Christian Island

There is no denying that Christmas Island has stood the test of time as a world-class bonefish destination. For decades, this piece of angling paradise has been visited on an annual basis by a large number of dedicated anglers.

Christian Island

Crash aboard a one-of-kind live-aboard for an all new way to fish this South Pacific piscatorial paradise.

There is no denying that Christmas Island has stood the test of time as a world-class bonefish destination. For decades, this piece of angling paradise has been visited on an annual basis by a large number of dedicated anglers.

They travel from every corner of the globe arriving nearly every month of the year. In fact, if you ask almost any veteran bonefisherman, it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t enjoyed Christmas Island at some point in his or her fishing career. The question today is, “Is Christmas Island still as promising as it used to be?”

The answer to this question varies from year to year and from angler to angler. It really depends on whom you ask. There is no doubt that the atoll has a loyal following. For instance, at the conclusion of our week, I ran into a gentleman at the Christmas Island Airport. He had just completed his 15th visit in 25 years. I asked him how his week went. He simply stated, “Great as always!”

Christmas Island is a mature destination. Most American anglers know its reputation, but the fact that traveling anglers from all over the world are still visiting the destination - in the numbers that they do - tells me that there’s something else going on that’s really worthwhile. I believe the anglers that truly have this place dialed-in have tapped into the diversity of the region’s prolific fisheries. Yes, they do chase the gray ghosts on fly gear when the tides are right, but they also come for the GTs, various reef species and powerful pelagics, not excluding super-fast wahoo and tackle-testing tuna.

Today’s visitors not only have diversified their target species, but the guys that really maximize on the area’s success have evolved into crossover anglers. Inshore fishing doesn’t always mean fly gear. Nowadays, the savvy Christmas Island crowd comes well-prepared with a wide variety of tackle. They do whatever it takes to score big and they have a blast doing it.

Our question here at Angling Destinations Inc. - a travel firm which specializes in providing fishing adventures tailored to challenge the imagination - and the very reason for our recent visit to Christmas Island was; how best to approach the region’s diverse fisheries once you’ve moved beyond the lagoon’s spectacular bonefishing. We suspected the answer would have to do with precisely where you stay, and is certainly tied to the length of your fishing day. It’s no secret in anyone’s book that longer days and more time spent on the water equates to greater angling success, whatever the target species may be.

Accommodations at Christmas Island have traditionally been at land-based lodges. Take for instance the Captain Cook Hotel. The Cook is a government-owned, cinder-block structure that could use a little sprucing up. Despite its weathered state, it remains serviceable for a countless number of visiting anglers each year. The Cook has been the benchmark for the Christmas Island crowd since the very beginning. Additional facilities have come on-line over the years and the island currently supports four land-based bonefish lodges. A couple of these are actually quite nice. In fact, we consistently book Christmas Island guests at one very comfortable lodge operated by Christmas Island Outfitters and always receive raving reviews.

However nice the accommodations are, the daily operation of a land-based lodge generally dictates your fishing day, your schedule, and often your fishing success. A typical day at Christmas Island has you arriving to your first fishing spot around 8:30 a.m. That’s after an hour-long ride in the back of a pickup truck and then an equal amount of time in an outrigger “party barge” that ferries you around the lagoon. Two hours into your day, you’re finally fishing. You essentially have the same ride home at day’s end. That’s a lot of productive daylight lost to simply getting to and from the action. The typical schedule has you back to the lodge for cocktails around 4:30 p.m. It’s typically how lodge operations work all over the globe. Should an angler dare ask, “Is there a better way?”

Why let a prototypical lodge schedule cut into your valuable fishing time? Why miss trolling at first light for a hot wahoo bite or miss casting flies or plugs to blitzing schools of yellowfin tuna long after sunset? You won’t see that sort of exciting blue-water action from any land-based bonefish lodge. With Christmas Island offering so much more than just spectacular flats fishing, a traditional daily schedule can be frustrating. While getting out early or staying out late can usually be accommodated through better lodges at a bit more cost, you are still limited by conventional fishing hours and miss much of the dawn and dusk hours, often the most productive time in the tropics. Don’t get me wrong; some of the lodges do a superb job! I’m not suggesting that the traveling angling community suddenly turn their backs on Christmas’s bonefish lodges. It’s just for me, given the way I like to fish, I want to maximize on every bit of action any foreign habitat has to offer.

As I mentioned earlier, the key to fishing Christmas Island is in the region’s diversity and in your ability to be flexible in your approach. For those anglers who might enjoy burning the angling candle at both ends, yet still cherry pick the optimal mid-day tides for pursuing some of the world’s most cooperative bonefish, we have something special for you. Mind you, it’s not an opportunity that appeals to every angler. You have to be a bit rough and tumble and possess plenty of energy. In other words, you need to be a complete fish-a-holic!

