The Villages Lodge

General Information 
The staff at The Villages will make you feel as though you’re right at home and will do anything you ask of them at the drop of a hat. The same can be said for all their guides. Each angler will be assigned their own guide for each day of fishing, which is a huge advantage when it comes to spotting fish and handling fish for photos. Your guide will be with you every step of the way and are game to chase any species, whether it’s bonefish, GTs, or triggerfish.

Christmas Island is considered to be a bone fisherman’s paradise, and rightly so! Bonefish are the main target species on Christmas Island, and they are found throughout the flats and shallow waters of the atoll. This is an excellent destination for beginner saltwater fly anglers due to the sheer number of bonefish available. 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. One of the things that we really love about fishing Christmas Island is the amazing diversity of species that can be targeted with a fly rod.

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. While the practice of “chumming” in giant trevally with pieces of cut up milkfish or baitfish is something that some guides on Christmas Island are willing to do, this controversial technique is definitely not needed if you are patient and diligent about an organic approach.

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 that surrounds 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
The Villages 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.