The Leggy Blond - Hawaiian Bonefish Fly (step-by-step)

Well I'm a month and a bit back from Hawaii now, and before I put away the saltwater tying materials I thought I would share the "killer fly" I used in Kona--the Leggy Blond.

I don't suppose it should be called a killer fly as almost all the big bruisers I hooked managed to shake off, break off or open the hooks I used. Still, it was the fly and sometimes the only fly that worked all over the west coast of the island (bottom permitting). It's loosely based on the "90%" fly developed by noted Oahu guide Oliver Owens, and other crazy charlie style patterns I've used on the islands.

Like most of my flies the construction is fairly simple: six materials including thread and hourglass eyes. I took my time on the one below, but you can crank them out fairly quickly with an in-line rotary if you're in a hurry.

*****

Leggy Blond

(step-by-step)

Recipe:

• Hook: #6-4 Mustad 3407, 34007, TMC811s, T800s or similar
• Thread: White or tan 12/0 or 8/0, or invisible mending thread
• Eyes: Gold medium hourglass w/ painted red or yellow eyes
• Legs: Pearl perfect rubber (or medium to large rubber legs depending on fly size)
• Body: Tan rayon 4-strand floss (two stands) or similar
• Underwing: 4 Strands of rootbeer midge flash doubled
• Wing: Ginger rabbit cut from zonker strip
• Head: Thread coloured with permanent marker (optional)
• Leg Markings: Brown permanent marker and red nail polish
• Other: Superglue 

 Step 1: Tie-in thread

Step 2: Tie-in hourglass eyes and secure with a drop of superglue. They should be "gold"--alternate colours can be used but I generally felt that the gold was key. The eye colour probably isn't as important as the metal, but I generally used red or yellow.

Step 3: Turn the hook over, bring the thread forward and tie-in the rubber leg material. I tie it along the far top first before folding it back, securing it on the near-top such that the leg material doesn't overlap (as shown).

Step 4: Secure the legs along the body, stopping just before the bend. Return the thread ahead of the eyes. Do not trim the legs at this point--it is easier to do this at the end.

Step 5: Tie-in tan floss at the front of the body and wrap around the eyes and along the shank in two layers, returning to the front of the fly to tie-off. Depending on your timing you can coat the floss with brushable superglue.

 

Step 6: Tie-in the flash underwing as per the leg material, folding the four strands to make eight for the completed wing. Trim to length.

Step 7: Trim a bunch of ginger rabbit fur from the zonker strip and tie-in the wing. I like the mobility of rabbit, but getting long enough fur can be tricky in the larger sizes. Owens uses arctic fox.

 

Step 8: Neatly finish the head and (optionally) colour it with an appropriate coloured permanent marker (rootbeer in this case).

Step 9: Colour barring on the legs with a brown permanent marker, trim to the desired length and "paint" the tips with red nail polish.

fin

*nb: You can enlarge any of the above shots by clicking on the image.

Fly Fishing Kona - Redux (Part 1 of 2)

Local Refreshment

When I first returned to the Big Island back in 2004 (after a 30 year absence), I had planned to do what most tourists do--lie on the beach, do a little body surfing and generally relax. Fishing was an afterthought--so much so that I didn't pack any gear or flies, hoping instead to purchase what I needed once there. Unfortunately any hopes of finding gear or flies were dashed soon after my arrival--the island has no fly fishing gear for sale at all. On that first trip I made do with a bamboo pole, a spool of 8lb mono, and a couple of pink hoochies I picked up at the local Walmart.

Local Colour

Since that first foray into fishing the local waters along the Kona and Kohala coastlines, I've returned four times. Each subsequent trip has brought improvements to my state of preparedness, with better and better gear, new techniques, specifically designed flies and most importantly--local knowledge. This last trip was no exception and prior to my arrival I tied well over two hundred flies, packed three rods, reels and a half dozen lines. I scoured the net for information on the Island, discovered new fly patterns used on Oahu, Pitcairn and Christmas Islands, and generally researched all I could about my target species for this trip--bonefish. Going in I was pretty confident that I had all the bases covered... or so I thought.


