Jim Blakeslee at our July meeting
… on fishing Christmas Island (Kiritimati)
Kiritimati was first sighted by Spanish mariners in the 1500’s but “discovered” by Captain James Cook on Christmas Eve in 1777 during his third voyage to the Pacific. In his log he commented on how barren and tree-less it was, and that it was uninhabited. There was no fresh surface water, so his crew had to dig wells to collect drinking water. They filled their drinking water barrels, caught fish and hundreds of turtles for meat while there, and took a couple of hundred live turtles on board for fresh meat as they sailed north.
In 1858 the USA “annexed” Kiritimati under the American ‘Guano Act’, which authorized the extraction of guano (excrement from seabirds) from uninhabited Pacific Islands for fertilizer. But deposits were too scattered for profitable commercial exploitation.
In 1882 a New Zealand company settled the island, collected shells for buttons, and planted coconut palms and harvested copra. But this didn’t prove profitable either, so the island was again abandoned.
In 1911 Christmas Island was settled by Pacific Islanders who planted more coconut palms. Between WWI and WWII an ex-priest, a Frenchman named Petrics Rougier, secured a lease on the island and brought in more islanders to plant and work his coconut palm plantations. He lived most of the time in Tahiti, but had his manager build him a home to use when visiting Christmas Island that he called “Paris.” The manager lived with most of the workers in a village called “Poland.”
During WWII Christmas Island became a centre for air operations in the South Pacific defending the shipping route between Australia/New Zealand and Honolulu from attack by the Japanese. An airstrip was built, the entrance to the lagoon was dredged, a dock was built at London so supply ships could deliver freight, and living quarters for servicemen and warehouses were constructed. But no fighting actually took place there.
In 1957 Britain selected Christmas Island for nuclear tests and the USA joined in a few years later. During a 17-year period until 1964 they exploded some 30 H–bombs off the southern end of the atoll. The testing program required the construction of roads, airstrips, hundreds of buildings, power plants, communications networks, observation towers, pipelines, and accommodation and entertainment facilities for enlisted men and officers. The Officer’s Club later became the Captain Cook Hotel – the first lodge for visitors and fly fishermen chasing bonefish.
After the testing of bombs ended in 1964 everything was abandoned and a British Commissioner appointed to oversee what was left behind. Everything was basically left to rust and decay until Christmas Island joined the Republic of Kiribati when it was formed in 1979.
Christmas Island is one of the world’s largest atolls, being 35 miles in length, and is located 119 miles North of the equator and 1,176 miles south of Honolulu. It probably has the largest concentration of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in the world and is also a major nesting site for sea birds in the central Pacific. Millions of birds were blinded by the flash from exploding H-bombs and died of starvation during the testing period from 1957-64. However bird numbers have gradually recovered since then.
The Republic of Kiribati was formed in 1979, and is one of 33 small islands scattered across two million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati and is 2,000 miles west of Christmas Island. The people on Christmas Island are mostly Micronesian and Polynesian, and are Christian, so on Sundays singing can be heard coming from the churches of several denominations, including Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian Scientist, and Mormon. Education is also church-based and in the mornings school children in uniform can be seen making their way to schools located throughout the main villages on the island. The people are gentle, friendly, and respectful, and try hard to make the experience of visiting anglers an enjoyable one.
Christmas Island has 70% of the land area of Kiribati, so is attracting settlers from overcrowded, lower lying islands such as Tarawa that are increasingly affected by sea level rise with saltwater flooding their homes during ‘King Tides’. But Christmas Island has an average height above the high tide level of about two metres, so is mostly ‘OK’ – for now.
The main road on the island is rough and pot-holed, and hasn’t been improved since the Nuclear Testing period ended in 1964. It would benefit from a major foreign aid injection. Australia is a major aid donor.
When I first visited Christmas Island in 2016 all the power came from diesel generators at a power station in London. These are now supplemented by an array of solar panels. However there are still frequent power outages, so many businesses now have their own emergency generators. The trade winds blow constantly out of the east, so one solution would be to use some foreign aid to build a wind turbine which could provide all the power needed by Christmas Island, and would thus reduce the use of diesel for electricity generation.
