Included / Not Included: –
Included: Accommodations, meals, guide fees, Christmas Island ground transfers, flats transportation.
Not Included: Air fare to and from Christmas Island, ALL beverages, travel insurance, gratuities ($20-30 per guide per day and $5-10 per day for room service), laundry services, fishing licenses, and departure taxes.
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.
Documentation Requirements:
You need a valid passport to enter Christmas Island and it must be valid for six months after the last day of your trip. If you do not have US or Canadian passport you may have to apply for a VISA if necessary.
Currency:
The official currency on Christmas Island is the Australian dollar. However, US dollars are accepted so there is no reason to exchange money.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travel with approximately $400.00 for staff and guide gratuities, fishing license, departure taxes, beverages and alcohol and laundry. Credit cards are NOT accepted on Christmas Island.
Gratuities:
We recommend $20 per person per day for the guide (when sharing a guide) and $30-$40 per day if fishing solo with a guide. Guide monies should go directly to the guides at the end of each day.
We recommend $40-$60 per person tip for the lodge staff (cook, housekeepers, boat drivers, and bartender) for the week. This money can be given to the lodge owner Tim on the final morning and he will disperse it to his crew.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are not included. Please be prepared to pay for these on-site.
Climate:
Air temperatures are usually in the upper 80’s to low 90’s and water temperatures never vary more than a few degrees above 75°. Christmas Island is a dry climate, it seldom rains. There are no winter “cold fronts”, such as those frequently experienced in the Bahamas, Mexico and Belize. With this said a rain coat can be handy for windy wet boat rides. A word on the sun! Of all the destinations we fish around the world Christmas Island wins the prize for the most intense sun. Plenty of sun screen, a big hat, and long sleeve shirts and pants are a must! We recommend bringing a “Buff” facial sun protector.
Medical Facilities:
Please note that Christmas Island does not have proper medical facilities. For this reason we strongly encourage emergency medical evacuation insurance. We also suggest that travelers bring medication for common ailments as well as any prescription medication needed.
Power and Communications:
The lodge gets all power from a generator. It is 220. You will need a two prong Australian adapter (looks just like ours but the prongs are at a 45 degree angle). Power is on only during the hours that guests are present and is off during the fishing day. There are phones on the island but international communication is not easy. If you have an emergency please contact our office and we will assist you.
Water:
Water from the faucet in the cabins is NOT drinkable. There will be large and small bottles of water in the refrigerator of each cabin as well as beers and sodas that are added to your tab as used. Filtered water will accompany you in a large cooler jug when fishing and you can refill your personal bottles as often as you like from this cooler.
Clothing:
Dress at the lodge is casual, and the staff will do laundry whenever it is needed, so pack light. A light rain coat is a good idea for windy wet boat rides and early morning truck rides.
Laundry:
Laundry service is available and garments that you want washed should be left on the floor. Prices range from $1-$3 per garment depending on size.
Beverages/Alcohol:
The lodge has beer and sodas for sale. Beers are $3.00 each and sodas are $2 each. If you prefer wine or hard liquor we encourage you to purchase items in Honolulu as they do not have a liquor store on the island.
“Christmas Island is so great since every day you have a chance of catching a big fish …we ALL hooked fish over 10 lbs.” R. N., CO
"The trip was something I have wanted to do for 25 years and the fishing, people of the island, and guides made the trip worth the wait. Total experience will be one of my top three adventures in my life." K.A., MN
Tackle/Equipment List:
Bonefish:
Rod: 7-8 weight, fast action
Reel: Saltwater, with at least 150 yards of 20lb backing.
Lines: WF floating, saltwater lines such as Mastery Bonefish or Saltwater Taper
Leaders/Tippet: 9-12 foot long leaders 10-15 lbs, clear monofilament with 8-15 lb tippet.
Flies: Christmas Island Special, size 4-8 –orange, pearl, pink; Chili Pepper, size 4-8; Gotcha, 4-8; Crazy Charlie size 4-8 tan, pink, pearl, green; Clouser Minnow, size 2-4-6 tan, green.
Trevally:
Rod: 10-12 weight, fast action
Reel: Saltwater, with at least 250 yards of 30-lb backing. A large arbor reel is an advantage with both fish species. Bring extra spools with backing and extra fly lines.
Lines: WF floating and intermediate saltwater lines such as Mastery Tarpon or Saltwater Taper
Leaders/Tippet: 30-40 lb. wire leaders, 6 feet in length. Pre-made leaders for bluefish and barracuda will work nicely. A shock tippet ranging from 60 lbs. and up can also be used.
Flies: Poppers #2/0-2, pearl, blue, and green Streamers #2/0-2 deceivers or any large saltwater streamers in blue/white, green/white, red/white, yellow/red.
Christmas Island Bonefish Fly Box:
We recommend four to six dozen flies for the week. Colors: mostly orange, yellow, tan, copper, pink and pearl.
Christmas Island Special – Orange 3 - #4 4 - #6 4 - #8
Christmas Island Special – Pink 3 - #4 3 - #6 3 - #8
Christmas Island Special – Green 2 - #4 2 - #6
Crazy Charlie – Pearl 2 - #6 2 - #8
Gotcha 4 - #6
Chile Pepper 4 - #6
Clouser Minnow – Chartreuse/Wht 3 - #2 3 - #4 3 - #6
Clouser Minnow – Tan/Wht 3 - #2 3 - #4 3 - #6
Note: During the full moon larger flies (#2-4) with large lead eyes are used often and during neap tide weeks smaller flies (#6-8) will be more popular.
Christmas Island Trevally Fly Box:
You should have about 6 to 12 flies for Trevally. They should be 2/0 and 4/0 and should included poppers in pearl, chartreuse, and red or pink and also some deceivers in blue/white, green/yellow, and red/white.
“This was my first trip to Christmas – the trip was great, the island beautiful and everything was as advertised. The Shark Place was excellent. Accommodations were what we expected, clean, but basic. Quality and quantity of food greater than expected, with sashimi every night, steaks, lobsters and chicken served on various nights of the stay. Tiim was a great host and we had everything we needed. Guides were fun to fish with. They rotated guides daily and we had an opportunity to meet and talk to several different people. I would recommend the trip to others and am looking forward to my next adventure.” F.L., AL
