Ikari House

Lodging Details
Located in London, all of Ikari House’s double occupancy rooms are equipped with their own private bathrooms with good water pressure, plenty of storage space for gear and tackle, comfortable single beds, and ice-cold A/C units. The dining and social areas are outside and covered, letting you take full advantage of the cooler evenings. While this is not an upscale lodge with pillow service and flat-screen TVs, it is a very comfortable base of operations for fishing this remote coral atoll. The staff and management are always accommodating and work hard to make sure your visit is pleasant and relaxing.

Food & Beverages
All meals are prepared within the Ikari House kitchen featuring a variety of different fish dishes, rice, chicken, pork, pasta, and salads with a homemade dessert to top everything off. Each morning anglers will eat a breakfast consisting of toast, eggs, bacon, and a variety of fruits. During breakfast, a table consisting of lunch items will be provided for anglers to make their own lunch. We recommend anglers bring some snacks from home on their trip as well as extra food is limited. 

Each angler will have four (4) bottles of water which are included in the trip package, provided for them during their day of fishing. If desired, anglers can bring more at an additional cost. All cabins are equipped with a small fridge filled with sodas and beer at an additional cost. After each day of fishing, anglers are served appetizers in the open lounge area consisting of fresh tuna and wahoo sashimi, chips and dip, and cheese and crackers. Ikari House only provides beer so any additional adult beverages can be purchased in Honolulu at the Duty-Free shop. A maximum of three (3) bottles per person are allowed through customs.

Typical Length of Stay
Since flights to Christmas Island’s Cassidy International Airport (CXI) through Honolulu’s International Airport (HNL) are only offered once a week on Fiji Air, the standard package is seven (7) nights / six (6) fishing days.

Non-Angling Activities & Options
Christmas Island is mainly a fishing-focused destination with very limited non-angling activities. Guests who don’t fish for a day can enjoy diverse birdwatching and take advantage of many snorkeling opportunities. Bringing your own snorkel gear will allow you to enjoy the vast coral areas loaded with unique fish species and dazzling collections of colorful coral. Snorkeling and birding may all be done during your guided fishing day or before or after a day of guided fishing.

Internet / Communications
The Ikari House has extremely limited internet access during your week on the island, and cell phones will not work at any time during your stay.

How To Get There
There is only one flight per week to Christmas Island/Kiritimati Island’s Cassidy International Airport (CXI) on Fiji Air that departs from Honolulu International Airport (HNL) every Tuesday morning. This means that you must fly into Honolulu on Monday at the latest in order to make the Tuesday morning Fiji Airlines flight. We suggest to arrive on Sunday to allow for any potential delays with your flight over to Hawaii. In the event you miss that Tuesday flight you will miss your trip to Christmas Island!! The Fiji Airlines flight is around three and a half hours to Christmas Island from Honolulu. On arrival, you will pass through immigration/customs and where a transfer agent will be there to meet you for the half-hour van ride to the lodge.

You will want to book the departure flight from Kirimati (CXI) back to Honolulu to depart the following Wednesday (arriving back in Honolulu on Tuesday). You will be traveling over the ‘International Date Line’ on this trip!  We recommend to also plan to overnight in Honolulu again on the way home in case there are any delays with your flight from Christmas Island back to Hawaii.

We recommend to book your hotel nights in Hawaii in the Waikiki Beach area there in Honolulu. It is close to that airport and there are literally dozens of options. There is some quality bonefishing on Oahu and also over on Molokai that you can take advantage of on the front or back end of your trip. Yellow Dog does have some referrals we can pass along so please let us know if you are interested!

Documents Required
All U.S. citizens are required to have a valid passport that does not expire within six (6) months of trips dates. Please be sure that your passport has at least two blank, unstamped pages remaining in the back, and that it is not torn, de-laminated, or damaged in any way.

