Located in the world�s farthest forward time zone about 1400 miles south of Honolulu lies the 12th most remote island in the world which belongs to the nation of Kiribati. The largest island atoll in the world Kiritimati, is pronounced Christmas Island and it has miles and miles and miles of beautiful, unspoiled flats. It is without doubt one of the very supreme fly fishing destinations available to anglers.

Proof of the island�s remoteness is most vividly displayed to the arriving angler by the kids and families that come out to greet the once weekly Fiji airlines 737 flight to and from Honolulu. There are not a lot of places left in the world where an arriving/departing jet is a big deal, but it is here on Christmas Island.

The flats in the lagoon seem to be limitless spread out over miles and miles of beautiful unspoiled south Pacific water. Some of the flats areas are restricted as conservation zones but generally can be accessed with permission secured by a financial transaction (aka bribe). The areas are so vast, so limitless that abundant fishing spots are far more numerous than anyone can reasonably cover in any single visit.


There are also miles and miles of surf fishing opportunities where active coral continues the process of building the atoll just like it has for a millennium. This fly fishing is entirely different than walking the vast flats and offers the opportunity for shots at really large GT�s that cruise the reefs just off the beaches. Also, large numbers of various fish that will readily take a fly frequent these areas including snappers, sweet lips, groupers, Picassos, bones, milkfish, etc.


On this trip, the beginning of the week was plagued with a lot of overcast skies which at times severely restricted the visibility on the flats. Even the highly skilled local guides who have incredible vision had great difficulty spotting the fish. As the week went on however, visibility improved as well as the fishing results.

A typical day, under moderately clear skies can easily provide a minimum of 20 to 25 bonefish a day, a couple of juvenile Giant Trevally (GT) running up to 10 pounds, Blue Fin trevally, and various other flats critters including a shot at an adult GT running up to about 60 pounds on the flats. We also saw but did not catch the beautiful Golden Trevally.

For this angler, I was lucky to get a personal best bonefish of 28 inches and about 9 pounds�just under the coveted double digit bonefish�but a trophy fish nonetheless. Notice the red nose which results from rooting through the sharp coral for food. Some flats seemed to be full of large bones whereas most others contained the smaller 2-pound variety typical of other fly fishing venues. I had just switched to 20 pound flouro leader because of the very sharp coral structures on this flat before this beauty hit�and without the thick leader, most certainly would not have landed it.

The highlight of the trip, however, was a spectacular 17 pound fully mature Blue Fin Trevally that was certainly one of the most beautiful fish I have ever seen over a lifetime rivaling even the flashy dorados for brilliant colors. The Blue Fin just doesn�t reach sizes much larger than this one�and even the locals said they hadn�t seen one this size for many years. As pictured, the Blue Fin was feeding on a pancake flat, a small circular area of shallow active coral surrounded by deep green water. The GT�s are edge feeders, exploding from the deep water onto their unsuspecting prey on the shallow coral. The take of an adult GT is unlike anything I�ve experienced in fly fishing.

The drill goes like this�First spot the fish, then make an intercept cast well away from the target but in the imagined direction of its travel and line of sight beginning rapid stripping/popping immediately on impacting the water. The strip is done as fast as humanely possible looking like a wounded baitfish that is fleeing the deep green water for the safety of the shallow coral.

The GT is the apex predator wherever it exists even eclipsing the sharks that roam these flats. We watched as a pair of 40 pound GT�s absolutely denied a black tip shark 5 times their individual size access to a flat they were working. They head butted the shark until it had no choice but to abandon the real estate to the aggressive GT�s. Unlike Tarpon, the GT fear nothing on the flats and have absolutely no peer there. They are truly the apex predator, without equal.

The GT will not be denied a rapidly stripped fly/popper that appears in its zone and will crash it in a visual attack that haunts your memory forever. This is what it�s all about. The long crowded flights, the hassle of airports, the challenges to your bodily systems of traversing time zones and international date lines, and cultures so different as to be incomparable.

