Poke Bowls and Destroyed Flip Flops

One of the most unspoken elements of fly fishing is how uncomplicated it really needs to be. Although I feel that those who “really” get out there to explore know what I’m talking about, all I’m trying to say is that every fly fishing endeavor doesn’t need a $1k rod and reel set up…or a drift boat…or all of the 2025 new gear from the fly shop. All you really need is one box of flies you have some confidence in, a rod that you can throw in a car or carry on bag, some leader, some cutters, and the king of all…polarized sunglasses. With those in tow, you are pretty dangerous.

Why am I saying all of this? Well, I have a story from the year where all of this came to be very true while in Hawaii for a sponsored work trip. Knowing that the majority of the week wasn’t going to be focused on fishing, I still brought my trust 8-weight travel rod and a box (or two…) of my favorite saltwater flies with me. I had zero clue what the fishing access would like where we were staying, but fortunately some life was to be found.

I do want to kick this off with I messed up one big element…the best shoes I brought for fishing were a pair of flip flops. Flip flops + sharp lava rocks don’t go well together. Fortunately for me, my body was fine at the end of the week, my nicer flip flops…not so much. Bring some decent water shoes!

As for the fly fishing (and hinted above), the hotel we were at was surrounded by a good amount of rock pools that had waves crashing up against them. Looking into the water, you could see an array of different colored fish…real Finding Nemo looking kind of stuff. With that said, I had my intermediate sinking fly line on, some small clousers, and started casting around. After two hours of absolutely nothing, I shifted to another series of rocks. Almost immediately, I started hooking up to some crazy looking and long/skinny fish…cornetfish. I have been fortunate to catch some of these in Mexico in the past, but catching them in decent numbers from another beautiful location was pretty cool to say the least.

Although the Cornetfish got the skunk off the board, it was a surprise visit from a Goatfish that really made me go “wow…” after getting it in. This objectively was the most colorful fish I have ever caught on a fly rod, and actually put up a half decent fish on the 8 weight considering the size. Needed a heavier weighted shrimp fly to get this guy to eat. After this fish, I did mess around with a few tide pool fish just for the fun of it and was able to check off a micro fish species or two.

I will say that the overall fishing in terms of numbers was TOUGH…although I had an intermediate sinking line, I really could have used a full weight sink to cut through the waves and tides. I will say it was beyond exciting to see the different kinds of fish swimming around…even saw a small GT cruising a deep shelf. Something to go back for right?!