Further information ...

 

07/27/10

fly fishing hawaii:

generation next.

 

since the last blog i spent a couple of days fishing on the lake with the next generation of fishermen.  i fly fished one day with my buddy’s sons ben and casey.  then yesterday i went out with my nephews.  whenever fishing with gen. nexters, it is critical to fish at their level and challenge them while still maintaining a level of fun that will leave them wanting to do it again.  ben and casey are two very good fly casters but have limited actual fishing experience.  we got dealt a tough day on the lake so instead of just blind casting the edges for that one or two cooperating peacocks, which these two guys are more than capable of doing.  we spent most of the time trying to sight fish red devils which, on this day, were tough to get (lots of scared devils).  that proved to be perfect for the boys skill (and fun) level as we found enough fish to challenge their casting skills as well as their fly presentation skills.  they had to take inventory of many different situations and design casts to get the fly where they needed to (right on the red devils head).  the good thing is that red devils are a fish that you don’t have to come up with the right shot, right away.  also because the devils were so unaggressive on that day (as devils sometimes get), the boys had to really focus on the fish and learn to react to the subtle visual takes (yes, stan they were able to see the gill flare).  although they didn’t land any red devils, the boys made a bunch of great casts that they probably never made before or even thought of making before.  they also learned about the ways of the tough devil as well as practiced knowing exactly where the fly is and what it is doing.  they even turned a few heads (what happens when you are a little slow on the gill flare and set the hook just as the red devil is spitting the fly out).  overall they took away much more fly fishing skills from the experience than they would have if we had just pounded for peacocks and at their level they knew it.  the next time they are up there, if the devils are even a little more aggressive... watch out it’s going to be a slaughterhouse.

 

the next trip out was very different.  i took my nephews bennet and dennen.  although they have been out on the lake a number of times, they are still in the infancy of their fishing careers.  <a fun day for these guys is all about spam musubis, driving the boat and getting some fish on board.  we managed to do all of that and improve their fishing skills.  the difference between this time out and the other times i have been on the water with them was that bennet tied all the hooks and swivels to the line and i left dennen to fish pretty much on his own.  we also used much lighter line than on previous trips.  the boys lack of experience fighting fish led to a number of fish broken off in the wood or grass and i just let them go because they are at the point where they have caught enough fish that i knew losing fish would not break their hearts.  instead these experiences led them to focus more on how they were fighting the fish a step above just cranking the handle.  i also, for the first time with them, took out a fly rod and just casted it a little bit.  i didn’t make them watch me (although they did), make them try it, or explain to them anymore than they asked about.  while they were eating i just picked up the rod, went to the front of the boat and started casting, just to expose them to it.

 

anyway, i guess the point is that it is important to spend time with the future of our sport.  just as important is to realize that kids can have fun doing anything, you just gotta recognize their level of enthusiasm for it and do it in a way that keeps it on that “fun side” of things to do.  inevitably they will all progress at their own pace as long as they want to do it... and it will all work out in the end.

 

<benny with an errant bleug (bluegill) caught while trying to get a red devil.

 

casey with his first bass, one of the smallest known to man.

 

stan was out that day getting his tenkara on... you can teach an old dog new tricks (sometimes).  caution: objects in this picture may appear larger than they really are.

 

mr. craig sako jumped in stans boat and laid the sage smallmouth bass rod wood to a couple of nice peacocks.  (see caution on previous picture).

 

dennen with his peacock and a little cat.

 

at nine years old bennet already knows a thing or two about good times.

 

 

 

clay. 

 

 

 

 


Top of page

"Nervous Water Fly Fishers- your guide to fly fishing in Hawaii"