A few months back I wrote a post about fishing for trevally during our trip to the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia last summer. Summer in Hawaii is the best time of year for trevally, or ulua, as we call them locally. In the spirit of looking forward to the upcoming season, I thought I … Continue reading Trevally Fishing in Hawaii
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.
The Hitchhiker
One morning I caught a ride on Makani's boat. He was taking a client out, but was kind enough to drop me off on the flat to look for bonefish. On the ride I noticed a baby gecko struggling in a small puddle on the deck, so I reached down and scooped it up. . … Continue reading The Hitchhiker
The Buddy System
I believe I have mentioned the phenomenon of the buddy system before, but I think it bears repeating. . Very often bonefish travel and feed in pairs. Sometimes they are close together, but I have also seen fish a hundred feet apart that are clearly aware of each other and eventually meet up before leaving … Continue reading The Buddy System
Needlefish Sashimi
With calm winds and gentle southerly surf, my friend Makani has been doing a lot of bottom-fishing lately. I have joined him a couple of times and we have caught plenty of fish: snapper, goatfish, triggerfish, Hawaiian bigeye, queenfish, and, on our last outing, some large needlefish. . The "needlefish" usually served in sushi restaurants … Continue reading Needlefish Sashimi
Trevally Fishing in Tahiti
Our trip to French Polynesia this Summer was especially interesting because I had a chance to explore the differences between one tropical Pacific island chain and another. In doing my pre-trip research, I realized that the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia had extensive barrier reefs and relatively small tidal fluctuations. This got me very excited … Continue reading Trevally Fishing in Tahiti
Sea Monsters
In my last post I mentioned bottom-fishing. Day or night, it is one of the easiest and most productive styles of fishing from a boat. Just rig your line with a weight and a baited hook, drop it to the bottom, and wait for something to bite. a night-biting snapper . In Tahiti, we would … Continue reading Sea Monsters
Fishing from a Sailboat
We spent two weeks in May sailing through the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia. Our shipmates were two good friends, who actually know how to sail! Together we chartered a bare boat (meaning without crew), the 43 foot Utrillo. This is our second sailing adventure. Two years ago we joined the same friends for an … Continue reading Fishing from a Sailboat
Another May
Looking back I realized that I started this blog eleven years ago this month. . During that time, many of my favorite blogs have disappeared. Their authors have gotten busy or moved on to more current social media platforms, but about once a month I still sit down and post something. I don't use "hashtags" … Continue reading Another May
Fish Art
This is a birthday card I received from my family last Fall. The painting was done by my father, Terry McIlrath. He has been a professional artist since before I was born, and has been drawing, painting and sculpting fish images for just as long. Fish and art have long been parallel themes in my … Continue reading Fish Art
Winter Fishing Blues
I used to get a bad case of the Winter fishing blues every year. I could usually make it to February without going too crazy but eventually I'd bundle up and go looking for something to catch, which was usually nothing at all. For many fishers (especially the carp on the fly variety) Winter is … Continue reading Winter Fishing Blues
The Fishing Dojo 