IF ANY OF YOU HAVE EVER FANTASIZED ABOUT STALKING BONEFISH IN DESERTED FLATS, OR HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE AS A MASSIVE GRAND TREVALLY RIPS A HUNDRED YARDS OF BACKING FROM YOUR REEL, 2016 IS YOUR TIME TO ACTUALLY GET OUT AND DO IT. PLEASE READ ON FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AS ALWAYS IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO CALL US 541-318-1616
BELOW YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ON BOTH CHRISTMAS ISLAND AND CUBA, THW TWO DESTINATIONS WE ARE FEATURING THIS YEAR.
CHRISTMAS ISLAND-AFFORDABLE & EPIC
WE HAVE DATES BOOKED IN MAY, 2016 SO COME JOIN US!!!! READ ON FOR MORE INFORMATION AS WELL AS LINKS FO INSANE PHOTOS
The fact that virtually every flats fishing angler in North America has heard of Christmas Island is far from coincidence. Amidst the vast inventory of the world’s saltwater flats destinations, Christmas Island is a unique and natural masterpiece that magically combines all the elements critical to fly fishing success. Endless hard sand flats fishing, remarkable numbers of cruising bonefish and trevally, and consistent year-round weather await all who visit this unique atoll. Fly fishing guides at Christmas Island Outfitters have been handpicked for their overall level of experience and skill, calmness under pressure, and instructional abilities. Each day anglers will depart via truck or catamaran for the day’s flats fishing. Virtually all fly fishing entails sight casting to visible fish while wading in shallow water. Christmas Island’s plentiful bonefish average 2 to 4 pounds, though each week presents numerous opportunities for larger bonefish in the 5 to 10 pound class. The fly fishing guides at Christmas Island Outfitters are also among the atoll’s most skilled and passionate trevally hunters and love nothing more than to share with their guests the thrill of hooking these monsters. Excellent blue water fishing for tuna, wahoo, and trevally is also available.
Whether you are an experienced saltwater angler or a novice keen on honing your flats fishing skills, Christmas Island Outfitters offers the finest and most intimate angling experience the island has to offer.
Location:
Christmas Island (Kiribati) is located 1,200 miles south of Hawaii.
Fishing Program:
Christmas Island Outfitters head guide is Peter Kairaio. Peter is recognized as one of the Island’s top guides and he will be joined by a small group of hand-picked professionals who are amongst the islands most skilled and personable fly fishing guides. All have excellent eyes for spotting fish, calm temperaments under the pressure of sight fishing and are skilled instructors. By design, Christmas Island Outfitters has limited its program to no more than twelve anglers per week. As a result the lodge boasts a highly flexible flats fishing program that can take full advantage of varying tides and fishing conditions. Each evening Peter will lead a discussion on the program for the following day’s fishing based on the conditions at hand. It is likely that your departure time from the lodge will vary each morning according to the tides and where you will be fishing.
Transportation to and from the vast flats of Christmas Island is via truck and outrigger. Both are equipped with bench seats, canopies, and rod holders. During 6 day fishing week each angler will reach the flats 2 days by truck and 4 days by outrigger.
Fisheries: Christmas Island is the world’s largest coral atoll and a virtual paradise for stalking bonefish. Having almost single-handedly brought the sport of fly-fishing for bonefish into the public consciousness, Christmas Island remains one of the best destinations in the world for both beginning and advanced saltwater anglers alike. The reasons for this are many. First, the Island’s vast hard sand flats enable anglers to wade fish all day in relative solitude. Second, the flats hold great numbers of bonefish that cruise in shallow water, providing anglers with constant opportunities or “shots” throughout their visit. And last, but certainly not least, the atoll’s proximity to the equator (less than 200 miles) has blessed Christmas Island with consistently good weather, which enables a quality fishing experience year round. While the majority of the island’s bonefish average 2-4 pounds, fish in the 5-10 pound class are always a real possibility as are several species of trevally.
Accommodations and Meals: Christmas Island Outfitters is a small operation taking a maximum of twelve anglers per week. The lodge is located halfway between the airport and London on a secluded section of beach. Accommodations consist of three split level buildings, each with four separate units. Each room is configured to house two anglers and have a private bathroom. Rooms are very simple, relatively rustic but kept clean and features ample space for your gear. Top floor rooms look out at the vast Pacific ocean with fantastic ocean breezes that fill your room. A/C is not required to keep anglers comfortable but all units do have A/C. Your room will be cleaned and restocked with soda, water and beer every day during your stay. Each unit is equipped with screened windows, fans, a small refrigerator, and simple plastic table and chairs. Meals are a very basic and regularly comprise fresh seafood (snapper, tuna & wahoo, lobster, mantis shrimp), chicken, pork, rice, pasta and sometimes steak. Fresh vegetables and fruit are very hard to keep in supply
There is nothing fancy or luxurious about Christmas Island outfitters. Accommodations are very simple and provide a clean, comfortable space to lay your head at night. As you drift off to a restorative sleep each night, you’ll listen to the sound of waves crashing on the reef and dream of the next greedy bonefish or cruising trevally to attack your fly. Anglers should think of the facility as a “fish camp” built for one purpose, to provide a functional base camp by which to explore some of the most productive, beautiful and remote flats found anywhere in the world.
