Quite possibly the most enjoyable fly fishing trip on our calendar, the adventure to the remote Island of Anaa Atoll is an experience that will remain with you forever. Stunning location, fantastic people and a lagoon that has to be seen to be believed. Six days fly fishing with fantastic variety from the stunning palm fringed flats to the magic of the reef edges and channels there are endless possibilities here to explore.

Departing Melbourne or Sydney, we will travel via Auckland in the morning, arriving into Tahiti the same day, before an overnight stop. The following morning we will depart on the once weekly flight to Anaa Atoll either direct, or via two very remote islands as we fly over a swathe of green/blue Atoll’s and reef systems which is a sight to behold.

On arrival, you will be transferred to the lodging which is the premier location on the island with absolute lagoon frontage, maneeba, cold beers, sunshine and a perfect temperature of 27-28 degrees celcius. You will prepare for the next day’s fishing and evening meal which is of French and Polynesian influences.

Fishing with your own personal guide each day including your host, you will depart to the flats or reef systems at 7am, after a 6:30am cooked breakfast. With fly fishing exclusivity to the entire atoll for the week, you will have a huge amount of flats to fish which are typically 20-40 minutes travel time by boat. All fishing is done on foot, with packed lunches and refreshments taken with you daily. Throughout the week you will have the opportunity to walk or ride around the town, visit churches, the primary school or even partake in the local Sunday sport and tradition of Patia Fa – spearthrowing.

Schedule

Day 0: Depart Melbourne / Sydney to Tahiti. Overnight in Tahiti.

Day 1 Thursday: Depart morning to Anaa Atoll, either direct or two island stops. Transfer and check-in, relax by the lagoon and prepare for the next day’s fishing.

Days 2 – 7 Friday – Wednesday: Cooked breakfast including eggs and bacon, with fresh croissants and baguettes is served from 06:30am, including fresh coffee and local fruits and honey. Departing for the flats at 0600am. The journey to the flats takes between twenty and forty minutes in the lagoon depending on the wind direction and flats you will be targeting. Lunch is generally had on a beach under the palm trees or local shack on the lagoon. Access to the various reef locations is also by boat with wading on foot.

Day 8 Thursday: Depart Anaa direct to Papeete Tahiti. Depending on the flight schedule there may be a midnight departure home or you may have the option of an additional two nights and one day in Tahiti to relax by the pool, check out the surf breaks or explore the island. We generally stay at the Intercontinental Resort and Spa. You may also have family or friends meet you and extend your stay in the region to any of the other beautiful island locations such as Bora Bora, Tetiaroa or Moorea.

Situated on a magnificent beach with uninterrupted views of the beautiful lagoon, we have four traditional private bungalows which accommodate up-to eight guests.

Rooms comprise of a double and single bed, en-suite, fridge, hot walk-in shower, wardrobe, high ceilings, fan and partition doors that open up the whole space onto your own large private balcony. The beds are comfortable, and the rooms serviced daily.

The lodge has a large communal dining-room, bar and lounge area also overlooking the lagoon and provides a great range of Polynesian cuisine daily. Wi-Fi is available at no extra charge with a good service and ability to make calls via WhatsApp.

Breakfast starts at 6:30am with local eggs, honey, fresh fruits and coffee, while packed lunches, bottled water and soft drink are provided on the boats each day.

On your return, you can relax in a hammock or enjoy the Maneaba thatched hut by the water which is a great spot enjoy the view as the sun goes down and discuss the days fishing with pre-dinner snacks.

The evening meal around 8pm consists of local seafood delicacies such as raw fish marinated in lime and coconut juice, grilled meats, chicken, fish and local suckling pig with Tahitian and French influences.

Local beers, wine and a limited range of mixers are available from the bar where you can run a tab for the week.

Bicycles are available if you wish to take a ride around the island, and kayaks are also available on your doorstep.

This trip is ideal for intermediate and experienced salt water fly anglers, partners and small groups keen to experience remarkable French Polynesia, on a stunning tropical island hideaway. We will accommodate a maximum of 6 anglers, and exclusive fly fishing access on Anaa for the week’s duration.

The fly fishing opportunities can generally be categorised into three main areas, accessible on the island: the flats, inshore reef/ocean passes and reef edge. Anaa is very unique for lots of different reasons however the ability to chase Bonefish and Bluefin Trevally on the flats in the morning and then be able to walk the reef edges in the afternoon casting to Giant Trevally and Napoleon Wrasse is quite special.

Flats

With around 140km² of waters to explore, the small islands fringing the lagoon boast extensive sand and coral rubble flats providing an ideal habitat to Polaroid cruising fish, including Bonefish, Bluefin and Striped Trevally on foot, while being guided by the best eyes on the Island.

All of the flats are located around the perimeter of the lagoon, with multiple ocean passes providing water movement, which is predominantly governed by the outer swell height. Other species you may encounter include GT’s, Triggerfish, Reef sharks, Parrot fish and surge wrasse.

The average size of the bonefish on Anaa flats are typically 4-5lb, with fish of 7-8lb’s common and several double figure fish now landed to 76cm. #8 weight outfits are recommended, wading mid-shin to mid-thigh depth, in crystal clear water.

