Anyone from the novice to the expert can enjoy a week of fishing at Christmas Island. The guides are helpful and patient, and will help you with your technique as you request it. Because pressure on the fish stocks (i.e. number of anglers going for them) is so negligible throughout the course of the year, and also because the fish are all released, the abundance of bonefish is unbelievable.  Anyone with any level of fishing savvy will soon learn the basics and be hooking up frequently.

Anglers will literally see hundreds of fish at almost every location visited, and with a good guide showing you the way, it is reasonable to expect 10 to 20 bonefish landings a day, perhaps more, depending on your experience and willingness to learn. Catches of 50 or more in a day are quite common.

Recommended Tackle

NOTE: In certain locations around the country, some of the tackle listed below may be difficult to find. Do not worry if you struggle to find these items, as there are several tackle stores in Honolulu at which you can stock up. Destination:PACIFIC can help steer you in this direction.

There are no stores selling fishing gear on the island, so plan this part of your trip wisely. At least two rods should be taken, three is even better, as there is no place to repair or replace a rod if you break one. Take lots of leader, line, backing, reel lube, and line cleaner as though you were heading to the backwoods for an extended visit.

Fly Gear

Fly-fishing is the main type of fishing on Christmas Island, and while most anglers of this genre like to carry their own gear wherever they fish anyway, having your own gear at Christmas Island is required. Here’s a basic checklist of the tackle fly-fishers should bring:

For Bonefish:

9 to 9 ½ foot, 8 or 9-wt rod with matching reel and floating line to suit. Some anglers brave the speedy bones with 6 and 7 weights, but wind is usually present and casting becomes more difficult with these lower weights. So long as you can cast 30 to 40 feet into the wind, any rod you can accomplish this with will suffice.

Reels should be saltwater rated, and large arbor types have proven effective with the fast fish. Flyline should be a weight forward floating saltwater line that doesn’t crack from the sun and saltwater.

For Trevally

Generally speaking, Large Trevally are immensely difficult to catch on fly. This prehistoric species can grow to well over 100 pounds, and it is common to see them of all sizes swimming in the surf. They are aggressive feeders and while getting them to strike can be a challenge in its own right, hooking them is nowhere near as challenging as landing them. Hooked Trevally WILL head for coral to break off the line any chance they get, and anglers must be patient and loaded with lots of gear if there is hopes of landing one of these powerful fish on fly tackle. Plan on losing many flies, poppers, streamers and tippets, plus maybe a flyline or two, and even some backing.

Rods of 9 to 10 feet in length, 10 to 12 wt are better suited for Trevally, with matching reel and floating flyline to suit. Trevally casts are usually longer and there will be a premium on distance over accuracy in many situations. Anglers that can cast 60-80 feet with reasonable accuracy may find the action considerably greater.

Flyline should also be weight forward floating, non-cracking saltwater line. Take two or three spares. Backing needs to be the maximum the reel can hold (300 yards is ideal if you can get it on there), and take extra, too. Until you’ve hooked a Trevally, you won’t believe how much power and sustained runs they will make. Even a 15-pounder will take you half way into your backing in 15-20 seconds and head directly for the coral to cut that line off. Be warned, these fish are strong and smart!

Leaders: consider running up to 20-pound tippets at first and take lighter line as well to switch back to as you gain confidence. Take lots, and be prepared to lose it. Landing one of 10 or more large Trevally hooked is considered good, and the larger they get, the tougher it is.

Flies: Black and yellow foam Trevally poppers work well, as do larger streamers in assorted colors. Trevally aren’t as fussy on the take as Bonefish, the real trick is getting the fly to the fish and then the fight once on. Plan on taking and losing lots of these. If you plan to Trevally fish, take a half dozen poppers and streamers per day at least.

Many of the lighter poppers come with inadequate hooks that these fish have a tendency to straighten. A 6/0 hook is as small as you should go for Trevally. They have big mouths, so don’t be afraid to go with a larger hook. They’ll still bite it!
 

There are several places on Christmas Island where you can shore cast, surf cast, and cast from a boat to the Trevally in the coral. Anglers that like to use conventional tackle have a ball fishing for Trevally on Christmas Island, and the action can be very good when the fish are found. Using conventional tackle over fly will generally result in many more hookups and landings, so anglers with a desire to experience these powerful critters on fly might be best suited to encounter a couple on conventional tackle first.

Rod: A heavy spin casting rod, 7-9 feet long, with a wide butt end and stiff, fast taper is essential to lift and stop the fish from running home.   Kimura of Hawaii makes many rods that are ideally suited for this type of fishing. Click here for information.

Line: Spend a little more and go for the abrasion resistant line. The coral reef is where the stuff earns its keep, and while it won’t save every fish from breaking off, it might save a couple.

Leader: 50 feet of 80 or 100 pound line or leader to cut into 2 foot sections will suit this purpose well. Allows good casting distances.

Swivels: Be sure to bring some heavy swivels to run between the line and leader so the popper action is good and the line doesn’t twist.

Big Eddie’s and Joe’s Lodge uses a combination of pickup trucks and small boats to take you to the flats, and in some cases to fish from. Each group of 2 guests is provided as a part of the package up to 2 days of exclusive use of the skiff (with guide) or the covered outrigger canoe to fish the blue water.

The skiff is a 16 foot aluminum flat bottom craft powered by a 25 HP Yamaha. The Bluewater boat is an island-made wooden outrigger canoe with a wooden cover for sun protection. It is approximately 30 feet long and is a surprisingly stable platform for casting and fighting fish. It is powered by a 40HP Yamaha outboard, and a second, 25 HP Yamaha is carried as a backup. The engines are relatively new, and in good condition.

Big Eddie Corrie, owner of the lodge, also has a boat available for charter with him at an additional fee. Big Eddie was born and raised on Christmas Island and has put clients onto twelve IGFA world records over the years, mostly in Giant Trevally. World renowned for his Trevally hunting prowess, Big Eddie is one of the best at planning for the tides, positioning the boat into a zone, getting the angler to fly cast to the fish, and maneuvering during the fight. The action can be fast and furious, and times of patience will be required in between.

The boat Eddie uses is a 19 foot Sea Swirl with a 50HP Outboard and a smaller kicker as a back up. The boat is on a trailer for best access to launch areas. Because of the nature of fly casting, it is completely open and therefore offers no sun protection.

For those looking to encounter one of the most aggressive and powerful fish a fly-fisherman could ever try to catch in a unique and exciting environment, Big Eddie and his boat are available on an exclusive charter basis for $350.00 per day.