Details, Details:

This visit took place a little earlier than my previous ones, commencing in late November and lasting until the 19th of December. During that time I was fortunate to have about three dedicated "days" of fishing, three half days, and ten or so shorter outings. This was actually a little less than my previous trip, but the time spent on the dedicated days was much more focused on known locations rather than on exploring and scouting new spots.

Rocky Kailua Shoreline

The weather, as always, held few surprises. With the exception of two evenings and a single day of rain, the temperature remained reasonably constant at about 24 degrees Celsius with the winds and surf relatively low and calm up to the last week. I probably shouldn't say "few surprises" as the weather proved uncommonly good in terms of fishing conditions. Normally the biggest issue with fly fishing in the region is the oft-times relentless wind. With breezes peaking in the 10-20 knot region on most days, the need for heavy rods and aggressive tapers was reduced. In fact my eight weight Sage XP stayed dry for the duration of the trip and I opted instead to rely on my more moderate action seven weight Scott S3 for most fishing situations.

Coronet Fish

My shorter trips were concentrated around the village of Kailua, not too far from the condo I stay at. The shoreline in the area is mostly restricted to lava shelves, tide pools and rough lava outcroppings broken very occasionally by small sand beaches. All areas south of the main village are exposed to direct surf with the exception of the snorkeling beach at the far end of Ali'i Drive. I've had some success in the past fishing submerged shelves and ledges in the area on previous visits--taking both grouper and trevally--but on this trip this shoreline did not seem to have the same numbers of fish about. Spots that had fished well in the past produced fewer fish and none of the larger species I was hoping to catch. With the exception of one larger snapper that shook the hook, I was limited to catching smaller reef fish and the common coronet fish.

My three "day trips" focused on what are key spots to encounter bonefish: Anaeho'omalu Bay (also called mercifully A-Bay), Kiholo Bay and the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park.

Rough Trail

Kiholo bay was my first day trip. It was here that I caught my first (albeit tiny) bonefish during a previous visit. Kiholo bay is reached by a 20 minute hike down a rough lava based trail. Along the trail you will see flocks of feral goats an rough gnarled trees that narrowly escaped an eruption in the late 1800s. The trail emerges just to the south of the main bay, and another fifteen minutes of walking along the beach gets you to heart of the bay. Watch out for the turtles as the beach and bay itself are usually packed with them. Another warning: much of the land fronting the beach is private and although there is rarely any occupants about it is best to stick to the shoreline.

Black Sand Flats

Kiholo Bay has a large fresh/salt water lagoon formed by a natural aquifer at its heart. Flanked on one side by the rough shoreline and on the other by a finger of lava and beach, the beautiful azure lagoon is protected from the ocean waves. At the south end of the lagoon is a small island which guards its mouth. Between this island and the shore you will find one of the few natural sand flats on Hawaii. Its here you will see bonefish, milkfish, trevally, coronet fish, sea turtles and if you're unlucky the occasional 10' tiger shark. The water at the mouth is shallow and quite wadable, but the fish are easily spooked in the tight confines of the small flat, so patience and low profile casting is required. This isn't easy fishing, and all it takes are a few poor casts to put the fish off the flat and into the deep water outside the mouth.

Blue Fin Trevally

Unfortunately, during my visit I wasn't able to convince any individuals from the small school of bonefish I encountered to take the fly. I was also frustrated by the numerous lava boulders that seem to litter the small flats--losing flies on successive casts certainly tries the patience. The one or two individual bones I found cruising the flats were almost inevitably too close to me by the time I spotted them--and aside from a single large fish that followed, took and spit my fly before I could set the hook, I blanked on the bonefish. Luckily the deeper water to the south of the small island provided some consolation and I managed to pick up a few small trevally, coronets, and needlefish.This is an area I often leave until the end of a trip (mostly because you're casting blind), but it would be worth spending more time as there is a natural deep water slot that forms a travel lane for fish.