For those extreme individuals, there now exists a program at Christmas Island where up to four anglers per week can fish till they drop. It’s aboard the live-aboard mothership, Tuaraoi (pronounced two–a –roy), which in Kiribati means, “to share.”

Tuaraoi offers both traditional guided bonefish expeditions, as well as easy access to the wilder side of fishing during the early and late hours of the day. The only limitations here are your angling endurance and the amount of daylight.

The ringmaster of this three-ringed angling circus (flats, reef and blue-water) is an American ex-patriot surfer named Chuck Corbet who, 25 years ago, resided in Costa Mesa, California. Disenchanted with the crowded waves of the Golden State, he relocated to Hawaii to pursue his surfing passion before the very same thing that drove him from the mainland - the crowded waves - drove him from Hawaii as well. So began Chuck’s exploration of the South Pacific in search of virgin territory. Chuck adopted a way of life that dwells in the soul of very few individuals in today’s modern world. Chuck is a true adventurer and explorer. Over the years, Chuck’s life and adventures have been chronicled in the pages of many popular surfing magazines. As a true ambassador and elder statesmen for the sport, combined with his knowledge and experience in his unique environment, I’d be confident in making this rather strong comparison; Chuck is the Lefty Kreh of surfing.

By hook or by crook, Chuck explored the South Pacific and lived off the bounty of the sea. Chuck found his way to all of the places that we as anglers only dream about fishing. Now at 50 years of age, he’s long given up stowing away on freighters and commercial fishing boats to travel the high seas. Chuck now owns and operates the 60-foot, steel-hulled, sloop-rigged Tuaraoi. Chuck’s boat, built in Hawaii in 1988, has circumnavigated the globe and is a sturdy, functional, albeit close-quartered base from which to operate. Recently out of dry dock, the boat went through a major refit in 2007 and is also a P.A.D.I. Certified dive boat.

Although not fancy, Chuck’s boat has all the creature comforts to make an angler’s stay safe and pleasant. The boat’s features include a Bimini covered cockpit where delectable outdoor meals are served, a state-of-the-art navigation system, washer/dryer, air-conditioning, freezers to store your catch, two en-suite marine heads and 110 AC power with standard American outlets. There is a cabin in the bow that sleeps four very comfortably and a second aft cabin that sleeps three. At 60 feet in total length, Tuaraoi is not really a large boat by live-aboard standards. To anglers who have never spent any time in the narrow confines of a sailboat, she might feel somewhat cramped at first. But that issue goes with the territory.

For now, the testing grounds for Chuck and his Tuaraoi will be Christmas Island. This is a great place to start. Here he can build and polish his live-aboard fishing operation from the ground or should I say, the water line up. With Chuck’s experience and his explorer’s nature, it won’t be too long before we set sail with Chuck to more far-flung destinations in the South Pacific. Trust us when we tell you that certain atolls reachable by the Tuaraoi are pure angling nirvana. We have been trying to reach some of them for many years. We may have finally discovered our way!

At present, Chuck and Tuaraoi are Angling Destinations’ “diamond in the rough.” Super nice guy, but he still has much to learn about the nuances of fly-fishing and the needs of the anglers who ply the craft. For the conventional angler, Chuck already has that road paved. What makes Chuck tick is exactly what makes him the perfect candidate for such an extreme angling program as this. Simply stated; you don’t survive more than 20 years island hopping in the South Pacific – with virtually no funds - without having some serious skills as a person. Whether it be a surfer, diplomat, captain, navigator, mechanic, cook, first-aid provider, fisherman…whatever. You survive with these skills on the sea or you go home or in the worst case, you vanish!

Let me leave you with this “very real” scenario as to why one should consider a live-aboard program for their next Christmas Island fishing adventure. What follows occurred every night while we were aboard Tuaraoi:

The sun would sink over the horizon. I’m standing on the aft deck with my fishing buddies. We all have ice-cold beers in hand. We are enjoying what remains of our day here in the lee of Christmas Island. In the distance, and moving our way, is a mass of seabirds working a school of bait, a “breezer” as it is called. From the Tuaraoi deck, we can see sizable yellowfin tuna feeding under the baitball. The tuna are exploding from the churning white water created by the frenzied bait and the diving flock. It’s quite a sight as predators from the two distinctly different worlds of air and water do their unmerciful best to ruin the day for the unfortunate French fries of the sea - the baitfish. Meanwhile, the mayhem continues to move closer to our floating lodge. I casually ask one of my companions “Is that 12-weight still rigged?”

The answer comes quickly from my like-minded friend. He knows exactly where this is going. Suddenly, a half dozen 40-pound tuna clear the water by six feet not more then 200-yards off our port stern.

