Fishing on Sunday

Wahoo, Bluefin Trevally, Snapper, Bonito, Barracuda - Oh My!

Rodney and Mike showing off their big catches -

I only caught one fish - this 21 pound Wahoo - Quality not Quantity has always been my motto!

Question for the masses - does this life jacket make me look fat and short??? Or is it the massive size of this fish that is distorting the picture!!!!????!!!!

Snorkeling Saturday

Among other things, I went snorkeling.

Sponges, Bluefin Trevally, Coral, a Titan Triggerfish and others were everywhere.

Nice way to enjoy some time.

More Flats

This is down South.

If you look closely, you can see a nice sized Bonefish in the first picture.

Bonefishing paradise... (I wish you were here Marlon so I can teach you how to catch one of these awesome fish!!!)

You want some hands??? I got your hands right here!!!

"So there I was - just walking along the beach minding my own business and here comes this brown human. He gets all in my personal space and then shoves this sliver box in my face!!! The nerve of that guy!!! He didn't get the hint so I said 'You want a piece of me? Well come get it, or get the heck outta here!!!' What's this atoll coming to these days???"

This crab has hands.

Look Ma - No Hands!!!

I'm not sure how this guy eats - talk about stuffing your face, or playing with your food.

If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, look where the crab's claws should be. He's got replacements budding out, but it'll be a couple of molts before they are functional.

Life's a b!tc4 ain't it????

Deja Vu Bluefin Trevally

Hit two spots today -

Tried flyfishing down South but didn't see anything - I didn't even get a hook up with one of the pesky juvee groupers...

I switched to pitching a big popper and I did get a young Bluefin Trevally. It is amazing the size lures a fish will try to take. Looking at proportions, it would be like an average sized human trying to eat a whole baby pig in two gulps.

The tide was coming up fast so we moved to spot number two.

Big waves breaking in the background BUT

I nailed these two BFTs -

The second one was the other BFT that was following the one I caught last Saturday - same weight, same length, same spot, similar lure - deja vu...

Weighed in at the Marina at 14 pounds (although it seemed like a 20 pounder to me).

And I didn't break the rod today!

Green Sea Turtle

Starting the circle (sinusoidal function distributed over time) of life -

All nerdiness aside, what a privilege to see

This was my 40th birthday present (I actually didn't catch a fish that day)

Something Other Than Fishing

I took the Bluefin Trevally back to the room, made a gyotaku and then prepared the fish.

Afterwards, I smelled like fish guts - so I decided to go for a swim - since the lagoon is my backyard, I went to check it out.

Here are some pictures - finally of me doing something other than fishing.

There are some really awesome coral heads, outcroppings and reef plots not more than a 100 foot swim away. And where there's coral, there are fish. I saw some huge parrotfish and tons of snapper.

The water was a bit cloudy - with the wind shifting to a more permanent NW direction, it should start to clear up soon. And with the days starting to get longer, this will be a great way to blow off steam.

GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!

I struck out at the first place I fished at this morning. I did get a medium sized grouper, but it spit the hook (I was using a 1 ounce Mark White surface lure).

We made our way to the outfall and fished there.

I tried to see if anything would take a fly - nope. So I went back to throwing a lure (bigger ones). About an hour into the stop, I got a great hit on my lure - this Bluefin Trevally. It actually had a second one following that was just as big - but I got this one in with a little drama (check the picture)

Obviously it snapped my pole - it broke as I was trying to lift the fish out of the water (there is a pretty good drop from where you stand to fish to the water). Oh well - that's fishing!

I got it weighed at the marina - 14 pounds. It measured 28" nose to fin tips. This is the biggest Bluefin Trevally I've taken to date. Definitely big enough to make my day!

Backyard Fishing

Had some time to burn after work.

I tried pitching a big lure to see if there were any Trevally roaming the waters behind my room - none.

I switched out the spinning rod for the flyrod and cast out a bonefish bitter and a green scud - nothing.

I resorted to the fail safe - squid. I caught 1 small grouper, 2 snappers, 3 sergeant majors and 2 humuhumunukunukuapuaa on a size 8 hook - lots of fun!!! (ALL CAUGHT AND RELEASED).

The circle hooks really do engage on the lip - these fish were all happy and healthy when let back in the water.

I also caught one ama crab with my line - it was actually pinching the line and didn't want to let go.

These are the spots where I was catching the fish.

These terns were watching the whole time.

Nice way to wind down from work!

Blue Trevally Sunday

If I didn't already mention it, I stepped on a Sea Urchin last Wednesday and my left foot has swollen up. Walking has been painful and for the last three workdays I've had to walk miles for a site visit. I'm getting better now, but this weekend was challenging.

That is relevant because Sunday was a marathon fishing session - 5 hours at the secret spot where Mike and I both landed Bluefin Trevally (Omilu), his being bigger than mine. Then another 2 hours at the Rock Pier, where we both caught Bluefin Trevally, his being bigger than mine. It's a good thing I don't have size complexities - a lesser man would have been upset.

By the time we were done (the fish kept taunting us to stay), my foot was jiggling with built up fluid. Some Motrin and elevation made me feel tons better and now there is a bunch of fish in my fridge for dinner this week - Panko Trevally, Green Thai Curry Trevally, Drunken Trevally.....

And yes that picture of me does show me with one rod in hand and two on the back - for the record, I did not even go back to shore to drop off the fish (I got Mike to do that). I did cast the fly around, but I did not get any followers this time. I think I was making too much noise with my bad foot and the subsequent limping.

There is always next week!

Snapper

Saturday also yielded this one small snapper - better than getting skunked.

