We most certainly annoyed the honeymooners who were en route to Honolulu. "Why are we stopping here?" I heard one newly wed moan. Our Air Pacific flight pulled into Kiritimati International airport and the 5 of us jumped out of our seats realising we were only 2 short hours away from whetting our lines and appetites....there's something about pulling into CXI. Whether it's the unofficial greeting from customs or the official lack of officials, for me the place hits you when that beaming smile from a CXI youngster is followed up by a high five - and a "Hello Mister".
Oh, the reason we were here was to fly fish. Fly fishing for bonefish specifically. "Ghosts of the flats" aptly named due to their remarkable ability to disguise themselves when roaming the sand flats. You'll see them one minute only to have a sudden change of direction reflect sunlight off their steely clad exteriors and like magic - gone. Often to leave calculating grown men and women wondering what had just happened.
So now you know they can be challenging to spot, now throw in the fact that enticing them to take your fly imitation (often an imitation of a prawn or crab) can be equally frustrating.
With their quite literal "head down and arse up" approach to feeding, the accuracy of your cast must distract them without arousing suspicion. Oh, and then your meticulously tied prawn imitation must look like one to them.....and the line your prawn imitation is tied to must be fine enough to make it look real in the water, but not so fine because the sand flats are littered with sharp coral outcrops that will break your line as if it were cotton thread....hmmmm
Ok, so far no real difference between fly fishing for bonefish and the more commonly targeted quarry on fly gear, trout. Well those similarities just discussed is where it ends people because when a bonefish decides to grab your fly your life momentarily turns into a violent blur.
It's like being hooked up to a passing freight train. God knows how they conduct these surveys but bonefish allegedly can attain and sustain searing runs over 200 meters at a time at 30 miles per hour compared to a trout at 5.
Holding one up close reveals the secrets. They are all muscle and possess the sleek lines of a Ferrari, quite attractive really. It's that forked tail that allows them to get enough purchase in the shallow water and their mirrored scales gives them the camouflage required to keep them safe from their main predators, barracuda, reef sharks and humans with fly rods....
The scope of fishing opportunities at CXI are limited by your imagination only. 20 species in total were caught and released on fly gear other than bonefish including Titan Trigger Fish, Giant Trevally and Milkfish. While most advice will point towards using 7 through 9 weight fly gear for places like CXI, 2-3 weight gear was used to great success and amazement on Bones up to 8 pounds. I've always lived by John Gierach's wise words that "..if people don't occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you're doing something wrong."
The trip was ranked somewhere between "5 star and heaven" as voted by a happy group of customers. It was a diverse group whose varied backgrounds and stories rounded off another fulfilling experience...and plans are already underway for trips later this year and in 2011. Most of the world is covered by water. My job is simple: Pick out the best parts.... Look forward to seeing you out there.
Jason Borg
