Fishing in Oahu – Guided Fishing with Boat
Welcome to the main part of this article.
What I am about to tell you aren't intended to discredit experts or discourage your expectation in "tropical" as "easy on". Only that I want to tell is that Hawaii bonefish is a ninja warrior demands your preparation, understanding, and determination. Much like marketing needs to adopt to the target consumer, fish come first and your combat skill is not required until the very end.
1. Guided Fishing with Boat
Advantage of hooking up with a guide is for superior vision and with a guide boat for superior position against as many fish as possible. Long story short, sometimes that advantage doesn't pay off. I just happened to walk into one myself, but that I knew a price I had to pay when I was asking captains "I only want 10lb fish".
Mike Hennessy was away on his family trip for his daughter competing national in surfing, so he arranged high right hand man Collin as my wing mate. It's an eyeopener to see someone driving huge vehicle towing a flatboat behind at the valet parking of Hilton.
Collin, the flat boat, and I attacked 2 days intensively on Triangle Flat off Honolulu Airport. He gave me great moment of lifetime in which I saw more bonefish than all the time I have been on Oahu.
2. Skinny Water on Foot with 6wt
I have been enjoying fishing in flat since childhood in variety of tackles and on numerous occasions, and I say fly fishing to be the most suitable and exciting way to do this game. The fact you find big fish in such shallow water brings great surprise and this closeness to fish and nature around you is exactly the same thing you get in mountain creek regardless of available elements.
Much aligned with my preference, Collin recommended me to fish with 6wt stick. If you walk carefully fish determined to feed on skinny water aren't that spooky at all, but the fact 6wt doesn't give you as much control as 8wt can finesse your every motion. That helps a lot in being careful and I got so many very close shots.
3. Deep Water on Flat Boat with 8wt
This is the game I haven't done before. Fly fishing/lure fishing for bonefish from good platform. Now you are doing challenging game of agility and accuracy. It's not fish coming to the shallow for you. It's you going into fish's territory and contest them with whatever you have.
Guide and you use 4 eyes searching for fish before the fish find the boat first. Fish in this occasion are simply BIG. I mean really big. 8lb, 10lb, and even bigger fish. I tried both 8wth fly fishing and spinning with feather jig.
The way to win this game is to cast well before boat approaches and give plenty of distance in making presentation. Fish aren't spooky at all and I never saw cruising bonefish so aggressively chasing fly or lure. BUT, when it comes to finishing by setting hook, it's the same as being in shallow.
As a end result, I couldn't score any trophy but this boogie goatfish. I have been fly fishing 18 years and I know my way around, but that doesn't mean you know the fish well. It's very critical in this game that you understand what you need to do and what you are doing. Skill can help, but that comes only after other decisive factors.
4. Great Learning in Short Period of Time
Cheating my way into advantage of having charge-by-hour consultant in high mobility platform was my strategy to shorten the process of learning how to deal with Hawaii bonefish who gave me lots of clueless wonders in previous trips. Having many shots in skin tight environment with fish gave invaluable lesson.
It is true that some say bonefish is similar to carp. They are both bottom feeders evolved with strong determination to feed all day in efficiency to sustain their relatively huge body mass as a fish in shallow water. Bigger and older they are less they need to hurry for food, because they develop fail safe routine over many times of trial and error. So, it is inevitable that you have to know which fish you are making presentation to before you make your cast.
I'd say this game is 80% selecting the right prospect in right occasion. 15% in casting and initial presentation. 5% in follow up presentation or adding action to your fly or lure.
Cruisers don't switch to feeding easily, so they are difficult audience. Ones you want to look for are those wagging their tails switched into complete feeding mode. All you need to do is to drop some fly fair enough carefully in front of fish and let fish do the Litmus testing.
5. Conclusion
Some say fly fishing is an art of preparation. I can't agree more, but I'd like to add that fly fishing is also a science of presentation. Much like marketing, your target won't go into desired action unless he is in need and made ready for it. Only that there is no way you can communicate with fish other than you make a presentation using fly. That is your act and you need to be eaten alive.Welcome to the main part of this article.