“WOW…did you see that! Hey Chuck…can we go chase those fish?”

“Sure, hop in the tender, I’ll drive. Grab your headlamps and the gaff. We are going to be out there for a while.”

Minutes later, not quite a mile from the beach, we are lined-up casting flies into a boiling mass of sea foam, bait, huge fish and birds. One strip…two…a third and I’m tight! In a flash, the fly line, as if divinely guided, clears my nervous fingers, engages the spool and the reel’s drag drops into hyper-speed.

An hour later, in pitch dark, we motor back to Tuaraoi with $800 worth of fresh sashimi and my fly rod “fish of a lifetime.” It simply doesn’t get any better than this!

A California native, Todd relocated to Wyoming four years ago to join Angling Destinations, Inc. Todd has been an avid fly-fisher since his early teens. He has spent the majority of his life pursuing trout, salmon and steelhead throughout the American West, British Columbia and Alaska. Now a complete saltwater fishing travel addict, he has the perfect job which includes visiting and exploring the planet’s most prolific oceanic fisheries.

Bring Your Camera

Christmas Island is a tropical paradise. The island’s landscapes make for appealing images almost anywhere one might care to look. The countryside is dotted with immense groves of swaying palms, grassy fields and rugged picturesque seascapes. With a population of nearly 7,000 Kiribati citizens, most of these people make their meager living from the sea. It’s a very poor country and for most inhabitants, a subsistence living is all they will ever know. There are many, somewhat primitive, settlements interspersed along the two-lane, mostly paved roadway that circles the entire island. Shots capturing friendly local people, primitive dwellings and island culture can make for interesting photos in the waning late afternoon sunlight. With very little standing fresh water on the island, there are few pesky biting insects to interfere with shooting these colorful sunset images.

Don’t plan to visit Christmas Island to photograph any old war relics. In the last three years, a large European salvage company has removed more than 274 thousand metric tons of scraped and abandoned military equipment from the island’s landscape. The removal of the old tanks, troop transports, sunken boats and the general mechanization that makes up the machine of war, has made a significant environmental and aesthetic improvement to the island. I suspect someone also made a fortune in the world’s recycled steel market.

Where To Toss The Bags

Christmas Island is located 1,200 miles south of Hawaii and 200 miles north of the equator. Despite its remote location, getting to this angling mecca is not all that difficult. A simple hop from the west coast has you flying into Honolulu. It’s best to arrive at least one day before your flight to Christmas Island. The extra day helps if a bag or angler gets sideways along the way. The Air Pacific flight from Honolulu to Christmas Island normally departs at noon and flies only once a week. Miss the flight and you miss your trip! The flight is three and a half hours one way in a large comfortable jet and the round trip airfare adds about $1000.00 to the cost of your trip. Scheduled flights are on Tuesdays. There is an International Date Line crossing with this itinerary that can be confusing for some folks. Especially heading back on the last day of your trip, so check with your travel agent and make sure to double check every detail.

Arriving early in Hawaii is always the safe call and relaxing for a day or two in Waikiki never hurt anyone. Most guests prefer to stay at the Honolulu Airport Hotel (808.836.0661). With no option for lost gear to be flown in the next day to Christmas Island, we suggest careful redundant packing among your group’s members. This strategy helps to keep everyone fishing if someone’s gear bag turns up missing.

The flight from Christmas back to Honolulu departs at 7:00 a.m. Weather permitting; your flight will be back to Honolulu by 10:30 a.m. It is best to schedule homebound connections for after 12:30 p.m. In the past, it was necessary to obtain a tourist visa to visit Christmas Island. Now, all that’s required for entry into the country is a valid passport. Upon arrival expect to shell out $40.00 for a weekly fishing license. The cost for a week-long fishing package aboard Tuaraoi is $2895.00 per person. For additional information on this unique program contact Angling Destinations, Inc. (www.anglingdestinations.com).

Other Notes of Interest

About Christmas Island

• Christmas Island is the world’s largest coral atoll with a total land area (including the lagoon) of 248 square miles. It is located in the north of the Line Island Group of the Republic of Kiribati.
• Capitan James Cook passed through here on Christmas Day in 1777, thus the name.
• Towns located on the island are curiously named after European countries and cities. For instance; London, Paris and Poland.
• Christmas Island is the first inhabited place on earth to experience the New Year.
• Due to Christmas Island’s position in the Pacific, it is extremely far from the light generated by the world’s large population centers. Thus, the night sky is very dark. Being that it’s virtually on the equator, Christmas Island is also blessed with many cloudless evenings. This location is recognized as having the clearest, cleanest atmospheric conditions in the world. As such, several satellite tracking stations and the Asian Pacific Space Center are located on Christmas Island.
• The currency is Australian and the language is English.