The second of my day trips was to Anaeho'omalu Bay, a beautiful sand beach surrounded by the Waikaloa Resort. At most times of the day this beach is packed with the well heeled clientèle from the hotel and hoi paloi from less exclusive spots along the coast, but in the early morning at sunrise the beach is generally deserted. I shouldn't be quite so tongue in cheek about the resort. They have restored and maintained at least two ancient fish ponds between the hotel proper and the beach front and they are also responsible for the construction and maintenance of the shower and change facilities at the south end of the beach. The bay is very popular with snorkelers and families playing in the protected waters, so any fishing trips need to take place either early in the dawn light or later around dusk.

Needle Fish

Schools of baitfish are common over most of the beach front and the blue fin trevally and even giant trevally patrol the drop off just out from the beach. At low tide it is easy to cast into this shelf zone and target the cruising trevally as they ambush passing bait balls, but it is a wide stretch of beach and being at exactly the right point can be a hit and miss affair. At high tide the sandy beach becomes the perfect place to prospect for bonefish, but the best spot to set up watch for them is an inlet channel built to allow water access to the fish ponds at the north end of the beach. Here the bones (usually solitary fish or pairs) will cruise along a regular circuit. The catch-22 about this position is that the water is deeper here and getting a fly in front of the passing bonefish is extremely difficult. Add to this a fly consuming lava shelf bottom as opposed to sand and you've got a recipe for real frustration. I think the best solution would be to have one person spotting the fish from the vantage of the inlet channel walls, and another further down the beach waiting to cast to the approaching fish.

Lizard Fish

I scored another bonefish blank on my trip here and the best I could muster was a few large coronet fish and a dozen of the vicious little lizard fish. I was told by a local guide in the waning days of my trip that the ponds (full of bonefish and milkfish) can be fished with a fly or bread bait, but I was not able to confirm this before departing. The bay is a lovely spot for bringing the family, but it has been regularly frustrating for me on each of my visits.

(continued)  Link to Part 2/2

Fly Fishing Kona - Redux (Part 2 of 2)

Link to Part 1/2

My final day trip was to the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. This park is situated to the north of the modern Honokohau harbour, and encompasses an ancient Hawai'ian harbour and at least three ancient fish ponds. It has an interpretive site and a recreation of a traditional Hawai'ian boat storage hut, but for the most part it is still fairly natural with the exception of the port-a-potties at the south end. The ancient harbour is a shallow bottomed area protected from the sea by a natural point and an ancient man made sea wall. There are two rock pens that were probably used at one time to hold the daily catch. A mile or more of lava shelves and tide pools stretches to the north of this area and just inland are two ancient fish ponds--at least one of which (the Kaloko Fishpond) is being fully restored.

The ancient harbour bed is home to good numbers of bonefish, but the bottom is not very fly friendly. In fact on my day trip visit and subsequent shorter trips I continually lost fly after fly. It didn't seem to help if they were heavily weighted or unweighted, the fishing gods demanded a sacrifice of flies. It was only during my last stop at this spot that I was able to find a fly that wouldn't catch on every cast--the bendback. These had to be properly constructed, but my losses dropped substantially--even if my catch rate didn't go up. Here again I had to make do with catching a few small trevally and the omnipresent cornet fish.

Outside of the ancient harbour, the mile of beach to the north offers lots of possibilities. Provided the wind is low and the surf is manageable you can wade out some distance and cast beyond the reef edge into deeper water. It's also fun to chase the small trevally, coronet and various reef fish that haunt the flats. Oddly enough small orange and gold flies work well as attractors here as do the usual subdued streamers I favour. On most weekends this area is frequented by locals using lay nets and spinning gear.

Small Trevally

This year, for the first time I took a trip to the Kaloko fish pond at the northern limit of the park. I've walked down the beach towards the pond in the past, but had never actually reached it. I discovered that there is a rough access road off the highway just before the Costco turn-off heading north. The areas where you are allowed to fish are very limited and the water is shallow and brackish, but the pond is choked with milkfish and bones. I was only able to spend an hour here, but aside from snagging the usual fly-eating lava boulders I was finally able to hook up with my first serious gamefish of the trip--a milkfish. Now I can almost hear the snickering, but the milkfish (similar to ladyfish in the Caribbean) are incredible fighters and leapers and every bit as powerful as the bones I later encountered. I was fortunate enough to tag two of these brutes in the 8-12lb range, but unfortunate to have them both shake the fly after some tremendous leaps. A word to the wise about these fish: there are two species, only one of which will (reluctantly) take a lure. So if you find a large concentration and don't get a hook-up or even a follow, you may be calling on the wrong party.

