Return to Aitutaki - 2018 Part 3

[Tony Buzolich]

After fishing all day we return back to the lodge for a shower and then over to the Boat Shed for drinks and some fabulous food. Anything on the menu was our choice from fresh local fish to steak and shrimp. One night our host even provided us with a wonderful land crab appetizer . Nothing like this at home.

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Garth Hirata has just taken a really nice GT but we're still looking for something even bigger, and it's our last day here.

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Jubilee says he'll show us where they are but we can't fish near other boats. “ Let's go see!”. We fire up the motor and head toward one of the better known dive locations and sure enough here's the Vaca party boat with about thirty people on board. People are jumping in snorkeling, the BBQ is going, and everyone is pointing at the giant fish swimming all around their outrigger. GT's!. At least a dozen or more all swimming around begging for handouts. Pieces of bread, whole sandwichs, hot dogs, anything that hit the water was devoured in seconds. (maybe even a fly?) Naw,,,, these have become pets and are almost tame.

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I can't stand it any more. I take off my shirt and jump in. OMG! These are huge fish and look much bigger IN the water than they do from above. I'm charged immediately by several of these giants all looking for something to eat in my hands. One even ate my swim-mask as I tossed it to Jim when getting out. All sixty, eighty, hundred pound fish swimming around us like kids playing keep away. The biggest, Jubilee says is OVER 140 lbs. No wonder #80 and #100 leaders seems minimal.

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What a great way to end a trip,,,,,, swimming with giants. Tony Buzolich

[mems]

Great story Tony, glad you had fun. I would have gone back to that spot when the dive boat wasn't there and got one of those bad boys. Did you eat the Mu? The yellow spot trevally are excellent as well. Did you guys get to go offshore at all. I wish I could fly there direct from Hawaii. And why did you give Jim the little bed? Don.

[Tony Buzolich]

Aloha Don,

Jim chose that bed because it was directly under the air conditioner. As for eating the fish, everything went back except that nice snapper. Ol' Jubilee saw that and he started to drool and was definitely planning his dinner that night. We did have a fine dinner of coconut / land crab that was served in a coconut milk / white onion broth. Delicious.
Tony

[Baja Fly Fisher]

great write up. Now I don't need to do one on my FB page. I'll show some scenery shots. That's about the only thing I caught.
I'm planning a few return trips next year. Most likely in Oct, Nov. Thought about March or April but that's there cyclone season.
Allen said it's about a 75% chance you won't have one but what about the other 25%. Just my luck it would something would pop
up.
I'll be sending out emails to everyone who is in my address book letting them know about the trips next year. I think I already have around 10 people interested. Popoara Villas can handle up to 8 people. So that would be the max number of people.
Cost: $2,350 nod. Convert that to US it was $1,535. Much cheaper than CI. Air fare was around $895.00 from LAX to Rorotonga. $400 from Rorotonga to Aitutaki. About the same price from Honolulu to CI. The food was great, I had chicken teriyaki every night.
Others had a wide variety to choose from. The price of the trip included 6 nights lodging, 5 days fishing, 3 meals a day, guides, ground transportation.
Garth and I are ready to head back, right now

Jay

[dynaflow]

Great pics Tony! Can you give some detail re that Bonefish fly in pic #2 please?
Thanks
Peter

[Baja Fly Fisher]

That was a 12lber, I think..Garth caught three big bones that day. Fishing the drop-off and dragging the fly to the top. He caught two in a row. A 7lber and then a couple cast later the biggie. He caught the GT in the reefs. He went out with one of E2' brothers Tia. A guy who had him reserved for the day had an emergency at home and had to make arrangements to get flights out so he asked Garth if he wanted to use him. It was well worth the trip.
One thing about this place is that it's going to get over fished like CI. Once all these big outfitters in the states and other start sending hundreds of people a year, it will be just like CI. Just my opinion.
Did you guys see the photo of my big bone?

[dynaflow]

Aitutaki and Kiritimati differ in a few ways as fishing destinations.The Bonefish are larger but fewer (and a different species) in the Aitutaki lagoon and the places to fish for them limited,whereas C.I.offers a myriad of flats and plentiful (albeit generally smaller) fish.I believe that the Aitutaki lagoon fish are becoming more educated given that circumstance.

[Tony Buzolich]

Peter,
That fly was all white and pearl with just a tuft of white fur over a pearl white body. White dumbbell eyes with black and white silly-legs. About a size #4 or possibly #2. It really worked well on that white sand. Critters tend to match their surroundings to better hide. I took one last year on a similar white fly near One Foot.
Tony

[dynaflow]

Thanks Tony,that's a nice fly and different to what I've used there...as you say it worked perfectly on the white sand.Similarly,one of my go-to flies for those blinding white C.I.flats is a Pearl Gotcha with Crazy Legs Clear/Salt 'n Pepper Flake legs.
Cheers

[mems]

Looking at the pictures the bonefish appear to be the same ones we have here in Hawaii, Albula Glossodonta (roundjaw). We also have the Albula Virgata (KnifeJaw), but they are in much deeper water, usually. I have caught them in shallow, but it is pretty rare. The Bones I saw on the video Itu's bones, caught in deeper water appear to be Virgata. I have caught both species on Christmas Island, but the knife jaw were in deeper water, caught on spin gear and soft plastics.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D53ndiD5sEQ

video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2SGjSlzZA

video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNkW_m121SQ