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10/27/13

bonefishing hawaii:

fall bones.

 

there really is not a whole lot big changes in the hawaiian islands that mark the changing of of the seasons except for the calendar.  you’re going along enjoying your summer thang and the next thing you know it is almost halloween.  “seasons” around here kind of just blend into each other.  it still feels, to me at least, like summer but there are subtle differences that let you know we are into the fall season.  having done little else in life but this hawaii bonefishing stuff for the past twenty years now, i often automatically adapt to the subtle season changes without even knowing it.  this past week i took note of these subtleties for the first time although they had been creeping slowly but surely upon us for quite a while now.

 

the sage 691-4 one in action on the water.

 

i spent an afternoon sight fishing (on thursday) with my sage 691-4 one (there's something about konnetic technology...it's good) , abel classic, and a scientific anglers textured saltwater line.  for the first time this year i took notice of the suns lower position in the sky.  for the bonefish sight fisherman, a lower sun angle changes the direction that your best visibility is at.  just as the sun decreases and changes your optimal visibility in the mornings and afternoons, the optimal visibility is also decreased as the sun crosses the sky at a lower angle in the fall and winter months.  gone are the days of 360 degree hundred plus foot visibility.  the angle of the sun also changes the way bones will “look like” in the water.  i will not even begin to attempt to describe what fall fish look like compared to summer fish.  that is impossible because it is impossible to know (except maybe after you die) what other people actually see.  suffice to say that being able to recognize and pick out a morning fish, an afternoon fish, and fish of all seasons and all light conditions, coming (or going)  from all angles is of the utmost importance when it comes to sight fishing.  people often get too caught up in fly, type, presentation, tide, time of day, and things like that.  while these things, no doubt, play a role in sight fishing success.  in the long run, sight fishing for bones is a simple game.  he who sees the most will catch the most. 

  

recognizing where your best window into the world below is and knowing what fall bones "look like" can make sight fishing quite good at this time of the year.

 

another subtle change of the seasons, at least now days, is the disappearance of the summer schoolie fish.  i notice much less of these “micro” bones in the shallow waters as we move through fall toward winter.  i say “now days” because twenty years ago there were no “micro” bones on the reefs here.  every fish was at least five pounds and there were many more of them.  then over the years more and more small bones of three pounds and less (often much less) started showing up in the shallow zones.  now, especially during the summer, there are tons of these micros running around.  why that has changed over the years, only mother nature knows.  i certainly don’t.  i’m just a casual observer trying to get bit every once in a while.

 

fewer of these micros around than in the summer, but I still ran into a couple this past week.

 

then on friday i took out the (now old) sage 6126-4 z-axis and abel switch reel for an afternoon bombarama with the boyz.  i got out on the water and was soon reminded of another subtlety of fall… the fall fatty.  there are always some big fish around but it seems like in the fall they tend to show up a little more and they seem to be just a tad fatter than the big ones you catch at other times of the year.  the first fish i hooked was one of these fall mac fatties.  when it bit and took off i remember thinking “feels like fall”.  i went on to hook a bunch of other fish of varying sizes including a few micros, so there are definitely still a lot of fish out there, but it certainly seemed like the schoolies of summer were gone and we were just picking off random fish here and there.  for the bomber as fall turns into winter covering water becomes increasingly important.  it’s always important, but it just becomes more so when you are trying to find the random solos rather than bombing into piles of fish.  a two handed rod can really help in covering some serious water.  not to mention they are super fun to cast and fish.

 

the fall mac fatty.

 

 

the two handed rod is a great tool for easily covering "serious" water.

 

one really noticeable change especially for the afternoon bone hunters is that the sun sets very noticeably earlier.  so plan your fishing accordingly so you don’t get caught in the dark as we have been lately.

 

the days are getting short.  doug got this one in the twilight's last gleaming.  now we just gotta find our way back to shore in the dark.

 

the differences between the seasons are very subtle here in hawaii.  we are extremely fortunate to have a year round fishery and we should all try our best to take care of it.  i know i’m as full of sh_t as the next guy, but fishing is and should be a personal thing.  these are just a few of my personal observations of this fallish time of year.  believe it or not.  i’ll see you on the water.

 

i don't like fishing near other people (even the people i am fishing with) so i rarely get nice pictures like this one.  thanks craig "rusty" for the nice pictures.  i think i need a personal camera guy to follow me around. hah!  fall bones... good times.

 

clay.


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