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7/31/09

not exactly bonefishing or fly fishing hawaii:

the omilu of k bay

 

greg called and was going to fish k bay.  greg grew up on, in, and fishing the bay and always impresses me with his knowledge of the fishing there.  you can always tell just by talking to people when they really know their stuff.  there is just an air of confidence and ease in their demeanor and the things they say.  it’s hard to explain but it’s just something that cannot come from anything but decades of “paying dues” on the water.  the plan was to... well fish.  we didn’t plan how or for what.  in fact when e.t. asked what we were going to do, i just said, “we’re going to do whatever it takes.” 

 

i showed up at gregs house with my trusty switch rod and a single hand rod, as well as a light baitcasting rod... greg showed up with a bucket of live oama (juvenille goatfish).  apparently the oama have been running in the bay for a couple of weeks and was beginning to get thick, so greg caught a bunch and wanted to troll it around and check out different places around the bay.  i haven’t trolled with oama in maybe twenty years, so i was all about doing that (actually today was not a hardcore fishing day so i was pretty much all in for anything).  we trolled around the bay and caught ten or so omilu (bluefin trevally).  i’m not exactly sure how many, but we had twenty or so oama and every one of them either caught an omilu or got lost to a missed strike.  none were real big, but they were all super fun.

 

 

 

the day turned out to be quite rainy.  we got dumped on a number of times, which pretty much foistered our “fish from the boat, no need to get wet” theory.  although no fly rods were used in the making of this episode, it was a totally relaxing day and kind of a nice break from the everyday fly stuff.  we are after all fishermen first.  thanks greg for another fun day on the water.

 

greg starts things off with the first of many omilu and didi the wonder fishing dog goes wild.

 

comin’ up.

 

another bluefin trevally.

 

the release shot.

 

the omnibus skies over k bay.

 

omilu in the rain.

 

the last oama and the last omilu falls for the “triple threat”.  a great way to end the day and a great way to end the blog for this month.  good times. see ya’ in august.

 

clay.

 

 

 

7/30/09

all hawaii bonefish all the time:

hawaii bonefish pics fix

 

checked out ke’ehi with some of the boyz today.  the normal crew e.t., greg, and surfa boy craig, also lost brian and asa.  lost brian has a few more weeks free so he has been pounding it hard and learning more and more everytime out (that’s how you get good bro).  the tide was of the raging bull variety so we met up at 5:30 am.  that was way too early for me, but sometimes you gotta do work... you know?  when we got out to the flat the light was still low and it was a bit cloudy.  e.t., greg and i opted to chill in the boat and discuss the finer points of fish, fishing, and fishermen, while the other eager beavers set out on their individual quests for the hawaiian bonefish.

 

as the sun got higher and the sky cleared up greg and i finally mustered the energy to jump out and see what was what.  i fished the beulah 6/7 switch rod (www.beulahflyrods.com).  this rod is fast becoming my tool of choice for an all around do everything bonefish rod for hawaii (yes deano, you were right... thanks for turning me on to the switch).  it turns over long leaders easily for sight fishing and is all the cannon you need and more for “bombing” for the hawaiian version of the grey ghost.  it is also tons of fun to cast as you can do a variety of casts both single and two handed.

 

today i used several different “found flies”.  found flies are what i call the handful of flies i’ll tie just before going fishing.  i call them “found” because i use materials that i cockroach from a bin of used flies and flies that didn’t quite make the grade.  i’ll just snip a wing or tail from here. pull off some legs from there.  it’s totally spur of the tying moment so to speak and i never know what i’ll come out with until the whip finish.

 

the guys all charged into the mangroves and disappeared, anticipating the big tide.  i stayed on the outside.  i love crawling around the mangroves but it seemed like a waste of flats to have everybody in the same place with so much water open for business.  so i just strolled around the great wide open with my switch in hand and my thoughts and internal ipod in my head.  the tide came in quick as expected.  i got some fish to take assorted creations that i “found”.  the other guys also hooked a few.  craig hooked a fish that broke the head of his fly line, a solemn reminder that fly gear is still very much at the mercy of the reef.  we fished a few hours and packed it in at noon as several of us had other less desirable shtuff to do.

