X-mas in July

[mems]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230115.jpg
Aloha, I just got back from a week on Christmas Island. It was very beautiful with a wide vast flats and friendly locals.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7200052.jpg
I went with a group of fly guys with Hawaii connections we are called "Team Fun".
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230151.jpg
I fished with Dr. Dan Hall and we targeted ulua, giant trevally on the fly for three days of the trip.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230105.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7180016.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7180012.jpg
I also got this nice omilu or bluefinned trevally. It was tough keeping the big boys out of the rocks.
We caught a variety of fish, my favorite are the papio, juvenile jacks under 10lbs.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7170004.jpg
I got this white papio on my spinner whipping the first night at camp.
This is why they are called blue finned trevally.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7200047.jpg
I also got a nice barred jack, and this swallow tail, I think it is a kind of permit, sorry I cut off his head in the picture.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7190030.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7200046.jpg
But the weirdest catch is when Dan let his line out to untwist and told Simon, look new trick, I will catch a fish with out a hook. Well sure enough this 70lb sailfish got bill wrapped in his pink bionic braid. We all got a good laugh out of this catch.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7210070.jpg
The bonefishing was good fun, but I was told it was a little slow withonly about 10-15 per day.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7190024.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7190035.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7190028.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7200051.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7220076.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7220098.jpg
Mostly I will remember the people and the beauty.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230104.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230111.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230145.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230137.jpg
But this is the view I saw the most of. I hope you can all go some day, Mems.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230131.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230126.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230122.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7230119.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/mems15/P7220091.jpg

[Adam Grace]

Nice pictures Don, that looks like a fun trip.

[Loren E]

Nice report Don, i didn't even recognize the place with that oily slick water, on my trip it houled every day for a week. Which operation were you staying at?

[jbird]

beautiful Don! Merry Christmas!!! :D


Jay

[Tony Buzolich]

Beautiful pics Don but you need to wipe your lens once in a while.

Howard Mc Kinney from FISHABOUT was there this past week too. Any chance you bumped into each other?
TONY

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We started taking groups there when it was first opened in the mid-80s.

I went there 13 times and am thinking of going back too.

It is a place that everyone needs to see at least once in a lifetime.

Thanks for the great report 'mems'.

[Jay Murakoshi]

Hey Mems,

Looks like you had a great trip. I hope to get back to CI next year to the new lodge "the villages". My good friend Kay Mitsuyoshi help set up the new lodge. That's all he talked about and that was his main baby. Since he pasted away a couple months ago, I feel like I owe it to him to hook into a BIg GT.

On my way, I'm thinking about staying in Oahu for a week and do some fishing. I haven't been back to the islands since '61, except for the one night layover on the way to CI. I would love to see the changes or maybe not.

Once again, great report

Jay

[Hairstacker]

Great report Don! Love all the pics, sounds like you guys had a blast. 8)

[mems]

Mahalo for all the positive comments. We stayed at the Villages or the Shark place. It was spartan, but the people were very nice. Tony, sorry I didn't clean my lens, one bad thing about getting older is loss of sight. I didn't notice the smudge until the third day. There were some other guys there, but I didn't ask them their names. They mostly just wanted to talk fish. Sorry Loren you had windy days. We had one day that was windy, but at least it was cooler and the fish didn't spook as easily. I hope to go back there in a couple of years and bring my son. It really is amazing. Mems.