Big Fish Story

East Dock

The last three outings of my trip were early morning affairs and involved getting up before dawn and heading to Honokohau Harbour. There, well away from the surf and in between the docks and charter boats, I found pods of milkfish, goatfish, trevally and big mostly solitary bones cruising just above the bottom. This is not my idea of a "destination" fly fishing spot, but time was tight and the fish were there. For the next three days the ritual became get up at five, fish by six, and back by ten.

The water in the inner east end of the harbour is relatively shallow--in the range of 18' to 25' depending on the tides. There are really only two good spots to get a somewhat clear cast in this area: from the shoreside connecting arm of the east dock or the end of the far eastern finger of the dock.  Here it's necessary to use either a full sink, a sink tip or a shooting head system. I used a 15' type VIII sinking tip and a narrow running line with a countdown retrieve at both locations. Weighted bugs as opposed to streamers were the order of the day, but even here with the mixed mud bottom the snags were such that if the fly touched down there was at least a one in six chance of losing it to a snag--as typical of most harbours, this one has a range of debris waiting to grab the unsuspecting fly.

East End

Until I got the gauge of the depth and how long I needed to count down the best I was able to manage was to interest a few of the colourful reef fish to follow and nip at my fly, but once I got the depth, fly and retrieve figured out I was rewarded with a tantalizing quick tug. Upon retrieving my line I saw that whatever had hit, had hit hard enough to part the 8lb mono tippet I was using. At that point I should have jumped up significantly, but instead I switched to 10lb fluorocarbon. After three or four casts I had another fish on, this one ran about 5 yards before the leader let go. Keep in mind that I had only enough drag on the reel to stop it from backlashing, so it was only the drag of the line in the water that was allowing the fish to break off. With my good flies lost to fish or snags and the time nearing ten, I returned to the condo and went surfing with my kids.

Barred Goatfish

I came equipped for my second visit to the harbour armed with heavier tippet and another four of the successful fly patterns from the previous day. After losing my second fish so quickly, I immediately went with four feet of the 12lb Ultragreen mono. It was tough getting any action in the early hours, but fishing off the eastern finger I was finally able to hook into something with a bit of strength--a 12" barred goatfish. This well marked fish is very similar to bonefish in terms of its feeding habits (mostly crustaceans) and overall shape. I was pleasantly surprised but its dogged fight--a bit like a fighting a large powerful brook trout with lots of fast downward pulls. I picked a second one up before returning to the spot I had fished from the previous day and finally tagged another bonefish. This time when the bonefish took the fly the line didn't part and the fish took off like a rocket. It made it about 40 yards when suddenly the line went slack. Now I'm not a religious man, but I'm surprised the gates of hell didn't open under my feet and suck me down given the amount of swearing I was doing. When I finally retrieved my line I discovered that the leader had held just fine but the #6 Mustad 3407 hook had straightened during the blistering run. Resigned I returned home to tye a few flies and take another crack at it the following morning.

Opened Hook (after attempting to reshape it)

Day three came and I was sure I had the equation solved, I had tied a half dozen flies on the heavier and larger Tiemco 811s hook. The drag was non-existent on my reel and all knots tested and tight. Again fishing in the early hours was slow with only two lost hooks to show for my efforts. I returned to the eastern end of the dock and managed to catch another goatfish and a puffer fish for my troubles. When I headed back to the centre dock it took only two casts to hook into the bonefish. This time it took and didn't stop until it ran out of room at the far end of the harbour, as it slowed I applied the pressure and brought it back. Again it shot off and again I got it back. It took a third run and this time I felt it starting to run out of steam. Trembling I brought it back towards me, prepared for another run but hoping that the fish was ready to come to hand. As I began to lift the fish slowly towards me, it found its wind again and hurtled off snapping the twelve pound leader cleanly at some invisible weak point. This time there was no swearing, just shocked silence. I reeled in and went back to the condo to have a cold beer and pack.

