Christmas Island is a prerequisite for the adventure angler. For half a century, fly anglers have stalked the flats of this island nation in pursuit of bonefish, trevally, and multiple other inshore species. Recently, the triggerfish has bleeped the radar of those looking for a shallow-water challenge. Offshore, pelagic wanderers such as marlin, tuna, and wahoo await.
We traveled to Christmas Island to sample all of the above. Armed with the ALLFLY, our lead videographer, Lauren Karnopp, set the bar with an 8-lb bonefish plucked from the notoriously tricky flat known as the Korean Wreck.
ALLROD Product Specialist Justin Karnopp found his footing on the ledge where heavy surf breaks against the reef. Throwing poppers with the ALLSURF into the breaking waves, a Giant Trevally, the pinnacle of shallow water predators, surfed the green room like Laird Hamilton and bee-lined it for the topwater plug. Justin dodged corral chasms while the surf threatened to tackle him, but the ALLSURF's power preserved and hid guide-tailed the first GEET of the trip.
Landing a GT on the fly is one of fly fishing's most difficult pursuits. To tip the odds in our favor, we removed the hooks from the topwater popper and headed for the "lagoon," where big GTs hunt the edges of raised flats. Handing the ALLSURF and teaser to our guide, we drew a GT from a 3-wood away into the chip-shot range of an 11WT. In an unforgettable display, the fish turned off the teaser and rushed the fly. The hook found purchase, and fly line turned to backing instantly. Like so many GT encounters, this one ended with an unexplainable slack line and left us wondering what we could do differently next time.
Offshore, the crew took the ALLSALT in pursuit of table fare. Aboard the catamaran, the guide staff and clients pit the heavy tackle Stickbait section against a blue water bonanza. The crew returned triumphantly with gifts from the sea. That night, the chefs at Christmas Island Lodge perfectly prepared sashimi for the menu.
Christmas Island is a remote, bucket list destination where anglers must bring everything they need in a compact package. Enter ALLROD, the all-in-one solution for adventure angling.
Go Anywhere, Fish Anything!