What I am about to tell you aren't intended to discredit experts or discourage your expectation in "tropical" as "easy on". Only that I want to tell is that Hawaii bonefish is a ninja warrior demands your preparation, understanding, and determination. Much like marketing needs to adopt to the target consumer, fish come first and your combat skill is not required until the very end.
1. Guided Fishing with Boat
Advantage of hooking up with a guide is for superior vision and with a guide boat for superior position against as many fish as possible. Long story short, sometimes that advantage doesn't pay off. I just happened to walk into one myself, but that I knew a price I had to pay when I was asking captains "I only want 10lb fish".
Mike Hennessy was away on his family trip for his daughter competing national in surfing, so he arranged high right hand man Collin as my wing mate. It's an eyeopener to see someone driving huge vehicle towing a flatboat behind at the valet parking of Hilton.
Collin, the flat boat, and I attacked 2 days intensively on Triangle Flat off Honolulu Airport. He gave me great moment of lifetime in which I saw more bonefish than all the time I have been on Oahu.
2. Skinny Water on Foot with 6wt
I have been enjoying fishing in flat since childhood in variety of tackles and on numerous occasions, and I say fly fishing to be the most suitable and exciting way to do this game. The fact you find big fish in such shallow water brings great surprise and this closeness to fish and nature around you is exactly the same thing you get in mountain creek regardless of available elements.
Much aligned with my preference, Collin recommended me to fish with 6wt stick. If you walk carefully fish determined to feed on skinny water aren't that spooky at all, but the fact 6wt doesn't give you as much control as 8wt can finesse your every motion. That helps a lot in being careful and I got so many very close shots.
3. Deep Water on Flat Boat with 8wt
This is the game I haven't done before. Fly fishing/lure fishing for bonefish from good platform. Now you are doing challenging game of agility and accuracy. It's not fish coming to the shallow for you. It's you going into fish's territory and contest them with whatever you have.
Guide and you use 4 eyes searching for fish before the fish find the boat first. Fish in this occasion are simply BIG. I mean really big. 8lb, 10lb, and even bigger fish. I tried both 8wth fly fishing and spinning with feather jig.
The way to win this game is to cast well before boat approaches and give plenty of distance in making presentation. Fish aren't spooky at all and I never saw cruising bonefish so aggressively chasing fly or lure. BUT, when it comes to finishing by setting hook, it's the same as being in shallow.
As a end result, I couldn't score any trophy but this boogie goatfish. I have been fly fishing 18 years and I know my way around, but that doesn't mean you know the fish well. It's very critical in this game that you understand what you need to do and what you are doing. Skill can help, but that comes only after other decisive factors.
4. Great Learning in Short Period of Time
Cheating my way into advantage of having charge-by-hour consultant in high mobility platform was my strategy to shorten the process of learning how to deal with Hawaii bonefish who gave me lots of clueless wonders in previous trips. Having many shots in skin tight environment with fish gave invaluable lesson.
It is true that some say bonefish is similar to carp. They are both bottom feeders evolved with strong determination to feed all day in efficiency to sustain their relatively huge body mass as a fish in shallow water. Bigger and older they are less they need to hurry for food, because they develop fail safe routine over many times of trial and error. So, it is inevitable that you have to know which fish you are making presentation to before you make your cast.
I'd say this game is 80% selecting the right prospect in right occasion. 15% in casting and initial presentation. 5% in follow up presentation or adding action to your fly or lure.
Cruisers don't switch to feeding easily, so they are difficult audience. Ones you want to look for are those wagging their tails switched into complete feeding mode. All you need to do is to drop some fly fair enough carefully in front of fish and let fish do the Litmus testing.
5. Conclusion
Some say fly fishing is an art of preparation. I can't agree more, but I'd like to add that fly fishing is also a science of presentation. Much like marketing, your target won't go into desired action unless he is in need and made ready for it. Only that there is no way you can communicate with fish other than you make a presentation using fly. That is your act and you need to be eaten alive.
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