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/06/2024 | 30/06/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/07/2024 | 31/07/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/08/2024 | 31/08/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
08/09/2024 | 19/09/2024 | 12 | £7,354 | Enquire Now | ||
Exclusive Sportquest Hosted Week | Exclusive Sportquest Hosted Week | |||||
01/10/2024 | 31/10/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/11/2024 | 30/11/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now | ||
01/12/2024 | 31/12/2024 | 12 | £6,804 | Enquire Now |
Prices are based on two adults sharing transfers, fishing and accommodation (unless otherwise stated) and are correct at the time of going to press. Subject to time of year or date and currency fluctuations, these prices may fluctuate slightly due to flight price increases or fuel surcharge.
I can not even begin to try and describe the great fishing, just go and experience it for yourself, I promise you we just had a ball.
Thanks for taking the time to give us all your important feedback, regards Peter
I have never seen so many Bonefish before, Caught lots of fish with a good average size or around 3lb, great trip had by all, our deepest gratitude.
Paul, the sheer numbers on Christmas are improving each year since they banned commercial fishing for them with gill nets. Have to get your group back to target the GT's. Regards Peter
Words fail me! Every aspect of this holiday was outstanding. The food, guides and general management were quite simply exceptional. I will be back!
What John you lost for words? Only joking glad you had a good time. I told you what it was like. See you fishing soon my friend. Peter
Thank you so much for organising the trip. Its one hell of a place,
Quite a long journey as many have said before me, but once at the lodge and standing on the flats all the travel is soon forgotten.
On behalf of the whole group we would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff and guides that made the whole trip memorable.
I have sent the pictures in hope you can use some.
Thomas
Thanks for the feedback and chat, i am looking forward to the pictures and video...
Yes its bit of a travel, but as I always say the best fishing places in the world are some distance because it keeps the masses away which keeps the fishing fresh.
I have e-mailed you dates for next year.
We had been looking and talking about Christmas Island for a long while. Why did we wait? All our concerns disappeared once we had talked to Peter at Sportquest. His experience about this destination is priceless.
They say proof is in the pudding and that became very evident while at the airport in Christmas Island on our return. That is the first time you get to talk to other visitors to the island staying at other lodges. When we showed them what we had caught as a group there was some very long faces. Being with the right lodge, guides and boats and armed with all the correct information, little tips and correct tackle obviously made a huge difference.
Conclusion if you wish to travel all that way DO NOT do it unless you speak with Peter at Sportquest. We are all going back next year with out fail, simply amazing, thank you.
Arnold
Thanks for such a glowing report and all your kind words. I am so happy that you all enjoyed the trip and more important you listened to the advice. As you said many many people think its just a matter to travel there and the fish will just jump on. Only the other day i saw a report from a group that went to another lodge from the UK and had a disaster. What was worse is they then said the fishing on Christmas was not any good. Which as you all well know is far from the truth.
Have to get you on one of my hosted trips as it would be very nice to fish together.
A real pleasure, talk soon
Regards
Peter we have just returned yesterday from a great trip. Everything was very well organised and so glad we used your company. Take a little getting used to looking at the itinerary with all the time and date changes so we could have easily gotten in to a muddle.
Hope you enjoy the pictures of the big Bones and triggers, never caught them before but what great sport.
Ian
Ian glad you all got back ok, call me when you are free as I would love to here all the details, but sounds like another great trip
Cheers
Everyone travels to Xmas in search of GT's, after watching your video countless times my group was all fired up.
All though our action was never as good as the video, the GT fishing chasing them with a fly rod was brilliant.
I have never felt so apprehensive before, when standing on the flats with a pair of big GT's working down the end of the flat, looking at my rod I though never in a million years do we stand a chance. But the advice was spot on so a massive thank you.
between the 6 of us we managed 42 Gt's on the fly for the week biggest was 109cm see pictures attached.
Andy, great catching up on the telephone and wow fantastic pictures, so glad that everything came together for you all.
So only one thing left now a return trip ????
Christmas Island is not just about the gt...
