The Guides of Kiritimati need Your Assistance

You may or not have heard that Australia/Tasmania is hosting the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in February 2012. This event has been held on an average of every two years in various Commonwealth countries and, since its inception in 1988, it has had a prime objective to bring Fly Fishers from Commonwealth countries to fish and share their passion of Fly Fishing and camaraderie in an event known as the “Fishing In Friendship” competition. In this coming event there are expressions of interest from 12 different countries with a total of 16 teams .

Malcolm Crosse, on behalf of Fly Fish Australia, is the driving force behind the organisation of the event and he is well qualified to make the event a huge success as he has been involved with a number of previous World and Commonwealth Championships.

On a recent trip to Christmas Island, Malcolm mentioned that Kiribati as a Commonwealth Country were eligible to field a team. As we all know, the guides on Christmas Island are great fly fishers however none of them have ever fished for trout (neither have the Malaysians but they are sending a team). They saw this as a great opportunity to not only expose their representatives to the world of fly fishing but also use the exercise as a way of bring attention to the Bone Fly Fishing Industry of Christmas Island on which so many families of this developing country rely on.

The operators of three of the lodges on the Island, Captain Cook, IKari House and The Villages  have all indicated that they would like to be involved and have formed a committee to see if it is possible to send a representative team comprising guides from the three lodges. All going well, the names of the guides selected to make up a possible team are Nareau, Lobu, Ekeuea from Captain Cook, English from Ikari House and Neemia, Eketi and Ieru from The Villages.

 I am sure many of us will have enjoyed their company and benefited from the expertise of these guys on the flats. To give them the opportunity to see outside of Christmas Island and fish for trout would be an experience they would talk about for years to come.

To enable these guys to make it to Australia there is a lot of work to be done not the least of which is raising some funds to assist the lodges with payment for their trip. We already have some sponsors for fishing equipment and clothing that they will need for the journey.

For those who has visited this island and who know the challenges of the place, please consider. being involved in a fund raising effort to help this team compete at the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships.

 It will cost approximately AUD$4000.0 per angler to travel and be involved in the event (team consists of 5 anglers plus a captain) and whilst it would be nice to think that some of you out there could sponsor one of your guide friends, my take is that if a lot of us just donated say $100-$200 each we could make this happen.

 I know that this amount is in some cases just the tip you give these guys when you fished there.

A separate ANZ account has been set up to facilitate and distribute the monies. If you are interested in helping and can contribute, donations can be made as follows:

Electronic Transfers

Email niall@learntoflyfish.net with your contact details so that we can provide the BSB details.

By Cheque:

Payable to – Nial Logan Project Marketing Pty Ltd

Address – PO Box 5980, Stafford Heights QLD 4053

All deposits will be receipted and a newsletter on the teams progress will be sent out. The cut off date for the decision to go ahead with the organisation of the trip for the guys is the 30^th of November 2011. Any forthcoming commitment to assist with a donation, needs to be done as soon as possible and the funds deposited by 30th. If the financial target is not reached and the team does not make it to Australia then all monies will be refunded in full.

For those of you who would like to know more about the event all the details are on www.Flyfishaustralia.com.au then go to the CFFC page. 

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UPDATE on PROGRESS – 9/11/2011

2012 Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships

Team Kiritimati - aka “Cool Running Fly Fishing Team” 

It’s surprising how parallel their story is to the Jamaican bob sled team so the reference is very apt.

This is a brief update/newsletter on the progress of raising funds to get the team to the championships.

Cash   Donations

We have received nearly $6000 in donations from visiting fishermen. Thank you to all who have assisted. It will cost about $4,000 per head to get the team to Tasmania and home again.  

So you can see, we still have some way to go.

The aim is to raise enough to fund a five man team and the cut of date has been extended until 20^th December which I hope will be time enough to raise all the funds needed.

Accommodation and Food

The Tasmanian connections have been very generous and have organized FREE accommodation, food, boats and training during the pre-competition period.

Equipment

I am donating 6 x 6wt rod combos for the guys to use. Most of the other gear they require, eg waders, warm clothing etc will be borrowed. I will also procure some duffel bags for them to carry their gear.

Passports and Visas

Malcolm Crosse has provided the necessary letter required to accompany their Australian visa application. Tinia, the Manageress of the Captain Cook, is organizing that end of the requirements.

The Lodges Efforts

The Lodges have formed a committee to raise funds from their end particularly from their data bases. The chairperson is a Government representative however I think contributions from official sources will be limited. I will have a better idea of their progress later in the month. They are well aware that this is a great promotional opportunity for their respective lodges.

The lodges will also be encouraged to have a promotional Bone Fishing Destinations booth at the Fly Fishing Expo at the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships which will put the Christmas Island Bone Fishing in front of a worldwide audience.

