Christmas Island 2025

Christmas island is basically the poor mans Seychelles. It’s a target rich environment for bonefish, triggers, and trevally. I spent a week there last year catching bonefish and pretty much just going with the flow. This year I was going back for two weeks and I had some boxes that needed to be checked.

My buddy Andy and I were hosting two groups of anglers. There would be 5 of us staying for the entire period. After last year I think a lot of us had a better plan on what they’d like to do this go around. My plan was to fish the first couple of days for bones, so I could get my eyes back and the method for casting, leading, and stripping. After that my plan was to (hopefully) catch a real GT, and to catch as many triggers as possible. 

We arrived in the typical fashion of mayhem at the small airport and the when we cleared customs we were greeted by Lisa, our host at the lodge. This year we again booked with Christmas Island Outfitters at the Sunset Horizon Lodge. I would say the accommodations are spartan but the guides are the best. If you want luxury this is not the place for you. 

There was a buzz of excitement in the air as we all rigged up our rods and prepared for the next days fishing. The head guide, Kia, explained we would be driving into the backcountry and sending out two boats. I picked three guys and myself for the truck, so the rest of the group could get their feet wet in the lagoon.

Many of us had been tying flies for at least a few months. I had probably tied 50 dozen flies. I Wanted to be overstocked so I could share with the crew, plus I’m always wanting to create new patterns and improve on existing ones if I can. Also tying really helps to lengthen the trip. 1-2 weeks of fishing is over in a blink of an eye.  But the tying and planning part makes the trip last. 

Well before sunrise my little group was heading into the backcountry where the main plan was to target bones but to be ready for anything. We made it to the first flat shortly after sunrise. You forget how beautiful it is on the white sand flats in the early hours of the day.

Andy and I were paired up with James a newer guide at the lodge. He was younger and very energetic, with a good eye for fish, and a passion for GT’s. I caught plenty of bones that day and saw 7 GT’s. The trevally were mostly crashing bait and running them up on the beach, quite often out of casting range. Unfazed by the lack of actual shots I was excited with so many sightings.

The second day was pretty much like I planned, plenty of bones on small flies. We did have one small glitch with the boat breaking down so 8 of us ended up piling into one boat. We weren’t as mobile as I’d hoped but we still caught our fair share. 

That night I was looking for three volunteers to go with me to the Korean wreck.It seemed like the tides were going to start to be good down there and that might be the best place for a big GT. The 4 of us left the lodge at 5:00 for the two and a half hour ride down. 

We got to the wreck at the bottom of the tide. Not ideal but we would easily be able to cast in the surf for Trevally hunting around the edges of the reef. 

The Korean wreck is an area of the island that is on the southern part of the island not in the expansive lagoon. You are fishing the tidal reef zone that is typically shallow and flat, with surf crashing about 100 yards from the beach. 

The plan was to wade out to the end of the reef between sets of waves and cast out to the blue water between the fingers. We had seen some fish hunting out there and our hopes were high. I had a Thomas and Thomas 12wt sextant rigged up with a nautilus silver king. My reel had 300 yards of 80 backing, a scientific angler GT line, and a nine foot  80 pound fluorocarbon leader. I tied on one of the many black and purple brush flies I had tied. 

We waded out into the surf and started casting. On one of my first casts a fish blew up on my fly and missed. I saw it turn and come back for my fly but it couldn’t find it. I made another cast and it ate it again. The fight didn’t last long as it started to run the hook came unbuttoned. 

My fishing partner Ron Powell was a short distance away and he hooked up on one as well. I could see there were a couple of others with it so I made a couple of casts but couldn’t get the distance or the right angle. Ron landed his first GT that was maybe 10 pounds. We were both extremely excited. 

I now had a better idea of what I was doing. We moved down the beach and I found what looked to be an ideal spot. Lots of small fingers to wade out on with lots of deep water to swim the fly over. I made a few casts covering from left to right making sure my fly was covering a lot of water. I made what was about to be one of my last casts. A backhand shot of maybe 60 feet. My fly swam across an open section of water and then across the top of a finger. A fish came from the crack and charged my fly. Pushing a big wake it slammed my fly and headed out into the surf. I strip set the fly hard a couple of times making sure the hook was buried deep and then despair set in. I was cranking down my drag and trying to clear the line and it flipped up around the handle of my reel. I was able to pull it off, but the backing flipped up around my feel the other way and I couldn’t get it off. I looked out and my fly line and backing were disappearing under the reef, heading into the open ocean. In a matter of seconds the fish had peeled off 200-250 yards of backing. I was envisioning getting spooled and the fish abruptly came to a stop. 

The backing was hung up in the reef. I had no idea what to do at this point. The first thought I had was to grab the backing and unwrap it from my reel. Tetaua the guide finally made it over to me and said the fish was off. I told him I could still feel it throbbing out there. He waded out into the surf and grabbed my backing trying to pull it out. A look of shock came across his face as he realized the fish was indeed still on. We backed off the drag and walked in to shore and repositioned ourselves so we would have a better angle on the fish and the backing in hopes of pulling it free. Again he waded out into the surf getting knocked down by the crashing waves and pulled it free. 

The fight was back on and the real battle was about to begin. I had the drag cranked up to full stop so the fish couldn’t easily pull off any line. The guide was coaching me to reel harder and faster. I looked at him like he was an idiot. I was giving it all I had. I started lifting up and feeling down like I would with a tuna. Slowly making ground. I was thinking to myself that at this rate we would be here all day. I kept pumping and reeling gaining ground. At this point the battle was a test of wills, who could outlast who. Tetaua was right next to me coaching and mimicking what I was doing, chanting like a coxswain, but instead of shouting row he was shouting “lift, reel, lift, reel.” He was a great coach. 

About 30 minutes later we could see the backing fly line connection coming towards us through the waves. We looked at each other, both of us feeling like we might win this battle. I dug deep and started to reel harder and faster. Tetaua was a little more frantic, “don’t let it rest, don’t let it swim back into the reef.” We needed to finish this battle. 

Finally the fly line was inside the rod and making its way onto the reel. When the head was inside the rod he started making his way towards the end of my rod. We could finally see the leader and the fish. Tetaua delicately grabbed the line and leader pulling the fish to him. He reached down to tail the fish and all of a sudden a look of fright crossed his face. One hand wasn’t going to do it. He grabbed the tail with both hands and the fish rolled over on its side. I let out a triumphant yell. This fish was so much bigger than I had imagined. 

We both knelt down with the fish, and Tetaua went to lift it out of the water and couldn’t do it. He exclaimed this fish is over 60 pounds. Definitely the biggest one of the year. I was shocked By the size and beauty of the fish. We snapped a couple of pictures and released the fish back into the ocean. I’m not sure who was more tired me or the fish. I stood up walking to the beach and exclaimed I’m done for the day. It wasn’t even 11:00 am yet but I was exhausted and exhilarated. I couldn’t imagine hooking another one. 

A thought came over me as we were standing under a tree drinking some water. On New Year’s Day I was fishing in Louisiana and I caught a giant bull redfish. I hadn’t realized how big the red was until the guide said this his is well over 40 pounds. At that moment all I could think of was how was I going to be able to top that. The biggest fish of the year caught on the first day of the year. Well I guess I did. 

One box checked, and nine more days of fishing left to go. This was turning out to be a great trip.