We had an amazing time and yes we had some great fishing for it's but our group found everything else just to tempting. We had a full moon week so big tides and perfect conditions for big bones.
Everyone also had much fun chasing, bluefins, triggers (they are amazing little buggers)
Best boats on the island and in our minds best guides, lodge nice and clean, big rooms, air conditioning and great food each night.
Thanks for taking the time to chat about your trip and tanks for both feedback and pictures. yes Christmas does have some monster Bones and yes as mentioned if you wanted variety a full moon is a prefect time to visit.
Glad the file worked I sent you.
See you back there again soon.
I was part of group of 6 anglers and this was only my third saltwater fly fishing trip. So not the most experienced angler in the world, but the guides made this a trip to remember.
They are so softly spoken and very patient, unlike my last two trips as I always felt that is was wrong.
All in all a far more enjoyable trip and the best one I have been on so far.
Its a long way to travel but I believe its worth every mile.
Have to start saving as I would love to return with the group next year, wife permitting...
Bert
So glad to speak to you and so happy that you enjoyed the trip. It is an amazing place and I agree with you the guides are special and nothing is any trouble.
Good luck with the wife as we would love to have you back.
My big passion in life is trotting the globe for some of the biggest and hardest fighting fish on the planet. Many people I have met on my travels have told me the best holiday they ever had was Christmas Island. Therefore early in 2014, I phoned Peter at Sportquest to book a place on one of their trips, but was disappointed to be told that the 2014 trip was fully booked, therefore I booked a place on the November 2015 trip. This would give me over 18 months to get together all the bits and pieces required as there are no tackle shops on the Island.
My bags were packed months before the trip. As it was my first trip, I wanted to take everything I could possibly need, but needed to keep my check in bags at not more than 23kg. With BA World Traveller Plus, you can check in 2 bags of up to 23kg each. Up to 23kg carry-on luggage is allowed but this is not much use as the final leg of the Journey is with Fiji Airlines where carry-on bags are restricted to 7kg and one check in bag of 23kg, therefore there was always going to be an excess baggage charge for the rod tube.
Travelling via the USA, a hard non zip case with a TSA lock is essential so that was over 4kg of my check in allowance gone and I ended up throwing things out to get down to 23kg. I didn’t want to risk getting expensive reels damaged or stolen in a lightweight zipper bag that could be opened with a ballpoint.
You need very little clothing in hot countries,but here its so hot you need to cover up to avoid sunburn. The problem is you need something warm to get to and from Heathrow and this becomes a burden when you get there. Wading boots can be worn on the plane to save weight and cameras went in my pockets.
All my clothing went in my carry-on bag, a very lightweight rucksack – zip off trousers, long sleaved fly fishing shirt, buff, polaroids, baseball cap, fish grabbing gloves and one pair of shorts and a t shirt. Although I was well under 7kg and had some extra capacity for tackle, it was all the sort of items that might be stopped by security as they could be used as weapons. Therefore I didn’t risk it. Things are now getting ridiculous and if I really wanted to kill someone on the plane, I could do it with my bare hands.
The big day finally came and I drove up to Heathrow Terminal 5 in the early hours. Check in and security went without any hitches and we all met up for breakfast at Huxleys restaurant on the airside. The 11.5 hour flight to LA went smoothly with some good films to watch and a few hours sleep. It was then through immigration, collect the bags to re check in and a short walk to Terminal 4 for the flight to Honolulu. It is vital not to miss the connection to Honolulu as there is only one flight from there to Christmas Island per week and if you miss it, your holiday is over. Those who have visited the USA will know what a pain the queues at immigration and customs can be and I sometimes get the impression that they want you to miss your connection. On arrival at Honolulu, it was a short taxi ride to the Outrigger Reef Hotel on Waikiki Beach where we spent the night.
