Stan Wright

I went by the lake today to see how the little bass were doing... the ones the hatchery were stocking in the lake last Sunday. I found them hiding in the grass along the shore. They seemed in good shape, nice and healthy. I don't think this one was really pleased to have his picture taken. Or it might have been that he "felt the steel", and missed a meal. The little peacock bass were also out in good numbers... Saw lots of BIG peacock bass... the 3 to 5 pound size... but I was using 4# test and knew there was no way to land those big'uns on my little Tenkara rod. While I was landing this little guy a huge peacock bass tried to eat it. I spoke with some fishermen who did land some 3 and 4 pounders... using live bait.

Well. if I was entering a peacock bass tournament tomorrow... I'd bring my fly rod and a bunch of small flys (1/2 to 1 inch size) That's the only thing I got them to bite today... flys. My "fly rod", a 13'6" Amago, hooked all the fish. But because the Tenkara rod is so light you can't use leaders stronger than 5# test.... my largest PB on the Tenkara today was 2 pounds. Those 3 and 4 pound PB and LMB kept breaking the leader. It was good fun catching the red devils and bass under a pound. This is the size fish I was looking for... peacock bass under a pound... but when one of the big guys hit, you could kiss the fly goodbye and start re-rigging. These little guys are lots of fun... although you have to get them into the boat quickly before one of the larger fish grabs it. (This is a baby peacock bass, not a lure with out the treble hooks). Well, not every large fish broke my leader.... there was a 4# size largemouth bass that grabbed my "lure that I forgot to put the treble hooks on". When it finally realized it was "hooked"... it jumped and threw the "lure with no treble hooks in it". Since all this took place right beside the boat and in clear water... it was really exciting to watch. The "lure with no hooks" was released back into the grass, none the worst for it's experience.) I still can't believe I was able to land this 2 pounder. Why in the world would a fish with such a big mouth go for so tiny a fly?

Peacock bass like warm water and sunshine... spring rains seem to be over and summer is here. As the water temperature reached 80 degrees the peacock bass became more aggressive... We're starting to see more fish in the 3 to 5 pound range. It was fun catching 40 to 50 of the little (1 pounders) peacocks and largemouth... great fun on ultra-light spinning rods or a 4wt fly rod.... but I'm ready for something larger. LOL Even the Red Devils action is picking up.

We were finishing up a successful day on Lake Fork when my guide suggested we check the spawning beds for "Share a Lunker size bass. (11+ lbs) I suggested that he catch the fish, it would look good on his web site... I'd watch. He finally located a 12 pounder after spotting several 7 and 8 pounders. He was trying to get the big bass to take a worm when I noticed a bass about 8 pounds near the back of the boat. I picked up my fly rod and cast a sinking fly right on top of the spawner. Hook up. You know how after you've fought a fish all the way to the boat and it is sitting vertical in the water with just it's head sticking out? They are always good for just one more jump. I said: "I bet if I slacked my line that fish will jump and throw the fly." I bend down all the barbs on my hooks. I no sooner dropped the rod tip than that big bass started tail walking down the side of the boat and tossed that fly right up onto the carpet. I turned to the guide with a big smile and said..."Did you see that? Sweet." He looked at me and said: " Most anglers would give their left arm for a fish like that... and you say...'I bet he'll throw the hook if I slack my line'. You fly fishermen are crazy." That ended a perfect day on the water. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

There are 5 stages in a sportmans life... 1. Lord, just let me catch one. Anything? 2. Got to get a limit. 3. Looking tor that trophy. Get that wall hanger. 4. Been there, done that. What will make this more challenging? 5. I get a thrill just seeing someone catch a fish. It's like every fish you caught.... I caught.

An Observation I've noticed a lot more people we fish with.... especially kids.... are fishing like they were competing in the Bass Masters Classic. Let me explain. When a fish strikes, they set the hook (cross the fishes eyes) and then skip the fish accross the top of the water and swing it up into the boat. If the fish is a little larger and tries to jump.... the angler thrusts the rod tip into the water and sweeps hard to keep the fish from jumping, all the while screaming. No! No! No! The "fight" with these fish might last every bit of 3 or 4 seconds. Maybe it's just me.... but this isn't my idea of fun fishing. I'm thrilled if a fish is large enough to pull drag and make the reel sing. The best part of hooking a fish is to see it come out of the water, head shaking, gill rattling, tail walking accross the surface. Wow. Then after a few minutes of back and fourth tug of war.... reaching down and gently cradling the fish in your hand or grabbing the lip.... now that's what memories are made of for me. We've scaled down our tackle to match the size of the fish. (our average fish is 2 pounds, with a 3 to 5 pounder not that uncommon) Using 4# and 6# test spinning tackle adds a little challenge and skill into the mix. When you finally get a 2 pound peacock or largemouth to the net, you feel good. And it took a lot longer than 3 or 4 seconds to do it. (the last 8 pound peacock bass on 4# test took 35 minutes to land. That fish weighed twice the breaking strength of the line, something few anglers have done.) And since we're using lighter line and smaller lures, we tend to catch more fish. The average tournament fish weighs less than 2 pounds. Most tournament anglers don't even catch a full limit of fish. Look at how thrilled Mike is on that City Limits fishing show to catch a limit of 5, 12 inch fish. Now if your fishing in a big money tournament, that's one thing. For the other thousands of anglers out there,... relax, have fun.... slow down and smell the roses. Just a thought, Aloha, Stan

Hawaii Peacock Bass Are Spawning Just 2 days after we found the peacock bass paired up and claiming a spot to spawn... the rain came down and the water level came up 6 feet.... Now those spawning fish are deep and there is no way to see their nests. On the positive side, there has been good action along the shore as the peacock bass are chasing shad and little chiliads. Visiting from San Diego, eight year old Nick took full advantage of an early birthday present (a fishing trip) to add Hawaii peacock bass to his large and growing list of caught fish. I must say it was a real pleasure to have someone on the boat that could cast as he does. He was also tying on his own hooks. Watch out for this kid.... his goal is to host his own fishing show. Nick and one of his many peacock bass.