Puffer Fish

Final Notes:

Overall the vacation was a success but the fishing obviously less so. It may have been a question of timing, tides or temperature, but the fishing seemed slower than on previous visits. Tagging into the bonefish and milkfish were a real treat, but that trophy shot eluded me. Maybe next time...

The lessons learned on this trip included using stronger and sharper hooks, more bendback patterns (both bugs and streamers), stronger and more varied leaders, and to generally spend more time on the water.

I will detail my "Leggy Blond" bonefish pattern in a subsequent post, in the meantime below are a few general shots from around the island.

Aaron

South Kiholo Bay

Beach Access to Kiholo

Sargent Fish

Typical Fly Eating Lava

Hibiscus

Wrasse

Family Hamming it up with Papya in Front of Fish Pond

Fly Fishing Hawaii - The Kona Coast (pt 2)

On Monday (2009/03/01), I posted part one of this article introducing shoreside fly fishing in Hawaii and looking at the geography and gamefish of the Kona Coast. In the second and final installment I look at the gear, flies and make some recommendations about what to pack if you go. This is a repost of an article that originally appeared at FlyBC.ca.

Gear

As one can imagine the possibility of catching a wide range of species and sizes poses a bit of a problem for the traveling fly fisher: go with a heavier rod to cover all situations, or a lighter rod to make the most of inshore opportunities? At least one fisher I met, a regular bonefish fly fisher in Hawaii and Christmas Island, carried a seven weight rod as a compromise, but even he lamented his inability to throw poppers and larger deceivers into the stiff breezes along the shore. I dealt with this question by bringing both eight and five weight rods. Both rods were 9', four piece, very fast action, and fully anodized rods, with the custom built five weight having extra large guides. For most of the near shore work the five was in hand, but when wind and the possibility of larger fish was in the offing the eight weight came out. In truth none of the fish I encountered could not be handled by the five weight, but I was happy to have the eight on me when the afternoon trades began to roar.

Some might suggest otherwise, but I found multi-tip flylines (not specialized warm water versions) to be the most versatile option for fishing in the area. Discussion with various company reps at trade shows have suggested that specialty lines aren't really necessary until you get into extremely warm waters (far in excess of those found in Hawaii). I used multi-tip lines from two different manufacturers and found no issues with "limp" lines or tips. In addition to the five and eight weight multi-tip lines I also bought a seven weight full sink for blue water fishing as well as a seven weight clear intermediate line for flats fishing that I could use on both rods in a pinch. To save packing space, make quick changes on the water and to minimize the number of spools, I used the same size, make and model reel on both rods. Other line/rod/reel configuration are of course possible, but when traveling it's important to keep weight to a minimum and I found this to be best suited to the area and fishing.

Flies:

Flies used in Hawaii generally fall into two categories: baitfish and crustaceans. You will find that the baitfish imitations and particularly streamers will form the main items in your fly arsenal. Deceivers, foil flies and clousers in drab grey/white combinations with a limited amount of flash and a little red either in the heads or eyes do a good job of imitating small mullets and other baitfish that commonly cruise along the shoreline These work very well for jacks, peacock grouper and most of the midwater species you may encounter. Surprisingly, pencil poppers and gurglers will also draw aggressive fish to the surface, but such offerings really should follow the slim profile of the baitfish and ideally be cast along the edges of bait balls or "nervous water". Crustaceans, in particular shrimp patterns, in white and tan tones work well on the flats and bouncing along at the edges of rocky shores. These are areas frequented by bones, bream, flounder and occasionally grouper and these flies will attract them all. Crabs abound on almost any rocky surface, and while I did not have any patterns at hand, I suspect that a small dark olive crab pattern fished around surf washed lava outcrops would probably attract a lot of attention.



Presentations for baitfish on the islands range from "fast" to "strip like hell"--as Greg Miller notes in his web piece Hawaiian Flyfishing Report, "nothing dies of old age in the ocean". You will find that your fast retrieve is closer to imitating a dying fish than a live one, while your fastest will at best come close to mimicking a slightly drunken sardine. Luckily in both cases this means a meal for most predators. Presentations for crustaceans are mercifully slower than those for baitfish, with as little as a few twitches of a well placed fly required to draw a strike on sandy bottoms. However, as most of the fishing takes place in water from 6-14' deep, long slow pulls interspaced with pauses and quick darts are usually more appropriate.

