Syns, Twins and Fins

This was our first trip to Puerto Rico and we arrived a day before tropical storm Bertha was expected to go through. It was not too bad and it only rained about a day in a half out of our 6 days there. Puerto Rico was in the midst of a drought that they had not experienced for 30 years so the rain was welcomed by everyone. They were about to start water rations but Bertha postponed it a little. So, the lakes were very low and the guide said the tarpon were acting strange because of the lack of rain.  The boys really wanted to get another chance at tarpon again since they nearly struck out in Cancun a couple years ago (they had 17 tarpon grabs and only landed one fish). Mostly due to their inability to strip set. This trip they fared much better. The boys landed tarpon on flies and on live pilchards.

They also caught snook on fly but they were not very big. There were many snook busting the surface along with the rolling tarpon but both weren’t overly eager to take flies.

We had an opportunity to fish for peacock bass too and we were marginally successful.   When we went to the lake to fish peacocks they landed 10 but they also caught rainbow bass and African cichlids called red devils. Our guide Capt. Paco was very pleasant and knew the lagoons and lake well.

He even offered to take us to the rain forrest and be our personal tour guide. We fished 4-5 hours in the morning so that left the afternoons to sight see a bit.

We spent an afternoon zip lining for the first time. Emma was a bit reserved at first but got the hang of it after the 4th zip line.

We visited the El Morro (one of the forts that was once used to guard San Juan) and Old San Juan. It was fascinating to read the history of Puerto Rico and why it was so coveted by Spain. Part of El Morro is over 450 years old. The other big fort (Castillo de Cristobal) is over 350 years old.

Melanie and Emma visited the Bacardi Factory while the boys and I were fishing in the AM. You can see the factory in the background.

We did have some great meals and one night we tried authentic Caribbean food. It was good but not a repeat for the whole family. We ate at renowned Picayo and it was fabulous and also at Texas de Brazil. Brazilian BBQs are great and this one was one of the better ones. The best one that I’ve ever been to is in Manaus and this one comes close!

We would like to visit Puerto Rico again someday but I’m sure the kids and their Mom have other destinations to see before we go back. A fun summer vacation for the fishermen and the sight see-ers.

On Thursday afternoon we took a drive to a small lake called Rock Lake near Lake Almanor. We got a tip that there were nice bass in there and the topwater fishing was really good. After an hour and 45 minute drive we arrived to see a very sterile looking pond that was nearly devoid of fish. We hooked some small bass and saw two 12 inchers but that was about it. We stayed a couple hours then knew we were beating a dead horse so we headed for home.

We still had an itching for bass so we decided to fish the Afterbay Saturday and Sunday. It was crowded with water skiers and swimmers but the fish still cooperated. The boys fished jerkbaits most of the time near the tulles and landed 9 fish on Saturday and 7 on Sunday. We only fished about 2 hours each day.

The launch ramp is clean and easy parking. It’s also the closest lake to our house (25 minutes). Will be heading back there after our trip to PR.

I have heard about the big fish of the Upper Klamath Lake from when I was a young fly fisher many years ago. Pop B (Benson Kanemoto) has been very successful on the lake and we planned  trip so we can check out what all the hype was about.

Uncle Wesley (Wes Yamaguchi), the boys and I left Chico around 1pm Thursday and we arrived at Rocky Point Resort at 4:45pm.  We launched the boat and fished for a few hours not knowing where to go and exactly what to do. Before leaving for this trip I read online that the average catch rate on the lake is 1 fish for 7 hours of fishing…. from a boat AND 1 fish for 30 hours of fishing from the bank! Those are not great numbers for that long of a drive, however Pop B has been getting numbers that are significantly better than that so with that in mind, we made the trip there. We managed to hook 4 and land 1 fish Thursday night. We considered that a success since it was out first experience on the lake.

The next morning Pop B joined us and showed us where and what to do. The lake has springs that the fish congregate to and that’s where we want to fish. Pop B seemingly knows where ALL the springs are! Michael fished with him for the morning and it did not take long for him to be onto a nice fish. Later in the morning Pop B got Michael into a 5.5 pounder on a small PT using 6X tippet.

Our boat (Uncle Wesley, Matthew and I) did OK but not as well as the other boat. Pop B’s experience on the lake is stellar and it was noticeable. After lunch Matthew and Michael switched boats and it was not long until Matthew hooked a few fish. As a matter of fact, Matthew broke off  4 fish in a row! A 10 ft 4 weight rod with a 20 foot leader and 6X tippet make it tough to hook and land those trout.

We stayed in the 2 bedroom cabin at Rocky Ridge Resort and it is VERY convenient for fisherman. We left our boat at the dock overnight so it made it very easy to access the lake.