Similar to many other pacific island bonefish locations, it’s not a destination for anglers chasing cricket-score numbers of fish. It is however a very rewarding but challenging fishery suitable for intermediate fly anglers, with many stunning flats on offer.

On the flats, the Bluefin trevally fly-fishing can also be outstanding at various times throughout the year providing shots at fish in the 2-4kg range with many larger 5-15kg fish also available to target on #12 weights.

There are some very large GT’s inside the lagoon with fish to 1m in length landed, generally cruising drop offs with larger sharks however most GT’s encountered on Anaa are found on the reef edges or ocean passes. While there is some tidal influence in and out of the lagoon, this is generally dictated by swell height which governs the water height in the lagoon and often influences where the fish can be found from day to day. Travel time to the flats each day is 20-30 minutes by boat which collect you from the beach in front of your bungalow daily.

Inshore Reef and Reef Edges

The entire Atoll is surrounded by an inshore shallow reef system, passes from the lagoon out to sea and reef shelfs where you can target species patrolling and living along Anaa’s 80km perimeter.

Anglers need to have a good level of fitness, be steady on their feet and generally be able to use #12 or even #14 weight outfits for this style of fly fishing which is also done on foot. There are generally always calm areas to fish, depending on the swell height and direction which can also vary throughout the week, with the fish generally feeding on the turn of the tides.

Bohar Snapper or Red Bass (2-10kg), Giant (20-40 kg) and Bluefin trevally (3-10 kg) are available at numerous locations, generally safe from big swell’s that allows you to both sight and blind cast the deep drop-off’s for very large fish on fly.

When larger swells are present, some of the inshore reef areas can be very good as fish move up onto them from the ocean drop-offs to forage and feed. Similarly, on out-going tides, fish including GT’s, Bluefin Trevally and Bohar Snapper can wait to ambush prey in small channel wash-outs or areas where the lagoon is draining through the major ocean passes.

As per all Fly Odyssey bookings, will provide a comprehensive & detailed pre-trip fly fishing guide, prior to your departure.

“The food here this week has been spectacular. Every night has been some sort of fresh seafood. It’s a tradition to crush a heap of lobsters on the last night and they did not disappoint. Honestly, I can find great Bonefishing throughout the world but it’s hard to find places where the snapper, grouper, trevally, triggerfish, parrots, wrasses and more thrive. This place has it”

Jeff Currier

“Over the next 90 minutes, we saw multiple Bluefin, a few GTs, several Bohar Snapper (Red Bass) and a couple of big Napoleon Wrasse, one around the 40lb mark. Once the wind eased back to a more manageable 15 knots we moved onto the first flat of the day (a big one that we fished for several hours) which had some good fish moving on to it. Some singles and some in groups of 2 or 3. All decent size fish and a couple of serious horses pushing the 10lb mark!”

David Prestwich

“The reef, coral flats and reef edges produced hard fighting Bluefin Trevally, red bass, cod and shots at Giant Trevally, trigger fish and Napoleon Wrasse. There is massive potential here with miles of coastline. The Reef edge and coastal lagoon fishing is truly amazing for those that wish to chase mega fish”.

Bob Ramsden

“It was an outstanding trip overall and very smooth logistically. I would definitely recommend it to friends wanting to fish for big bones and Bluefin. Rafael is amazing! He sees fish so far away that there is plenty of time to prepare … or should be enough if I was doing my part. He is always calm and never judgmental, even with a series of blunders on my part resulting in lost fish for the first morning. I am not a big talker, so we were a good match. For others that might be a point to continue to work on, for my part I enjoy the quiet until “fish coming”.

Jim

“For me Anaa was just perfect. It had something like an adventure somewhere completely remote. That it is so purely accessible is also an advantage because the atoll is still as it was made. Hundreds of miles to the next biggest civilization. I personally don’t need expensive lodge or guides in brand new boats. I’m more in favour of this authentic feeling with some really local guides that gre up here. I can’t deny that I had my doubts whether this is a great idea but the Anaa project turned out to be the perfect choice”

Phillip Pfneisl

Creating and sharing memorable travel experiences with our clients and friends provides us with genuine satisfaction. All of our trips are bespoke, tailored to your needs and we always love hearing all about the adventure on your return.

Our knowledge of travel logistics saves you time, and our highly experienced team is here to ensure its spent on the water and not at the desk or on a long flight connection that you didn’t require. Since 2006 we have developed a valued client-base that has travelled to all corners of the globe.

We are a fully-accredited travel agency, where all of our flights, accommodation and associated travel bookings are done in-house, which means that you pay less. We have access to a huge range of specials, deals, great volume pricing and excellent currency exchange rates which allows us to pass these benefits directly onto you.

On the fishing front, our extensive expertise and experience around prime seasons, species, moon-phases, tides and personalised customer service is centered around one principal – preparation. This includes detailed gear and equipment lists, the fly patterns, transfer details, up-to date fishing reports and some of the finer aspects that can often be overlooked.

We travel extensively and understand that your free-time is important. Just as we all understand from experience, that the key to a successful trip is pre-trip preparation.

Our highly experienced team has fly fished the world for the last 25 years, and we understand the considerations and gear needed to turn a good fly fishing trip into a great one.

Fly fishing and travel is our passion. It’s all we do.