Did a week on xmas island in jan/26. this was my third trip (2003, 2013, and now) . Its definitely changed, more residents, and fishermen. Once out on the water, it seemed like the past trips. the guides make the trip for me, so with a new guide each day, there was 'ok', and better guys. and the guides english skill varied a bit. this fish is from my first day, and is one of my bigger bones, maybe biggest. hooked it maybe 1 ft from the bank, in the back reaches of the lagoon where you can often walk beaches/shore , which is different than the flat wading.
the birds in the lagoon are very interesting. with the language differences, i had trouble getting the bird names figured out. this first pic is a baby booby?? and you can just walk right up to them in their nests
a more mature booby.
no idea of the name of these birds. sometimes they would fly right up to u on the flats. i thought it was cool, until their shadows spooked the fish.... so after that, wanted them to stay a bit away...
we were at sunset lodge, which is on the western side of the island, and gets great sunsets every eve. i probably have 15 sunset pics
i had a shot at a BIG gt, but it was fleeting. we had just started one morning and my guide was looking one way, and i noticed a dark shape the other way, and when i pointed this out - all hell broke loose as we tried to setup for it. no luck.
this one in the pic was one of 2, and it did not hesitate to go after a bonefish fly.
i enjoyed my week, and the other guys and one gal, in our group. its nice to hear the days results, as well as the stories of other destination experiences.
one thing i would do differently next time, is to make sure i jot down some notes from each day. guides name, general explanation of the day, etc.. after a week i seemed to have all the guides names mixed up in my head. plus, when u know the guides name, its easier to give feedback to the trip host.
this would not be difficult, as when we got back each day, after rinsing all the salt water, hanging out the fishing clothes, boots, etc., taking a quick shower, then,.... it was time for a few brews and relax - i could jot some notes at this time... next time.
we fished the lagoon. from the boats, and a couple trips to the back of the lagoon with trucks. the ride in the back of the truck on the crappy roads is not the greatest, but thats what gets you around. i liked these areas, as i thought i was better spotting fish in this water with a defined shore on one side, and water on the other. when u are out on the flats, there is a lot more area to cover with your eyes.
you are always dealing with the wind here - u just hope for lesser wind, and/or the wind coming from the right direction. on our first few days we had relatively good wind, and good sun. we then ran into a few days with much more cloud cover - which makes it very difficult to spot fish. even the guides are challenged with cloudy/overcast conditions..
another thing i think i would do differently next time, is to do 2 wks instead of 1. since i am retired - what the heck. i think it would also help one relax, and not think u have to cram everything in to the few days.
we had some nice dinners, even lobster. but the breakfast/lunches were nothing to write about. the beers were cold, and always available - which is invaluable .
need to thank dimebright and alubula for saltwater flies !! and advice. each guide had their own opinion on the flies to use each day - and i did not object
i made it through the week with just a bit of sunburn right below my glasses on the nose, and right above the eyebrows below hat brim. i kept pretty buttoned up with sunshirt/hat etc. the only problem with this for me, is that it was an effort to get the stuff off to take pics !! and then i found i could not see anything on the screen of my camera (OM, TG-7) while i had my polarized glasses on. the waterproof camera is new to me, and seemed to work great, but i could not just pull it up and snap a pic.
GO
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