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Tetiaroa, French Polynesia

The Tetiaroa Atoll
Thirty miles off the cost of French Polynesia's largest island, Tahiti, a short 20-minute flight fromt he city of Papeete, lies a necklace of 12 unspoiled small islands, all encapsulated within a protective barrier reef called Tetiaroa. Part of French Polynesia's Society Archipelago, each island (called "motu" by the natives) on Tetiaroa is surrounded by hard-packed, white sand flats that are easily waded and are the feeding grounds for bonefish, milkfish and three species of trevally (golden, bluefin and giant). There are approximately 14 square kilometers of flats on Tetiaroa, more than enough room for the four (4) anglers permitted to fish this, private island refuge, at any one time.

Tetiaro Infrastructure
The facilities at Tetiaroa cater to only about two dozen guests, only four of which are fishermen at any given time. Visitors to the island are accommodated in a complex of beach-front, simple bungalows shadedby a forest of tall coconut palms and pine trees. Guests at Tetiaroa share these rustic, thatched-roof cabanas with private full baths, surrounded by a teach porch in a coconut tree setting. Although simple and Spartan in nature, bungalows feature a shower with plenty of hot water, flush toilets, sinks and vanity with mirror, comfortable beach chairs and two beds each with its own mosquito netting. The bungalows offer more than enough room to unpack and organize your equipment. The oceanside cabanas do not feature ceiling fans at this time, normal ocean breezes and their open air design facilitate plenty of ventilation. There are no sand fleas to contend with at Tetiaroa - however, a good population of mosquitoes are present. Best of all, the bungalows are within a short stroll of some beautiful and productive flats for those that want to extend their fishing days.

There is a great bar, nice dining room and open dining veranda for the weekly luas. Food is simple fare, a combination of fresh seafood harvested from the blue water outside the atoll, fresh fruit, and vegetables, all prepared with a classic French flair. The French bagguetts are absolutely wonderful.

Fishing at Tetiaroa...
There are hard-bottomed flats only a chip shot away from the bungalows at Tetiaroa, and the longest run to the most distant flat is no more than 15 minutes by boat. The bonefish at Tetiaroa patrol the flats constantly, in search of their favorite food, the omnipresent sandworms. Reach down to the bottom and grab a handful of sand and you'll find no less than a dozen or more tannish/yellowish worms that vary in length from one inch to four inches; about the diameter of spaghetti. Bonefishing techniques on Tetiaroa are not unlike permit fishing, where a painfully slow retrieve (just enough to keep connected to the fly) or no retrieve at all produces the most takes. This makes sense, since the sandworms we have collected and observed are lethargic, and their only form of defense seems to be keeping motionless. It's believed that the worms bury their bodies in the sand with their heads protruding out of a hole and bonefish suck them out of their homes like spaghetti.

It takes a while to catch onto this type of bonefishing, since most of us are conditioned to strip the fly emulating a fleeing crustacean. Here is where your guide becomes invaluable, if for nothing else than to slap your hand away when a 10-pound bonefish charges your motionless fly and you're about to strip it out of its mouth. Keeping track of a fish and watching its body language as it nears your fly is key to taking these fish with any consistency. Unlike permit, bones on Tetiaroa are eaters and don't seem to mind the 20-pound fluorocarbon tippet needed to hold them on the flats.

Spotting bonefish at Tetiaroa is not too difficult. With the average size of fish being somewhere between six and seven pounds, and given that the fish are coming up on the white sand flats from dard blue water, they show as big blue-backed torpedoes.

For the most part, all of the bonefishing at Tetiaroa can be done on foot in water that averages about knee depth. However, guides may pole or drift the edges of flats looking for bones hanging close to the edge of the deep water channels. Anglers commute to the flats aboard comfortable "V-Hulled" boats that are safe, comfortable, and seaworthy.

History of the Atoll...
The actor Marlon Brando arrived on the remote atoll of Tetiaroa in 1962 for the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty. He fell in love with Polynesia, and with his native, gorgeous wahine star. He married her and purchased a 99-year lease from the royal family for the island group with his paycheck from the movie.

Marlon and his family have never allowed any commercial fishing or netting on the huge Tetiaroa lagoon, harvesting only what they need for their guests at the lodge. Impressed by the conservation ethics of Mike Chapman (our Kiwi outfitter), the Brando family now allows catch-and-release bonefishing under an exclusive arrangement that limits the number of anglers and impact on the lagoon.

The Current Time and Temperature for Tahiti, French Polynesia.

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