I have an odd shape to my head which makes it difficult to find hats that fit. Imagine taking a clay ball between your palms and smooshing it a bit on the sides. That's my head. I can wear most tuques, or top hats, or visors, but the brims of most baseball hats are too … Continue reading Hat Trick
Fishing Dojo Blog
Navigating a Crowd
I like getting away from the crowd when I fish, but it's not always possible. Crowded spots are often crowded for a reason. If there are a lot of people fishing somewhere it's often because the fishing is good there! The flip side of this coin is that the fish in these areas can get … Continue reading Navigating a Crowd
Fun in the Surf Zone
For many years I neglected fishing for bonefish in the surf zone. I did other types of fishing in the waves, but the huge movement of water and gnarly topography of the reef crest never really seemed like a good place to fly fish for bones. However, it turns out that, in the right spots … Continue reading Fun in the Surf Zone
Adventure is out there, so why am I in here?
After more than a decade back in Hawaii, Tara and I have quit our jobs and joined the Peace Corps. For real. In two weeks we will lug all of our worldly possessions onto a flight bound for the Eastern Caribbean to help develop English literacy in rural primary schools. We don't know exactly where … Continue reading Adventure is out there, so why am I in here?
Superfly Variation
This past season, Makani Christensen over at Fly Fishing Hawaii / Keawe Adventures has been developing his "Superfly" pattern. It has proven effective on the Winter and Spring bonefish, which can be frustratingly selective in what they will and won't eat on any given day. Personally, my go-to fly when the bonefish are being picky … Continue reading Superfly Variation
Photo-Op
It's hard to believe we will be leaving Hawaii in just a couple of months! (More about that later.) Tara has been looking through some old photos and noticed that we didn't have any good pictures of one of the iconic features of Oahu: Koko Head Crater and the Ridge over Hanauma Bay. Not this … Continue reading Photo-Op
Adventures in Bonefishing
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
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