Christmas Island

[mems]

Aloha just got back from CI, great trip. Bones are still bigger but not as prolific as last May when they first opened. We stayed at Icari house, nice place, good food, nice beach pick up each morning. Simon retired, English was booked with a couple from our group, so did not fish with him. Other guides were ok, K2 is Moana's nephew and he is very nice. Some guides were horrible. They need to improve their guides to be the top lodge there.

Offshore fishing was much better than last year. My friend got a nice sailfish and we got ono, and ahi in the bluewater. ade for some good grinds back at the lodge. I taught the cook how to make blackened ahi and ono sashimi. We did some jigging and caught a bunch of nice reef fish, but they never had us eat any of them, said they had ciguatera.

The outer reef, Korean wreck was terrible compared to last May. The lodges are hitting it very hard and just too much pressure. My friends did camp overnight there and got to fish a nice incoming morning that was loaded with hot bones.

GT fishing is pretty bad now. Largest caught was like 30bs. They are going to try and ban the eating of GTs but it will take a few years to get the larger ones back. Meanwhile black tips have taken over the flats in the lagoon. I am afraid they will learn to follow fishermen to get a meal of tired bonefish after release.

Still a beautiful place with wonderful people and a wide variety of fish to target. I got bones, trevally, many different kinds, queen fish barracuda, triggers, ahi and a ton of reef fish. Jigging there really is amazing.

Sorry I can't post pictures. my Imgur account is all full. Mems.

[Tony Buzolich]

Well Don, that's kind of sad to hear. Beautiful place kind of going downhill from all the pressure of getting back after the COVID thing.
For those of us that have been there before, maybe numerous times, we still have the memories of one of the most wonderful places to fish on earth. Hopefully it will come back quickly and we can all go again.
Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Christmas Island has gone through a lot of "ups and downs" since 1984.

I always say to have it on your Bucket List and most newcomers should go with an annual group for safety.

During my 13 trips there our groups were like a small army or team that would help each other to have a good week.


A friend told me he broke his rod that day but as soon as someone heard, they loaned him one of their spares.

I spend evenings taking apart people's fly reels on my bed and getting them running again.

People, not in our group, showed up who did not have the right leaders (Mason Clear Hard Mono) so I gave them some.

We were usually a group of 16 with a total of on the island, of around 35, so we met some other interesting anglers.

All my staff hosted group trips to Christmas Island so we could properly prepare people for that wonderful experience.


In the 1990s it was one of the top saltwater destinations.