After breakfast it was back to the airport for the 5 hour flight to Christmas Island with Fiji Airways. There was an excess baggage charge of $100 for the rod tube. We arrived at Cassidy Airport around midday the following day as we crossed the date line. Getting through immigration went smoothly and then there was a desk to buy a fishing license for $50. It was then onto the minibus to the lodge where the rest of the afternoon was spent assembling rods which were stored on racks outside the rooms with hose pipes to wash off the saltwater after each day. As there was an odd number of people on this trip, I was the lucky one to get a single room and didn’t have to put up with anyone else’s snoring. The rooms are clean and air conditioned with a shower and maid service every day.
Each evening Peter asked us each what we wanted to do the next day and then met up with the head guide to sort out the boat allocations. You can choose between wading the flats or going offshore popping and trolling or switching between methods and with 2 angers per boat, there is usually someone else who wants to do the same, so boat partners are changed most days. The boat allocations for the next day go up on the notice board after dinner.
Breakfast is at 5.30 and the trucks came to take us to the boats at 06.00. I decided to start offshore as I had done a lot of popper fishing before. We soon found that poppers were catching GTs for the first couple of hours, then it went dead. Chucking out big poppers as far as they will go and working them back is very tiring so we were glad to have a rest when we switched to trolling. I hadn’t planned to do much trolling, but had brought a few deep diving Rapalas for the wahoo. On the first afternoon I latched into a huge sailfish on the Rapala, which nearly emptied my Ambassadeur 10,000 on its first run, but after that came in fairly easily. It was hauled onto the boat for a photo before releasing and we estimated it to weigh around 150lb. I then latched into a yellowfin tuna, which always fight hard, but near the boat it went off on an unstoppable run. I slowly brought it back and saw that a big shark had grabbed it but let go alongside the boat and I swung in half a tuna. The following day, one of the other chaps latched into a sailfish, but it came off. Over the week, my best GT was estimated at 90lb and on 2 separate days I had 7 GTs.
I fished a couple of afternoons on the flats for bonefish after the tide had brought them in. The guide trimmed down my bonefish flies with a pair of scissors until there was hardly anything left. It was then a case of standing still and waiting for bonefish to swim past, often just roll casting to them about 5 yards away. With many years experience under their belts, the guides are experts at spotting bonefish and often pointed at fish I couldn’t see. We were catching bones in very shallow water, less than a foot deep. When hooked they will go off on scorching runs if you let them, but my 10 weight outfit with 20lb fluorocarbon leader didn’t give them much of a chance.
Over the week, trolling along the drop off proved to be the most productive method, not only for GTs, but also for barracuda, wahoo, tuna and a few weird species such as coral trout, job fish and goat fish. I also had another tuna bitten in half by a shark. I also saw a marlin jump out vertically one afternoon. With most people after the GTs and bonefish, the big game fishing offshore is untapped. On my next trip I intend to try some shark fishing as well as trolling with a 4 rod spread for the marlin if I can find a boat partner with the same ideas.
I didn’t explore the night life on the island as 12 hours out on the water is very tiring and after dinner all I wanted to do was sleep. On the final night there was a party for us with entertainment from a sexy local dancer in a grass skirt and songs sung for us by the lodge staff and guides. They roasted a pig for us that had been freshly killed that day. We had to be up early next morning for a 4.30 am departure for the airport and I was hoping that something would go wrong so that we would miss the flight and have to stay for another week. I escaped the charge for the rod tube on the flight back to Honolulu and didn't have to pay any departure tax.
I agree with those who say it was their best ever holiday and I didn’t want to leave. Despite having already blown my holiday budget for 2016, I have booked a place on next year’s trip. As an accountant I often point out to some of my more tight fisted clients that life is for enjoying and they can’t take their money with them when their time is up, but they can leave their debts behind.
Nick
It was a pleasure to meet you after all this time and get to spend some time with you. It was great to sit at dinner each night and see the look on your face as I went round and asked each customer what they had caught each day. I think it would be fair to say you had a great trip. :)
Christmas Island is an amazing place but you also did a great job ensuring that you maximized the time there and also all the fishing opportunities.
I look forward in you joining us again next year and you never know you might be there for two weeks.
Lastly thank you for such a detailed customer feedback, your report contains so much useful information for customers I am sure many will find your customer review very very useful.
