Christmas Island

[George.Hammer]

In the earlier posts, I mentioned the flies I used on the flats but forgot to mention that I caught most of my fish on a pattern called the Wabnitz Worm (a pattern from Australia or New Zealand). ......

If you're going to X-mas Island give this pattern a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm glad the pattern worked well for you Darian ... but please, developed in Australia [heaven's forbid ... N.Z. ] specifically for Christmas Island bonefish after my concern [shared by Moana Kofe] that the bonefish were showing some resistance to the "normal" flies offered to them. Some discussion ensued with Moana, Teannaki and Dr Colette Wabnitz [a marine biologist who assisted in identifying the local worm likely to be the staple diet]. My understanding is that whilst the worm is alive it is a cream colour and on death fades through brown to red .... apparently the islanders also enjoy eating them.

The Wabnitz Worm can be tied in two ways ... pretty much as you described ... but the longevity of the fly can be enhanced if you overwrap the body with 6 or 7 wraps of Vinyl D-rib before a quick coat of clear nail varnish. In addition to the chenille, the wing should also include 4 strands of krystal flash. The chenille part of the wing can be either tied in at the head [but make sure it is secure] or pierced by the hook point, laid flush along the top of the shank and then overwrapped in vinyl rib with the excess forming a tail past the bend in the hook - both methods work extremely well if fished as Dynaflow has indicated, however this year I experimented with a shorter wing of about 3/4" and it made little to no difference.

I have posted detailed tying instructions on an Australian Saltwater Flyfishing forum, but if there's interest here I can do the same as time permits.

[Tony Buzolich]

Hi George,

Any chance you might know the proper name of the worm? Interesting, Dr. Colette Wabnitz actually did some study on the bonefish's diet there.

There are a bunch of worn patterns on pinterest but I'd love to see the actual worm itself live. There was even a nun tying a worm fly using chamoix leather on YOUTUBE. In the keys we've used palolo worm patterns for tarpon, and in the northeast there is another reddish worm that striped bass like during certain times of the year.

Thanks for your input about Christmas Is., Tony

[Tony Buzolich]

I found them. I typed in "Kiribati Sand Worms" and a whole bunch of stuff popped up. One was a video on YOUTUBE and it showed them actually catching them and saving them for snacks to be eaten by the natives . These worms they were digging out of the sand seemed to be over a foot long and almost the diameter of your finger. Maybe the bonefish eat the juvenile worms?
Tony

[George.Hammer]

G'day Tony,

Whilst on the island Colette didn't research the worms as she was too busy investigating the aquarium fish species, but over a number of drinks one night after dinner ..... only a few mind you .... she agreed to source some information for me when she got back to New Caledonia so as to pick the brains of her colleagues at SPC. As an off-the-cuff remark I mentioned that if she could do that I'd name the fly after her ...... it sort of stuck.

[mems]

Aloha George, can you post a picture of the fly? Thanks, Don.

[Darian]

Mr. Hammer,.... After reading your post, I recalled mentioning the Wabnitz Worm in a thread on this Forum in 2015 where Paul Cronin posted about his trip to CI. You wrote about the pattern first, then. Thanks for the history behind the naming and origination of the fly. Always interesting stuff. I'm wondering tho, why use that fly "....sparingly...."?? I used the worm probably over half the time. Coated the body with Hard As Nails. Still have that fly and it doesn't seem the worst for wear.... I agree that the body would benefit from wrapping with vinyl, tho.

My only concern was that I missed a bunch of takes that came off after the strike. Was wondering if those fish took the tail and missed the hook???

Don,.... If you enter tying the Wabnitz Worm on youtube videos, you'll find a number of items/photo's describing the fly.

[George.Hammer]

Don, I tried uploading a file less than 100kb showing the fly, but was unable - I will try again.

Darian, the name's George In 2014 I noticed that the angling pressure on the island was having an effect on the fish and that viewpoint was ratified by Moana who had similar concerns that the fish were getting spooky and refusing the proven patterns .... he went down one route with a new design and I stuck to what I figured was a primary food source. In 2015 myself, and a couple of blokes I went with, spent a considerable part of our fortnight on the island mucking around with the fly to see how it would stack up against the "proven" patterns. In many instances it outfished them. That is not to say the proven patterns for the island, the CI Specials, Gotchas and Charlies, won't work - they still do, but there is an increasing rate of refusal of the older patterns - I noted the same situation there this year and, from all accounts, last year was the same ... i.e. the fish were spooky and refusals were common.

I'll start the day probably with a CI Special, but only tie on a Wabnitz Worm when I'm getting refusals with the other patterns - by using it sparingly I hope to avoid the fish becoming too familiar with it .... probably a lost cause, but that was the train of thought.

To my mind the short takes you're getting are the result of two things - the fish's spookiness and the tail is too long. When I first started fishing this fly it was common to have to use forceps to remove the fly from deep in the throat as they would inhale it, but more recently the fish are hooked in the mouth. To overcome the short-takes I'm tying my flies so the end of the tail is a finger width past the bend in the hook and only using the Gamakatsu SL11-3H with them. The downside is that with less tail moving around in the current, some fish are not seeing the fly as easily .... not refusing it, just not seeing it. If you do shorten the tails on existing flies just remember to re-melt the end of the chenille to stop it unravelling.

[George.Hammer]

Don, this is the version with the tail tied in at the head ... and works as well as tying the tail along the shank -
it's also faster and easier to tie.

[Darian]

George,.... my version of the fly looks to be the same proportions and wing length as in your photo with the wing tied down at the head.

I've only been at X-mas Island twice now, so, I'm still learning about the place. I can see that the fish seem to be spookier than on my first visit. They're "pounded" by groups from several lodges each week. In spite of that, most still chased the worm fly on the retrieve.

Thanks for all the info/help....

[Baja Fly Fisher]

DLJeff
The fish was on Rick's Flat. A huge flat mostly sand and some coral. On my first day with Matt, we did see one big GT (Matt said about 60lb) in knee deep water chasing milk fish. Then he started kicking the water and the fish turned instantly towards the commotion. All I had was a 7wt bone fish rod. I made a cast at the fish but Matt said I didn't have enough rod. I figured what the hell if I hooked it, it would either spool me, break the leader or break the rod. But I never got the chance to witness any of the options. It was looking for more than a size 6 chili pepper fly