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03/02/14

bonefishing hawaii:

focused bombing.


okay, okay, so i lied a little bit about the whole “that’s it” part of the last blog.  as those of you who know me know, good fishing doesn’t make me want to be out there more.  it is poor fishing that gets me going.  so after wednesday’s beat down.  i was right back out there on thursday defiant as ever and ready to once again go head to head with the fish gods.  i had a couple of other motivating factors as well.  i’ve been dying to fish my new sage method 6126-4 two hander and i also had no pictures for this weeks blog.  that’s more than enough reasons to get this old guy out on the water so off i went. once more into the fracas.


when the new “method red” rods were introduced by sage i wasn’t planning on getting any method two handers.  i really like the sage spey ones that i have.  after fishing the single hand methods, however, i just had to get a two hander to try.  the single hand methods were just too good.  it didn’t take long before the “rod crack” got the best of this addict.


i got out on the water, strung the rod up with a 390gr rio scandi and an eighteen foot mono leader that i tied, and began casting.  first impression of the rod was that it felt very different than its predecessor the tcx.  it was fast and smooth (like the tcx), but it seemed to bend deeper into the rod more easily than the tcx.  the rod has an amazingly quick recovery, a very noticeable characteristic of most all of the rods sage produces these days.  i definitely felt more of that sweet connection to the line than with the tcx.  of course the tcx didn’t come in a six weight the smallest tcx spey rod was the deathstar which is a 12’6” seven (actually more like a light eight to me) so i don’t know if one can really compare the two.  the 7126-4 tcx threw long distance bombs no problem but you had to have a certain amount of “trust” that it was loading.  some people really liked that feel while others hated it.  to me  both the tcx and the method are extremely easy to cast, ridiculously good spey rods.  they just feel a lot different while casting them.


the 6126-4 method is probably more suited for comparison with the 6126-4 one rod.  in order to compare the two,  i think i need  to fish both rods more.  so i’ll hold off on that comparison for future blogs.  i have to admit that my focus on thursday was much more on trying to get bit than feeling out the nuances of a new rod in my hand.  the method did easily cast long range lazers, which i fully expected it would, and boy did i need it that day.  just as the previous day, fish were simply not gathering for our superhero.


the method and i assaulted the area for a couple hours with absolutely nothing.  i was up against it.  with the tide becoming worse by the minute and absolute zero signs of fish, i dug in and focused even harder.  i paid even more attention to every cast i made to minimize the number of bad casts that waste precious time.  i also paid more attention to details like where i was casting, what kind of bottom was i casting over, the depth of the water, the speed of the wind and current.  i was extra careful to make sure i was in constant contact with my fly and visualized what the fly was doing on every strip.  listening to tunes, dancing and singing, “autopilot”, time on the water was over.  i knew there had to be a fish around somewhere, i just had to get on it.  at the same time i knew that the odds were stacked against me. there was a good chance that the method would go home without getting the new rod stink off.


finally, on cast number bazillion and one, i began stripping and my fly just stopped.  not a pull, bump, or tap.  it just stopped.  it was so subtle that had i not been so focused on the task at hand,  i would probably have missed it.  even as focused as i was, when i felt the fly stop it did not register in my mind as a fish.  instinctually, i set the hook anyway.  as i always say, in this game many fish turn into rocks but every once in a while rocks turn into fish.  for an instant it felt like i had once again snagged the weedy bottom.  a split second later i felt it... life at the other end.  it was a fish, probably as cold as i was, that somehow mustered up just enough energy to bite.  the relentless pounding paid off.  mission accomplished.  what a great feeling.  after landing that fish, i went back to autopilot mode, dancing and singing (screaming) at the top of my lungs while fishing and trying to stay warm for another hour or so.  i got one more (on the bazillion and three hundred seventy third cast i think).  both fish were cookie cutter little rats but to me they were, by far, two of the best bones i have caught in a long while.  i’ll see you on the water.


tough to get fish are awesome way beyond their size when you get them.  i guess it’s true that absence does make the heart grow fonder and you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.  the essence of good times.

 

clay.


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