since the last blog, i’ve been busy getting all my summer licks in while the gettin’s  good.  between single hand and double handing the salt, fishing the lake, and the on going dinner and dunking, i have hardly had a moment to rest (work).  i hope everyone out there is also getting their summer cracks in as fall is right around the corner.  those of us who somehow managed to eek by kindergarten should know what comes after fall.

the day after posting the last blog i hopped a plane to kauai with doug to meet up with my friend thuy and her family  for a week of scouting, r&r, and a (much needed) change of scenery.  the tides that week were tough new moon tides that rose high and fast. so the fishing days were short (especially for late starters like us) and the wading was deep.  i had to do a little swimming on a couple of days.  thuy is pretty short, but she charges which is  one of the things i like about fishing with her. one day out on the reef, i was keeping an eye on her as the tide was rising like a raging bull.  i began heading toward shore but stopped at a high spot to make another cast.  i turned for just a second to check on thuy and all i saw was her hat and her right forearm holding her rod out of the water.  i am a deep wader by nature (in the ocean.  rivers are a totally different story).  i am also staunchly against ever dunking any fly reel in saltwater.  so one of my many sayings is that as long as my rod (and reel) is out of the water don’t worry about me but if you see my rod go in the water, you better get help quick ‘cause i’m in trouble big.  well thuy is not me so i reeled up my line and went to check on her.  turns out she was fine, just hit a deep deep spot and had to swim a bit.  i was super proud of her for thinking of her rod and reel when she went in and especially for not panicking.  i’ve been in situations like this where the person panicked, it’s not pretty.

the fishing on kauai turned out to be pretty tough as fishing can sometimes be especially on unfamiliar waters with a fast rising tide.  we did get a number of shots at sighted omilu (bluefin trevally) which appear to cruise the shallow reefs there far more than they do here on oahu.  the hard part is getting a fly in front of them before being made.  i managed to do that a couple of times in april and hooked (and lost) a few.  on this trip, though, we just couldn’t get it done and they made us every time.  we didn’t see too many bones but hooked a couple micros which turned out to be the day/trip savers along with nunu (cornet fish) a plenty.  for some, this trip would have not been enough to make them return.  for me, i can’t wait to get back.

while i was there i also got to hang out and barbecue with rob arita.  rob is the only saltwater fly guide on kauai that i know of.  he is super chill and kauai is his stomping grounds.  i would definitely recommend checking him out at www.bonefishkauai.com if you are going to be on the island and want to wet a line for a day or two with a super fun guide.

we said so long to kauai for now and it was “back to the known” as thuy and i like to call it.  spent one day fishing bones with the beulah 5/6 switch, elixir 300gr, and abel switch reel.  then it was up to the lake with with thuy and her family.  spent half the day getting her kids (elise and alex) bit with live bait (thanks matt, you were the day saver for that).  then took thuy out for her first taste of fly fishing what we lovingly call "the lake".  the water is low and getting lower and it is fishing pretty well.  lots of bank access now for those who fish it from shore.  everyone got bit and it was a typical good day up in wahiawa.

yesterday, i went out to an old haunt for a little evening bombarama.  i rarely fish this area anymore because it is far from where i live and it has become one of the “popular” spots on the island.  two things that do not make a spot appealing to an old bonefishing goat like myself.  i guess as you get older things like solitude on the water and closeness to home become more important than the catching fish part.  i fished the sage 6119-4 tcx switch rod, beulah elixir 375gr (which actually weighed in at 364 grains), and abel switch reel.  got into some bones that were not that big but fat and healthy specimens.  i was glad to see that they were still around and doing well.  it was also comforting to know that despite the incredible changes to this particular area over the years and the intense pounding that it takes these days (which is probably in no small way my fault), she still welcomed back her prodigal son with open arms.  after hooking my third fish i decided to leave the rest for the others that would surely be out pounding on sunday.  i landed that fish and headed in... until the next time.

before going to kauai, i emptied my fly box.  it's amazing what you can stuff into a little fly box over time.  what is my favorite fly?  usually it is the one or two totally new flies that i tie up right before going fishing.

same two characters, much different locale.

doug with the day/trip saver.

matt checked in with another dunked and released bone of his summer 2012.

at our latest dinner and dunking session, matt brought the  hammer down.

micro bone caught while fooling around at the known.

elise with her first peacock bass.

alex stares down the barrel of a lake wilson tuc.

elise gets the cat.  i gotta say, the girls got the juj.

dad (greg) and elise teamed up to get this largemouth.

thuy and i sight fished some red devil "pigs".

and got some peacocks as well.

fat footballs...

put nice bends in 6wt. switches.

the "popular" spots all have fish this summer.

sooo much fishing... so little time.  summer lovin' and good times.

clay.