5 “Must Fish” Saltwater Destinations-#1…

By CD Fishing USA | February 25, 2018

I’m snapped from slumber by the din of a crying baby or hacking toddler. The ankle-deep flat I had just been wading is gone in a flash, and I’m awake now, back to the reality of a lingering winter in the Northern Rockies. I make a cup of coffee at 3AM and slink down to the “February Room” to tie a few bugs. To the right of the fly tying vise is a wall of photos from past tropical adventures. The practical thing to do is tie trout flies for the upcoming guide season, but I pull out a 2/0 hook instead and begin crafting a lure for a toothy predator in another hemisphere.

This is how I endure winter these days, but this is how I suggest you survive yours.

…#1 Christmas Island

Located between Oahu and Fiji, the Republic of Kiribati is a surreal, watery paradise. The coral atoll of Kiritimati, translated as “Christmas”, has long been a top destination for bonefish anglers.

But the Giant Trevally (GT) has supplanted the bonefish as the primary quarry for many anglers that book their trips here. These brutes of the flats can go over 100 lbs. and will peel hundreds of yards off the backing in a flash, leaving angler’s hands, battered, bruised, and bleeding.

Just outside the reef lies an entirely different fishery and trolling flies from the catamaran can yield pelagic surprises…

…and an unmatched “shore” lunch!

Giant manta rays fly from the waves by the hundreds, and bizarre, delectable Mantis shrimp lurk in sandy abodes. Christmas Island offers a feast for the senses way beyond the fishing.