Classic Fisherman's Catch We've all seen it in countless cartoons... Fisherman catches boot. But this is the first I've seen it for real. ET (Ed Tamai) took a day off from guiding to try his hand at Peacock Bass. He hooked this "Army boot" using a streamer fly and sinking tip line over by the condos, accross from Schofield Army Bks.... This is where you'll find ET on most days of the week. Out on the flats chasing Oio (bonefish).

Aloha, Oahu's one and only freshwater lake... Wahiawa Res. "Hawaii's Bass Kept Secret" People dump their aquariums into the lake and we have a wide assortment of small tropical fish that the largemouth and peacock bass feed on. Our shad are only 1 to 2 inches long, so small lures and flys seem to work best.

On Saturday we had a great day of fishing... nothing in the way of catching to talk about.... but the company, and being out on the water was great. Landed lots of "fingerlings". Mostly in the 5 and 6 inch size. Randall refused to let me take his picture with his peacock bass. Finally started seeing Red Devils. Every time you cast at them they scattered in fright. They were located in huge schools along the north fork.... mostly in brush piles warmed by bright sunshine. Water visibility was 3 or 4 feet and they were usually down 3 feet or deeper. We caught 5 or 6 Red Devils for every 100 we cast at. On Sunday the wind was up and the water temperature down. Clouds made it hard to see the schools of red devils. (we gave up on trying to catch any peacock bass) Water temperature was 75/76 degrees (cold) As the water warms up the tropical fish should get a lot more active. Aloha, Stan

Little mouth, but a long way from the lips to the gullet. Your lucky, sometimes they suck a lure way down into that trumpit and it's tough to get it back out. I notice your not touching it..... ;D You'd never get the slime off your hands. ;D

With the state trying to lower the water level of the lake from 80 feet (full) down to 65 feet (flood control incase of a hurricane) the lake level has been like a yoyo. With a little rain in the mountains, the lake level can rise 3 or 4 feet in a matter of as many hours. With the water level way low, the small fish don't have any grass to hide in and the peacock bass cruise the shoreline. Find some very shallow water filled with little fish and the big guys are always near by. The water level rose 10 feet this week and the baitfish are all way back up in the grass. The good news is... everything is chasing shad in the middle of the lake. Peacock, largemouth, and smallmouth bass. Since there is nothing to tangle the lines, we fish ultra-light spinning tackle with 4# test line. Good fun catching 2 to 5 pound fish. Sometimes the red devils are caught under the schooling peacock bass.

Haley needs to work on the casting part a little more, but once those schooling peacock bass hit the fly they don't stand a chance. Aloha, Grand Pa Stan

I have ESP... I can see into the future and predict things that are going to happen. Why just the other day as my attention was focused on the fly fisherman in the front of the boat... It all came to me in a flash...... Only moments before, in the back of the boat, I had hooked a fresh live bait on the line and cast it out before handing the spinning rod to the angler. (The wives of some fly fishermen do not fly fish.) For some reason I turned around and saw that she had laid the rod on the deck beside the seat. I said to myself: "Self", I said... "a big fish is going to grab that live bait and pull that spinning rod and reel right over the side of the boat." Lo and be hold, as I stepped toward the stern of the boat to secure the rod, it seemed to grow legs and scramble accross the deck, leaped out over the water, and with a splash, dived into the depths of the lake. Just the way I had seen it in my thoughts only moments before it happened. You know, I even amaze myself some times. P.S. If anyone catches a large peacock bass in the area of the South Fork called Paper Bark.... and there is a fishing line attached.... and there is a spinning rod and reel attached to the other end of the line..... It's mine. : Aloha, Stan

Thursday, May 21, 2009 Light Kona winds, clouds drifting in and out, water clarity 2 to 3 feet.... and the peacock bass were spawning. Near Mikimiki Flats, the small shad were leaping from the water to escape the schooling peacock bass. Red Devils lined the shallows. Decisions, decisions. A schooling size peacock bass. It wasn't the wild and sustained bust like we'll see later in the year, but enough action from 1 to 2 pounders to keep us interested. They love anything gold. When the schooling action slowed, we drifted closer to shore picking up a few big red devils. Every so often a peacock bass would dart in from the depths to grab the small red devil flys. We were seeing lots of fish. Big Male Red Devil. They average from 3/4 to 1 pound in weight. Larger spawning fish were our target so we moved along, scanning the shallow water. (A good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must if you want to see the fish.... if you can't see e'm, you can't catch e'm.) It didn't take long. Those big boys don't like anything swimming near their nest. A minnow looking artificial fly anywhere near a spawning pair of peacock bass draws some vicious strikes. The big bump on it's head identifies this 4 pounder as a male. Unlike largemouth, the male fish is always larger than the female. Aloha, Stan