New Caledonia Rivers

Big bonefish; that’s what New Caledonia is known for. This 400 km long island lost in the massive expanse of the Pacific Ocean has the biggest lagoon in the world, and it is teeming with bonefish of enviable sizes.

By DAMIEN BROUSTE

Bonefishing gets me giggling with excitement like a little school girl every time, but for me, New Caledonia has another feature of interest to me - its rivers. When I can’t go on the flats, I really enjoy fishing the warm waters of the inland jungle rivers. These narrow, clear and relatively slow-flowing rivers hold a number of interesting species that offer great sport on light fly gear. Here, you’ll find different species of jungle perch, Tilapia, eels and koi carps. All of these species can be caught with a selection of small streamers and nymphs, and since the rivers are very shallow and extremely clear, you’ll find yourself stalking fish after fish – employing all your stealth skills and implementing whatever precision casting skills you can muster.

I’ll usually be walking in knee deep water with sand under my feet, subtropical trees all around me - like tilting walls of green - prospecting for jungle perch.

I’ll follow the river upstream until I reach a perfect spot, where the fish are hiding in the shadows beneath the roots of one of New Caledonias endemic trees. With limited room for overhead casting, I sneek up on the fish, attempt a delicate and careful trick cast. The fly lands in front of the little school of fish, and split seconds later the fly has been inhaled and a feisty little jungle perch is dangling at the end of the fly line.

Around every bend of my New Caledonia rivers something new and exciting awaits.

It isn’t a monster fish, but it is all over the place, and in the process of the fight it scares off most of the other fish in the pool. A few moments later, I release the fish back into the sedate flow of the river, and head further upstream. The spooked pool is the perfect excuse to explore new territory.

Around every bend of my New Caledonia rivers something new and exciting await. The fish usually huddle up in some of the bigger pools, but here and there - you suddenly ambush a big eel, a Tilapia school or feeding groups of koi carp. Especially the koi carp are enthralling. They are genuine explosions of colour and muscle, and considering the relatively minimal water flows and minute character of the rivers, they grow to considerable sizes. They feed off of a variety of insects, and sight fishing for them is a mind-blowing experience.

Koi carp are sceptical at heart, and they spook easily. Making precise casts and presenting the fly in a stealthy and subtle manner is crucial. The fish will usually inspect the fly carefully, and they will only engulf it, if it looks and behaves convincingly. As a result, every take is unique – but the problems only get started, when the fish is hooked.

Koi carp will explode once hooked, and managing to land one in the midst of the jungle – with overhanging trees, chaotic underwater root systems and debris - is a critical and dubious affair. Landing one of these flamboyant river kings is a small miracle every time, and it is something that keeps me heading back into the jungle time and time again.

New Caledonia is a group of tropical islands 1200km to the East of Australia. It is a French colonial state with a little more than 250.000 inhabitants, and lots of great coastal fly fishing for some of the worlds biggest bonefish. The island is silverlined by an approximately 1600km long coral reef – which is only second in size to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – and it also boasts the worlds biggest lagoon.

The fishing in the many jungle rivers can be extremely entertaining, and it is virtually unexplored. The species are: koi carp, jungle perch, telapia, and eel.