Released to fight another day -

Rodney casting at the secret spot. A bad day of fishing is still better than any day in the office - work to live dudes!!!

Boobies

12 November

Took a ride on a landing craft and got to visit a rookery site for these guys - Browns and Blue-Footed Boobies all over the place.

BTW this is a Rated G blog (mainly for my family - Hi NoMaLa!!!) - What did you think I was posting about????

Big Crab

This is a Coconut Crab.

Big one too, about 24" across the carapace - but as far as they go, this is a medium sized one. If it weren't for humans, these guys would be at the top of the food chain in their respective environment. As time has moved on, these guys lost their motivation to move fast - in fact they move slow.

Maybe having two samurai front claws that can put the ginzu on a coconut has got something to do their apparent lack of speed...

Daybreak

Another picture from November 7

The cloud cover and timing of sunrise came together well - I'd say

Catching Up - Dinner

It's been a while - gomen nasai on the lack of postings.

Here is my effort to catch up...

Green Curry Trevally with Fried Tofu - dinner from 7 November.

GOOD STUFF!!!!

Sunday Fishing - Part 3 - The Glorious Giant Trevally

The last phase of Sunday Fishing...

After playing with the Bonefish with the flyrod, I decided to throw a lure for a while to see if I could get a good hit.

I was using the lightweight rod/reel and a Mark White surface plug - the same one that picked up the Yellow Spot Trevally - Oh by the way - with that catch, I have caught four different species of Trevally - the Yellow Spot, the Thick Lipped, the Blue Fin and the Giant Trevally. My favorite to catch, clean and eat is the GT. In fact, I think this is my favorite fish period.

I had some chasers but no hits. I subsequently changed lures three times and still didn't get a hit.

Without a hit, I decided to bring out the big guns - my medium weight rig armed with a big Tsunami Popper.

I pitched it out and worked 180 degrees out from a line parallel to the shore along the rocky outcropping - working left to right. Nothing on the first pass.

I decided to cast the lure out in a way so that during retrieve, I could bring it in over a section of reef that had some big holes underneath. On the second cast, I got the strike I was looking for!!!

10 minute fight - I thought the GT was trying to break off on a coral head, but I was able to steer it back into open water. After more pulls - I landed this magnificent fish.

If you can't already tell, I have the utmost respect for the GT!!! This made my week (although not as big a thrill as the 25#'er)!

Sunday Fishing - Part 2 - Bonefish Party

I hadn't seen a single Bone while I was walking the flats and it was getting hot, and I was getting hungry - "time to go" - no action tends to drop off the interest factor

BUT...

As my fishing partner and I were making our way back to shore, he noticed something and said "there's a lot of fish over here"

I went to look and they were mullet.

Where there are mullet, there are Bones.

So I started casting the Bonefish Bitter and....

WHACK - I ended up catching four "Forearm" Bones (Bonefish as big around as my forearm and as long as the distance between my fingers and my elbow) back to back -

In order to make sure the tippet didn't break, I would try to get the Forearm Bones to run up the beach when a wave would lap up. This was way easier on the fish and they all went back into the water with a lot of energy.

This is the new high tide spot!!!

This certainly made up for the fly losses I had last weekend - but I still didn't see the "Thigh Bones" - foot to mid upper thigh sized Bonefish.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually got bored catching the forearms...

I want a thigh bone.... There is always next weekend!!!

Sunday Fishing Part 1 - Mini grouper flyfishing

Early morning start -

I started out flyfishing with a Bonefish Bitter fly. These grouper are feisty little fish.

I caught three of them (and one wrasse, but I didn't take a picture of it). Each one seemed to get smaller than the one before it.

These guys hide out under the rocks and coral heads - knowing the fish in the area you are at means you can always catch a fish.

BTW, everything except the last fish (in the last post, coming up in two posts) was caught and released.

The grouper in the second picture took the hook pretty deep, I had to go back in, grab a pliers and take the hook out. I went ahead and grabbed by light spinning rod and after the tiny guy in the picture with the fly reel for size comparison, I figured I try casting a lure.

I had a good hit - a Yellow Spot Trevally - about 10 pounds. I was going to keep it, but I couldn't get a noose around it's tail and at one point, it was able to get off the hook. I did send it off with a lot of expletives and cursing, but you should only take what you can eat.

And a Bonefish to Wrap Up Saturday

Went out a second time (third spot of the day) -

Went flyfishing and after a really long time without sighting a target (lots of Manini - no Bones), I finally did see some Bones.

After taking this picture, I started casting again.

I got a medium sized grouper - but it spat the hook when I was about to land it.

Great fishing Saturday!

Three - Three Trevally in one day - AHHHH AHHHHH AHHH AHHHHHH

But one of these things is not like the other...

This is not a Giant Trevally - it is a Thick Lipped Trevally.

Just look at the lips on that thing (me or the fish - your pick)!

I used a small swimming lure and the treble landed square in it's upper lip - I was afraid it would bend the hooks or break off, but I landed it!

When I pulled it up out of the water, it had distinct tiger stripes on it's body.

Good fighter - I guesstimate it weighed 10 pounds!

Number 2 - Papio

Papio sized Giant Trevally.

I'm not into endorsing stuff, but these Mark White ceramic lures are really good at catching trevally. The design has taken a much different track than the conventional plastic lures.

There is beauty in simplicity and there is peace in catching your dinner.

One - One Trevally - Ahhh Ahhhh HHaaaa Haaaa!

Fished three places today -

This was what I caught at the first spot - nice sized Giant Trevally

This one was dinner - sashimi!!!

Caught it on a Tsunami Popper - nice fighter! About 5#