More Fishing!!!

After getting back, I went fishing and caught this Po'opa'a (Hawaiian Stocky Hawkfish) - this time on an orange plastic lure.

 

 The surf was a little too much to produce superb fishing conditions - but two to hand is better than none!!!! Noe was chasing ghost crabs and caught several.

 

Marlon Caught Two - I Caught a Skunk

Marlon and I went fishing at the flats - I brought a spectrum of implements to try out - start with bait to get rid of the skunk, then try some flies and grubs and some small lures. I didn't get past the bait phase... Marlon's first fish was the hawkfish (which got itself wrapped around the rocks -twice; and I had to do the unwrapping so in reality I believe I can take half credit for this catch). After a while Marlon got this goatfish I did have a follow from a small omilu, but no wrestling match. I gave up on the outside and decided to see if the bonefish and kaku would play in the shallows. even broke out the new cupfaced kaku fly - it works well to push water, but no joy. I did see a barracuda and cast a few times to it - I didn't even get a head turn. So in the end, Marlon went catching and I went fishing.

Not Skunked Saturday on the Flats with Big M

I took Marlon to fish the low tide at Hickam Flats today. I've been rethinking my equipment distribution and put the Stradic FJ 3000 back on the TFO Mangrove rod - and boy am I glad I did!!! This is the perfect setup for whipping the edge of the flats. I'm going to move the Stradic FK 4000 to the Nitro 13' rod - but that will be another post. After a few casts I brought this guy to hand - Marlon caught two back to back - first this Hinalea. He referred to them as "the Bluegill of the Sea"! And then this fat hawkfish put a good bend in his rod!!! We wondered if it was the same one I caught a few weekends back... We kept walking south and Marlon found a moray eel - and then another. They were holed up in the flat and we only saw a small part of their bodies. After a couple of snags, I decided to call it and we started to walk back in. Marlon saw some moving black things on the way back in - turns out they were blacktip shark fins so we walked over to take a closer look. There ended up being four sharks on the spit. Knowing there were probably kaku in the area, I tied on the kaku crack fly and cast out. I got two hooks ups and now a new go to fly!!! This drew more interest at a faster rate than the Kaku Candy fly (so I know what I'm tying more of now). Oh - I did break out some kit I got a while back - the Umpqua Chest Pack worked well. It was where I would normally carry my arms while retrieving, but the pack does hold more than the TOPO sling and keeps everything right up front. I'll keep using this for a bit. Great day fishing!!!!

No Skunk on a Stormy Saturday

I took Marlon out to the flats this morning. We dismantled our experimental tank and wanted to return the rocks, sand and occupants back to where we borrowed them from, but since we were there... I took a spinning rod and a pocketful of ika (squid cut into strips). I brought this fat hawkfish to hand. I actually had hooked this fish just a few minutes before, but it swung the leader under the reef ledge and cut me off. The second time I hooked it, I got it to hand it still had the other hook and leader in it's mouth!!! Marlon opted to just observe today and armed with a tako box, he did just that. He saw tons of Convict Tangs (manini), baby long spined sea urchins (vana), a type of fish we are still trying to identify, and the prize sighting... an octopus (he'e)!!! I did get another bite later in the session. It took the bait and started a screaming run and kicked up a rooster tail - I stopped to set the hook, but it didn't take and the fish spit the hook... I've said it before and I'll say it again - there is something primal in listening to a reel peeling drag... that sound is awesome!!!! Most likely a barracuda (kaku) - it even shredded my small wire leader a bit. We packed it up when the wind and rain started to come down on us. Great day on the flat!!!

First Day of Fishing in 2017

I took Marlon and Noe to the flats to get some fishing in. Noe hung out at the water line and read some books, while Marlon and I went to the edge of the shelf. I brought the TFO Mangrove out with the Shimano Stradic FK 4000. While setting up the rods in the backyard, I gave the TFO and the Fenwick Steelhead a comparison - the TFO is just slightly softer throughout - just the action I prefer in a saltwater inshore rod! My first fish of the year was this bluefin trevally - nice fight on the TFO Mangrove!!! I caught and released this guy so I will have better luck throughout the year - but if it wasn't for it's first fish status, this guy would have been sashimi ;) Marlon's first fish was a hinalea - he's getting good at rooting these fish out. And he got a second with this hawkfish. At first he thought it was a snag - but after trying to free the hook, the fish came loose. Awesome day of fishing!!!!

Look Who I Went Fishing With!!!

One of my former employees from Diego Garcia was in town! Dante was one of the first guys to show me where the good fishing spots were and most notably, he showed me how to prepare bonefish (of which I made lots of fish lumpia). Check out the posts from 2011 to 2012 and he should be in a few of the pictures. So what to do with a person who you've gone fishing with before??? Take him fishing of course!!! I picked up Dante from b=his hotel and we were on the flats within 30 minutes, right around the bottom of the low tide. I hooked up with a decent sized roi (peacock grouper) on one of my first casts. Dante got a good sized papio (talakitok in tagalog) for his first. From there we both caught other fish - saddle wrasses, a snapper, a hawkfish (first one I caught out here I think - chubby guy!!!), papio and Dante caught the Hawaiian State Fish - humuhumunukunukuapua'a While fishing for oama I caught one of the smallest fish I've caught on a hook (size 20 limerick) - another Sergeant Major. When the kids get out here, it'll be fun to raise a few of these in an aquarium. I also got a picture of an oama - I had a great time fishing with an old friend!

Saturday Morning Flyfishing

Well - the flies I tied all caught. I pinched the barbs down and releasing the fish was simple as can be. I caught the typical hawkfish, snapper, and small darts, but then found a spot that I saw a bunch of mullet swimming on the surface. I cast various flies over the school and then pulled in a few Big Eyed Trevally and a huge Dart - the biggest one I've caught. I saw a couple of bigger Blue Fin Trevally, changed out to a gummy minnow, but I wasn't stripping the line fast enough for them to take.

Other Notables

Some of the other fish I caught today. I also hooked up with a hawkish, another few grouper and some small snapper. The small BFT was tons of fun too, but the threadfin was pure luck - I've been trying to catch one of these for a while now. I snagged this one by the belly (so I couldn't let it go - it would have died) - and brought it home to print. Best two hours of flyfishing I've had in a while.

Rounding Out

Several Darts, a few more hawkfish and a few bones - two of which took the fly, but spit the hook. I finally landed this guy. This is when my rod broke. Don't ask me how... this fish couldn't have weighed more the 3 pounds. Like I said before, good thing there's a good warranty on the rod! I stuck around and studied the place for while after the rod broke. Next post will show what I found -

Small Fry Flyfishing

I found a new flyfishing spot today - it was full of fish grazing on the flats during low tide. I caught a lot of small fish - goatfish, young Bluefin Trevally, hawkfish, darts, young bonefish and a snapper. I saw some vibrant blue parrotfish and some of the bright green wrasses, but they wanted nothing to do with the flies. The next few posts will have more pictures of the fish I caught. One bad note about the fishing trip - one of the fish I hooked into broke my new rod. Good thing Orvis has a 25 year repair warranty!