Try on Fly - Learn to Fly Fish

Christmas Island - a sight fishing utopia

by Nial Logan

Little did he know that when he (Keith Collicoat) contacted me with details of a proposed trip to Christmas Island that he was helping me fulfill a dream that I have had since becoming smitten with fly fishing.

Being a sight casting junkie, it was hard not to dream after reading the exploits of some of the legends of the sport. They recounted mouthwatering stories of wading flats as far as the eye can see, crystal clear waters and spectacular sight-fishing for “the ghost of the flats” - the elusive bonefish.

LOCATION:

Christmas Island is the largest coral atoll in the world with an area of about 250 square miles of which half is land and the remainder lagoon with extensive sand flats. It is 2,000 miles from Tarawa, capital of the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced "Kiribas"), 1,500 odd miles south of Hawaii, approximately 4,000 miles from Brisbane and is 145 miles north of the equator. Its population population of some 5000 people, mainly Gilbertese, were transplanted from their Micronesian homeland with a small group of Polynesians from Tuvalu.

Christmas Island was named by Captain James Cook who discovered it on Christmas Day, 1777. Cook's ship's log indicated that he had a less than complimentary opinion of the Island finding it barren and uninhabited. With an average annual rainfall of around 30 inches, Christmas Island is subject to sometimes prolonged drought and no doubt Captain Cook's visit coincided with one of these.

Archaeological remains suggest that there has been periodic occupation on Christmas Island over the centuries. One theory suggests that ancient voyagers followed the migratory paths of birds, knowing from observation year after year that, as they could not land on the sea, they must be flying to land somewhere. The number of large nesting colonies is evidence to the richness of the surrounding seas.

Copra production was the main industry on the Island until the discovery of a healthy bonefish population and fly fishing began in the 1970's. One of the most prestigious jobs is to be a fly fishing guide. Fly fishing is now the largest "industry" on the Island and the other is the export of tropical aquarium fish.

Air Pacific flies from Brisbane via Nadi and the flight takes about 8 hours. Island time is approximately 4 hours ahead of Australian eastern standard time.

CLIMATE:

Although positioned close to the equator, the climate is relatively mild compared to northern Australia. The humidity is a lot lower and the constant breeze of 10-15 knots makes the 19 - 28 degree temperature bearable even during the heat of the day.

THE FISHING:

As opposed to many other locations, the quality of the fishing is much the same for the whole year. The three days following the full moon is reportedly more productive for larger fish as they move into shallower water to spawn.

It is home to not only a huge bonefish population, ranging from 1 to 10 pound with an average in the 3 to 5 pound range, but also to several species of trevally (including the giant which runs up to 100 lbs.) as well as tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi, sailfish and numerous reef species.

Many of the trevally species, in smaller sizes up to 10lb venture into the shallow water and can be caught on bonefish gear. There are always exceptions and the guides will carry a 12wt rigged with a large deceiver for that special occasion when a large “trevor” will move out of the deeper water channels to chase the mullet and bonefish on the flats.

I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and got a shot and hookup on an estimated 40 pounder. It was probably fortunate that the leader parted on some coral after 5 minutes because the rod and gear belonged to Paul Meneely and I had visions of having to replace a busted fly rod together with line and backing. Just the sight of a big fish devouring a fly in knee deep water is something to remember.

Because the flats are so extensive, the guides will put you on the flats that are right for that day and the stage of the tide. Even though there are possibly up to 40 other fishermen on the flats at the same time, it is seldom that you catch a glimpse of them. If you want to go back to that spot where you had a blinder yesterday, in many cases it can be accommodated.

Travel to the flats is by outrigger boat every day. This allows the guides to reposition you as the fish move with the tidal change. They also carry the esky with lunch and cold drinks as well as any extra gear you want but don’t wish to carry.

The make up on each flat varies greatly from a soft sand/mud mixture through to broken coral, rock and in some cases small clumps of live coral. The previous being exceptionally destructive on leaders and the fish seem to instinctively know where to head when hooked.

Bonefish are perfectly adapted to their environment and it is amazing how hard they are to see. It never ceases to amaze me that, for a fish that is so silver, you never see a flash as they change direction. The guides are very skilled in the art of spotting and can warn you of an approaching fish 60 feet away when we mere mortals can only distinguish flickering shadows and light through the ripples in on the water surface.

You don't have to a monster distance caster as most fish are hooked in the 10 to 40 foot range. However, it is important that you make quick and accurate presentations with the minimum of false casting. Hold the fly in your line hand with about 10 feet of line out of the rod tip. When a fish is sighted, flick the fly out, shoot some line on the backcast and shoot the line to the target on the forward cast. This is where a stripping basket comes into its own.

With the majority of fish moving and feeding up into the current, the most successful technique is to softly present the fly (a noisy presentation will often spook the fish) well in front of the approaching fish and then use long slow strips with a slight pause between. Often the take will happen during the pause. Stripping too fast will more than likely spook the fish.

Strip strike to set the hook, hold the rod high (this will help prevent abrasion on the rough bottom), clear the loose line and watch the line on the reel disappear at a great rate of knots. After the initial run, the fish will normally turn back towards you and then circle and make short runs until landed. When trying to draw a comparison to strength and speed in relation to size, we compared such species as mack tuna, queenfish, giant herring and blue salmon but found it hard to find a parallel. However, we all did agree that it was probably good that they do not grow as big as some of the other species.