Program

In summary, the plan is to have the guys depart CXI on Wednesday 1^st February and arrive in Launceston on the 3^rd February. Up to the start date of the competition on the 14^th of February 2012, through the generosity of the Tasmanians, the team will be given a good grounding in the genteel art of trout fishing.

We all know how great their eyesight is and they certainly don’t need any tuition in casting. They have some great DVD’s that they are studying in preparation for their visit. I’m sure they will do themselves and their island proud.

The competition winds up on the 19^th February and the team will depart Australia on Tuesday 21 st.

Air Fares

As these will run out to be about $2000 per head for the Kiritimati/Launceston return ticket, an approach has been made to Air Pacific for assistance in exchange for some promotion on Island literature. It is being considered and there is no news on that front at this stage.

We hope that AIR PACIFIC will take up the opportunity to also be involved in the Fly Fishing Expo and use this event to promote travel in the Pacific region.

Escorting

If the exercise gets off the ground, I will travel to the island to accompany the team back to Australia and assist them in customs clearances and travel arrangements. It is going to be one hell of a culture shock as none of them has ever been off the island let alone flown.

Publicity

The team uniform will be a white Columbia shirt with their names and a Kiritimati flag embroidered on the sleeve, a green lava-lava and a traditional pandanus leaf fishing hat.

Their possible attendance is generating considerable public and media interest and this should ensure some great promotion for the island.

If the team do come to Tasmania there will be a lot to be gained from the media the boys will attract.

As you can see, we have some way to go to make this happen,

If you haven’t donated and can see your clear to assist, it would be greatly appreciated…….no amount is too small.

All donations are fully refundable it the trip is cancelled

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POST TRIP REPORT for JULY/AUGUST 2011 GROUPS

Wow, what a diverse bunch of people came to CXI over the last six weeks…….they hailed from New Zealand and all states of Australia and all walks of life. In the early stages, some found the strong winds and sighting fish daunting, as do most people who visit for the first time, and consequently struggled with casting to fish.  However, by the time of departure with assistance from the guides, they all came to grips with the techniques and managed to catch plenty of fish.

Fishing

The milkfish still avoid being caught despite all our efforts. All we have to show after a concerted effort is one hookup and a pulled hooked. It seems it is just a matter of putting in the time to get a fly in front of as many fish as possible. Large schools are the best prospect……sooner or later one will take the fly…whether it is by accident or intention is debatable.

Some trevally up to 50-60lb were caught in the lagoon and many more smaller specimens were landed.

Weather permitting some groups ventured outside the lagoon in search of tuna, sailfish, wahoo and big trevally. A few of the Western Australian guys were successful in jigging to provide some additional food for the local community. A couple of large eskies full of reef species were gratefully accepted. All tuna plus a shark caught were kept by the guides and shared with their families……it is very funny watching a guy riding off on his beaten-up bike trying to juggle a 30kg tuna on his shoulder.

Getting a fly or lure through the birds and then keeping any hooked fish away from the sharks was at times a challenge. After seeing the size of a couple of the sharks hanging around under the boat, it is understandable why the occasional diver looking for tropical aquarium fish disappears.

The bonefish are still plentiful in the lagoon but the small fish can be a bit of a pain as they tend to get the fly before the larger fish. The average size is still a lot better in the Y site and Huff Dam areas. Tailing fish on the rising tide were a common sight and there were stories of 6lb fish caught in water that was 6 inches deep.

Flies

Pearl Gotchas tied with salmon coloured thread proved to be most effective. On the darker bottoms, flouro orange thread was also effective. Flies tied sparely using a tan/burnt orange thread with just a tan wing, a couple of stands of flash and no body are very effective in skinny water and on the lighter coloured sand flats and when the fish are a bit spooky. A few “secret colour combinations” appeared at times and these, according to the owners, were dynamite.

Leaders

 Again, it was noticed that some of the guides were cutting off 12lb tippets and using 20lb. When asked why, they said it was because inexperienced fishermen lost too many fish if they didn’t do it.

Just keep an eye on what the guide is doing and stick to the 12lb. It is difficult to break 10-12lb flouro with a 6 to 8wt fly rod if knots are tied correctly and there is no damage to the tippet, and if you don’t have the drag screwed up to the maximum. You’ll get way more hook ups with the lighter tippets. Increasing the breaking strain may be necessary where there is a lot of coral however going up 3 or 6lb will have little effect when a bonefish runs around a coral head……the result will be same.

Checking the breaking strength of your tippet will save a lot of frustration. I learned the hard way. I changed to a new spool of 10 lb and lost a succession of fish……a change back to the reliable Seaguar the next day solved the problem. The reason could only be put down to the age of the material……who knows how long it sits on the shelf.

