FLY FISHING

Lubin Pfeiffer has just returned from a remote, but incredibly exciting location that offers some of the best saltwater fly fishing on the planet.

Casey was all smiles over her first Cocos bonefish

Our recent fly fishing trip to Cocos Island came as a bit of a surprise. My wife Casey had seen a post on social media where a hosted trip with Angus from Fly Fishing Outfitters had two spots available and asked if I wanted to go. We both had wanted to fly fish for bonefish for some time, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a shot at them. Cocos ‘Keeling’ Islands is around 2100km off the WA coastline, but is still considered part of Australia. Residents use Australian currency and speak English and the pub religiously opens at 5pm every day for anglers and locals returning from the day’s fishing. Cocos is a small place made up of 25 islands, with two main big ones, West Island and Home Island. We stayed on West Island and made a couple of ferry trips over during our stay for guided fishing on Home Island.

One big thing to consider if you are planning to head to Cocos is that you need to be well prepared, as there are little to no services when you get there. Food and drinks are about it, but even those you need to be prepared for. Casey had done the research, and what most anglers do is take food with them on the plane, which avoids having to organise stuff when you are there. There is a great little supermarket on West Island, but it only opens from 10am-3pm on some days, and if you are planning to head off fishing for the day, it’s very hard to get the opportunity to buy anything.

Because Casey and I were travelling together, Casey used one of our checked-in bags for packing breakfasts, lunches and snacks, and the other was used for our fishing gear and clothes. Being a tropical island, all you need clothes-wise are some T-shirts and shorts and your fishing clothes, which are sun pants and long-sleeved shirts.

I’ve done quite a lot of flats fishing in northern Australia and have learned a lot about what flies and gear to take for a trip such as this. Years ago I would’ve wanted to pack everything including the kitchen sink, but all you need is a small selection of tan shrimps and crabs and an 8wt fly rod with a floating line. This covers all the bonefish and permits you are going to get shots at. For the parrotfish and GT’s I took a couple of 9wt set-ups with floating lines and a selection of bigger tan shrimps and some tan and black brush flies. Leader and tippet selection is covered by a spool of 10kg and 20kg fluorocarbon. I never use tapered leaders as you then have to buy them, and a rod-length piece of fluoro does the job perfectly. A big consideration should be your wading boots because there is some sharp coral that can cause issues to inferior footwear. I wore Simms G4 wading boots and always feel secure using these. They have great support for big day’s walking and have a thick sole that can’t be punctured.

A couple of decent fly set-ups is all you will need on Cocos

Day one was spent on the plane getting there. We flew from Adelaide to Perth, then from Perth to Christmas Island and then on to Cocos. It’s a big day, but it was nice to get there while there was some sun still and to see that amazing Indian Ocean sunset. A plan was made for what the next day would bring, and we were all excited to hit the flats.

My first experience catching bonefish was super enjoyable. Like trout, they are the perfect fly rod species. Our first day’s fishing saw us wading the lagoon on the inside of West Island. It was awesome to see bonefish tailing across the flat pushing in with the tide. Like all saltwater fly fishing trips, it took a while to get the hook set happening consistently. Bonefish are super strong for their size and will rip line with ease. A good one will see your fly line and a good amount of backing running out across the flats. Like all flats fisheries, it was very tide-dependent and things started to slow once the tide pushed right in and the water was high.

Day two was the first of our guided days in the boat. It worked really well for the trip, being able to spend a day working out stuff for yourself and then doing a day with a guide. Our guide Rizan from Chasing Island Tails was a legend and fantastic to spend the day with. We met him over on Home Island and spent the day drifting the flats on the Home Island side. It was amazing to get a bit higher up in the boat and cover more water to see just how many bonefish there are on Cocos. It’s such a healthy fishery. Casey and I had a great day with Rizan, learning a bunch and catching a stack of really nice bonefish. To end the day, it was awesome to tick off the Cocos Island permit, which I was lucky enough to land late in the day. Permit captures are always treasured, so I was super thankful to be able to get one early in the trip. After the day finished it was off to the pub for a beer and a pizza!

There are plenty of flats to wade

The bones are big on Cocos!