Tight lines
Peter
Well what can I say that hasn't been said before about these trips to Christmas Island?
Yes it does take a wee while to get there and back but man is it worth the time sitting on planes!
I caught 4 new species on this my second trip and a PB GT of around 90lb, catching a fish like that on a popper was something I wanted to do but I was equally proud of my first proper GT on the fly.
There was a few red letter days and they were all for different reasons, such is the diversity of this fishery.
The lodge is very nice and always clean, the staff are always very attentive and serve some very nice food.
The guides are all very good too, how they see some of those fish is beyond me but they do and they love being out on the flats with you. It always helps when you love your job.
The group of guys (and lady) that came together made a great trip and excellent trip!
Darren
It was a pleasure to have you with us again and we always enjoy your company on these trips. I can remember coming back that day and seeing your face after you had caught your big GT. Your face was a picture.
I look forward in sharing a trip with you again sometime soon and remember to look after the top secret Milkfish fly that sorted them out. :)
Regards Peter
Peter was extremely helpful in working on a focused vacation plan for GT popping, and was able to provide the details of the daily schedule, the characteristics of the boats and guides, and what to expect. I was very happy with the attention provided to anglers in terms of daily boat availability, and with the knowledge of the guides and boatmen - key components of making my first trip for GTs a success. The results were amazing with several large GTs landed during the week, double hookups and lots of action on both poppers and stickbaits.
If anything the temptation was to alter the planned fishing program to spend time targeting the tuna, wahoo and saillfish landed by members of the party with simple trolling gear - I plan to return and blend targeting GTs with poppers and stickbaits with some time spent trolling targeting bait balls further offshore. Planning the mix of gear to bring is important.
The trip was what I wanted it to be - uncomplicated logistics (Peter has done the work in advance) and a great fishing experience.
Martin
Thank you for the feedback and your kind words as it mean a lot.
It was a real pleasure to meet and have both you and your brother on the trip. It is really nice for me on any of these trips when I have people who just love their fishing and understand that you have to be a thinking angler, for with Christmas Island the more you put in the more you get out of the trip.
It will be a pleasure to have you both back with us again next year and doing some exploring offshore fishing should be a real eye opener.
Until next year tight lines and lets keep in touch.
Regards Peter
ONE OF THE BEST HOLIDAY FISHING TRIPS EVER.
FOOD ACCOMODATION FISH MOST IMPORTANT THE TRAVEL ITINERY WAS PERFECT
MANY THANKS
DAVID
David
It was great to finally catch up on the telephone after our trip. Have a good holiday with the wife and lets talk when you get home about getting you away with me again
This was my second trip to Christmas Island and following a very successful trip last year I had decided to stay on for an exta week. On the way we had a day of rest in Honolulu and found a very good tackle shop on Pier 38 stocking big game and popping gear. They told us about the excellent GT and big game fishing around Honolulu and next time I intend to stop there for a few days and give it a go.
As it was very windy for the whole trip on Christmas Island and a lot cooler than last year, I decided to concentrate on the deeper water offshore. Popping worked well for the first couple of hours then died. One morning I had 10 takes in the first hour on a Halco Roosta. When the popping died, we switched to trolling. One tip when trolling with the rod in the holder - use a rod with a stout butt and check the drag. My boat partner Ray lost his rod and an expensive reel when the butt snapped behind the reel following a violent take. Anyone going on this trip should take a good stock of Rapala X Rap Magnum 30s. They produced more GTs than everything else put together.
The only slight problem was the sounder on the boat not working and for a lot of the time weren't sure how deep it was. When we hit water less than 30ft, the lure would snag on the bottom. I lost 18 Rapalas through snagging the bottom or being cut off on the coral by big fish. I had squeezed in the barbs on the trebles so that any lost fish would ditch the lure and not starve to death.
My scoresheet for the trip showed 128 fish over 13 days including 41 GTs to about 80lb, a big wahoo weighed at 65lb which gave one hell of a fight, 20 coral trout, 19 Bluefin Trevally to 20lb, 18 Barracudas to 24lb, 12 red snappers, 9 yellowfin tuna, 5 rock cod and 2 black tip reef sharks.