Regardless of the pattern or presentation chosen, whether you buy or tie your own flies, one thing is certain: you will need plenty of each size and type. Where three or four flies of a given type might be sufficient to last half a season on a gentle trout stream, in Hawaii you will can go through as many as a half dozen or more on a single trip. The lava, coral and rocks of the Kona coast will snag, scrape, blunt and break your hooks and flies at an alarming rate.

Final Thoughts:

Until the Island of Hawaii grows some serious coral reefs and flats (in the next ten to fifteen thousand years or so) it will unlikely ever be considered a fly fishing destination--but as the saying goes: it's the journey, not the destination, that counts. While you hunt for the hidden shoals and remote beaches that afford the best flyfishing that the Kona Coast has to offer, you will stumble across ancient fish ponds, villages and pertoglyphs left by the native Hawaiians. You will find bays so choked with sea turtles that it is impossible to cast without hitting one. You will see all manner of lava tubes, blow holes, moonscapes and hidden springs. Indeed the rugged beauty of the island will charm you as much as the tropical palms and white sand beaches. Fly fishing in Hawaii is definitely not an opportunity to be missed.



Aloha and Mahalo,

Aaron

******

Tips and Suggestions:

There is plenty of literature out there on fishing in the tropics, and while much of it is dedicated to places like Belize and Cuba, it all applies in Hawaii. That said, the following are a few helpful suggestions either worth mentioning again or that I found helpful on my trips:

• Use finger protection. Even if there are no fish making burning runs with your line, the salt will dry on your fingers and act like little razor blades cutting into your skin--I still have the slash in my finger to prove it.
• Pick up a pair of tabis or bring light weight wading boots. Lava and coral are not like sand and while a pair of runners will do for a single trip, most rubber soled footwear will be trashed in as little as one outing. The Hawaiian tabi or felted boot, is a great piece of kit and can usually be found at the local department store at a very reasonable price. As an option a lightweight felted wading boot or sandal with a closed in toe will do.
• Use local knowledge. You've never fished here, but almost every Hawaiian native or otherwise has. Don't be shy about striking up a conversation. This goes doubly so if you run into the rare fly fisherman. A hot tip from a local Ulua fisherman got me into some great bonefish water.
• Clean your lines. Rinsing all your equipment after an outing is always a good idea, but it's a must in Hawaii. One thing I didn't bring and should have was line dressing. In spite of the rinsing and washing your lines will suffer and the dressing would have provided much needed extra protection.
• Dry paper towel in a ziplock. This is one I borrowed for Lefty Krey's book on saltwater fishing and one I'm going to use from now on. Carry a small amount of dry paper towel in a ziplock bag to clean your glasses. One wave out there and your polarized glasses are going to be useless. This tip saved me a ton of time and I'm sure helped me catch a lot more fish.

What to pack:

This is a sketch list only, but based on my experience all will get used.

• 2 Four peice 9' fly rods (one light, one heavy, both fast)
• 1-2 anodized saltwater reels/spools usable on either rod
• 2 Multi-tip lines
• 1 Type VI-VIII full sink line
• 1 Clear Intermediate Line
• Leader material (20 lb Maxima, 12 lb Maxima, 10 lb fluorocarbon)
• 1-2 Tapered Bonefish Leaders
• Line dressing
• Polarized Sunglasses
• Camera
• Small Pack or "Man Bag" (a vest is too warm)
• Snips or scissors
• Hook sharpener (you will need it)
• Tying kit
• Long sleeve SPF 30 shirt
• Flats pants or shorts
• Foreign legion type ball cap or a bandanna to cover your neck
• Suntan Lotion

Flies (a short list)

• Deceivers: grey and white with red heads and/or gills (#8-2)
• Clousers: colours as above with red or yellow lead or brass barbells (#6-2)
• Foil heads: colours as above with silver mylar scaled foil heads and eyes (#6-4)
• Crazy Charlies: Tans, brown, and pale pink (easy on the flash) with brass barbells

Further Reading:

• L. L. Bean Saltwater Fly-Fishing Handbook, Lefty Krey (1996)
• Flyfishing Hawaii: Big Island
• Hawaii Shorefishing Report
• Easy Hawaiian Fishing
• Bonefishing in Hawaii
• Tide Chart
• Magic Seaweed Hawaii Surf Report

Fly Fishing Hawaii - The Kona Coast (pt 1)

Aloha!

