In the fall of 2019, a group of about a dozen local fly fishermen had the trip of a lifetime locked in. In the following spring, they would be fishing the endless hard sand flats that wrap around Christmas Island, a remote coral atoll in the Indian Ocean that is at the top of nearly every fly fisherman's bucket list.
It would take two days of flying to get there, but once the anglers reached this 52-square-mile island that is a territory of Australia, they could expect to find ultra-clear water and sight fish for the nervous bonefish and the marauding trevally.
But then the coronavirus surfaced in Wuhan, China, and the entire world recoiled, including tiny Christmas Island. The trip for the Toledo area fishermen was postponed until the spring of 2021, and then as the virus persisted, pushed to 2022, and again to 2023.
It looked like it might be a go for this past spring, but governmental snafus involving getting the airport back up and operational after the long coronavirus shutdown spoiled the plan once again.
But on May 2, Fiji Airways restarted its weekly scheduled flights to the island, and the first international travelers and fly fishermen to reach Christmas Island in three years, one month, and 13 days, stepped off of the plane.
Keith Burwell, an avid fly fisherman and president of the Toledo Community Foundation who has organized a trip to this oasis, said in March of 2024, the group plans to be wading those sandy flats and battling trevally.
“You just can’t compare anything else to it,” Burwell said when the Christmas Island trip was first booked. “There might be one or two other places around the world on the same list, but Christmas Island is really something special. There’s not a lot there but the fishing, but it can be some of the best saltwater fly fishing you will find anywhere.”
The accommodations on Christmas Island are understandably simple and rustic, but the fishermen don't go there for 400-thread count sheets and gourmet meals — they come for the out-of-this-world fly fishing.
“The fact that virtually every flats fishing angler in North America has heard of Christmas Island is far from coincidence,” said Anil Srivastava, who works with Fly Water Travel, an Oregon-based outfitter that arranges exotic fishing trips all across the globe.
“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.”
■ Lake Erie: With an extensive mayfly hatch continuing to complicate things for walleye fishermen, patience and creativity will be rewarded. As they rise in the water column, some of the mayflies become a meal before reaching the surface. With all of this easily accessible food, Lake Erie's walleye and nearly every other species of fish in the lake will gorge themselves on mayflies. “The one dynamic that is 100 percent impacted by the mayfly hatch is forage,” said Bob Barnhart, walleye tournament angler and the owner of tackle supplier Netcraft. “When the mayflies hatch, it is clear that walleye will feed on them, so when those fish see our baits, they are no longer eating out of necessity. We have to focus on producing reactionary bites, so we need to go to baits that bring about that reaction.” He recommends using smaller baits like Hot 'N Tots or Wiggle Warts or Flicker Minnows and bumping up the trolling speed. The drift fishermen should go to mayfly-style rigs with gold and brown, and use smaller spinners. “You want to present something that has that mayfly look,” he said.
First Published June 28, 2023, 3:17 p.m.
