Christmas Island

Fishing

The first thing to understand about fishing Kiritimati is just how much water there is. Christmas Island sits a little over 1,300 miles south of Hawaii and just north of the equator. It is the largest coral atoll in the world, and inside its enormous lagoon are roughly 150 square miles of shallow flats, channels and backcountry water. Much of it is firm enough to wade, which means this is very much a get-out-of-the-boat-and-go-fishing kind of place. Bonefish are the bread and butter of the fishery, but giant and bluefin trevally, triggerfish, golden trevally, milkfish and an almost ridiculous assortment of other reef species make it tough to know at any given moment what might show up next.  Christmas Island is the world's largest coral atoll, and its massive inner lagoon contains mile after mile of hard-bottomed flats that are ideal for wading. Add ocean-side reefs, channels, a massive deeper lagoon, and you've got considerably more options than anyone is going to cover in a single week.

Christmas Island Lodge sits on the northern side of the island, well removed from the larger population centers farther west. That location is more important than it might sound. The lodge has private access to the inner lagoon, allowing anglers to get into the backcountry quickly and reach some of the more distant flats before boats coming from the other end of the island. It also sits directly on the ocean, so when conditions line up there can be trevally fishing almost within casting distance of your room.

Bonefish are still the main event for most anglers. The average bonefish here runs somewhere in the two to four-pound range, and when conditions are right there can be a lot of them. Five to seven-pound bones are regularly encountered, and substantially larger fish are definitely around for anglers willing to slow down, stay focused, and pass on the easy shots.

Then there are the trevally. Bluefin, golden, striped, spotted and other trevally regularly appear across the flats, while giant trevally are the fish that tend to occupy anglers' thoughts long before they ever get on the airplane. GT fishing here is hunting, plain and simple. Christmas Island Lodge does not chum for them, so anglers serious about catching one should be prepared to commit some time to the chase. A guide can certainly carry a twelve-weight while you're bonefishing in case one happens to swim past, but deliberately targeting GTs means covering the right water, watching tides and accepting that you may work an entire day for one good shot. Fortunately, one good shot is generally enough to make the whole exercise pay off, and when the payoff is a Giant Trevally, well, it’s like lying a Royal Flush on the table in a game of poker with Willy Nelson.

Triggerfish have become nearly as much of an attraction. Both titan and yellowmargin triggers inhabit the flats, and anybody who has spent time chasing them knows that “seeing one” and “catching one” are two very different things. They are spooky, powerful, prone to doing inconvenient things around coral, and considerably more entertaining than they have any right to be.

Tides matter quite a bit. The larger spring tides surrounding new and full moons create greater water movement and can be especially interesting for anglers concentrating on GTs. The smaller swings associated with neap tides tend to leave bonefish flats fishable longer. A week falling between the two can provide a useful mixture, particularly for first-time visitors who want to sample everything.

Most of our flats fishing is done on foot. Guides use outrigger boats to move between areas and then anglers get out and wade, sometimes for considerable distances. The lodge's private access to the back of the massive NW lagoon is a real advantage here, reducing travel time to some of Kiritimati's more remote water and helping anglers reach those areas before boats coming from farther west.

Most days start early. Coffee is normally available around 5:30 a.m., breakfast follows, and anglers are generally headed for the water around sunrise. Fishing days run from early morning until late afternoon, though timing changes with tides, target species and whether you're headed offshore.

A typical flats kit should include an eight- or nine-weight for bonefish, a ten-weight for triggers and smaller trevally, and a twelve-weight for GTs. Good flats boots are essential; this is not the place to find out that the bargain pair of dive booties you bought before the trip weren't such a bargain after all. Bring your own rods, reels, terminal tackle and flies, as the lodge does not maintain rental fishing equipment.

Accommodations

Christmas Island Lodge occupies approximately 20 acres along Kiritimati's northern shoreline, a good distance from the busier settlements around London and Paris. The result is a surprisingly quiet place to come back to after spending nine hours out on the water.

Nobody should come to Kiritimati expecting polished South Pacific luxury. The island is remote, largely undeveloped and a very long way from just about everything. That is also exactly why a lot of us like it. The lodge itself gets the important things right though: clean private accommodations, good food, cold drinks, dependable power, Starlink internet, and, most importantly, good guides with access to a remarkable amount of water.

Guest accommodations are in traditional-style coral-stone bungalows with thatched roofs. Each bungalow is divided into private guest suites, with en-suite bathrooms and showers, air conditioning, fans, and enough room to organize fishing gear without having to sleep on top of it.

Refrigerators are provided as well, and stocked daily with complimentary sodas, beers, and bottled water.

The lodge's oceanside setting may be its best non-fishing amenity. Trade winds generally come off the Pacific in the evening, and the open-air maneaba and lounge provide a natural gathering spot for appetizers, evening drinks woven throughout with the inevitable increasingly exaggerated verbal versions of whatever happened on the flats that afternoon. Waves break only a short distance away and, because the property is removed from the main villages, evenings are generally quiet.

The lodge also maintains private access to an area known locally as the Swimming Lagoon, roughly ten minutes away. It is used as a boat launch into the inner lagoon but also makes a good spot for swimming, lunches, occasional evening barbecues and a place for non-angling guests just looking for somewhere to spend part of the day.

Daily laundry service is included, which is useful both because of the heat and because it means you can pack considerably less clothing than you think you need.

