Fly-fishing across the country

Trout Unlimited has it right. You can fly fish literally anywhere on this planet. If you have ventured beyond Colorado’s streams and other Western waters with fly rod in hand, you know what I mean. I have learned to never leave home without my travel fly rod, knowing out there somewhere is a new and different fishing experience, worth exploring.

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The author fly fishing the Kauai, Hawaii, shoreline reef waters.

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    My wife and I visited the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in late October. We traveled light, but I did include two travel fly rods, fishing vest and some small colorful streamer flies and nymphs to experiment with in the Kauai Island surf.
    Guests at the Sheraton Kauai Resort, where we stayed, found both sand beach surf and ample access to black volcanic rock shoreline with numerous tide pools all teaming with a wide variety of surf and reef fish. Most anglers used bait, fishing the deeper water typically a draw for larger fish. A typical bait rig included squad, octopus or herring pieces draped on a No. 4 or No.2 hook, with weight, fished in the reef waters beyond the breakers, or in deep pools beyond the black rock shallow tide pools.
    My choice was the fly rod and tide pool shallow waters. Two-to 4-inch streamer flies, fished weightless on the surface or just below worked reasonably well. Interestingly, virtually any color seemed to work, depending on the time of day. Black and white proved to be the preferred early morning and sunset color; while orange, red, yellow and chartreuse attracted fish mid day.
    Small reef fish followed the tide throughout the day. Morning high tide filled the close in shallow 2-foot tide pools and invited a kaleidoscope of fish types in to feed. As the day progressed, the tide subsided and fly-casting was a bit more challenging. It became necessary to send the fly line further out in the deeper reef water beyond the tide pools, and maneuver a floor of slippery black lava rocks. There, the fish were bigger, but less responsive to flies. The deeper reef edge water is where bait anglers were doing best.
    Hawaiian reef fish come in an unbelievable assortment of beautiful colors and shapes. Local anglers cited nearly 50 different species found in the tide pools and reef water. I connected with a few of the more populated Needlefish, the peacock grouper, spotted boxfish, Hawaiian bigeye and a few blacktail wrasse. None were more than 12 inches in length, but full of fight and color.
    Kauai anglers find ample access to surf waters. The Kauai Island leaders have reserved significant miles of beach frontage for public use. This policy is encouraged throughout all of the Hawaiian Island chain. Many locals and visitors take advantage of the open waters for swimming, beach picnicking, some of the world’s premier big breaker surfing and some for fishing. The Island of Kauai also offers, as all Hawaiian Islands do, excellent offshore deep-water fishing. Fish are plentiful and it is simply a matter of choice.
    Regardless of where your year around travel plans may take you, be sure and include a travel fly rod; and for that matter a travel spin cast rod and gear. Where there is water, there is a new fishing opportunity.
    Contact Ron Hellbusch at Ron-Hellbusch@comcast.net.