Coho fun at Van Damme 8/8 (pics added 8/9)

My friends John and Wyatt paddled out with me from Van Damme for a little after work fishing on a beautifully flat afternoon.  John has come into yak fishing relatively recently, but is a super core fly fisherman and is determined to catch rockies on a flyrod. 

So we're out at those kelpy reefs south of the big island around dusk, and John hooks into a coho, of all things, in the middle of this large opening in the kelp forest.  The thing (hen, I think) goes into ballistic top water mode, tail-walking and jumping like something out of a magazine.  The imagery was just incredible:  John straddling his boat with a bent fly rod late in the afternoon in the middle of this hole in a kelp forest that's continuous all the way to the cliffs about 3/4 mile away.  And the fish is air born.

After about ten minutes, he gets the fish up to the boat and tries to release it, but she's not ready and goes nuts again.  John does not have the rod in hand and as the fish takes off the rod starts skittering off his lap and along of the deck of the boat.  Just before it goes completely over, john grabs the butt, saves his fly rod and is on again with this thing for another 5 minutes or so.

He finally gets it to the boat, an 8 - 10 pound coho on a lightweight fly rod.  We released the fish and incredibly it dashes away.  Wyatt took pics and I'll post them when I get them.  Wow, what fun to watch.

WAY cool!!
What fly was he using???

Sweet!  Great thrilling story, Dave.   

That is cool.  Coho are great fun in the salt...I need to go to AK!!

WAY cool!! Can't wait to see the pics.
What fly was he using???

He was catching blues with it.  Something that looked like a minnow.  I don't really know flies.  He was using a sinking line, but he got the fish on the surface.  I earlier saw some type of fish hitting on the surface and assumed they were blues, but we suspect that there was actually a school of silvers working the top.

Well told report, no pictures needed!  Not sayin' don't post 'em, just sayin'...  Thanks 

Way cool, thanks for the report and photos!
John

  FANTASTIC 

Now THAT is what makes me want to go kayak fishing! Now!
Thanks for sharing that Dave,
PK

WAY cool!!
What fly was he using???

It was a chartreuse and white clouser (standard baitfish pattern) tied on a 2/0 hook with all synthetic material...works great for blues

It was a chartreuse and white clouser (standard baitfish pattern) tied on a 2/0 hook with all synthetic material...works great for blues

When I FF for blues I tie a 2/0 weighted white wooly bugger with bead eyes with TONS of white maribou.
Be careful when casting it in the wind though. I got whapped in the back of the head when a gust came up and almost knocked me out!

Jeese, that guy must have been burning up in that wet suit.

That's way cool!  Now i really have to bring a fly rod next time Dave!!   

Norm

Thats way cool.

  Look at his grin!  Now theres a happy kayaker!