I recently finished a trip to the big Island of Hawaii--my third and longest trip to the in the last six years. While all of them have theoretically been family vacations, there has always been enough time set aside for a little fly fishing. On this trip I pushed it about as far as I was able, and between dangerous surf conditions and howling gales I was able to make 14 outings ranging from about 2 to 8 hours over the three week period I was there. While Hawaii is not known as a significant fly fishing destination, I was still able to land a good number of fish and in the process ended up visiting some of the most stunning bays, flats and beaches in the world.

Geography:

I was based in Kailua-Kona on each of my trips. Located in the heart of the Kona Coast this has proved to be a very good starting point for fish hunting in the land of volcanoes. The Kona Coast as it is called actually is comprised of three rough geographic/political regions along the western shore of the big island of Hawaii: Kohala in the north, Kona in the central area and Ocean View in the south. Protected from the moisture laden trade winds by the island's two major volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, this is the driest region in the Hawaiian chain. Here most shore-based fly fishing opportunities are to be found along the northern Kona and Kohala regions as opposed the very rugged southern area, and it was in the north-central area where I spent most of my fishing time exploring as many different beaches and fishing areas as I could find.

Unlike some of the older islands in the chain, the big island has fewer beaches, more recent lava flows, less flats and generally underdeveloped coral reef systems. That said, there are still plenty of fishing opportunities over a variety of bottoms and depths. During my stay I managed to fish over almost every conceivable fly fishing water type that the area had to offer--sometimes successfully but often not. Typical waters include flats (lava, coral and sand), tidal pools, shore drops, surf zones and blue water. Unfortunately, while all these water types hold fish, it is rare to find them adequately protected from the wind and surf to be considered "quality" fly fishing waters. Often a great deal of exploring and gathering intelligence from locals is required in order to find the shelves and small reefs that provide enough protection for good fly fishing opportunities.

After the hunt for suitable water, the next hurdle to overcome is the weather. While fishing in paradise has it's advantages, wind, surf and sun offer a fair share of hazards for the shore-based fly fisherman. The omni-present wind is clearly the biggest obstacle to overcome once you have discovered where to fish. This is a common complaint in most tropical fly fishing destinations, and Hawaii is no exception. Luckily the strongest trade winds are really fueled by the heat of the day and so the early morning and late afternoon/early evening offer relatively calm windows in which to fish. It would be nice if the surf followed the same pattern, but as luck would have it the largest and strongest waves are generally encountered early in the morning. While a simple scientific explanation is not at hand, discussions with the local body-surfers will soon confirm this. The last piece of the weather triangle to be dealt with is the merciless sun. While remedies in the form of sunscreen and clothing are at hand, I can attest to the fact that fishing on a hot day while swaddled in clothes isn't exactly a good time--stick to the early and late schedules dictated by the wind and you should be fine.



Gamefish:

The gamefish of Hawaii are numerous, but with the very rare exception the fly fisherman will never encounter any of the big blue water species such as marlin and ono (wahoo). For the shore-based fisherman and the fly fisherman in particular the main target species are trevally and bonefish. Trevally (or jacks) have the widest distribution of all the gamefish and are found in the greatest variety of water types--including lava shelves, surf, drop zones, blue water and flats. They include three species: white (popio), blue fin (omilu) and giant (ulua). Of the three the most commonly encountered are the white and bluefin trevally, ranging in size from tiny 4" specimens to as much as 15 lb fish. A surprisingly hard fighting fish for its size, even 1 to 2 pound trevally will put a satisfying bend in most fly rods. These fish have a reputation of being "angler aware" and the smart fisherman keeps moving after a missed cast or a rejection.