Finally, Australia built the new Airport Terminal a few years ago, but funding is now needed to re-pave the runway. Income for Christmas Island is from copra plantations, commercial fisheries such as the tropical fish trade, the export of lobster and milkfish, and royalties from Korean and Taiwanese vessels fishing for yellowfin tuna in Kiribati’s exclusive economic zone. And of course from tourism – mainly fly fishermen, lure fishermen (it used to say “meat fishermen” on their fishing licence), scuba divers, bird watchers, and scientists studying sea birds, marine life, coral bleaching and other effects of climate change.
The population is about 8,000 people living in four main villages of London, Tabwekea, Banana and Poland. Housing is mainly cinder-block, as well as traditional timber and palm frond thatch huts.
And now for the fishing:
I have fished Christmas Island during our winter months, having enjoyed seven trips there between 2016 and 2025. Visits to Christmas Island from June to September have all been good. But you must try to go there when you will have favourable tides.
Bonefish feed most actively on an outgoing tide. When you are there you will head off from Ikari House on the boat at 7:00 am, and you will start fishing from about 7:30 am. So you will have the longest period of outgoing tide to fish for bonefish if you book your trip to arrive at Christmas Island about three weeks after a full moon. If you want to fish for milkfish at sunrise in the wind lanes outside the lagoon entrance, then you will need an outgoing tide for that as well.
If you are targeting GTs (i.e. Giant Trevally), the best time is near a full moon when you get the highest tides, and the boats can reach some of the best spots where they feed at the south end of the lagoon.
All the flats/fishing venues are named. If you have been there before you will have your favourites. If you are a newcomer, then ask the guides where they are taking you and which locations are the best for bones, triggers, or GTs.
The time of day, and the wind and the tides all make a difference. There are over forty flat names, including Paris, Texas, Whisper, Smoky, Pancakes, Submarine Flat, Nine Mile, Koito, Te Ren, Taina, Lone Coconut Palm, Y-Site, Go-Like-Hell, Orvis Flat, Motu Upua, Navy Flat, Korean Wreck, and more.
Getting there and back:
Fly Fiji Airways Flight FJ934 from Melbourne to Nadi, departing Tuesdays at 12:55 pm and arriving at 7:50 pm in the evening at Fiji. Kill time in the transit lounge, then catch the one flight a week, FJ822, departing 11:50 pm on Tuesday nights, arriving at about 6:30 am at Cassidy International Airport, Christmas Island, on Wednesday mornings. This flight continues on to Honolulu, and it returns at 3 pm. Then flight FJ823 departs at 4:20 pm in the afternoon on the way back to Nadi, and travellers must then spend the night in Nadi.
We stay at the Fiji Gateway Hotel, a short walk from Nadi Airport. The next morning, we take the Thursday flight FJ935, departing Nadi at 8:00 am and arrive back in Melbourne at 11:30 am.
The cost for air fares this year was $1,693.42 with Flight Centre.
Where to stay on Christmas Island:
There are several lodges for fly fishermen. We stay at Ikari House. Other lodges include The Villages, Sunset, and The Christmas Island Lodge (formerly the Captain Cook Hotel).
The cost with Gavin Hurley’s Fly Fishing Adventures for accommodation at the Ikari House Lodge and a twin-share fly fishing package was $3,650, and that includes all meals, twin-share accommodation, boat transport to fishing venues with a boat driver, four anglers, and two guides (one guide shared by each pair of anglers).
Other costs – make sure you bring lots of cash, including $5 and $20 bills.
A Fishing Licence: Last year it was $55 for a week. This year it had increased to $250 US for the week. (We were charged $354 Aus, which was a nasty surprise!) We paid this to the Ikari House accountant when we settled up on the last day. The licence is good for a one-year period from January 1 till December 31.
Tips each day – anglers should carry a $5 note to tip the boat driver and a $20 note to tip the guide at the end of each day’s fishing.
Settling up with the accountant in cash on the last day: You will be charged for any drinks you take from the “beer fridge,” this being $5 for a beer, $3 for a soft drink, and $2 for a bottle of water. Also, it is customary to leave $100 tip to be shared between all the serving, cooking and cleaning staff.
Health/Travel Insurance
Make sure you are covered. I pay for my airfares with a Credit Card and then get Alliance Travel Insurance through the Card for free. Make sure yours includes Medical Evacuation cover.
Play safe. Drink the bottled water provided or water from the water dispensers at Ikari House. Don’t drink the tap water or use it to clean your teeth, and you shouldn’t get gastro.