My guide Matt and I whooped and hollered and laughed uncontrollably in an emotional common bond known only to successful GT anglers when they finally land this beautiful fish. Notice, pictured in the background, the circular edge where the active coral meets the deep green water. This is the world of the great GT�the primary edge feeder.





Several juvi GT�s were caught when visibility improved along with a first ever for me Queenfish and a large sweet lips (Wrasse of about 8 pounds) caught by a partner which are highly coveted for their eating qualities. The smaller juvi GT�s were generally found along and in cuts that tie uncountable bays together. Any tide, either falling or rising, results in generally strong current flows through these cuts and the GT use these zones as ambush points to grab the hapless baitfish caught in the currents. You can see this particular cut in the background as it funnels down the opening into the next bay/flat. In my estimation, a 10 pound GT is much stronger than any Tarpon more than four times its weight and far more aggressive. You better bring your �A� game if you want to tangle with these brutes�as even sharks shun the very presence of them. GT fishing is not for the faint of heart. It requires considerable physical effort just to get a shot�and incredible mental effort to entice the take and land the beasts.

The islanders are just the nicest people with a culture that is very different from anything I have observed/experienced elsewhere. They enjoy life to its fullest, in spite of, or perhaps because of a virtual complete absence of modern technology. Housing is very primitive and amenities are almost nonexistent. This is one of the poorest areas on the entire planet.

The kids, however, live an idealic existance frolicking in a near perfect climate every day.

The locals honor their guests with fine spreads of polynesian delights as well as the traditional dancing girls. It is indeed a very special place.


Pictures available upon request with e-mail address provided.

FANTASTIC POST! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for posting. That's a beautiful fish!

Thanks for the great report and photo.

Thanks for the comment...it is very difficult for me to post photos on this forum, otherwise I would post many more.

Thank you for the comment. I truly wish that all who love fishing could see one of those adult Blue Fin Trevally up close and personal. They are a stunningly beautiful fish that achieve spectacular beauty with age, unlike myself, LOL.

I saw your photos and report on another forum and they looked great. I could have posted my praise there, but recently, it's just not been any fun on the fly fishing topic board over there.

Thank you so much for the report and the pics in the post. That is a place that I would love to visit. Looks like great fishing!

Awesome post and pic!

Awesome

Awesome Report and trip!! Thanks for sharing!

Excellent write up. It was a very enjoyable read.

MONSTER Blue Fin! Look at the gut on that thing. Had to have been exhilarating!

Small blue fin are a dime a dozen. Catching a big blue, like your�s Meadowlark, is impressive. Excellent catch!

Have you seen Alphonse Fishing Company�s film 9 Degrees South? Awsome! If watching that film doesn�t make you want to go catch trevally, nothing will.

The aggressiveness of trevally cannot be over stated. They can cover twenty feet in a nanosecond. It�s as if they make the jump to light speed, disappearing from one spot then reappearing 20� away in the same moment. And these fish are Big!! Watching them move so fast is almost scary. It�s the most violent take I am aware of.

Meadowlark, where did you stay on xmas? Villages? Ikari?

Can you put up more pics?

Again, good job, good post!

Great video...really captures the essence of GT fishing. I'd love to go to Cosmoledo or any/all of those Seychelles atolls. Just hasn't worked out for me....yet.

Yes, that was a very special Bluefin Trevally. The locals said they hadn't seen one like it in many years. The take was absolutely incredible. After the cast is made, you can only glimpse the fish moving in because you have to concentrate on rapidly stripping the fly...then BANG! the fish rises up and crashes the fly showing that incredible speed you mentioned. Awesome...and released to fight another day.

I stayed at Crystal Beach. The guides there are excellent...my only complaint is they are accustomed to putting the clients on bonefish and the GT's are kind of an afterthought. I continually had to reinforce to them that I wasn't interested in bonefish, just Trevally (both times I've been there). Even with my urging, they still would trend toward bonefish. If/when I go back, I may just leave the bonefish rod behind totally and force the focus on Trevally.

Thanks for your remarks and for posting that video of this truly great fish.