Camps

We conducted a couple of camps that were thoroughly enjoyed by all involved. Some were a little worse for wear and were noticeably slower in rising the following day. Unfortunately the non-arrival of the supply ship resulted in a lack of suitable food for the BBQ meals and forced the cancellation of subsequent camps. The food shortages were the result of the Independence Day celebrations and the Presidents visit.

Food

As mentioned previously, there were drastic shortages of food on the Island. Although the lodge was not affected to any great degree, the island residents were without staples such as flour and rice. We did however, lack fresh fruit and vegetables. The cooks made a great effort to provide us with as much variety as they could with the supplies available and nobody starved.

In an attempt to overcome this ever present problem, the management is looking at organizing an agent in Honolulu who can purchase any urgent supplies and send them air freight with Air Pacific on a Wednesday afternoon. This will be a great move if achievable in relation to costs.

Communications

All guides and boats now have radios and the system seems to be working well. This has gone along way in overcoming some of the frustrations caused by the lack of communication when repositioning on the flats.

Shop

The shop has been resupplied with a selection of Rio flylines, tippet material and tapered leaders. All are competitively priced so you won’t be caught short if you forget something or run out. There are also stocks of locally tied flies and de-hookers to help release the fish without handling it.

Weather

The normal weather pattern seems to have gone out the door. On some occasions the wind blew a constant 20-25 knots with some gusts stronger. Although still fishable, the strong winds stirred up the sand limiting the fishing to protected flats. The flats on the far side of the lagoon saw little fishing for this reason. Even though we didn’t get much rain, the cloudy conditions led to a noticeably colder water temperature that the guides said contributed towards the slower fishing on some days. It wasn’t all that cold when it was raining however it did get cold when you were wet and traveling in the boat. A couple of nights were quite cool causing we softer northern folks to pull on a warm jumper.

We asked Teannaki, the head guide, about the weather forecasts and he said he never took any notice of them as they were generally wrong. The forecasts aren’t done on the Island but probably in Honolulu hence the inaccuracy.

Sole Australian booking agents for "The Villages Lodge"

Hosted Christmas Island Trips for 2012 - book one or as many weeks as you like.

Unhosted group bookings welcome.

If you have ever dreamt of visiting what is arguably the best bonefishing location in the world, this is the perfect opportunity.  The experience is as close as you could get to utopia for wading and sight casting.

On previous trips, even novices who had never cast a flyrod managed to land over 50 of these magnificent sportfish.

For those wanting an extra challenge, the lagoon also hosts some monster GT's (up to 100lb). The sight of one of these fish taking a fly in skinny water will turn even the most calm fisherman into a jibbering mess. As well, there are  Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Sailfish, Milkfish and many other tropical reef species that will test your skills, stamina and gear.

The lodge cost for groups of 4 to 12 fisherman are as follows:

from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012 - prices from $2,350 AUD depending on numbers.

Included in the price is:-

• Six and a half days fishing (first day fish 10am to 5pm, other days 7am to 5pm). Fishing on departure day is not included.

• Groups of 6 to 12 fishers are hosted.

• All meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner plus free water).

• Outrigger canoe transport to the flats. 

• One guide for two anglers.

• Comprehensive briefing with notes to get you ready. 

• The option of truck transport to the Korean Wreck area for a spot of gear testing. 

• Air conditioned, twin share accommodation fronting onto the water. Each room has its own ensuite, towels are supplied and the whole lodge is spotlessly kept.

• Check out the Lodge details at www.thevillagesci.com

• Airfares and connection accommodation are the individuals responsibility and are not included. Flight information and bookings can be made through your travel agent or at www.airpacific.com.

Plan your trip well ahead, work out your preferred dates for 2012 ........spaces are filling quickly

These are the dates we have prebooked for 2012. If none of these periods suit, give us some options for your preferred dates and we will confirm if space is available. Bear in mind that the Americans tend to book in the first part of the year to coincide with their winter.

The 2012 price for groups of 4 or more remains the same at $2350 with a discount for a two week booking.

20 - 27 June 2012 (Hosted by Andy Vockler, 4 spaces available)

11 - 18 Jul 2012 (8 spaces available)

25 July – 1 August 2012 ( Hosted, 3 places available)

1 – 8 August 2012 (Fully Booked)

8 -15 August 2012 (Fully Booked)

15 – 22 August 2012 (Fully Booked)

22 – 29 August 2012 (Fully Booked)

5 -12 September 2012 (Hosted, 4 spaces available)

12 -19 September 2012 (11 spaces available)

If these dates don't suit, contact us to book an alternate date.

 Everyone who goes to Christmas Island talks about the experience for years.

This has to be rated as one of the trips of a lifetime for any fisherman.

If you don't feel that competent with a fly rod....bring along your spin rod, soft plastics and poppers

To get more information or to secure your spot click the link to Try on Fly below and send a short note with your preferred dates or give me a call.

Nial Logan on 0417 426 282

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