The parrots are tough and choosy

Day three started with a morning coffee, watching the waves roll over the reef while sitting on the deck at the accommodation waiting for the sun to rise. We were going to try to catch a parrotfish, which Cocos has become famous for, up the northern end of West Island. The drive up there is very scenic, with countless palm trees that line the well-manicured roads. The parrotfish are found over the coral flats in big schools that are easy to spot from a distance. It didn’t take long before a big school was spotted and the hunt was on.

The biggest part of getting a take from a parrot is to get your fly in front of the school, so there was quite a bit of wading to get in the right position. After several failed attempts, my fly line finally locked tight and I was on to a rampaging parrotfish heading for the surf break out the back. They’re much like a bigger version of a tusk fish and, just like tuskies, they like to fight dirty. I was actually surprised to win the battle and eventually coaxed the big fish into the shallows using a fully loaded 9wt fly rod – definitely one of the strangest fish I’ve caught with a fly rod! After a short hiccup with a flat tyre on the hire car on the way out, we spent the afternoon back on the bonefish flats to finish the day.

Day four was another self-guided day and Casey and I opted for a very long walk across the inner lagoon. It was a spectacular day catching bonefish in paradise. Bonefish are very much a ‘just one more’ type of fish. With each take and blistering run, they’re just super fun! Towards the end of the big walk I spotted another permit cruising the flats with its yellow tail poking out the water as it nosed through the sand eating crabs and shrimps as the tide pushed over the newly flooded sand. Permit are very much a ‘right place, right time’ fish and I had the perfect shot presented to me, enabling me to get the fly in the zone with a well-placed cast. The permit nosed over and tipped its tail up as it ate the fly. Permit fights are always very nervous for me, but luckily I was able to get the upper hand and lead it into Casey’s waiting net. Permit number two!

Now they say lightning never strikes twice, but not long after this fish I again had the perfect shot presented to me and was able to get the fly in front of what was the biggest permit I had seen on Cocos. Although I missed the first take, I paused the fly and the fish turned straight away and ate it again. Knowing this was a bigger permit made the ensuing fight even more nerve-racking.

Add to this a few little sharks that had started to circle, waiting for the right opportunity. This has to go down as the best net shot in history as Casey eyed the permit that was racing towards her with a three-foot-long shark hot on its tail. In a flurry of white water and yellow permit tail, Casey expertly snatched the fish from the incoming shark with an amazing net shot. I couldn’t believe we had just got our second permit for the afternoon, self-guided wading in the beautiful Cocos flats. I love catching bonefish, but there is something super special about fly rod-caught permits; they are truly the holy grail of saltwater flats fly fishing.

Parrot fish are incredibly hard on terminal tackle

There are plenty of permit on Cocos for those good enough to catch them

Day five saw us out in the boat with Rizan again, which we were both very excited about. The morning was spent catching some whopping bonefish on the sandy flats before heading across the reef looking for triggerfish. Although the triggerfish didn’t want to play, we had an amazing day with the quality of bonefish caught.

Day six and our last fishing day started with a unique experience chasing surfing bones. There is a certain beach as Cocos where the bonefish will tail and surf in with the waves and push up on the the beach. It’s awesome fun walking with the sand in between your toes sight fishing to bonefish like this. With the complex currents of the water pushing up the beach and the waves crashing, it wasn’t easy to get the fly exactly where you needed it to be. That said, when you got it in the right zone it would usually result in an eat. Surfing bones was a very cool experience that we both won’t forget in a hurry!

Over the last few years, I have heard quite a lot about Cocos Islands within the fly fishing community. However, due to the negative advertisement of a few saying the sharks were in plague proportions and would constantly try and eat you and your fish, I had no real want to go there. The fact is, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Cocos is a fly-fisher’s dream. Yes, there are sharks and I had about three bonefish eaten over the week, but the sharks are just a consequence of such a healthy fishery, and just like everywhere else, if you respect the sharks, there is no issue.

Don’t make unnecessary noise while fighting fish, wade smoothly, free spool fish when you need to and don’t release tired bones straight into the sharks’ mouths. We found if there was a shark nearby, simply disturbing the scent trail as you released the fish was enough to have them get a safe getaway. Heading back on our direct flight to Perth, it was a great opportunity to reflect on what had been an incredible week at Cocos Islands. The tropical island lifestyle is so relaxed and enjoyable, and the fact that the fishing is so outstanding makes for a place you must visit. We can’t wait to get back there!