This was ridiculous. I wasn't getting much fishing done because I was too busy helping other people land their fish.
SteveT, Eric and I decided to hit an area close to the spot where we had fished over a school of o'io the previous day. The tide was rising and we wanted to fish the moving water.
We spread out in a line across the reef and slowly began walking and casting to likely holding spots. The action began almost immediately. Around 10 minutes after arriving SteveT's switch rod bent as he hooked into something quite large. The only time I saw a rod bend that deeply, a steelhead was on the line.
Steve's line was way, way out but he fought the fish as it ran circles around him. He soon recoverd most of his backing and fly line and soon we saw the leader appear but because of the morning light, it was difficult to spot the fish. However Steve soon wrestled the fish to the surface and we saw it was pretty big. When I landed it, the bonefish barely fit into the net. It was definitely one of the largest fish caught and landed so far.
Steve revived the fish as Eric walked over with a tagging kit. It measured out at 24 inches from nose to tail fork and weighed a bit over 7 pounds.
A tag was inserted near the dorsal fin and the fish was released. SteveT said this was one of the largest fish he's caught on these flats, although a 10 pound plus bonefish was caught near here by SteveL a few years ago (SteveT took his picture with the fish).
Although this was the largest fish, it was not the last. SteveT caught several more fish and Eric added to the tally, loosing a large fish that broke the leader but landing another 30 minutes later. All I did was walk back and forth, helping them land fish. I told them I felt like I was running a guide service. i pick them up, bring them to the flats, and net their fish. I was hoping for a generous tip, but all I got was laughter.
EQUIPMENT: Eric and I used fast action 9 and 10 weight rods rigged with floating lines. SteveT used a 7 weight switch rod and a floating line.
