We paddled out to look for bonefish on a nice day in January. I couldn't get any bonefish to eat, but on the walk back to where the SUP boards were anchored I spotted a barracuda, lurking hungrily on the reef. . The barracudas that we find inshore here are not very big, but they … Continue reading Year of the ‘Cuda
Category: fishing
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
Fishing isn’t Baseball
We set out this morning on the SUP boards in Kaneohe Bay. I badly wanted to catch a fish, but right away I had three strikes against me: It was more cloudy and more windy than was forecast, and the low tide was already too deep to wade (see my previous post about the tides). … Continue reading Fishing isn’t Baseball
The Bubble
Last weekend I went papio fishing with my friend Chris. The surf was small and the early morning low tide looked ideal, but the reality was totally different than predicted. . Reefs that should have been completely exposed at the low tide level were one to two feet under water. Reaching the actual fishing grounds … Continue reading The Bubble
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
Trevally Fishing in Hawaii
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
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
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
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 