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	Home NWFF blog clay's blog archives 03/01 the double double... you never know unless you go. 03/05 how many ducks does it take... 03/14 the week long bender

03/14/11

fly fishing hawaii:

the week long bender.

as is the case with any addiction, the addict often goes on binges for days, weeks, sometimes months.  the addiction to fly fishing, fly fishing junk, and water is apparently no different and since the last blog, i’ve been on somewhat of a bender myself.  despite inclement weather, poor tides, and a tsunami, i found myself out on the water just about everyday.  i usually go out a couple of times a week to get blog pictures or try out some new gear, fly , or other crackpot idea.  this week was different.  i hardly took any pictures and wasn’t out with any purpose that i can think of except just to be in the water.  i was tired, the weather and tides were lousy, but i found myself going day after day even though i was miserable on several of those days and spent an inordinate amount of the time just standing around out there not even fishing.  the only reason i can come up with as to why i was even out there so much is that the call of the water was too great and overcame my normal semi-rational thinking, causing me to forget about everything and just head out like a zombie to be in the water.  of course hanging out with other addicts doesn't help.  i fished hi kai, k bay, kahala (on the day of the tsunami), and even the lake and i fished like i had just been brain washed.  thinking back now i can’t even remember exactly what happened and when.  i know i caught a bunch of fish and used a bunch of different gear and it all culminated in a ridiculous bass busting evening bite on the lake with doug and kirk (of which for some reason i didn’t take any photos of).  the whole week now seems like a dream to me, i’m not even sure it really happened.  maybe fishing is becoming too much like work for me and i’ve been suppressing the primal urges that made me start fishing in the first place and i needed to go back to the core of it all and just fish to fish for a while.  whatever it was, i do feel good now and all i can say about this past week is sometimes (i guess) like that.  if you don't have a clue what i'm talking about don't worry about it, you're probably in the majority, but if you understand this blog then... well...  then you know.

sean and the bay boyz had a decent day out at kbay on monday.

the day i was on the bay was a bit "rougher". cold pounding rain.  a popped pap.

i caught a bunch of micros throughout the week long bender.  i think this one was at kbay or maybe it was hi kai.  i don't really remember.

also some other critters... weke (goatfish) like this are tons of fun on the sage tcx 1196-4.

dougie with a nice rat, hi kai,i think.

then on the tsunami day i found myself out at kahala after the warning was downgraded to an advisory.  the tide was surging and receding every five minutes or so between about a zero tide and a foot and a half tide all that day and the day after as well.  there were some fish around probably just riding it out like the rest of us.

somewhere in the midst of this past week i apparently fished a sage 8124 z axis spey rod and a hardy angel reel.  be careful!  the high that water brings can sometimes be overwhelming.  fish in moderation... good times. 

clay.

03/05/11

bonefishing hawaii:

how many ducks does it take...

just a quick update on another week gone by.  a couple of mikes checked in from around the island.  nankos mike and mike orr both had successful days on the water at assorted locales.  i spent my day in between fronts out at hickam with doug and josh.  josh is a fellow duck and was actually at the o around the same time that i was there.  he was out charging the slopes while i was flogging the rivers and hanging at the pool hall in the emu (and of course getting a higher education). 

anyway, josh is new to the whole fly fishing in hawaii scene so the three of us went out the other day to see if the bites still on at hickam.  for whatever reason, hickam happens to be one of the more consistent (and not surprisingly more crowded) areas around the island this winter.  lots of rats running around there as well as a few trucks.  the light that day was okay but a little bit tricky.  we did our best to show josh what fish looked like and he did see a few of them as well as some tails.  we managed to hook some fish and josh got to feel first hand just what all the hype is about.  <hopefully it was enough to get him to join us in enjoying the quest out on the water.  the guy has been out a number of times, like so many others, fighting for us all to be able to do whatever we do.  i hope, on this day at least, doug and i were able to give just a little bit back.

nankos mike and a k bay bone.

michael orr at hi kai.

the thunder stealing cowboy vest man with the first fish of the day.

two ducks and a little hickam rat.

a little bigger rat... and yes josh is alot bigger than me.

so how many ducks does it take to catch a bonefish?  apparently the answer is two... oh yeah and a cardinal.  good times.

clay.

03/01/11

bonefishing hawaii:

the double double... you never know unless you go.

since the last blog sean checked in with the bay report and i’ve been out a couple of times and faced two very different days out at hi kai.  the weather here still seems to be extremely shifty and it’s hard to say with any certainty what the weather or fishing will be like on any given day.  the past couple of days the rain has been looking like it won’t be bothering us for a while.  the winds however are still very indecisive, which may not mean much to many but it sure means alot to me... and the bones for that matter.

the first day out i fished in dark ominous clouds to the sounds of loud booming thunder over the ko’olaus and an almost unbelievable lightning show.  probably not the best time to be out waving a switch rod, but the storm stayed over the mountains due to the moderate south east winds and i did not feel electricity in the air.  i’ve been out when you can hear your rod humming from the electricity in the air... a good sign that it’s time to keep your rod low and get the hail out of there.

the very next day the storm had passed and it was a perfect weather day.  e.t. some how got me to drive out during the worst part of the tide.  i wasn’t against fishing that tide, i’ll fish any tide, but it happened to be early in the morning (well not that early but too early for me).  after all isn’t the whole point of becoming a good fisherman so you don’t have to go early in the morning?  normally,  i would just tell e.t. “good luck” and not go. i went anyway just to hang out with e.t. and doug.  i told e.t. to bring a spear and i would switch off with him if we found fish, which i didn’t have very much hope of doing.  we walked around a bit and to no ones surprise... crickets.  e.t. found a tako (octopus) hole and verified the tako’s existence in the hole with his rod tip (professional fly fishing guide.  do not attempt).  we got that guy and figured that would be the highlight of the day.  i began looking for another hole when i heard e.t. in the distance,”oh... oh...oh”.

i looked up and saw e.t.’s rod in that familiar doubled over position, line peeling off of his reel.  i walked over to him and as we were cracking jokes and laughing, we heard doug yell out.

"let’s go home!”

let’s go home is the cry that doug and i yell whenever we hook a fish.  the saying developed from the times that doug and i have gone out not because i wanted to fish for bonefish but more just to catch fish for the “stupid blog”.  anyway, doug was hooked up too.  doubles do happen here but ask anyone whose been doing this for a while, they don’t happen that often.  we landed those two fish took pictures and released them.  then e.t. handed me his rod and told me it was my turn.  i started fishing and saw doug hook another fish... well.  soon after that i hooked one and it came off.  a little while later i hooked another one and as i began fighting the fish i heard in the distance,

”let’s go home!”<

what do you know, a double double.  in just a couple of hours the three of us, two rods, and a spear managed to hook eight bonefish and got a three pound tako to boot.  we cut the day short because... well because ‘nuff already.  as we waded back to shore doug commented that he didn’t think the fishing was going to be that good.  i just laughed and said, “you didn’t think it was going to be good... i never even bring one rod!”

sean checked in with a couple of bones from the bay.

sean's rig:

rod: sage 790-4 Xi3

reel: tibor everglades

backing: power pro hollow ace

line: scientific anglers redfish line 7wt.

leader: scientific anglers bonefish 16lb.

fly: grizzly variant fuzzy hand

in the midst of a raging thunder storm, i put a few more notches in the "death switch".

don't mess with the tako son... you'll get the ink.

doug and e.t. with the first double of the day.

"don't worry son.  i think these are those fly guys.  they'll let us go... i hope."

doug's rig: