SteveT battling a bonefish on the flats somewhere on the south shore of Oahu.__________________________________2009 file photo, www.mikescatchreport.com
A report from SteveT
What a weekend. Tough fishing. My arm aches from making a million cast but I got very few grabs.
I went fishing for three straight days without landing a single fish. This morning I hit the water at 8am and the flats were choked with fish, as usual. As I walked out I did my customary lining of fish. It's always depressing to see huge schools of fish blasting away from your fly line. I wonder if it's still fly fishing if I tie a real crab to the end of my leader and use an indicator? Like nymphing for bonefish.
Anyway, I finally made it all the way to the flag on the reef without getting a single grab but finally, on my way back about 11am, I hooked a small (because it barely went into the backing) O'io (bonefish). I fought it for a few minutes and even got it within ten feet of me, then lost it (the hook came loose). Dang it, still skunked. I went to St. Louis Drive-In. I figured one of their plate lunches would make me feel better.
The following day I went out around 3pm and I think I found the channel through the reef you told me about. I got a huge hit around 4pm that turned my new rod into a big 'U'. This fish must have peeled off 100 yards of backing as it made a bee-line straight for the pipe marking the channel mouth. I tried but I couldn't turn it. I finally ended up losing it when the uni-knot snapped (I hate uni-knots and blood knots) or the leader might have gotten wrapped around the pipe.
Ok I figure no more uni-knots (or any knots) on my leader today. So I'm fishing with a 6 foot leader but I guess it doesn't matter since I'm using the Monic line.
Then again a shorter leader means the fly doesn't sink as far down. No more hits and my arm was aching so I decided to start back to shore about 5 pm.
I started casting towards shore on my way back. After the first couple of casts I hooked and landed a 4 pound bonefish. Finally! Saved from being skunked, I almost pulled a 'Mike' (no fish for the entire vacation). I cast again to the same spot. And 'bam' another grab. This time the fish sits and thinks for a moment before it made a bee-line toward the ocean, peeling off backing. I think to myself this might be a good one. All of a sudden the backing stops coming off the reel and I see a big bird nest ! Then the line goes limp. Dang it. When the first fish peeled off all the backing I didn't wind the back back on tightly so it got messed up. End of story.