Shore Games, Okinawa 22-24 December
I just got back from family travel to the island of Okinawa in which I was hoping to cast my fly a bit, then 3 windows of 30-45 minutes were available! Each game was quite short, but fun enough and I must say that Okinawa is paradise for fly fishing:)
Game 1 - Mangrove: dusk, 22 December
Both of my kids felt asleep on the way back from driving in northern Okinawa, so I stopped by the inlet where I saw a group of fishermen casting lures and baits. One side of the inlet is surf water with wind at 10-15m/s and another side is mangrove ragoon in peace, which seemed a perfect location for black porgy or mangrove jack. I casted Leo Fly to splashing fish, but nothing was chasing it. I saw small mangrove jack chasing when I changed the fly to micro popper, but it didn't just put it in its mouth.
http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&hl=ja&geocode=&q=%E7%9C%9F%E5%96%9C%E5%B1%8B%E5%85%AC%E5%9C%92&sll=26.636028,128.033381&sspn=0.010089,0.019226&ie=UTF8&ll=26.636028,128.033381&spn=0.005044,0.009613&t=h&z=17
Game 2 - Surf: morning, 23 December
Soon after I finished my breakfast, I got a permission from my wife to let me fish for an hour prior to cayak tour. I drove straight to the bridge point near the hotel where I missed catching small blue-fin trevally in last February. Wind was still strong at 10m/s and water was completely muddy. I casted on the river mouth and saw a small fish chasing Leo fly, but no biting. Then I continue to cast on ocean side with no sign of fish anywhere.
Game 3 - Channel: noon, 24 December
On the last day, I put my chance in the small island in northern Okinawa. There was a small port near the channel between 2 islands, and it seemd a perfect location for games who prefer to travel betwen deep and shallow. Wind became completely mild and sun came back, and I couldn't ask anything further than granting me 30 minutes to do fly thing. However, the port posted the sign "stranger off limit", so I had to walk around the port into a small spot from where I could cast fly into the channel and inside the port.
Prior to fishing time when I was scouting the water, I saw a school of blue-fin trevallies in 30-40cm, huge flutemouth about 70-80cm in the bottom, and flock of needlefish in 40-50cm underneath the surface. I couldn't decide which fish to aim at and then... just when I positioned myself to casting location, I met a solo trevally at about 60-70cm swimming into the port. I aimed at him (wouldn't you?) and casted white crazy charlie. On the first cast, it didn't notice the fly, then on the second cast, as I was starting up on retrieve, it came up and snapped it at surface! My 9wt rod bent all the way and line went out all the way... then just as my fly reel went into reverse, leader broke and fish was gone forever...
I thought my 30lb nylon leader would stand a chance, but I learnt that I was wrong in only a matter of seconds. Aaaaaaaagggggghhhhhh! Who would expect to meet such great fish in shallow water when I'm only prepared for light fishing? Trevally demands sincerity and dedication, doesn't she?
Then I tied micro popper, hoping to call the treavally back, but only gang of needlefish answered. Gosh they are nasty! They react to short sharp stripping of micro popper like sharks to bloody chunk of meat. With their lazor sharp teeth, micro popper didn't stand a chance and all 2 poppers were beyond repair in matter of minutes. Needlefish bite, but it was hard to hook it on small fly. It kept on playing with my fly, but I couldn't manage to land it.
As I wanted to extend my time to challenge treavallies, my kids and wife called me back on the other side of the port for lunch. Damn, I gotta take this into my homework 2009...
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