After catching a big sailfish last year and seeing marlin jump, I spent a fair bit of time trolling skirted lures and teasers. I had 6 hits from sailfish but they weren't opening their mouths and taking it properly. I hooked one, which came off after running about 50 yards. The guides told me most of the sailfish caught are hooked in the gill cover. I had rigged up my lures with marlin strength hooks and would probably have done better with smaller, finer wire hooks.
On the last night we were treated to a banquet with a roast pig and entertainment from a sexy dancing girl in a grass skirt and singing from the guides and lodge staff. Just like last year, I didn't want to leave and it doesn't matter how long you stay on Christmas Island, it isn't long enough.
Wow Nick thanks for the great feedback and good comments plus recommendations. It was a pleasure being with you all the first week we all had some laughs and good fishing.
Shame the weather was cooler than normal but thats fishing for you.
Look forward in sorting out the next trip and destination with you soon.
Regards
Peter
Had great fun with a great bunch of people & caught plenty of fish, what more could i ask for.
David
I think we can safely say that was you covered then on the hosted trip.
It was a pleasure being with you on the first day seeing your face catching your first Bonefish and also your first GT on a fly rod./
Look forward in looking after you again soon
Regards Peter
All the tips + hints in your pre - trip information were really useful and helped make the trip much better than going blind.
I caught my personal best Bonefish, I also had Trigger fish, Bluefin Trevally & the highlight of the holiday a Milkfish of 13 lbs from the fits.
I had many chances at GT's which were very close to being captured, but that is what makes fishing, fishing. I would return anytime to complete the unfinished business. A truly remarkable place.
Peter
It was great chatting to you and wow congrats on the Milkfish, they are amazing ant they......
So glad you had a great trip and thanks for your kind words about Sportquest Holidays.
I look forward in getting you on one of the trips that I host soon.
Regards Peter
I thought the pre - trip information was very good, although the guidance on GT flies to take did not tally with the guides preferences, i.e. GT mullet flies were preferred over poppers / deceivers. There was also limited access to the "back country" our allocated day was Thursday (1st day) &; it was not made clear to us that this was prime GT fishing area.
The layover in LA on the return journey could have been reduced & the service on the American Airline flights outbound & return was poor for a 5 hour flight.
However, this was the best fly fishing holiday that I have undertaken & the communication with Sportquest has been exceptional.
Robert
Thank you so much for your customer feedback as it is very much appreciated.
So glad you enjoyed the trip and very nice to hear that it is the best fly fishing holiday you have ever been on.
I am not sure what the miss communication was going on in relation to going fishing in the back country as you can go any day. If you wish to go the the reserve, this is limited to 2 boats per day for the whole island. However do not believe its the best area for GT's as I have found this not to be the case over the many years.
Also in relation to flies it is typical you get 5 different guides and they all will tell you something different about fly preference, the most important part was you had enough information to make sure you where well prepared for the trip.
Again thanks for you custom and we look forward in helping you again.
To say i was bitterly disappointed would be an understatement.
On arrival we were told that a single GT for a week would be a good result and i never saw one (other than Matt's) for the first 5 days and never got to cast at one at all.
The best part was getting back home again!
Mike thank you for taking the time to talk to me on the phone. It is obvious that Christmas island is not for you. It is a shame that your fishing buddy lost 2 GT's on the very first day of fishing.
As mentioned GT fishing is not easy and if that is what you really want to do you have to leave all the other fly rods back at the lodge and ONLY look for GT's All the distractions of bonefish and other species are all great fun but take you away from the GT's.
So sorry that you really did not like the trip and hope that you have better luck on the next adventure.
Regards Peter
Highlights were the quality of the GT fishing - lowlights were the service on the American Airlines flight between LA and Honolulu.
Hi Robert
Thank you for the feedback.
It sounds like you had some fantastic GT fishing
Tight lines
Matt
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