This June, before summer steelhead season really got going I was able to go on my first saltwater trip. Lucky for me this trip happened to be to The Ikari House on Christmas Island. Even luckier, I went there with my girlfriend, Kelsey and her dad, Dave. Dave has been several times and was kind enough to take Kelsey and I along to one of his favorite fly fishing destinations. Over the years I’ve heard countless, epic tales of the fishing on Christmas Island. So, to say I was excited, was a bit of an understatement!
Being my first saltwater trip, packing and prep seemed crucial. Having friends that’ve been on every trip known to man, and a good relationship with a kick ass rod company (Beulah, obviously) made this part much less stressful than anticipated. I took 5 rods for kelsey and I, about 10 dozen flies, extra fly lines, a bunch of tippets and leaders, clothing and lots of sunscreen. All the rods were Beulah Opals (8, 9, 10, and 11 weights, plus the 9/10 two hander) matched up with either a Hatch or Nautilus reel. Of the 5 rods we took, we really ended up only using 3 of them. Kelsey, a first time single hand caster chose the 8 weight as her weapon of choice. It ended up being perfect… lightweight enough for her to cast all day, but enough backbone to fight bonefish, a big trigger, and a pretty much constant wind. I ended up using the 9 weight for my bonefish/trigger/milkfish rod, and always had the 11 weight close by for Giant Trevally. The rods kicked ass to say the least!
I could easily go on and on about the fishing, the lodge, the people, the guides, etc…. I think instead I will keep it short and sweet, and let the pictures do the talking. I’ve attached a small photo gallery with captions, below. All photos were taken by Kelsey Kilhefner, Dave Kilhefner, or myself. Hope you enjoy the photos… I’ll be heading back to Ikari House as soon as possible, can’t wait!
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- dropping in on Christmas Island
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- Heading out in the morning from the beach at Ikari House
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- Dave fishing a typical “pancake” flat in the lagoon
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- Christmas Island bonefish
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- Kelsey and Pete hunting bonefish on the edge of a flat
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- Not a bad way to get around! Photo: Dave Kilhefner
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- Opals ready for action
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- Kelsey and Dave enjoy the shade on the boat during lunch
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- Getting worked by a milkfish while a black tern investigates
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- Milkfish… these things pull hard!
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- Opal and a milkfish motor
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- Opal 8 weight korked on a big trigger!
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- Kelsey and Pete with the catch of the week
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- Pete ready to tail my first GT
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- Saying goodbye to a fish I’ll never forget!
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- 11 Weight opal and solid GT
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- Heading to the Korean Wreck
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- Average bonefish at the wreck
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- Swallow tail at the wreck
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- Camp at the Korean Wreck
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- Opal 11 weight and Bruce’s baitfish pattern. The GTs couldn’t say no!
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- GT Double!
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- There are no words to describe how hard these things pull!
Wonderful – where is Christmas Island?
I believe it’s a territory of Australia!! Supposed to be some pretty epic fishing!!