We fished size 16 flies under and indicator about 80% of the time and stripped leeches on a slime line the rest. By the end of our trip more fish were hooked and lost than landed. However everyone landed a big fish but me. My fish were the average 3 pound Upper Klamath Lake fish. Uncle Wesley landed a 4.5 and 5.5 pounder. Matthew and Michael both landed fish over 5 pounds and Pop B landed a 9.5 pound monster. It was over 30 inches long.

Looking forward to trying our luck again at this remarkable fishery.

This was my 6th trip to the Island.  On my last trip 6 years ago, I stated that I would never come back. Over the years, the fishing/conditions had gotten progressively worse. However, during the past few years, word had gotten back to me from other anglers that the fishing was now superb. Howard at Fishabout had been telling me about the changes he’d made to the Villages and the fishing program and it was all positive.  So, early this year I ate crow and decided to return to see for myself.
I have to admit, this was my best trip to Xmas Island since my first trip in 1991. Everything fell together great, from the flights, to the weather, to the fishing. The service at the lodge was also outstanding. I had asked for special items and favors numerous times and the answer I received was always, “yes” with a smile. They took a page from the Ritz-Carlton handbook. Overall experience was excellent. Howard deserves kudos for all the work he has done for the Villages.

The meals were very good (lobster 4 nights out of the 7 and sashimi appetizers almost every evening) and we had ice cream every night. We sent our guides out to hunt mantis shrimp almost everyday so we had that 4 nights also. Mantis shrimp is THE best tasting shrimp on the planet… period.

Now to the fishing. The boys were extremely successful with the bones AND the trevally. I would have a guide take one of the boys and I would guide the other, on the same flat,  so I could witness their catches and take pictures. That worked out very well. I did not fish for the first 3 days and fished 10 minutes the 4th day and about an hour the 5th day and 4 hours on the last day. With that little time fishing, I still could tell how good the fishing has become since our last visit and I enjoyed watching my kids catch fish just as much if not more than me doing it.

The boys got lucky fishing an area known to have trevally roam in and out of the deep water and sure enough the fish cooperated for us a couple days. One of the days Michael cast Uncle Meng’s 12 weight to a passing trevally and hooked it but the fly line was wrapped around his leg so he broke that fish off instantly. Lucky he didn’t do a backflip when the fly line came tight around his feet! The next opportunity came shorty after that. This time he was armed with my 11 weight and a 3/0 white clouser minnow. The fish took his fly and it was off to the races. He had never felt the pure brute force of this type of fish before and it was exhilarating… for him and for me. When that fish was landed, Michael quietly whispered to me, “I love life”. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

At that point, Matthew was wanting to tug on a trevally, but we told him it was going to be tough to get another chance. Well, I was wrong. About 20 minutes later, another big trevally came in and Matthew made a good cast and the fish inhaled the fly. It was off to the races again! Matthew had a tougher time with his fish, either because it was meaner or bigger or BOTH. We had to chase that fish down the flat to keep up with him and after about 10 minutes into the fight, we looked back at the point were we hooked the fish and noticed Michael had hooked another one on Uncle Meng’s 12 weight! Double hook ups!!

Both fish were landed at the same time. Michael had an easier time with his fish due to is experience with his first one AND the fact that he was using a 12 weight. These pics of double trevally will be looked at by me for many years to come. It was a great day of fishing. However, since that moment, all the boys cared about was trevally. They did not want to fish for bones anymore. They had trevally on the brain for the remainder of the trip. Every flat we went to they asked if they could fish for trevally. I almost had to force them to fish for bones while we waited for the trevally to show themselves.

We made the long drive (2 hours by truck) to the oceanside to fish for bones and trevally on the beach (the area was called Submarine). I had fished the Korean Wreck on past trips but the tides were not favorable during our week. I had not fished Submarine before and it was a good experience. Uncle Meng brought his Drone video quadcopter and took some amazing aerial photos of the beach and the fishing.

On the 5th day, Michael was blind casting his pencil popper on a conventional rig and he got a big blowup from a trevally. We all heard it, and it was ferocious. He missed that fish and we thought it was a total missed opportunity. With that blow up, Michael was even more diligent at casting his popper and after about 10 minutes it sounded like a bath tub was dropped in the water on his plug! Michael set the hook and the fight was on. With the drag set very tight on the Calcutta 250 loaded with 65# spectra and 50# top-shot (I use this reel to stop salmon on the Sac river), the fish was unstoppable. I looked down on the reel and could see the line peeling off and a high rate. We all told Michael to “RUN you’re going to get spooled!”. We followed the fish down the bank but it was still taking line. I looked down at the reel again and noticed the arbor starting to show. I told Michael to RUN FASTER! He did and gained some line back but it was a tug of war for awhile. Michael needed a break so Matthew took over fighting the fish. When the fish was in sight, Michael took over the reins and finished the job. When we tailed that fish, we noticed one of the hooks on the treble hook had straightened out and one of the other hooks only had a tiny piece of flesh purchased. It literally fell out of the fishes mouth when we gave it slack! That fish “should” have been lost, but the trevally gods were shining down on boys that week! Lucky AGAIN!