Minors Traveling Without Both Parents
All children 18 years of age or younger accompanied by only one parent or legal guardian must have a NOTARIZED letter of consent from the other parent stating the child/children have his/her permission to travel. Single parents need NOTARIZED documentation of divorce or a spousal death certificate. Unaccompanied Minors require a NOTARIZED letter of consent signed by both parents.

Travel Arrangements
Yellow Dog provides airline reservations ad ticketing assistance through etcTravel Group, and a full-service airline logistics agent that can help book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and more. You can click here to request a quote or contact Yellow Dog for more information at 406-585-8667. etcTravel Group offers dedicated support services for all Yellow Dog clients. Service fees may apply when booking or researching tickets, and etcTravel will discuss this with you before sending quotes.

Travel Tools
- Travel Insurance
- Moon Phases
- Airline Ticketing
- Rent This Rod
- Global Rescue Membership

General Information
Bonefish are the main target species on Christmas Island and they are found throughout the shallow flats of the coral atoll. As a result, this is an excellent destination for beginner saltwater anglers due to the sheer number of bonefish available. Each morning, anglers will be assigned their guides for the day of fishing. Typically there will be two anglers per guide.

The average bonefish throughout the ecosystem run two to three pounds in size. That said, the guides do have areas where larger fish may be targeted. Larger fish can range anywhere from three to seven pounds while some of the ocean reef flats hold even larger fish. In addition, fish in the six to ten-pound class are occasionally caught.

Triggerfish are numerous and the atoll is home to three different and unique species of triggers. They are not easy to fool, and they feed in coral gardens and patches on flats, which means landing them can be a challenge. They are one of the most rewarding and certainly most beautiful fish you can catch on the fly. The waters of the atoll are also home to three species of trevally: Bluefin, golden, and giant. The presence and availability of trevally for the flats angler definitely makes this destination unique. Trevally can be found feeding on the flats at any tide, but incoming tides and periods of high tide are the most productive times to focus on these hard-fighting gamefish. Guides know where to locate them and anglers must be ready to make quick presentations to these aggressive, fast-moving fish.

There are small milkfish on the flats, but the larger milkfish can be found in channels and deeper water around the island. These large schools are fished from the boat as they surf the swells. Milkfish feed on small clumps of algae and are very tough to fool on a fly, but if you are lucky enough to come tight on one while fishing algae fly, they are one of the hardest fighting fish in the ocean, and opportunities to give Milkfish a shot abound on Christmas Island!

The offshore or Bluewater fishing surrounding Christmas Island is worth exploring as well. You may easily do this for a few hours in the morning before hitting the flats. There are typically abundant tuna and large barracuda, giant trevally, wahoo, Mahi Mahi, sharks, and occasional marlin that also inhabit these waters. This is a year-round fishery as a result of being so close to the equator.

Boats and Equipment
Ikari House utilizes several very unique, locally-crafted, outrigger-style transfer boats. These boats are used to transfer anglers to the flats, where you then wade the shallows for bones, triggers, trevally, and other species. The boats are very reliable and offer anglers a fun and effective mode of transportation to and from various flats. Most of the flats are easy to wade, as the bottom consists of solid white sand. You will occasionally need to navigate some coral outcroppings, rock shelves, and deeper channels, but overall the wading is very easy. When using boats for transportation, boat drivers will pick you and your guide up at the end of your “wading lap,” which means that you will rarely need to make long walks back to the boat through waters that you have already fished.

When it comes to tackle and personal equipment, all of us at Yellow Dog are huge believers in supporting and patronizing local, specialty fly shops. As a rule, specialty retailers usually know and understand the tackle, gear, and equipment that is required for successful fly fishing – be it on local waters or in far-off fisheries around the world. For the Christmas Island fishery, it is absolutely crucial that you arrive with the right gear and equipment, as there is nothing available once you reach the island!  If there is anything that you need, you will 100% have to bring it with you. Sending flies and gear to the island ahead of time is not an option as there is no reliable method of shipping at this time. Please call the Yellow Dog office for more information and details about gear.

