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)
Category: hawaii bonefish
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
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
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
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
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
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)
The Fishing Dojo 