Ballyho on the fly

[mems]

Aloha, it has been raining in Hilo. It does very often, but there was a break yesterday and I stopped at Reed's Bay in side Hilo Bay to see what was biting. I sat for a while in my truck, watching a tourist with a texas longhorn hat, try and fish the same spot I would try. He had on tennis shoes, and socks pulled up mid calf. He kept casting, and looking my way periodically. He gave up and walked back to his hotel room. I could just hear, "So honey, how was fishing in Hawaii?" "Mmmmph, I don't want to talk about it"
I rigged up my 8wt, and put on my tabis, and went out on the rocks during a dropping tide. Some boys showed up across the bay and started yelling, "Hey, I didn't know there was salmon here." I just cast and let my christmas island special sink down. It was getting chased by a school of fish. The fly was a little big for them so I geared down and put on a size #8 crazy charlie. Then I started to catch large ballyho, maybe 8 inches. They jumped and danced, and each time I yelled "hanapaa" and looked over at the boys who were dunking, and not catching anything. I got about 10 in all and caught a couple of papio also. I released everything except the last ballyho. I brought it to the guy I go out blue water fishing, and he said they are great bait. So now I need to go back and get a bunch for off-shore. Catching bait can also be fun on the flyrod. I wonder how the boys did? Mems.

[newtyer]

I sat for a while in my truck, watching a tourist with a texas longhorn hat, try and fish the same spot I would try. He had on tennis shoes, and socks pulled up mid calf.

Was Bill Dance on vacation?

[mems]

Nah, Bill is from Tennessee. This was Bill's cousin Square Dance. Aloha, Mems

[Lonnie]

Mems,

Just booked a trip to Maui at the end of April. Suggestions?

L

[mems]

Aloha, a guy I know from another board just got back from Maui. He caught a 25lb stripped marlin, but on conventional gear. That fish would have been a blast on a 10wt. If you go off-shore, get the captain to let you go to the bouys. Get some poppers from Rainy's flies and work it through the schools of ahi and aku. The popper drives them nuts and the big boys come up to slam the poppers. I have caught 20-40 lb ahi when others are getting small 5-10 lb ones. If you are going shore fishing bring clousers, and gotchas and crazy charlies. An 8wt works well, and you might get lucky with trevally, locally called papio. There are also barracuda and the occasional bone fish. Let me know where and what type of fishing you are into. My email is kickithilo@yahoo.com. Good luck and keep safe. The ono are around right now so bring a wire leader. Mems.