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 →

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

My motivation for fishing is manifold. I enjoy the physical and mental challenge, the aspect of exploration, and developing a relationship with my natural surroundings: the weather, the winds, the water, and the fish themselves. While I am usually a catch-and-release type of person, once in a while I am also motivated to catch fish … Continue reading Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner →

Feels Like Summer

Big O'io There are some places on the flats where big fish regularly feed, but they are crazy-difficult to catch. When I see these fish I go directly into stealth mode, with lots of crouching low to the water and slow-motion steps. Most of the time, no matter how stealthy I am, the fish turn … Continue reading Feels Like Summer →

All-In

I remember reading somewhere that human beings are more likely to return to something over and over if the outcome is uncertain. We quickly lose interest in the sure thing, perhaps because it's a sure thing. I don't remember where I read that, but I believe the point was that we are psychologically hard-wired to … Continue reading All-In →

Loose Ends

I think we can all agree that 2020 was not the best year, with a smorgasbord of tragedy and disappointments, globally, nationally, and close to home. Looking back however, I am slightly stunned to realize that 2020 was, against all odds, a pretty good fishing year for me personally. I have written about most of … Continue reading Loose Ends →

Spotting Bonefish (in Hawaii)

This post is an attempt to answer an important question that was posed in the comments on an earlier post. The question was about how to spot bonefish while wading. When I mentioned this to Tara she replied that the best way to learn is to have someone point the fish out to you. That's … Continue reading Spotting Bonefish (in Hawaii) →

Pow Pow!

Ed picked me up early and we marveled at the clear sky and calm conditions on the ride to the boat ramp. The weather was ideal. "Why can't every day be like this" we kept asking each other. The marina parking lot was mostly empty and we rigged up the fly rods and launched the … Continue reading Pow Pow! →

Lucky Number Six

We had about two weeks of cloudy and rainy weather in Honolulu but, fortuitously, the clouds parted and this weekend was forecast to be sunny and calm. My two most reliable fishing companions had been missing in action for part of the month. Ed's boat had some engine trouble and Makani had taken back-to-back work … Continue reading Lucky Number Six →

All Nighters

The past few weeks have been a mix of fishing on foot, from a boat or from the SUP boards. I've had a bit of success with each, but nothing has happened that has compelled me to write about it, until this week. . Ed picked me up early to fish the falling tide, but … Continue reading All Nighters →

Red Water Bones

a mangrove island Many of the bonefish flats here on Oahu include mangroves. In some areas, the mangroves line the shore and in others they have grown up around small, sandy islets. The mangroves are not native to Hawaii, but they are happy here and have spread steadily over the past decade. Recently, the government … Continue reading Red Water Bones →