Power on Kiritimati has improved substantially with the island's solar electrical system, and the lodge maintains backup generation as well. Starlink provides internet service at the lodge, so disappearing into the Central Pacific no longer automatically gets you out of answering email, though deciding whether that's an improvement or a bummer is up to you.  Justin suggests remembering that those devices we all carry around these days have “off” buttons…

Cuisine

Keeping a lodge kitchen supplied on an island more than 1,300 miles from Hawaii isn't quite the same as being able to run down to Whole Foods when you forget the avocados. Christmas Island Lodge supplements local ingredients and fresh seafood with food flown in from Honolulu, which gives the kitchen considerably more flexibility than might otherwise be expected in such a remote location.

Breakfast is served early and is designed around people who are about to spend the better part of the day fishing. Expect coffee, eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit, yogurt, granola and juice, but let us know in advance if there are any special menu needs.

Lunch travels with you. Sandwiches, snacks, nuts or trail mix, water and soft drinks are packed for the day, and there's generally a beer around should the afternoon provide a sufficiently convincing reason to open one.

Dinner is served back at the lodge and usually revolves around fresh fish, chicken, pork, or beef accompanied by vegetables and other sides. Local seafood naturally turns up quite a bit, and appetizers can include sushi or sashimi, ceviche, empanadas (just like in Rio Pico), and similar small plates served throughout the meal.

One evening each week is typically devoted to a traditional Luau, with members of the guide staff joining guests for dinner, much like our asado nights in Argentina. A great opportunity to spend some quality time with the guides who have been walking the flats with you all week but under more social auspices.

Beer, wine, soft drinks and bottled water are included in the package. Spirits are not, so anglers wanting something stronger should bring it with them, generally purchased duty-free before arriving on Kiritimati.

Travel Details

Kiritimati's airport code is CXI, and Fiji Airways currently operates weekly service linking the island with Honolulu, Hawaii, and Nadi, Fiji. Most North American anglers travel through Honolulu.

Flights departing Honolulu cross the International Date Line, so travelers leave Hawaii on Tuesday and arrive on Kiritimati on Wednesday local time. Coming home reverses the process: departing Christmas Island on Wednesday and landing back in Honolulu on Tuesday. Back To the Future style Time-Travel, apparently, is included in the airfare.

Once through immigration and customs at Cassidy International Airport, guests are met by lodge staff. The lodge is only about ten minutes from the airport.

A standard trip consists of seven nights on Kiritimati with six full fishing days. Arrival day is used to settle in, organize equipment, meet the lodge and guide staff, and go over plans for the week's fishing which begins the following morning.

Because there is only one scheduled flight each week, anglers need to take potential airline disruptions seriously. If that airplane doesn't arrive, there isn't another one coming along that afternoon. We strongly recommend both comprehensive travel insurance and medical evacuation coverage.

Should the outbound flight be cancelled while guests are already on Kiritimati, the lodge presently allows guests to remain in their accommodations without an additional lodging charge until the next available flight. Additional guiding during that period is available for a daily fee.

The island itself remains largely (and thankfully) undeveloped. Kiritimati is part of the Republic of Kiribati and has a population spread among several small communities. Copra production remains an important part of the local economy, and I-Kiribati culture is still very much part of everyday life. You'll regularly see community gatherings in traditional open-sided maneabas, and the local greeting Mauri is worth learning before you arrive.

Non-anglers should understand what they're signing up for. This is primarily a fishing destination rather than a conventional tropical vacation island. That said, birding can be exceptional, with huge numbers of seabirds, and snorkeling, surfing, cultural tours and historical excursions can generally be arranged.

One final packing note: laundry is done daily, so don't bring twelve fishing shirts. Save the baggage allowance for rods, reels, flies and a second pair of polarized glasses.

Rates

7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing

Packages include six days of guided fishing, lodging, three meals daily, appetizers, bottled water, soft drinks, beer and wine, fishing license, airport transfers on Kiritimati, local transportation, Starlink internet, daily laundry service, departure tax and the applicable 12.5% VAT on the lodge stay.

Current Packages

Private Room / Private Guide
US$6,150 per person

Private Room / Shared Guide
US$5,150 per person

Shared Room / Private Guide
US$5,150 per person

Shared Room / Shared Guide
US$4,650 per person

Non-Angling Guest / Shared Room
US$3,500 per person

Seasonal Discount

A 20% seasonal discount is presently offered, subject to availability, for:

July 28 – November 3, 2026
November 24 – December 1, 2026

2028–2029 Rates

Private Room / Private Guide
US$6,950 per person

Shared Room / Private Guide
US$6,450 per person

Private Room / Shared Guide
US$5,950 per person

Shared Room / Shared Guide
US$5,450 per person

Non-Angling Guest / Shared Room
US$3,950 per person

Not Included

Packages do not include airfare to or from Christmas Island, fishing equipment, terminal tackle, flies or lures, hard alcohol, or guide and lodge staff gratuities.

A gratuity of approximately 15–20% is recommended and is normally collected at the end of the week for distribution among the lodge and guide staff.

Deposits & Payment

Reservations are confirmed with a 50% non-refundable deposit and completed booking paperwork. Reservations for which the required deposit and paperwork are not received within 10 days may be released.

Final payment is due 90 days prior to arrival.

Cancellations

If a guest cancels, Christmas Island Lodge will presently allow the deposit to be applied toward a rebooked trip occurring within the following 12 months. If the trip is not rebooked during that period, the lodge retains the payment.

The lodge does not refund lost fishing time resulting from airline cancellations or delays, weather, illness, injury or other circumstances outside its control.

Because Fiji Airways provides only weekly service to Kiritimati, travel insurance and medical evacuation insurance are strongly recommended. If the weekly flight is cancelled, the lodge does not automatically refund or rebook the affected fishing week.

Rates may change in response to government taxes, fees or other circumstances outside the lodge's control. Rates confirmed at the time of booking are honored.