Last year I wrote about my first bonefish of 2022. The story was published in the March issue of Hawaii Fishing News. For those that missed it, I have now made the article available on my blog: I have been fortunate to spend the past several years fishing with some of Hawaii’s bonefish royalty, including … Continue reading Adventures in Bonefishing
Author: Adam
Adam has a master’s degree in mathematics, a black belt in aikido, and has worked enough jobs to fill a book—sushi chef, Peace Corps volunteer, and police detective among them. His writing and photos have shown up in The Drake, Tenkara USA, Hawaii Fishing News, and Sporting Classics Magazine. In 2023 he traded a badge in Honolulu for a skiff on the Columbia, where he now spends his days chasing carp with a fly rod and pretending it’s a retirement plan.
First Fish of the New (Lunar) Year
A small weke pueo The first fish I landed in 2023 was a goatfish, a weke pueo (here is another, better photo of one). The common name for the species is "nightmare weke," so I didn't necessarily feel super good about that as a starting point for the year. I did land a couple of … Continue reading First Fish of the New (Lunar) Year
The Spit Shrimp
Yes, that guy is fishing in a hot dog costume. A couple of years ago I wrote a post about fly fishing from a boat, with a nod towards SUP fishing at the end. In that post I briefly covered the importance of weighting a fly properly, basically that fishing from a drifting boat in … Continue reading The Spit Shrimp
Sightseeing
Some days you catch fish and some days you don't. Even when I don't catch fish I often really enjoy my time on the water. There is so much to see out there, if you stop and look. A Lazy Monk Seal Tara has always been good at this. She isn't as into fishing as … Continue reading Sightseeing
Getaway
The bonefishing has steadily improved with the onset of summer in Hawaii. Two weeks ago Ed picked me up before sunrise and we headed out to look for tailing fish. We found those, and a bunch more. The conditions were almost perfect and we had the flats almost completely to ourselves. I hooked seven bonefish … Continue reading Getaway
The Importance of Play
It has been a busy Spring for me and fishing time has not been abundant. The scarcity has reminded me of the importance of play, which can apply to anything you enjoy doing, not just to fishing. It is easy, at least for me, to let my mind get captured by the idea of "progress," … Continue reading The Importance of Play
In The News
Back in January, after several intense weeks at work, I finally got out on the water for my first full day of fishing of 2022. I really wanted to catch my first bonefish of the year, and I did. It was a 3-4 pound fish that bit my small mantis shrimp fly on the edge … Continue reading In The News
Presents from the Sea
The halalu (baby scad) have been schooling in the lagoon and the shoreline is busy every day. It's another example of how the seasons in Hawaii are marked by changes in the ocean. . Another seasonal sight are the humpback whales that migrate from the North Pacific to rear their young and wait for the … Continue reading Presents from the Sea
Single Variable Fly Selection
There are several important variables when it comes to choosing what fly to use: how heavy, and how the fly is weighted, the size and shape of the hook, the size and profile of the fly, and color. In my experience, the actual fly pattern is probably the least important variable when it comes to … Continue reading Single Variable Fly Selection
The Pictures We Take
I have been fishing almost every week recently. Most days we have gone out, everyone has hooked something, so it's fair to say that the fishing has been good, but it hasn't been great. If you asked, I would say that nothing particularly noteworthy has happened. But when I sit down and start to look … Continue reading The Pictures We Take
The Fishing Dojo 