Travel - Oahu

Sharpen your hooks!

Of all the useless things to do for fishing, sharpening hooks hits the top of the list. I must lose one hook an hour, sometimes every thirty minutes, so I am using new hooks almost daily. What have I got to sharpen?

The proof came on a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North side of Oahu. First, going through the exhibits, one of the most awe-inspiring sights was the use of fishhooks from a pre-Iron Age society, made from wood, but also bone. The most surprising was that the latter were in fact carved as circle hooks, which we today are only again beginning to use with any frequency – some 5000 years later! I am a big fan of circle hooks and was transfixed by the cleverness of these “primitive” hooks.

Secondly, I try to fish any and everywhere I go – even the Polynesian Center – and sure enough, there was a little alcove in which one could try fishing like a native. Again, a simple stick with modern filament and, basically, an open paperclip, cut and shaped in the familiar J-shape hook. Sharpened? It would take effort to poke it through paper!

The idea was to form a small pea from a handful of bread dough available and press it on the hook. One could certainly see fish (minnows) which is a good sign, but I expected a fair amount of fishing pressure, making catching difficult. Apparently there are catfish in the pond/lagoon. I am not good at baiting hooks with dough or bread or cheese and today was no exception. Almost every “cast” resulted in lost bait.

But I stuck with it! Finally, after perhaps 10-15 minutes, I pulled in a 4-5 inch something. A something is a fish that no one within earshot can tell what it is with any authority – particularly if it is a young fish.

Again one of the highlights of the trip; not only was the 30-Second Fisherman not skunked, but also proved that sharp hooks are the last thing one needs to waste ones time on.

Travel - Hong Kong

STAR Ferry beats Sampan

Hong Kong was a bust. The weather was diabolical, resulting in two days of Black Warnings: rainfall over 70mm (2 ¾ in) an hour. Now four such hours in a row is … way too much rain.

So while I did not catch anything, I can say where one can fish. The first is beyond Avenue of the Stars at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, walking/traveling east from the Clock along the waterfront (south of Salisbury Road). There is essentially a railing, in some cases saying no fishing,, but much further along, there is a break, and here one might see others drop-lining into the bay. The weather was so bad, that the seas just kept knocking my hook into and over the iron supports; so I was effectively losing lures at the rate of every 2-3 casts. In the heat and humidity, if not the rain, it was an exhausting walk from the Ocean Centre near the Star Ferry.

The next attempt was little more than a photo opp, with an attempt at trolling on a sampan, but the boat went so fast through all the moored fishing boats, I never got my lure below water level. It just bounced along. Tried briefly at the dock, but didn’t have time for serious fishing …

Perhaps the easiest place I came to, was at the Star Ferry terminal. Coming out of Ocean Centre to the ferry, run your hand along the railing (in front of the cruise/ferry ships) and just as you near the ferry-end of the railing you may see others fishing – or you may be alone. Again, drop-line with clams seemed the preferred method, though I saw one spinning rod with a 4” shallow diving plug. I saw no one pull a fish out.