Christmas Island – the world’s largest coral atoll – has a legendary reputation as one of the top destinations in the world for saltwater flats fishing – especially when it comes to massive numbers of bonefish. Also known as Kiritimati Atoll, Christmas is an immense coral outcropping located in the tiny Pacific Ocean Republic of Kiribati. Christmas itself has the greatest land area of any atoll in the world, and the enormous flats system that surrounds this land mass and encompasses the atoll’s inner lagoon is home to countless numbers of bonefish, several species of trevally, milkfish, triggerfish, and more. Christmas Island has – until only recently – been completely closed and shut off for more than three years. The country of Kiribati was among the first countries to lock down in the winter of 2020 at the very outset of the Pandemic. Since that time, until early May of 2023, the country has remained 100% closed off to visitors and anglers – longer than any other international fishing destination. In this episode of WAYPOINTS, host Jim Klug talks with angler Tim Rote, who was on the first plane back to Christmas Island for the opening week. After more than three years and one month of the atoll being closed, Tim talks about what the first group back found, and the current state of the atoll, the communities on Christmas, the lodges, and of course the fishery. - View all podcast episodes by going to the WAYPOINTS podcast page - Visit our Christmas Island page - WAYPOINTS is brought to you by our friends at Fishpond. Visit the Fishpond website to look at some of the gear we never leave home without. As a special offer for WAYPOINTS listeners, enter the code “WAYPOINTS,” all upper case, at checkout when you spend 40 dollars or more, and receive a free River Rat koozie while supplies last. When you take the road less traveled, make sure you travel with Fishpond. - Follow us on Instagram - Follow us on Facebook - Subscribe to our Newsletter for trip specials, travel news, and more! - View the official Yellow Dog website