Package Rates
Remember that Yellow Dog’s services are completely free! When you book a trip with Yellow Dog, you never pay more than when you book directly with the lodge or outfitter. All prices listed below are per person and quoted in US dollars.

7 Nights / 6 Days of guided fishing

Premium Angler Package = $5,950.00 per person

• Private room, private guide
• A senior guide or client guide request
• Private boat with NO fuel limitation
• ‘Best Boat’ provided or personal choice
• Max of 2 anglers per boat

Double Occupancy Package = $3,650.00 per person

• Double room, two (2) anglers per guide
• Boat with 40 liters limitation of fuel
• Additional Fuel Surcharge will be $1.50 US per liter
• Max of 4 anglers per boat

What's Included:

• Ground/water transfers between the airport on Christmas Island and the Ikari House
• Seven (7) nights at Ikari House as specified
• Six (6) days of guided fishing as specified
• Three meals per day and afternoon snack
• Four (4) water bottles per day, juice, coffee, and tea
• Laundry Services
• Wi-Fi Service (limited)
• 12.5% VAT Tax on lodge stay

What’s Not Included:

• International flights to and from Christmas Island/ Kiritimati Island Cassidy International Airport (CXI)
• Accommodations, meals, taxis, or activities while in Honolulu
• Alcohol, beer, sodas (spirits and wines may be purchased in Honolulu at the airport duty-free)
• Bottled water in excess of the four (4) included per day
• Gratuities for the fishing guides, lodge staff, and transfer drivers
• Christmas Island fishing license (Purchased on site)
• Fuel surcharges (if applicable)
• Surcharges for guide request, specific boat reservation, camping, etc. (if applicable)
• 12.5 % VAT tax at Check out on purchases while at the lodge

Ikari House (Christmas Island)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – CANCELLATIONS
A non-refundable deposit of 50% per person is due at the time of booking for all Ikari House lodging and fishing packages, and final payment if due 90 days prior to arrival. For cancellations, all deposits and payments are non-refundable. Because of the lodge’s no refund and no credit policy, we highly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance. In no event will Ikari House or Yellow Dog be responsible for any cancellation of services or operations due to inclement weather, any event of force majeure, airline delays, flight cancellations, or any other reason beyond the control of the lodge and agent. For this reason, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance for your trip. Ikari House will not refund payments in the event of poor weather. If your flights to and from Christmas Island are cancelled and connections are missed, Ikari House and Yellow Dog are not responsible for alternative travel arrangements including flights, hotels, meals and any other expenses incurred. If a cancelled package is resold by either the lodge or by Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, then a full refund will be issued minus a $100.00 per person cancellation fee charged by Yellow Dog. Receipt of deposit and/or final payment is acknowledgment that registrant has read and accepts the deposit, cancellation, refund and responsibility clauses for these packages. Once again, Yellow Dog strongly recommends that anglers and guests purchase travel insurance for all Christmas Island packages.

Payment Terms for All Yellow Dog Trip Bookings  
Unless otherwise noted on your invoice, for all trips less than 90 days out, full payment is required after receipt of the confirmation email to secure guides and reservations. For trips outside of 90 days, a 50% deposit is required upon receipt of confirmation email to confirm your reservations.   

Yellow Dog accepts on-line payments via a secure payment portal – a quick and easy way to complete your trip reservation. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com to gain access. 

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Standard Forms of Payment 

• Debit card (fee-free) and credit card (3% convenience fee) - to pay via card please utilize the customer payment portal. If you need assistance, reach out to 406-585-8667 ext. #3 
• Wires - please include name and/or invoice number for reference on your wire. Please reach out to accounting@yellowdogflyfishing.com for wiring instructions. (client is responsible for wiring fees) 
• Physical check - please include your invoice number in the memo. Mail checks to 213 S. Willson Ave. Bozeman, MT, 59715

If you have any questions about alternate payment methods, please contact Yellow Dog at (406) 585-8667 ext. #3. We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MT.