I just returned from a bonefish/giant trevally trip that I booked through Yellow Dog Flyfishing. It was the trip of a lifetime! The fishing and the guide were phenomenal. I landed both bonefish and GT and lost some really nice fish as well. The accommodations on the island were great and the entire location is a tropical paradise.
There were a lot of big bonefish present on the flats that were interested in taking flies and the only limiting factor was my ability to cast precisely! Ty, my guide, is a master fly fisherman and really helped me improve my casting technique while I was there. The service from Simon at Yellow Dog was outstanding! Simon made booking the trip a breeze and then followed up to make sure my itinerary and gear packing list were on track shortly before the trip. This included recommending fly lines and flies, all of which were spot on for the trip.
I was traveling from Alaska to the Cook Islands and had a couple of hurdles en route. My checked bag (with my GT flies that were too large and sharp to get past TSA) didn't make it to LAX in time for my flight and my direct flight to the Cook Islands got rerouted through Auckland. I had time in Auckland to buy some additional clothes for the trip but not any additional fishing gear. Fortunately I had used the carry-on suggestions that Simon had provided so I had the basics for fishing, including my rods, and only lacked GT flies.
There isn't anywhere you can buy flies or any other fly fishing gear on Aitutaki and even the guides don't have extra gear. I texted Simon and he was able to get in touch with some friends who were also on the Island and they supplied me with enough GT flies to get me through my trip! This really made my week since I had never fished for GT before and would have been bummed to miss the opportunity after traveling so far.
Looking back, what could have been a disaster turned into a fun adventure since I managed to live for a week out of a carry-on bag and got to meet some fun guys from New Zealand in my quest for GT flies and ultimately the fishing exceeded my expectations.
Finally Simon is exceptionally knowledgeable of the Cook Islands. I bumped into a number of folks locally who know him. His recommendations for everything from restaurants to scooter rentals were solid. I will definitely book my next trip through Yellow Dog.
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