On the open ocean side of the island is an area referred to as the Korean wreck. This area has a shallow reef about 75 metres wide adjacent to the beach. The outer edge of the reef breaks up the large swells and this allows the shallow waters to be fished with relative comfort. As the tide rises making wading on the shallow reef less than safe, attention is shifted to the gutters along the beach edge.

Apart from big bonefish (up to 10lb), many other species can be found here. I think that the first six casts resulted in six different species - the only problem is try to identify them.

This is not an area for “wimpy” gear - 9 weights with drags wound down tight, 15 to 20 pound leaders fitted with 30 pound shock tippets. Any fish hooked will instinctively run for the nearest outcrop of reef. Once a fish is hooked, one of the techniques employed to try to overcome this, is to hold the rod high and run back up the sloping beach so that there is a minimum amount of line in the water. If you still have the fish on after a few minutes of give and take, it can be landed by beaching it on a wave.

RODS AND REELS:

If possible, consider 4 or 5 piece rods - they can be packed in your baggage so that it lessens the trip destroying eventuality of the rods being lost or damaged. 6 to 9 wt will cover most of the bonefish situations with a 10,11 or 12wt for the larger species. A stiff 6wt saltwater rod (I used a 6wt Winston XTR on the flats) provides great sport with the average size fish. However, if you can only take one rod, an 8 wt is a better choice for all round use if there is a necessity to cast into the wind.

Large arbor reels have a definite edge particularly when using lighter tippets. The drag maintains a consistent pressure while a fish is running because the diameter doesn't change much as you lose line as it does on a standard arbor and the faster retrieval rate of the large arbor comes into its own when the fish turns and runs towards you. They also have the added advantage that, because of the larger diameter, the stiff core tropical lines do not need to be stretched before use.

The minimum backing should be about 100 metres however it is preferable to have 200 to 300 metres in case that larger fish is hooked.

FLY LINES:

The vast majority of the fishing is done with full floating lines. There are many manufacturers that offer suitable fly lines that are specific to the conditions. The tapers can vary in a lot of ways. While a short heavy head will make it easier to cast in the usually windy conditions, it will be more difficult to achieve a “quiet presentation” that is needed so as not to spook wary fish. We, in the main, used Scientific Angler Bonefish Taper or, for a higher floating line, SA Saltwater Taper lines and these proved to be ideal for the conditions.

For reef fishing outside the lagoon, a fast sink shooting head (T14 is ideal) teamed with a SA running line while an intermediate line is suitable for the pelagics such as tuna.

LEADERS:

Tapered flouro carbon leaders, 9 foot 15lb, are a popular selection. The abrasion resistance over standard monofilament is a definite advantage on the broken coral bottoms and its invisible nature is another positive.

On the end of the leader attach 3 or 4 feet of either 10 or 12 lb flouro tippet using a triple turn surgeon’s knot. In flouro, a triple turn will give greater knot strength than a double turn.

When chasing the trevally and reef species the action can be down and dirty. In this case use 5 feet of 20 - 30 pound hard mono (Penn 10X) and attach 2 or 3 feet of 40 - 60 lb shock tippet with a surgeon’s knot or opposing nail knots.

FLIES:

For the bonefish, the main flies are Crazy Charlies and Gotchas in sizes 4, 6 and 8’s (40%-40%-20%). Produce some with beadchain eyes for the shallow water and some with barbell eyes for deeper water. The two main colours that we found to be most productive were gold body with tan wing and pearl body with white or tan wing. As a wild card, tie up half a dozen with UV bodies and wings. A selection of about 100 flies will see you through the week.

Also throw in about 10 poppers, clousers, deceivers or other large baitfish imitations in 2/0 or 3/0.

OTHER GEAR

Wading boots with a high top and a solid sole are a must to prevent coral cuts. The coral sand will cause severe abrasions once it gets inside your boots. A tight fit, high tops and a pair of socks will help prevent any discomfort.

Stripping basket - all I can say is - don’t leave home without one. The current will pull the spare line laying on the water and make it difficult to make quick accurate presentations. On the ocean side, due to the wave action, it is near impossible to fish without one. Whatever design you use, the prerequisite is that it allows you to make long strips. (SEE the article on customising your own basket)

Polaroid Sunglasses - if possible take ones with yellow glass and grey glass. Many of the guides prefer yellow for spotting and they are so good at it, I certainly can’t dispute that they are best.

ACCOMMODATION & FOOD

There are four lodges on the island with facilities of varying standards and consequently costs. We stayed at the Mini Hotel which has basic facilities and cold showers however it was clean and the food plain but wholesome and it is only a couple of minutes walk to the boat launch site. Some lodges are about 30 minutes drive away from the ramp. After a days fishing and a couple of drinks at dinner any bed looked good.

COSTS:

All up including airfares, tips, souvenirs and drinks, the cost was under $3,000 AUS. This was made possible by the fact that there was a cheap airfare at the time of booking and we didn’t go through a tour operator.

I am sure that some if not all the participants, Keith Collicoat, John Williams, Michael Rice, Peter Sharp, Bill Ryder, Paul Meneely, Andy Vockler and certainly myself, will return to enjoy the great fishing Christmas Island has to offer.

Nial Logan