The boys managed to land bones up to 7-9 pounds and land GT’s on fly and conventional.  Other members of our group ( Dick and Michael Sasaki, Meng Syn, Roland Kumagai, Roger Bevers and Larry Willis) did well too. Roger was the top dog as far as numbers of bones in a day. He landed over 50 the first day. Roland also got into a big GT on fly. Larry landed a huge bonefish that measured 31 inches!

The catch rate was definitely higher this time than trips past. There were many 30-40 fish days per person. I think the guys were right about Christmas Is. The fish are back and conditions are almost as good as the first time I went.

There were other great experiences for the boys, like eating fresh caught snappers on a pile of burning coconut husks. The fresh coconut juice and coconut flesh was also very refreshing. Matthew threw a Rattle Trap to a shark and it ate it instantly too.

As we boarded the plane back to HNL, the boys said they wanted to come back next year. I told them it would be unlikely that we would come back that soon, but as I have learned from this amazing place…..never say never.

We decided to go 4 days early to Honolulu before our Christmas Island trip because the boys have not been there yet and there is so much to do in Oahu. We stayed at the Aqua Wave in Waikiki and the location was tough to beat. There was a great Udon restaurant right across the street and we ate there frequently. We visited the Mighty Mo (Battleship Missouri), Pacific Aviation Museum and the Arizona Memorial. The boys wanted to snorkel too so we made a trip to Hanauma Bay too.
Victor told us of a place to walk in and fish for bones and at first I was not keen on getting all our gear out and then have to repack everything but we had a free afternoon and the tide and the weather were good so we went out to scout the flat. It paid off! We fished for about 2 hours and during that time we cast to 6 bonefish. 3 of them were tailors in the shallow water. Michael landed one out of the 6. It was his first bonefish and it was exciting to watch him play the fish in. It took long fast runs and Michael had never experienced that kind of strength and speed in a fish before. We definitely got LUCKY.
The rest of the time in Waikiki was spent on Waikiki beach and at the Shave Ice store. Waiola Shave Ice has got to be one of the best shave ice on the Island. My nephew that lives there said it was the place to go and boy was he right. Waiola will be a stop for sure on our next visit.
My other nephew Tobyn flew in from Maui to join us for the long weekend. He is 10 and they got along great. We had a couple meals with Uncle Meng and Aunt Gina but other than that they went sight seeing on their own. One of the dinner stops was a local “hole in the wall” place called Onos Hawaiian Food. It was great authentic hawaiian food that we all loved. It is also a repeat if we visit HNL again.

This is our 4th trip to the lodge and it’s the first year we had great weather. The first 2 years we experienced very cold weather with snow and hail and wind. Mother Nature and the fishing gods smiled on us this year!

This was the best pay and play fishing I’ve ever experienced as far as numbers of fish hooked and landed. This year we were missing our world class videographer Meng Syn. He would have had so much great fishing footage if he were there. I hope it’s as good next season.

The accommodations and food are outstanding there.  Chef Gary and his wife Devine took very good care of us and fed us with gourmet meals.

This year Emma landed over 50 trout on the first day. That is casting and hooking the fish by herself. Last year she needed help casting but this year the fish were so abundant that any length of cast caught fish. The boys as usual, loved fishing the creek and actually they enjoy that more than fishing the ponds. They used their 7.5 ft. 2 weight rod the entire trip and Emma primarily used her 7.5 ft. 4 weight pink rod.

Papa John and Mama K were there too and they made the trip even more memorable. We are so blessed to have such great grandparents to the kids.

Looking forward to next year.

Our yearly trek to Pyramid lake with Pop B (Papa Benson) brought us to the South Nets and camping right on the beach. When we arrived the wind was blowing pretty hard. We set up camp and had dinner then got on our ladders for the evening bite. Right at dark the bite came on and it was good fishing for about half an hour.  A couple of the pics you’ll see it’s VERY dark out but the fish were biting.

That night the wind blew hard and it was tough for us to get any sleep. Pop B woke us up before 5 am and when we looked outside to the water there were 2-3 foot rollers coming in and there was no way we could fish. We waited it out to about 6:15am and then got on our ladders. As soon as Michael got out there he had 4 fish on 5 casts! It was almost the same with Matthew. There were multiple double hook ups and even triple hook ups. The bite lasted a few hours or basically until the wind died. After that it was slim pickens for the next day and a half. There was very little wind if any at all. That was not in the forecast.

Mr Victor and Miss Judy (the Inouyes) joined us on Friday morning but the weather was bluebird skies and little wind so it was tough fishing for all of us.

We were hoping for another evening bite and morning bite but it never came. We left Sat. morning just in time to have a nice lunch at Cabelas. Thanks to Pop B for “guiding” us on the lake and hanging out with the kids.