The second leg of our Australian journey was in Kakadu, the country’s largest national park. The indigenous people of Kakadu mark six annual seasons on their calendar. We arrived during Yegge, on the shoulder of the wet season, the time of year when early morning mists hang low over carpets of water lilies. Continue reading
We traveled to Australia for the first three weeks of June. The first leg of the journey was spent sailing around the Whitsunday Islands in a 32 foot sailboat. This was arranged in large part by our friends from Washington D.C., who actually know how to sail! I was a little apprehensive because we had never spent so long on the water in such a small vessel, but despite some less than perfect weather, we found our sea-legs quickly and thoroughly enjoyed our time.
Springtime found me back on the water with my spinning rod. Inspired by an old article in Sports Illustrated about spin-fishing for bonefish, I have been working on a more consistent method for flats fishing with light tackle here in Hawaii.
On a calm, sunny day we packed the inflatable boat into the car and headed to a spot I had not been to in years. We paddled past boats and buoys and one curious sea turtle and pulled onto the flat at dead low tide. Continue reading
Hawaii has a history of micro-fishing, of a sort. During the Summer months, schools of ‘oama, juvenile goatfish, gather in the shallows along coastlines throughout the state. The easiest way to find ‘oama is to look for the people catching them: groups of people of all ages, standing quietly in the shallows with small hand poles, plucking the little fish from the schools with bits of shrimp and depositing them into buckets or bait-keepers. ‘Oama are a prized bait, used for catching the larger reef predators like jacks and barracuda, but they are also desirable as a food item by themselves.
But ‘oama are only the beginning when it comes to the micro-fishing opportunities in Hawaii. Continue reading
I suppose that there is no need to address the enthusiasts out there of the merits of micro-fishing. If you are already a fan, feel free to stop reading and go fishing instead. For anyone else who might raise a skeptical eyebrow at the suggestion of catching little fish on purpose I propose that micro-fishing is not only good fun, it is also an effective way to improve your fishing skills overall.
This short series of posts will explore micro-fishing. This time: Part I: Looking Back…..
Our Columbia River cottage is finally ready for visits! In November we took advantage of a long weekend to sneak off to Rowena. The Fall leaves were golden, still hanging on before the first frost of the Winter. As the time for carp was well past, I had no plans to catch any fish. Continue reading
I prefer active fishing: wading, casting, stalking fish. I also strive for simplicity which means I prefer fishing with flies and lures over bait because I can pack less and don’t have to constantly maintain my terminal tackle. But once in a while, I just want to sit on the beach. Continue reading
This past Fall, while I was laid up with a broken foot, I spent a little bit too much time on Zillow and ended up buying a house. This will undoubtedly become my best excuse – “sorry, I have to go fishing, otherwise I might buy another house”! Continue reading
