Got the Itch to Fly-Fish?

Try a week-long trip to Christmas Island

Steve McLaughlin doesn’t think Colorado’s fishing folk should have to wait until spring to fly-fish. That’s why he organizes trips to Christmas Island—a tropical oasis off the coast of Indonesia surrounded by a coral atoll and home to rare birds. Landlocked anglers are treated to an all-inclusive week and full days of fly-fishing led by local guides.

Photos courtesy Jim Klug Outdoor Photography

Participants can expect to catch a “big one,” too, McLaughlin says. Because fly-fishers cast into saltwater—as opposed to Colorado’s freshwater lakes and rivers—they have an opportunity to catch bigger fish than they would here. “Fishing for a bonefish is a different battle than fishing for a rainbow [trout],” McLaughlin says. “It’s absolutely part of the draw.” Through his Boulder business Front Range Anglers, McLaughlin organizes nine weeklong trips to Christmas Island every winter starting Dec. 1 and ending in April. A trip typically runs $3,600 before taxes and airfare. McLaughlin runs programs to other warm-weather locales, too, including the Yucatan, the Bahamas and Cuba. When you get the itch to fish this winter, you’ll know where to cast off. —Haley Gray

Got the Itch to Fly-Fish?

Try a week-long trip to Christmas Island

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