Sample Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Honolulu and overnight.
Day 2 (Tuesday): In the morning fly from Honolulu to Christmas Island.
Days 3-8: Six full days of fishing.
Day 9 (Tuesday): Fly from Christmas Island to Honolulu and overnight.
Day 10: Fly home from Honolulu.
Typical Daily Schedule:
6:00AM: Wake
6:30AM: Breakfast
7:00AM: Depart for flats
8:00AM – 4:30PM: Fishing
5:30PM: Back at the lodge
7:00PM: Dinner
Please keep in mind that your daily schedule will vary in accordance with tides and your fishing desires.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information: To get to Christmas Island you need to make travel arrangements to Honolulu, Hawaii. The angling itinerary is Tuesday to Tuesday. All guests need to arrive in Honolulu on Monday night and overnight. (Hotel not included in package).
Getting to the Lodge: Tuesday morning you will take a flight from Honolulu to Christmas Island (Flight reservations will be made for you and are in addition to your package price.)
Departure Information: On your departure day (Tuesday) you will take a morning flight back to Honolulu.
“Great trip was had by all of my group. Guides were very good in our opinions — enjoyed them all. Tiim and Peter were very very pleasing to us. The Christmas Island facilities – extremely clean and comfortable. The food VERY good at all times. Your part in providing a most pleasing adventure was SUPERB…we will ALL be using you going forward. Our previous trips were not even close to FLY WATER TRAVEL when it came to their interest in making sure we were all satisfied and that everything as good as possible. THANKS – GREAT JOB!” M.L.,OR
http://flywatertravel.com/destination/ChristmasIslandOutfitters
http://www.christmasislandoutfitters.com/
NEXT STOP: CUBA FOR A HOSTED TRIP WITH SCOTT COOK!
Cayo Santa Maria with Scott Cook and Fly & Field Outfitters
Dates: March 11th – 19th, 2016
We would like to personally invite you to Cuba with Fly & Field Outfitters next year! Our good friends at Fly Water Travel are assisting us with all of the details and organization for the trip. Here are the important things to know:
Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba – Fly Fishing the Run – http://flyfishingtherun.com/our-destinations/gardens-of-the-king/
Accommodations: Villas Las Brujas – http://www.villalasbrujas.com/
2016 Itinerary:
March 11: Arrive Havana
March 12: Arrive Santa Maria
March 13 – 18: 6 days of guided fishing
March 19: Depart Santa Maria, depart Havana
Rate: $3,810.00 per person based on double occupancy
Included: All accommodations and meals, guided fishing, 8 beverages per day (beer, alcohol, extra waters)
Not Included: Round trip airfare to Havana, fishing tackle, transfers to/from Havana to hotel and to/from Havana to Santa Maria, personal expenses, taxis and meals in Havana, staff & guide gratuities, $500 donation to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
Reserving Space: Space is limited. To confirm your spot on the trip, a 50% deposit is required. The final payment is due 60 days prior to the trip start date.
Cayo Santa Maria
Cayo Santa Maria is located on Cuba’s north coast, in the Archipeligo of islands known as The Gardens of the King. This archipelago is part of the UNESCO recognized Buenovista Biosphere Reserve, and is very pristine. Cayo Santa Maria has only been recently developed, with a 48km causeway to the island built from 1989-1999, and hotels and accommodations existing only after 2001. It is highly regarded by visiting tourists for its beautiful white sand beaches and warm clear water. The island itself is only 10 miles long and just over 1 mile wide.
It is only in this short amount of time, that anglers have discovered this area to hold an abundance of Tarpon. Fishing operations on Cayo Santa Maria will be operated by Fly Fishing the Run. With 4 top-notch Dolphin flats skiffs, and experienced guides, the maximum group size for anglers will be 8. Guests will stay in the very beautiful and quaint Villa las Brujas. This is a secluded, laid back resort, with nearly a mile of beach adjoining. Nearly half of the rooms overlook the water and beach, and all are a short walk from the marina where all flats skiffs launch each morning.