 

chalked up another day in the life and got some bonefish pics for the peeps out there who are into that sort of thing.  hope you guys enjoy them.

 

a perfect hawaii bonefish.

 

 

 

 

"found" flies

 

yet another "perfect" hawaii bonefish

 

 

up your hose with a rubber nose...

 

 

you knew it was coming... i gotta be me.  good times.

 

 

clay.

 

 

7/28/09

fly fishing hawaii and hawaii bonefish:

the goings ons

 

the fishing has gotten a little spotty but there are still some things to report here and there.  the reports overall have not been gang busters but as always, still definitely worth going.

 

sean reported some omilu action on poppers in kbay.  surfa boy craig and his buddy michael managed to squeeze a small hawaii bonefish out at hi kai far to early in the morning for me.  lost brian got a bonefish out at kbay (he did not have a camera... c’mon bro get with the program!).  also congrats to chris and team prototype (http://www.inspirecreativity.com/) for cracking two second place worthy kagami’s in the recent k bay papio tournament.

 

as for me, i took little maddie and bennet up to the lake today.  the water was high and a bright green at most spots.  fishing was pretty slow by lake standards.  we caught a red devil and a small catfish using live bait.  the kids had a blast just being kids, sheltering themselves from the intermittent showers, driving the boat, horsing around, checking out the sights and eating a ton of spam musubi’s (photos on the way).  all in all, as always with uncle clay, good times.

 

sean's kbay omilu pics.

 

michael and his "early bird special" hawaii bonefish.

 

team prototype collect their corn.

 

bennet knows his way around water and ensures everyone that fishing will be good again.

 

clay.

 

 

.

7/24/09

hawaii bonefish:

sean’s bonefish turd

 

as promised, sean dialed in the tying steps for his turd style fly.  as you blog peeps may remember, sean caught his last mc fatty hawaii< bonefish on this particular fly.  you may just want to have a few in your box... and, according to sean, it goes a little something like this...

 

Tying the Turd

 

The Bonefish Turd is a pattern originally designed by Brian O’Keefe, featuring a rear-set sink eye. This allows the fly to ride hook point up without the need for a wing. That said, the fly I’ll be tying today is a nasty bastardization of said Turd, and in no way reflects the good work of Mr. O’Keefe.

 

Here's what you'll need to tie your own Turds. You'll also need a vise, and my personal favorite is a Renzetti.

 

hook:  tiemco 800s sz.6 or similar

thread:  brown flat wax nylon

eyes:  small lead eyes (painted yellow)

tail:  brown marabou, krystal flash (gold or med. brown), brown sili legs

body: brown medium chenille

hackle: brown saddle hackle

 

Step 1

Begin with a brown thread base on a short shank saltwater hook (TMC 800S, Mustad C47SD, etc.). You could also use a standard shank hook like a Mustad 34007, but I prefer the short shank.

 

Step 2

Tie in the sink eyes opposite the hook point. In this case, they are 5/32" lead dumbbell eyes painted yellow. Use the same figure-8 wraps that Clay told you about in his earlier entries.

 

Step 3

Tie in the tips of a brown marabou feather as a fluffy tail. You don’t need to use the entire feather, but since I’m only tying one fly right now, I did. Clay will probably scold me for wasting.

 

Step 4

Tie a brown silicone leg on each side of the tail.

 

Step 5

A few strands of brown Krystal Flash add a little sparkle.

 

Step 6

Tie in the center string from a piece of brown chenille to begin the fly body.<

 

Step 7

Tie down the tip of a saddle hackle feather near the middle of the hook shank.

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A note on saddle hackles: Beginning fly tiers often ask which feather to use when palmering a hackle on a saltwater fly. I like to use a wide, webby hackle. Notice the difference between the two hackle feathers pictured. The stiff barbs of the hackle on the left stick out straight and are well separated. The soft barbs of the hackle on the right curve with the stem and don’t separate easily. This is the "right" feather to use when palmering a hackle.