The illusive bonefish or o'io is the other target species and a real prize for the inshore fly fisher. These fish have a wide range, but seem to be limited to calmer waters and "flat" bottom types. Generally these sorts of conditions are best found along the central Kohala coast. O'io can run from small 10" specimens as much as a reported 10 lbs. Unfortunately, the typical "flat" in Hawaii is very small and so many of the bonefish are encountered in deeper waters. On my most recent visit, I encountered only a single finning fish on the flats (which annoyingly swam at my feet for about five minutes before darting away as I moved my rod), yet in the deeper surrounding zones many fish could be seen jumping--including several huge specimens. In all I find hunting for bones in on the big island is a lot like hunting for coastal cutthroat--except of course that the February weather is considerably better in Hawaii.



In addition to the main target species there are plenty of other fish to be caught in the rich inshore waters of the islands. The peacock grouper and yellow bream can be good fun on a lighter rod, and the needlefish, while frustratingly difficult to hook are a nice diversion on a warm afternoon day. All in all I encountered ten different species ranging from sand flounders to the strangely shaped cornet fish on this journey--the most numerous being jacks and toothy little lizard fish.

That's it for now. In the next installment I'll cover gear, flies tips and suggestions.

Aaron

Tropical Saltwater Tying Kit

I've just returned from a trip to the Big Island of Hawai'i--my third in six years. While all of the trips have ostensibly been family vacations, my long suffering wife has allowed me to get a good amount of fishing in on each. I've written about the trip in an article for the web site I help moderate, and I'll be cross-posting it here in the next few days, but here and now I wanted to talk about assembling a tying kit for warm water fishing destinations.

Before I begin I have to point out that this material and tool list is far from exhaustive. It favours the flats and reef fish found in the central and south Pacific - jacks, bonefish, barracuda, grouper, bream, etc. I'm sure there would be plenty of cross-over with other areas, but this is based on my experience in Hawai'i and the colours and patterns that have worked. Most of the materials are rather drab and muted, but then so are most of the prey species.

Materials:

• Chinese Rooster Cape ("Chinchilla"or very light barred grizzly)
  
• Red Fox pelt piece or similar marked fur
  
• Arctic Fox or similar soft white fur
• Fun fur (pale tans, greys & pinks)
  
• Bucktail (white and grey)
• Light ginger dubbing (squirrel, rabbit, or similar)
• Diamond dubbing (rootbeer, golden olive brown or similar)
  
• Flat braid (rootbeer)
  
• Krystal Flash (rootbeer, pearl and red)
• Nail Polish (red and clear)
• Head cement
• Invisible mending thread (fine)
• Thread (pink, chartreuse, white, red)
• Lead wire or substitute
• Hooks (saltwater: std #8-2, xl #4-0)
• Dumbbell brass eyes (x-sm, sm, m, lg)
• Dumbbell lead eyes (x-sm, sm, m, lg)
• Mylar eyes and sticky backed foil
• Five minute epoxy
• Popper materials
• Mylar woven body material
• Letraset pantone markers
  

Equipment:

Fly tying equipment is often a matter of personal taste. Some prefer to whip finish by hand, while others (like myself) use a whip finisher. Some swear by serrated scissors, some like flat blades. The point here is that everyone's equipment list is going to be slightly different. The following items are the minimum I bring with me when traveling to Hawai'i.

• Small vise (I use a Griffin 2A on a pedestal but a c-clamp packs easier)
• Bobbins (2)
• Scissors - straight/fine tipped
• English hackle pliers
• Toothpicks
• Bodkin
• Whip Finishing Tool
  

Packing:

It's nice to be able to pack all your fly tying materials and equipment into one of those very slick bags such as those produced by manufacturers such as Fishpond, but unless you're chartering a private plane to some exotic destination, the extra luggage charges and possibility that the bag will get "lost" in shipping really don't make them that practical. I've found that heavy plastic soft sided pencil cases are excellent as material and equipment organizers. They can stuff into the corners of your luggage, lay flat between folded clothes and generally don't take up a lot of room.

******

That's about it for now. In upcoming posts I'll talk a little bit about fly selection for Hawai'i and recommend some web resources.

Aaron