Bring a good first aid kit, including antibiotics if you have them. There is now a “hospital” with three doctors on Christmas Island, in case of an emergency.
Target species:
Inside the lagoon reserve it is catch and release only for Bonefish, Triggerfish, Giant Trevally, Bluefin and Trevally. You may also try for Milkfish with a seaweed fly and you may occasionally catch a Barracuda, Golden Trevally, a small Queenfish, or a Ladyfish. There are lots of small blacktip reef sharks around, but are not dangerous and won’t take a fly. If you take a boat and fish outside the lagoon you can target big Milkfish, as well as Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, etc. Finally, if you don’t mind a two-hour ride (each way) on a wooden bench in the back of a truck, there is the ‘Korean Wreck’ site on the southwest end of the island where you can fish the wave platform on the ocean side of Christmas Island. If you catch the low tide you can have a go at some big Bonefish and Trevally, and be chased out of the water by even bigger sharks.
Some tips regarding fishing gear
Knots – attach all flies to the tippet using a Loop Knot
Flies to bring for Bonefish: Crazy Charlies in sizes #6 and #4. Maybe a few #8s for shallow/still water. Bring some with bead-chain eyes, others with chrome or gold-plated lead dumbbell eyes. Best colours are Crustaceous Pink, Chartreuse, Hot Orange, and the original White and Silver. The depth of the water fished and the strength of the current determine the size/weight of the fly to use.
Gotchas with rubber legs in sizes #6 and #4.
Flies to bring for Trigger Fish: The above, as well as a few Crab Fly patterns in sizes #6 and #4
Flies to bring for GTs: Big white or tan Deceivers, like a Barramundi Bunny, with resin heads and stick-on eyes in size 1/0 to 4/0 (e.g. a ‘chook on a hook’) or a big white Clouser suitable for barramundi, queenfish, tuna, Spanish mackerel, etc. If you want to catch a Barracuda, use some wire trace or you will be bitten off.
Rods – an 8 weight for bonefish and triggers, and 10 or even 12 weights for GTs.
Reels – with a smooth drag and loaded with 200 to 300 metres of 30 lb braid backing.
Lines – 8 weight and 10 weight Tropical Floating Fly Lines.
Leaders – 9 to 12 ft. Tippets – for bonefish and triggers use 14 lb to 20 lb fluorocarbon. For GTs use a straight 9 foot 30 lb leader. Use an Albright Special Knot to attach a couple feet of 60lb shock tippet.
Bring a ventilated-style Fly Vest or a Fanny Pack to store your gear, including a water bottle.
Clothing, Footwear and Eyewear – clothes are normally laundered daily, so you only need a few changes of kit.
The “uniform” is usually a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, a buff, shorts with tights or lightweight trousers, wading socks, flats wading shoes with gravel guards.
Also – Amber polaroid sunglasses.
Don’t forget the Sunscreen.
If you are unsteady on your feet bring a Wading Staff.
Some tips regarding technique:
Spotting bonefish – watch for a moving blue-grey shape with its nose to the bottom. If you can’t see them, listen to the directions from the guide who is there to spot them for you. Often they will be only 10 metres or less away from you and coming towards you, so it’s essential for you to be able to make a quick, short cast.
Keep your rod tip down and point the rod at the fish while stripping the line – and again, listen to the guide. He will tell you to cast the fly towards the bonefish, let it sink to the bottom, then make a two-foot strip, pause a second so it hits the bottom again, then strip again, and again… If you or the guide sees the fish swim over and take the fly, then do a strip-strike (as no ‘trout striking’ by lifting the rod is allowed)!
The Bonefish is one of the fastest fish in the sea, so if hooked it will take off at high speed and all your loose line will be off the water in a second, your reel will be screaming, and all the fly line will be gone and you will be into the backing soon after. Lift your rod in a gentle arch – no high sticking. A 3 lb Bonefish can take 100 metres or more of backing in a couple of runs. A bigger fish will take even more.
Releasing the fish: a good fish-releasing tool is useful to quickly release your fish without hurting them. The guides will have one. Forceps are good for backing the hook out of a fish that has swallowed the fly. When in doubt, cut the tippet and let the fish go with the fly.
(Once you have gone to Christmas Island and caught a big bonefish you will want to go back every year until you die! Jim Blakeslee.)