Christmas Island, Kiribati

Christmas Island is located 1300 miles south of Hawaii, just north of the equator. It was discovered by Captain Cook on Christmas Eve, 1777 and is part of the Republic of Kiribati. Christmas Island is in the Central Pacific where life is relaxed and laid-back. The local people are friendly and helpful, and are sure to greet you with smiles and hellow as you walk through town. The local language is I-Kiribati, but most of the Gilbertese locals speak English and very well and love to practice with you.

The weather is nearly perfect throughout the year. Daily temperatures are constant at 80-85 degrees and 70-75 at night. There is minimal rain and low humidity due to the gentle trade winds of 10-20 knots.

Christmas Island has a myriad of diverse habitats and endless flats, unique in its opportunities for both the novice and the expert fly fisher. It is considered one of the top bonefish locations in the world. The flats are so vast that it is common to fish all day and never see another group of anglers!

Our guides have been fishing and guiding the flats of Christmas Island for many years. They know what flats to be on for certain tides and how to spot the fish. From knowing the habits of bonefish and trevally, to selecting the right fly and giving tips on casting and landing big fish, they pride themselves on helping you have a successful trip.

The two main quarry of the area are the bonefish and the trevally. Bonefish, otherwise known as the "ghosts of the flats," can obtain speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, which translates into, "HOLD ON!" Although Christmas Island has gained the reputatuion as a small bonefish destination, it is not uncommon to take bones in the 6-8 pound range, with ample shots at double-digit fish.

For a change of pace, Christmas Island provides a change of pace with its several species of trevally, some of which can run over 100 pounds. More commonly are the 10 - 35 pound range that will more than demonstrate an impressive surface strike on a wide variety of streamers and surface poppers. Trevally are not considered selective feeders. They tend to be very aggressive and will voraciously attack anything that looks like a food source.

Also included in the price of your trip is the option to go offshore fishing for species such as yellow fin tuna, billfish, rainbow runners, wahoo and large trevally.

Overall, the conditions are ideal for flats fishing. The consistent and predictable weather makes Christmas Island and ideal fishing destination year-round. This should be on your list for must see fly angling destinations worldwide. Let us help you experience the best of it.

Clothing and equipment checklist -- Tropical

We highly recommend an emergency evacuation membership for this trip. It costs well over $100,000 to be air lifted to a safe US hospital from many parts of the world. These services will not be covered by general travel insurance or medical insurance. We use GLOBAL RESCUE.

Flights now leave the island on Tuesdays and are run by Air Pacific. This is now an international flight that originates in Vancouver, BC, on its way through Honolulu and Christmas Island on its way to Fiji.