Who all is going to Trout Fest?
-
-
Cleaned up and added to the box for broken bow next week with my dadAttached FilesComment
-
-
When are you going?Originally posted by hooligan View Post
Will be there from sometime Thursday 13th until SundayComment
-
Wednesday or Thursday. Need to look at the weather and see, we’re just running up for the day. Was supposed to go today but had some calls with new factories that popped upOriginally posted by BTLowry View PostComment
-
Good luckComment
-
You too. Haven’t been there in Almost 2 years I thinkOriginally posted by BTLowry View PostComment
-
Heading to Costa Rice next week and packing my 8 wt., 9 wt., and 12 wt.
Has anyone gone offshore as caught bait like large Bonitas with small flies on an 8 wt. or 9 wt.? Little bonefish type Crazy Charlie’s or squid patterns work like a champ.
It is a blast! At Tropic Star last year I caught more bait with my rigs than guides were landing with those little x3 jigs. 12 wt. I use for tuna, sails, etc. but the catching of bait is a blast. I would highly recommend it. Much easier to cast an 8 wt. on a 30’+ boat than chunking a large popper into feeding frenzy tuna’s with my 12 wt. but both are a blast.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
-
Had a blast in Costa Rica with sails and tuna. Only fish on a fly was bait fish - Bonita, but still fun.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
Very good CI write up. Agree on the expectations. I have been 3 times over the last ten years and every time it is just a little more fished out. Not sure if I'll go back. Dont get me wrong still plenty of fish to catch but it is fished year round and gets the week of Christmas off. There are also multiple lodges fishing the island. I usually target a fish every trip. Concentrate on that fish but throw flies at whatever I can. I have been on trigger the last three trips(Sudan, Seychelles and Belize).Originally posted by Vermin93 View PostThis was my second trip to Christmas Island. I went last year at the same time with the same group. I flew from Dallas to Honolulu on Sunday. There is one flight a week from Honolulu to CXI on Fiji Airways. The flight costs about $1200 round trip. It runs every Tue, so you go for a week at a time, although some guys were there for 2 weeks. I stayed in Honolulu for 2 nights on the front end of the trip, so there is a hotel cost along with round trip airfare to Honolulu. I used frequent flyer miles to cover all flights and hotels, so that made the trip a lot less costly.
The trip was hosted by Front Range Anglers out of Boulder, CO. It’s a professional operation with a phenomenal fly shop. You can visit their website to see trip costs and what’s included. Our trip was sponsored by Scott rods, so we got a new Sector in the weight of our choice for half price. I got the 8 wt and it was a dream to cast on the flats. It’s the rod I used 98% of the time on the trip.
I would say the current state of the Christmas Island fishery is challenging. There is no doubt that it receives quite a bit of pressure, and I believe it’s evident in the spookiness of all species. There may have been days of 20+ bonefish in the past, but my experience is that such days are very far from the norm. Larger bonefish were relatively difficult to entice, even during a favorable tide. Also, the number of bonefish is probably not what some people envision. At times you are really working to find fish. It’s possible to find areas with a more consistent number of small bones, but catching small bones isn’t why most people are there.
I spent a of lot of time chasing triggers because they are there in really good numbers and I was determined to catch a handful. On good trigger flats with a favorable tide, it’s hard to find bonefish because of the water depth and the rocky bottom. You will occasionally see one and sometimes they will take a trigger fly. Triggers are relatively easy to see, but they will pick you off like a mature whitetail and bolt for the deep water and the safety of a hole. Ninja tactics, a good cast, and a little luck are needed to get them even interested in a fly, let alone to get them to eat it. Well over half the time the fish would simply see the fly and hightail it to the deep water. Spookiest fish I’ve ever pursued. It is really exciting and satisfying to hook one, let alone land one.
Where I feel a lot of people have inflated expectations is with GT’s. Unless you are a private client able to book one of the few elite GT guides on the island, then I feel you need a lot of luck to catch a good one. There was one repeat client at our lodge who had booked such a guide. They searched for GT’s primarily from a boat in the deep water pockets and channels around the flats. That allowed them to cover a lot of water. He caught double-digit GT’s and some of them were absolute monsters. But that’s all he did all week. For everyone else at the lodge, GT fishing primarily consisted of walking the edge of flats and lagoons hoping that a GT would emerge from the deep water. During the week I think I averaged about 1 sighting a day, with most between 20 - 50 pounds. However, my sightings always came while I was fishing my 8 wt for bones or triggers. That requires you to switch rods, strip line and get a cast off before the GT is gone or before he sees you and spooks. You have seconds to make it happen, and it’s very hard. I got about 4 good casts at them during the week, but the fish never committed to the fly. Out of our group of 22 guys, I think 4 or 5 different guys caught a GT worth mentioning. Some of those guys were first-time saltwater casters who capitalized on beginners luck and a hungry fish. One day a group of 5 very experienced saltwater casters went on a dedicated GT hunt. They covered a lot of flats and nobody caught one. When somebody does get a nice one it’s pretty special and there’s a lot of celebrating at the lodge because catching them is not a common occurrence.
The place itself is really cool. Pictures don’t do it justice. The flats are simply gorgeous and several literally go on for miles. The guides at our lodge were very knowledgeable and exceptional at seeing fish. I’ve developed friendships with a few of the them. They are great people and really try to help you find and catch fish.
To sum it up, I would say that if high numbers of caught fish are what somebody is after, then Christmas Island probably shouldn’t be at the top of their list. There was one day when I chased triggers and big bones. I had lots of shots at triggers and a few big bones, but I ended up completely skunked. But, I had an absolute blast trying to catch those triggers. On 2 other days I only landed 3 or 4 bonefish of average size. They were still very fun days. Everyone had days like this. I probably hooked 5 or 6 big bones during the week, but they all broke off. I lost 3 nice triggers.
Overall I’ve developed a real fondness for the place. I like the challenging nature of the resident fish, the phenomenal scenery and the laid back guides. I love being able to walk for hours on a single flat. The camaraderie at the lodge is great. I just love the whole experience and adventure. But, it is a lot of money to spend and I think people should have the right kind of expectations. Our group is already talking about plans for next year. We’re not sure if we will return or try a new destination. Vacation days are precious and we only have so many of them, which is why I need to retire ASAP so I can fish more!
Here are some typical Christmas Island bonefish. Check out the flat - it’s just gorgeous!
Comment
-
Slew and I fished the Lower Mountain Fork (Beaver's Bend) Thursday through Saturday and had poor results
Worst trip we have had in several years of going for a long weekend in FebComment
-
My dad and I were there Thursday too. Water way pretty high. Super slow trip for us but a good reminder on how much I love that areaAttached FilesLast edited by hooligan; 02-17-2020, 09:45 AM.Comment
-
-
-
Originally posted by hopedale View Post
I went! We will be heading out there again tomorrow
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
I need to go one of these years. Always love their artwork for the poster/shirtsOriginally posted by Aggie_bowtech View PostComment
Comment