All varieties of flats fish exist around Cayo Santa Maria. Bonefish and Permit are both caught here, but it is the Tarpon that make this area famous for fly fishing. Resident Tarpon are present all year long, and range in size from 10-80 pounds. Beginning in March, Cayo Santa Maria begins to see the larger migratory Tarpon, and the fish continue to be present through July. These fish can be in excess of 150 pounds, and are a true test of a fly angler’s skills. Depending upon conditions and seasons, the fishing for Tarpon ranges from shallow flats to deeper channels. Often times fish are sighted rolling in schools, and the skiffs position themselves ahead of them for intercepting casts. \
The normal program for anglers visiting Cayo Santa Maria is Saturday to Sunday. Guests overnight in Havana on Saturday night, and depart the next morning by overland shuttle to their accommodations at Villa las Brujas. Contrary to other fishing itineraries, shuttles depart Havana at a comfortable time mid-morning, for the nearly 5 hour ride to the island. Then, anglers have 6 full days of guided fishing. Most guests depart from Cayo Santa Maria on Sunday, directly to Jose Marti airport in Havana for their departing flights.
A review from a trip last month by a good buddy John Covich
Dear Interested Cuba Customers!
I have been in contact with Scott from Fly & Field about your interest, and questions, regarding the Gardens of the King operation near Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. I just returned from two weeks in Cuba, and spent several days fishing this area, and staying at the Villas Las Brujas, the resort used for anglers. Below is a link to a Blog Post I just made, but I also wanted to put some specific details in this e-mail.
http://www.cubafishingoutfitters.com/news/
TRAVEL TO GARDENS OF THE KING:
– The outfitter for GOK has land travel as the listed way of arriving to and leaving from the fishing. I took the general tourist bus, and it was about a 5 1/2 hour drive. The bus was slow, and made several stops. For angling groups, a smaller van or bus will be used, and that travel time will decrease to about 4 – 4 1/2 hours. It is also very possible that anglers will be able to arrive at the resort via plane, but would leave by ground transfer. I know that the outfitter is working on this and thinks it is likely to happen.
ACCOMMODATIONS AT VILLAS LAS BRUJAS:
– I know that some of you had read reviews of Villas Las Brujas on Trip Advisor and had some concerns. This is my take on things. This is not a 5 star resort. Those are available around Cuba, and many tourists frequent them and get used to them. However, using one of the 5 star resorts would mean a long transfer each day to your flats skiffs, and the price of this fishing package would increase pretty dramatically.
– Villas Las Brujas needs some TLC, a coat of paint, and some general work on upkeep. That said, I found it very comfortable. The rooms were right on the water, and were spacious and clean. True to rooms anywhere in Cuba, the water dripped out of the shower faucet. There are boardwalks everywhere that connect the rooms to the restaurant, and to the marina. The beach adjoining is absolutely majestic, and sees very few visitors. After breakfast each morning, it is a 3-4 minute walk to the skiffs which are moored in the very nice marina.
– Food: True to food everywhere in Cuba, the food at Villas las Brujas is just ok. Breakfast was quite good, with eggs, toast, fruit and fruit juice. Packed lunches were not great, and I know this is something the outfitter is working on. The staff at the resort seems very willing to help where it can. Dinner was fine, although it is true that the restaurant may run out of things and have limited selections.
THE FISHING:
– OK, this is what we are here for! I thought the fishing was just great. Now, remember, GOK is known as a Tarpon destination. That said, I didn’t know if we would find Tarpon at a time of year like late October. We did find them, and jumped 4-5 fish every day ranging from 15-60 pounds. The numbers of Tarpon will increase as Spring approaches, and peaks in early summer. Bigger Tarpon are more prevalent at that time of year. We found these fish on flats that were 3-4 feet deep, and in an interior lagoon and channel that was 10-20 feet deep.
– In addition to this, I am happy to report that the rest of the fishing was also very good. We explored the interior backcountry of GOK, and found many Bonefish. We fished to them out of the boat, although my guide did tell me that they do have some flats where anglers can wade. The biggest Bonefish we caught was a solid 7 pounds. We also caught a Permit our first morning of fishing, which was a huge bonus. There were some very obvious Permit locations and habitat around GOK.
CONCLUSION:
I have absolute confidence in recommending GARDENS OF THE KING as a fishing destination. If anglers arrive knowing that the food and accommodations are not of 5 star quality, and think of this portion of things as a bit of a “Christmas Island Experience,” then I think most all people will be very happy with their experience. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am here to help, and would be very happy to hear from you.