 

Step 8

Wrap the chenille around the hook shank, creating the fly body. Starting at the tail, go over and around the sink eyes and almost all the way to the hook eye, leaving enough space for one more wrap. Tie off the chenille with a couple of wraps of thread but do not cut the chenille yet.

 

Step 9

Palmer the hackle through the chenille towards the hook eye.

 

Step 10

Once you reach the end of the chenille, tie off the hackle.

 

Step 11

Make your final wrap of chenille and tie off with a whip finish.

 

Step 12

Add head cement to the thread wraps. All pau (finished).

 

Now get out there and catch your own fatty bonefish before Clay does!

 

...i agree!  good times.

 

clay.

 

 

07/24/09

hawaii bonefish:

the deano report and "lost" brian, hawaii bonefish, and the surf rod

 

not much to report today.   been busy with shtuff and haven’t been out in a week (i apologize to the good peeps, but things should be more back on track now).  so deano sent me a report “bumming on the big island”  (http://bigisland-bonefish808.blogspot.com) on his recent return to the bigetty bigs.

 

i got a chance to get out today with e.t. and “lost” brian.  we went out to ke’ehi to see what was what.  we spent quite a bit of time searching for mantis shrimp holes, but could find none of the gigantor mantis holes.  it was a good break from the bonefish grind and i thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably be doing it more in the future.

 

later i got a chance to introduce brian to two hand overhead casting.  we used the beulah 7/8 surf rod (www.beulahflyrods.com).  brian quickly saw the potential of this rod to go beyond fishing the flats for bonefish that most fly fishermen in hawaii think fly fishing here is limited to.  brian hooked two bonefish.  we hooked one on the reef special (of course) and the other on an orange prototype charlie like fly.  unfortunately, fighting fish in gnarly reef/surf conditions also takes some getting used to and the bonefish were lost to the unrelenting reef.  i could tell by watching the fight that they were both good fish.

 

e.t. stayed on the inside, hooked two bonefish and landed one.  as usual he was ten billion miles away from us (man that guy can move) and i didn’t get any photos.

 

all in all a pretty slow day (for fishing and blogging) as i kind of expected from the reports from jay earlier in the week.  thanks e.t. and “lost” brian for another fun day on the water.  brian, good to get out with you again bro.  it’s been such a long time.  hopefully we’ll get out many more times before you disappear again.  i can’t wait to get back to kauai again and see what the two handed rods can do on brian’s home waters. good times

 

"lost" brian launching some bombs with the beulah 7/8 surf rod.

clay.

 

<07/19/09

bonefishing hawaii:

brandon and rick and bonefish... oh my!

 

so brandon, rick, rick's son austin and e.t.'s friend rebecca have been here in hawaii for the past couple of weeks.  the annual christmas island trip fell through, so the boyz (sean and e.t.) have been out there pounding it with them.  i was happy to stay in the shop and reconnect with many of the good peeps who visit the shop that i haven't seen in a while.  so it was good to see you all.  i was also glad that "the young boy" had a chance to get out and fish.  as many of you know, sean's the guy that keeps the whole operation afloat so his latest hiatus was well deserved.  so here's a photo montage of the events.  hope you guys take home some good memories of the bonefish and trevally of hawaii summer 2009. 

 

shtanky pier aku... nice.  good times.

clay.

07/16/09

fly fishing hawaii:

the lake update

 

not much to report.  went out to the lake today with ken.  the water has gone up quite a bit since the last time i was there.  some of the wahiawanites told me that it had just come up from the rain in the last two days.  with the fast rise in the water level, i expected the fishing to be pretty slow.  it turned out to be even slower than that.  i did not see a single peacock on the lake except for occasional fish busting around boyscout island and kemoo island.  we got a few red devils.  and saw some other peeps catching devils as well.  if any of you guys managed a peacock bass today props to you.  the ramp is back to normal, easy launching for all.  so i'll probably be back up there again soon.  the catching may be a different story for a few more days.

 

the main goal for the day was to check out the lake and ken's boat.  also to get ken casting a little better and to let him get out again since his fly rod got stolen (very uncool).  so i guess all in all good times and mission accomplished.

 

 

clay.


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