Kiribati – Page 2 – Fly Odyssey

One of the finest saltwater fly fishing destinations in the world for a range of species, Christmas Island or Kiritimati provides year-round opportunities and is very popular amongst beginner to advanced Fly fishermen from Australia and New Zealand looking to escape the winter months. Located in the Republic of Kiribati, between Hawaii and Fiji, Christmas Island or CXI as it is affectionately known is 100 miles north of the equator and the largest atoll in the world. Full of bonefish, triggerfish and a range of trevally species including GT’s, the beauty of the location lies with its remote setting, huge flats system and the sheer number of fish to cast to each day. The Villages provides one to one guiding with experienced guides from the comfort of shaded traditional outrigger boats which provide an extremely smooth and comfortable ride to the flats daily. The community-run lodge provides adequate but basic accommodation on the lagoon, with the boats waiting for you on your private beach each morning, while the communal Maneeba and bar area provides a great setting to relax and relive the days fishing at the end of the day. Fly Odyssey Australia hosts a number of group trips to CXI every year, which is the perfect environment to travel with a like-minded group of anglers and enjoy the comradery group travel provides. Our hosted trips also provide you with a great learning environment both on and off the water and ensure that you are both well prepared and taken care of while there. The Villages is located right on the beach, on the lagoon side, about one and a half kilometres from the main town of London. It is community-owned, the skiffs are on your doorstep, and it is a great set-up with fine hospitality, good food and villas with beach views. It is the only lodge providing one-on-one guiding as standard which is ideal for both beginner and intermediate fly fishermen. The one on one guiding means that you will get more shots and certainly land more fish throughout your week on Christmas Island. Fly Odyssey has been dealing with The Villages for many, many years now and we regard them as having one of the most professional guiding programmes on the island. The Villages feature eight air-conditioned twin-bed bungalows, and another eight single-occupancy rooms comfortably accommodating sixteen to eighteen anglers at a time. There is a private bathroom with shower and hot/cold water in each unit as well as a porch with views of Discovery Beach and the lagoon. The rooms are made up daily, with fresh towels provided. There is a refrigerator and bottled water in the rooms and soft drinks and beer are available from the bar. A large thatched ‘Maneaba’ (a local name for the anglers gathering centre), lies in the heart of the complex, featuring a comfortable lounge and separate large communal dining area, with a great island atmosphere – perfect for reliving the days fly-fishing and planning tomorrow’s adventures. There is also plenty of room for fly-tying in the evening, and power available for docking stations and music in the evenings. The Villages is a secure compound with security on the front gate, general store and manager on-site at all times. As such, rod storage areas are located out the front of each room, where the guides will rinse down your rods and store them at the end of the day. The staff are very attentive and it really is a well-run lodge both on and off the water. Locally flavoured seafood, salads and meats are prepared by an experienced local chef and served by his trained staff. The quality of food has certainly improved over the last few years with additional chef training and for its remote location, is very good. There is a cooked breakfast to order daily, and fresh fruit when available. If you have special dietary requirements, please let Fly Odyssey know in advance of your trip. You make and pack your lunch each day from the choices on a small sandwich buffet which is put in the coolers assigned to your skiff. In the evenings, the bar has a variety of beer, wines, spirits and mixers available. Wi-Fi is now also available for checking emails or calling home as required. A full laundry service is also available during your stay. Whilst most visitors to the island are focused on the fly-fishing, for the non-angler, activities are based around the ocean and extensive snorkelling, scuba-diving and bird-watching are available. Please note that due to the remoteness of the location there is no dive school on the island so all divers must be experienced. Otherwise, you can swim, relax in a hammock or read a book on the beach. Ideal for novice, intermediate and experienced fly-fisherman, the variety of Saltwater Fly fishing options on CXI caters for all skill levels and consistently produces superb captures every year. Home to an excellent population of Triggerfish, Christmas Island has long been considered the Holy Grail in many Bonefishing circles, for the consistent number of fish to cast to. The large bonefish population and extensive flats habitat make this the ideal location to experience the joys of saltwater fly fishing and a great destination for beginners learning the sport. The island itself has the largest land area of any coral atoll to be found worldwide, and its vast lagoon and sand flats provide the perfect habitat for a huge variety of species. It is a great place for those who love to fish by walking endless sand flats, and with most of the