This wonderful report from Alan Broomhead, a good friend of us here at Aardvark McLeod, encapsulates perfectly the joys of fishing the flats around Christmas Island. Alan has kindly given permission for us to post it here.
I had not been to Christmas Island (CXI) in the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) for two years. Mid year is the perfect time to go. At 2 degrees north of the equator it’s a bonefish paradise and a pleasant change from the Adelaide winter, so heading out to the airport in shorts didn’t seem the least out of place.
Coincidentally, Jeff Morgan was to be there for the same two weeks. This was my fourth trip to CXI and Jeff’s second. I elected to take the direct Monday flight to to Fiji and spend an extra night in Nadi. Jeff travelled the next day via Sydney and we met at Nadi airport Tuesday night for the 11.50pm departure to CXI.
We arrived at Cassidy airport at about 6.30am after a 4 1/2 hour flight. Immigration, baggage and customs was somewhat chaotic but quick but, hey, it’s CXI and we were keen to hit the flats. Staff from The Villages where we were to stay met us outside the very modest terminal, ensured we were all accounted for, and bundled our luggage into one truck and 16 anglers into the back of two others. The 30 minute ride to The Villages along a road that is in disrepair with frequent potholes made sure that we were all well awake.
Christmas Island flats
Andy Vockler, who lives on the Sunshine Coast, met us on arrival at The Villages. He spends 10 consecutive weeks every year there and ensures that all available spots are filled with anglers and that we are looked after. Our group was an eclectic mix of Aussies and Kiwis who were all fly fishers and most were there for two weeks.
After a briefing from Andy on how the week would work out and giving us our hut allocations, we changed into fishing gear and set up rods. We paid US$100 for a fishing license, internet was $A40 and unlimited washing $A50 for the week. Currency in CXI is the Australian dollar. We were ready to hit the flats by midday. The boats are a 50 metre walk from our accommodation with three or four anglers on each. There is one guide to each angler.
Due to El Niño, the weather pattern on CXI was very unusual with higher tides, higher water temperatures and sometimes glassy days. The light winds were very different from the typical 20 knot plus breeze on CXI. Although it made casting much easier, the bonefish were very spooky.Each day coffee was available in the dining room from 5.30am with breakfast of bacon and eggs, toast and pancakes from 6.15am. We were in the boats by 7.30am. As the two weeks progressed, low tides were earlier in the day making for perfect conditions for bone fishing in the morning on the incoming tide. My recently purchased, second hand Sage Method 7 weight overlined with a SA 8 weight bonefish line and a 12lb leader proved perfect for the job. I used the 9’ 6” 8 weight Sage Accel on windier days. The guide carried any other rods which were usually a 9 weight with a crab or shrimp fly for triggers and an 11 or 12 weight with a brush fly for GTs.
Day 5 proved to be glorious with no cloud, little wind and glassy conditions. Although we could see bonefish easier in the calf deep water on Helena Flat, they also spooked easier. My guide was Bob and like all the Gilbert Islands guides his ability to spot bonefish at distance bordered on miraculous. During the morning we landed 15 bonefish with seven landed out of the first eight shots. Perhaps not unexpectedly, a sparsely tied size 6 Christmas Island Special in orange proved to be the most productive on bonefish.
Alan with his guide and one of his bonefish
As always trigger fish were infuriating and unpredictable. Most of us got in casts to triggers only to have the fly ignored, or nibbled and not eaten, or the fish spook for no good reason other than it was a trigger fish. Hooking them was a matter of persistence and patience. Two nice peach face and a solid titan were landed during our stay. Most of the triggers were down deeper in cooler water around the bommies in the entrance to the lagoon. We spotted literally hundreds from the boat when crossing the entrance of the lagoon to Smoky Flat with the sun high.
GTs were opportunistic. Several very nice fish, all under a metre were landed. I had one good shot at a massive bow wave on glassy water coming across Helena Flat. The brush fly was placed nicely with the 12 weight to intercept the fish only to have the bow wave veer off at the last moment. Bluefin and barred trevally also occasionally made an appearance. One angler had a huge GT appear out of nowhere a metre away and dropped the shrimp fly on his 8 weight attached to 20lb leader in front of it to have the fly inhaled. The GT took off to deeper water with the backing rapidly disappearing until reality set in and the fish was broken off.
A group of five Aussies, including two married couples, spent one day bluewater fishing. That is only possible on conventional gear, not fly. A fleet of tuna boats was present throughout our stay just outside the entrance to the lagoon. We despaired at what this was doing to the yellowfin tuna stocks and to our ocean. Despite this, the group followed some birds trolling lures and landed a 100lb yellowfin. We had sashimi and tuna steaks for the next several nights with a significant amount distributed to the village.
At the end of each day, after our gear was rinsed and tidied up, it was off to the bar for a cold Fiji Gold after a much needed shower. There is no hot water in our air conditioned huts but in the tropical conditions showering proved to be, shall we say, invigorating. Our accommodation was serviced daily and I enjoyed coming back to see how the cleaners had arranged the fresh towels, either as an elephant, a monkey, a swan or similar, often with my spare sunnies or reading glasses adorning the arrangement. We always had a group briefing at 6pm with Andy when anglers were assigned boats for the next day depending on who we wanted to fish with and what we wanted as our main focus. Dinner was at 7pm and the kitchen staff ensured that no one went hungry.
Departure from The Villages was as efficient as arrival. We needed to be out of our huts by 10.30am to allow the cleaners in for the incoming group of 14 anglers. Lunch was at midday and departure for the airport at 1 pm along the same bone rattling road for 30 minutes. Our fight to Fiji left at 4.35pm. We needed to overnight in Nadi. I caught the direct Thursday flight at 7.30am to Adelaide while Jeff had another two weeks in Fiji with his wife Lyn.
If I were asked how I would like to spend my last day, wading the flats of CXI, 7 weight in hand, a varied assortment of bonefish flies, a 5 knot breeze and the sun to my back would certainly be up there.
I will never tire of casting to bonefish and CXI never disappoints. I’ll be back for another two weeks in 2027 to escape the Adelaide winter, and maybe score a few bones.
If Alan’s Christmas Island report has piqued your interest in fishing these incredible waters and you would like further details or an itinerary then please contact Peter McLeod or Olly Thompson or call our office on +44(0) 1980 847389.
