A full range of trolling, casting and fly fishing outfits and a good selection of lures is included on our New Caledonia trips. For those of you who wish to bring with you your favourite outfits below are a few tips to assist with your planning.

SPORTFISHING, POPPER CASTING & JIGGING
The best multi-purpose outfit we recommend are the Shimano Stella or Daiwa Saltiga range of threadline reels with a matching rod (or equivalent). These outfits are the ideal for a range of applications encountered in New Caledonia, be that casting poppers and slices for GT’s and wahoo, jigging up dogtooth tuna, red bass and coral trout. New Caledonia has some of the largest GT’s, so reels spooled with minimum 24kg braid is recommended. A good selection of trolling minnows and tremblers in various colours work well. Don’t forget your large poppers and silver jigs. Pre-rigged wire leaders are also recommended to avoid cut-offs from wahoo and dogtooth tuna.

FLY FISHING FOR BONEFISH
Flyrods: Multi-piece 7 or 8 wt. Fly rods in the nine foot length are the best choices. We like fast tapered saltwater rods, that have been specially designed for the riggers of the salt. Good models to choose from include the Sage RPLX, G. Loomis GLX and the Scott Saltwater series, all in three or four piece, for easy traveling. Bringing along a spare rod is not a bad idea.

Fly Reels: (minimum 150 yards of 20 lb. backing) Reels specifically designed for saltwater Fly fishing are the ticket. Smooth disk drags, plenty of backing capacity, and sturdy aluminum anodized frames are features to look for in a reel. Models to consider are the Sage 5000 Series (5300 or 5400), Tibor "Everglades", Billy Pate "Bonefish", Abel (2 or 3N) and Streamline (SL 3N).

Fly Lines: A weight forward floating line is all you need. Scientific Anglers Mastery Bonefish are the best going. These lines are specifically designed for saltwater Fly fishing with a special braided monofilament core that provides the proper stiffness to allow excellent shooting while resisting tangles, even in tropical heat.

Leaders: Tapered saltwater leaders made from clear monofilament (8-15 lb. class ) 10' - 12' are the way to go. Umpqua Bonefish Leaders and the Rio Powerflex Knotless Bonefish Leaders are good choices. You should bring along some tippet material, clear monofilament (8 - 15 lb. class). Fluorocarbon leaders are another good choice as they are near invisible in the water, perfect for spooky fish in very clear water.

Flies: Bonefish flies come in an array of styles and colors. The following list of flies, should cover most of the bonefishing situations you will encounter. Crazy Charlies #6 (silver, amber, crystal pink, crystal chartreuse) Blind Charlies #6 (silver, amber, crystal pink, crystal chartreuse). Mini Puff #6, # 4 (pink, tan/orange, chartreuse) McVay Gotcha # 6 (chain bead-eye). Christmas Charlies #8 (tan, pink, yellow) Nasty Gilbert #6, Bonefish Clouser #6 (chartreuse), Raghead Crab #8, Popovic Ultra Shrimp #4, Mangrove Critter #1/0. Finally, Jan Isley's, Yucatan Charlie #6 (pink or beige marabou tail with 3 - 6 strands of chartreuse crystal flash tied in, all about a 1/2' long, white kip tail wing tied in on throat 3/4" long, bead chain eyes or blind, translucent yellow swannundaze or v-rib wrapped over chartreuse flymaster plus thread).