Fly Odyssey Australia have just had another fantastic week with clients chasing trophy bonefish on Aitutaki, which is widely regarded as one of the premier bonefish destinations in the world.
Aitutaki is most famous for its magnificent coral lagoon, a highlight of any visit to the Cook Islands, and is undoubtedly one of the most memorable sight’s in the South Pacific!
Flying over the island on the short 45 minute plane flight from Rarotonga is always an unforgettable experience; the vast lagoon spreads out below in a shining disc of jade-greens and turquoises, studded with tiny islets and big sand flats just waiting for an eight weight.
Joining us on our trip this year, we had a number of anglers keen to land their first bonefish on fly and take on the challenge of landing fish which on most flats average 5-8lb. The local people are incredibly friendly and you could see the excitement rising amongst the group as we were met at the airport and transferred to our lodgings on the edge of the beautiful Ootu Beach. Relaxing in the sun loungers, many opted for a swim, some explored the nearby islets by kayak while others got a few cobwebs out by having a cast on the expansive flats out the front of the bar.
Being picked up daily by our guides on the beach after breakfast each morning was perfect. Watching yellowfin trevally smashing baitfish schools at our feet over a coffee, followed by a short 10-20 minute skiff ride to make the first cast was a great way to start each day.
There are 3 skiffs available for bonefishing in the lagoon, with a larger aluminium plate boat available for offshore fly-fishing around a number of FAD’s on either side of the Island. Each skiff has a casting deck/platform suitable for polling the deeper flats off islets such as Rapota and Moturakau while there are numerous wadeable flats both within the lagoon and on the western side of the Island.
The fly-fishing for bonefish on Aitutaki can generally be classified into three types – walking the flats, polling deeper flats by boat, and fishing ‘the milk’. Over the course of 5 days we focussed predominantly on the shallow flats which were ideal for some of the novice and intermediate anglers in our group and they certainly delivered. You never can get tired of the sound of a reel screaming as a hooked bonefish takes off across the shallows, and while some were lost we also had some terrific bonefish to 8lb’s landed.
There are some technical aspects unique to succeeding in this fishery, however the walking pace on these shallow flats is very slow and casting distance generally very short, as most fish are sighted within 20 meters before a fly is presented. Polling the deeper flats near the ocean reef breaks and islands generally required longer casts into the wind, and different fly selection both in weight and appearance, but the rewards were great as usual with plenty of shots at very large bonefish.
Each day the group gathered for lunch to discuss the mornings fishing on the spectacular palm lined One Foot Island, where we would have a swim under the palms before heading back out for the afternoon. Always prepared with a #12 weight in hand we landed some smaller GT’s to 15kg, bluefin, yellowfin and striped trevally while there were a couple of GT’s over 30kg’s that left fly lines snapped as they beat us to the coral! While we didn’t chase them this trip, there were also some very large milkfish seen searching the deeper sections of the lagoon.
The Island stops on Sundays which is rest day and a great time to self-guide on the flats, or grab a moped and explore the town, while some of us lounged around the beach with a book in hand.
The highlight of the week would certainly have been Loren landing her first few bonefish on fly, capped off with a magnificent 12lb trophy on the final day. Smiles all round.
