Catch and A Release

Looking back through my journal notes I think I am forced to admit that the carp fishing season on the Columbia River ended in September. I still saw a few carp in October, and even caught one on November 2, but September was the last time I saw decent numbers of feeding carp in the … Continue reading Catch and A Release →

Just Now

My Boat finally arrived in November, just in time for the end of carp season! Shipping her from Florida and dealing with flaky freight companies and truck drivers was a bit stressful, but she made it in one piece. The whole package, boat, motor, gas, trailer, weighs in at less than 800 pounds, so she … Continue reading Just Now →

Memory Weeds

I remember this fish. I spotted it from the road, rooting on the bottom in a small bay. I clambered as quickly and quietly as I could down the rocks and managed to hook it without getting my feet wet. I also remember that the hook pulled and I lost the fish. What had me … Continue reading Memory Weeds →

Re-entry

It has been a bumpy return to the United States after finishing up our Peace Corps service. Here is the short version: The state of our home upon arrival 20 cubic yards of rubbish left by the squatters we had to evict The wildfire that almost burned down our house The new floor I had … Continue reading Re-entry →

She is Born

We bought a boat! She is being built in Florida and will be ready for pick-up just about the time we head back to the U.S. While it is the most exciting thing going on in my fishing world at the moment, I realize that not everyone will be as excited as I am. So … Continue reading She is Born →

Fishing Feng Shui

When setting out to explore new water there is always the critical question of where to start. It's fun to explore, but it's frustrating to walk six miles without seeing a fish. What we want to do is to roll up to a new place, walk to the water's edge and say to ourselves, "now … Continue reading Fishing Feng Shui →

Bahamas Bonefishing (Part 3 of 3)

Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, was our last real fishing day in The Bahamas. (The following day we went scuba diving instead!) So far we had been very successful in finding at least some fish in every place we looked, so I was very excited to go explore the Inner White Sound of Green … Continue reading Bahamas Bonefishing (Part 3 of 3) →

Hawaii vs. Bahamas Bonefishing (Part 2)

After a warm-up day of fishing on Great Abaco Island we headed to Green Turtle Cay for some real Bahamas bonefishing... Part 2: Green Turtle Cay A normal day in Hawaii means 15 mph trade winds. Bad wind means sustained winds of 25-30 mph, the kind of wind with gusts that makes you stop walking … Continue reading Hawaii vs. Bahamas Bonefishing (Part 2) →

Everything Eats Crabs

Tara with 3.5 pounds of crab-eating o'io Poor crabs. Everything likes to eat them. I'm pretty sure even crabs eat crabs. If you ever really need to catch a fish in saltwater, try throwing a live crab at it. It's probably the simplest but most effective saltwater fishing technique there is. Just spool up a … Continue reading Everything Eats Crabs →

Sudden Estuary

Majestic mountains of French Polynesia "Middle-aged" volcanic islands in the tropics are often capped by dramatic mountains. (Younger mountains are taller and smoother, like Maunakea on the Island of Hawaii; older islands have sunk, leaving low, flat islands like Kiritimati.) Although they are not actually that tall, for example Mount Kaala, the tallest point on … Continue reading Sudden Estuary →