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01/10/10

bonefishing hawaii:

the 4-1-1 on 1-10-10.

 

so here we are in 2010 and almost half way through the first month already.  i’m still trying to find my groove as happens in all new years that come around way to fast.  i’m still writing 2009 on everything, busy wrestling year end work stuff, the holiday season hangover, while still getting out on the water... something had to give and i guess it was the blog.  but fear not true believers, the blog shall go on.

 

knock on wood, the winter has been kind to most as the fish are still around for those who want put their minds to it.  e.t.’s clients have been doing well as well as many customers who have rolled through the doors at nwff.  i’ve been out a number of times and have found the fish still around (though at times pretty sparse).  i’ve been managing the one or two winter par fish an outing with one "full on bolo" in the mix.  my last adventure was out to kbay and the kahaluu/kualoa area with  e.t. and “pops”.

 

greg had the day off and despite the shtanky weather and tide we went out to see what all was what (like i always tell people, the best tide and time to fish is whenever you can).  the winds are still in a state of funk coming from pretty much any direction they want to on any given day.  on this day it was coming lightly out of the north and pretty chilly on the hawaiian cold scale.  we dropped e.t. off at assorted flats areas and greg and i drifted around looking for fish when the conditions allowed and taking turns bombing gregs deer creek switch when the clouds and glare got the best of us.

 

e.t. patrolled his usual miles of flats and reported back with a good sized weke (goat fish), a couple of papio (small trevally) and a bone.  i hooked two bones that got rid of me pretty quick.  one fish was hooked with e.t.’s st. croix legend 8wt. that fish broke the leader at the fly.  the other fish i hooked with gregs rod and that fish bent the hook out.  greg also got a fish and landed it.  we used brown charlies (actually a dubbed charlie made out of gregs cat's fur) and ginger colored clousers.

 

losing two fish in a day is pretty rare for me and it pointed out a minor often overlooked detail of fishing that i think is very important.  that little facet of this game we all play is the importance of knowing your gear.  we all fish differently.  i’m not talking about big differences but we develop subtle differences, like how often we change a leader, what knots we use (and in what brand or kind of line), or even how often we retie a fly or change a fly.  all of these subtle differences make up fishing "systems" that are unique to each of us.  over time we learn to use the systems along with our personal fishing skills and habits that we develop to it’s fullest potential.  we may not notice it, but we get very good at fighting and landing fish with our own individual systems.  we know when we can lay the wood to the fish and when it’s getting into that grey area where system failure is a possibility or even a probability.

 

i know in general that i put a lot of pressure on bonefish when i first hook them especially in corally situations, but i also know that i don’t just stand there with a locked down drag (if i did that i wouldn’t land any bones).  we all are constantly adjusting the pressure that we apply on a fish from the moment we hook them to the time we land it.  we use pressure on the line while clearing it, we use drag settings, rod bend and angle, type of rod, type of reel, palming the spool, etc. all to apply the most pressure possible without overloading the system.  so in the case of the two fish that i lost it wasn’t a matter of me putting too much pressure nor was it that  e.t. or gregs gear wasn’t up to the task (they land just as many if not more and bigger fish than i do with their habits and “systems”).  on this day, i chalked those “loses” up more to an incompatibility between the “systems”.  me not knowing how to use their systems to the fullest.

 

granted niney nine out of one hundred times if the fisher is good and the gear is good things will work out or fish will be lost to other more obvious reasons, but it’s that one hundreth time that makes you stop and wonder.  it makes you think about those minute things that keeps this sport interesting, fun, and a life long journey.  the things that make you not able to wait to get back on the water again.

 

”pops” perfectly utilizing his “system”.

 

enjoying the journey with great guys that’s what it’s all about.  good times.

 

clay.


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