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I did not think I was going make this trip. I sat in the Jackson Hole airport
watching it snow and listened to them canceling my first flight. I was rebooked
and waited to see if that plane would land. It did and the rest of my trip to
Hawaii went smooth. If I had not gotten out by 1 pm on Monday there was no way
for me to make the Tuesday 12 flight to Christmas Island. You see there is only
one flight a week to the island and I almost missed it. Good thing I did not
because Christmas Island it a great fishing destination.
We stayed at the Captain Cook hotel. The accommodations were OK and the food was
good. The staff was very friendly and the guides were excellent. Most nights
there was a show put on by the locals that included singing and dancing. All
meals were served buffet style and we ate a big table. It made for great fishing
stories every night. The bar was a little limited so it might be worthwhile to
pack your favorite liquor if you have one.
Fishing is all wading so be ready to spend 8 hours a day on your feet. Each
morning we would leave the Hotel by truck to go either to the marina or drive to
the flats. These trips can be long so plan on spending a lot of time riding in
the back of the truck on benches. If it is a boat day you ride up to the marina
and everyone climbs aboard a large outrigger. You motor to the flats and get
dropped off in pairs. Once to your destination you, your partner and the guide
start wading. If you are an experienced fisherman you can leave your guide and
fish on your own, and take turns fishing with the guide. Otherwise the guide
alternates between the clients. Do not worry there are plenty of fish. I caught
six different species during the week and most days three or four. The bonesfish
are beautifully colored with a blue tint to them and are wild. Even a small one
will give you a good tussle. Think Brook trout versus Cutthroat. On truck days
you can spend up to two hours getting to your destination. There are some crazy
roads cut into the bush and it is quite an adventure. You get dropped off at
various points and start fishing. The truck meets you for lunch.
The other species to
target are the Travally’s. There are 3 kind to catch, the GT’s, blue finned and
golden. We saw plenty of smaller GT’s that would hammer any fly you put in front
of them. I caught lots of 3-8 lbers and they are a ton of fun on an 8 WT. We
were unfortunate that the big ones were not on the flats the week we were there.
One day we tried to chum them up with cut up fish and still no takers. The
guides said sometimes that happens. Overall it is a fantastic destination. The
remoteness and the island culture make it a unique place. Do not forget to ask
the guides to catch some giant mantis shrimp for dinner one night. I tasty meal
and it is really cool how they catch them. I will let you see for yourself. I
cannot wait to go back. The island culture, the fresh fish and the fishing all
together make for a trip of a life time. Some of the other guest had been coming
back for 23 years and I could see why |