internal flats made up of hard white sand and turtle grass, providing a perfect habitat and opportunity to land good numbers of bonefish each day. You can expect over ten fish per day when Bonefishing Christmas Island, with anglers regularly clocking up respectable cricket scores by the end of their trip, while really getting to understand the behaviour of these special fish. Wandering the extensive and un-spoilt flats of Christmas Island, you feel as though you are in another world. There are numerous other species as well to throw a fly at, including one of the hardest fighting of them all, the Giant Trevally. GT’s at Christmas Island grow to extraordinary sizes and landing one will test your skills and gear to the limit. In addition, there are Milkfish, Triggerfish, Bluefin and Golden Trevally cruising the flats and reef edges. Offshore you have the opportunity out in the Bluewater to chase species such as Yellowfin Tuna, Billfish, Wahoo and a host of other ocean predators. On our hosted trips, your host and group leader will ensure you are well-matched to your desired fishing location and target species each day, in consultation with the head guide, you will generally fish with a different guide each day to maximise your experiences on CXI. The head guide will schedule the daily fishing, according to the tide, water, sun position and weather conditions. Each day anglers will leave from the beach in their versatile South Pacific style skiffs with their guides and boatman. A short ride brings you to some of the best bonefish flats where you will be guided on a one-on-one basis with the depth generally varying from six inches to three feet deep. The boatman moves the skiff to follow the anglers and guides, so you will be within easy walking distance from your skiff in case you want to access additional tackle, food, snacks or water. The pick-up trucks used by other lodges have been eliminated here, so anglers can enjoy the convenience and maximize their valuable fishing time. When fishing the ‘Korean Wreck’ waters or other sites that can only be reached by using land vehicles, they will be used. The head guide will discuss these special areas when they are fishing well. This is a remote location and as such there are a number of pre-trip considerations that are required to make your trip a memorable one, for the right reasons. As per all Fly Odyssey bookings, we will provide a comprehensive and detailed pre-trip fly fishing guide, and advise of travel requirements prior to your departure. Flights from Melbourne, Sydney Brisbane and Auckland are available daily to Nandi, Fiji where you will generally spend a day before your midnight, weekly flight to Kiritimati / CXI. The short overnight flight will have you landing around 6:30 am before your lodge transfer and commencement fly fishing that day. This ensures a minimum of six and a half days of fly fishing is available for your stay. The flights arrive and depart on a Wednesday from Nandi, with an overnight stop in Fiji on the way home. Passport with minimum six months validity is mandatory. A visa is not required. Let us do the groundwork for you. Our tailored fly fishing and accommodation itineraries are designed with you in mind to suit your preferences. They are also quoted in your local currency with very favourable exchange rates. This includes flight bookings, transit accommodation, transfers and a host of non-angling activities and experiences. We specialise in group, family and couples stays to the region, and our long involvement with our partners on the ground on CXI and Fiji will ensure you are well looked after both on and off the water. This includes holidays and resort stays to nearby Denarau Island, Coral Coast, Mamanuca, Yasawa Islands. CONTACT OUR INTERNATIONAL OFFICE M: +61 (0)499 900816 E: CONTACT OUR UK OFFICE M: +44 (0)7936 708305 E: Creating and sharing memorable travel experiences with our clients and friends provides us with genuine satisfaction. All of our trips are bespoke, tailored to your needs, and we always love hearing all about the adventure on your return. Our knowledge of travel logistics saves you time, and our highly experienced team is here to ensure it’s spent on the water and not at the desk or on a long flight connection that you didn’t require. Since 2006 we have developed a valued client-base that has travelled to all corners of the globe. We are a fully-accredited travel agency, where all of our flights, accommodation and associated travel bookings are made in-house, which means that you pay less. We have access to a huge range of specials, deals, great volume pricing and excellent currency exchange rates which allows us to pass these benefits directly onto you. On the fishing front, our extensive expertise and experience around prime seasons, species, moon-phases, tides and personalised customer service is centred around one principal – preparation. This includes detailed gear and equipment lists, the fly patterns, transfer details, up-to-date fishing reports and some of the finer aspects that can often be overlooked. We travel extensively and understand that your free-time is important. Just as we all understand from experience, that the key to a successful trip is pre-trip preparation. Our highly experienced team has fly fished the world for the last 25 years, and we understand the considerations and gear needed to turn a good fly fishing trip into a great one. Fly fishing and travel is our passion. It’s all we do.