Ed Is Ed! The Fish Whisper

Captain Ed Tamai

Today I was reminded of Captain Ed Tamai when a friend commented on one of my stories. I met Captain Tamai about ten years ago. I had just purchased the boat from Coach Duff: a fifteen-foot flats boat designed to chase bonefish, with all the bells and whistles, including a poling platform and a casting platform with a 360-degree basket. Literally, we could lock someone in and they could cast anywhere. If memory serves me right, I met him at Nervous Water, our local fly shop, back when it was located beside the Chinese restaurant on Waialae Avenue. Ed was Ed. He was the guide who grew up fishing in Hawaii and eventually became the fly shop's lead guide.

Ed had a way with people that made for great conversation. Being personable comes with the territory of guiding. Like most guides, he could make you laugh and, most importantly, put you on fish.

In my opinion, he was the best. He could certainly outfish everyone, myself and the rest of the guides included. His Instagram handle was ETFishwhisper, and he lived up to the name. He was able to catch fish when no one else was catching fish.

We were on Rat or Middle Island, fishing side by side. Middle Island is directly outside the Triangle at Keehi Lagoon. He walked the ledge, and I was about twenty yards from him. Within an hour, he hooked seven bonefish to my zero. That's how good he was.

He purposely used faulty equipment to make bonefishing more challenging. We were fishing Middle Island near the waves when he hooked a monster on his newly purchased fly rod from Cabela's. The rod was maybe fifty dollars, and the reel he was using didn't have a drag. He ended up landing an eight-to-nine-pound bonefish on equipment that barely worked.

On one of my first trips to the Triangle, I met Ed with Adam. Ed had taken Adam on a guided trip and then adopted him. This is something Ed did if you were cool: he'd adopt you and invite you back to fish for free. Adam's enthusiasm for fishing and his solid attitude earned him a spot in the crew. He was a Honolulu Police Department officer, and he started fishing with me and Ed anytime he was off.

Ed was Japanese and maybe something else, and sunburnt. He had a permanent sunglasses tan and the same shirt. He didn't carry a bag; everything he needed was neatly placed in his front pocket: a small fly box and a couple of leaders. That's it. He had perfected his packing list, bringing only what he needed. His shirt, he may have washed a couple of times over the years.

One day on the Triangle, I got a call from a travel agent with a Japanese customer who wanted to fish. I couldn't speak Japanese, so I figured I'd ask Ed, because he is Japanese.

Makani: "Ed, do you speak Japanese?"

Ed: "Oh yeah."

Makani: "OK, this person on the phone has questions in Japanese."

I handed the phone over to Ed and did not know what to expect. In my mind, I was like, Cool, we can secure this booking. Ed's got this! Ed grabs the phone.

Ed: "Hi, how may I help you?"

Ed talked a little slower, trying to make English turn into Japanese, drawing out the "how" and hitting the pitch you'd hear when listening to Japanese, yet slow enough to invoke understanding.

Ed: "Yes. What do you want?"

The words coming from Ed floored me. I couldn't stop laughing. I grabbed the phone back from Ed, hoping to repair any miscommunication that may have happened.

Makani: "Sorry, so no, we do not have anyone that speaks Japanese."

We lost that client but got a good laugh out of it and a memory that will last a lifetime. That's Ed! He is the guy who will surprise you. His brother, sister, and dad are all doctors, and Ed is a doctor of the sea and guiding. He is super smart and witty. Let your guard down or open yourself up to a joke, and Ed will seize the opportunity.

His knowledge of these fish, how they move, where they will be, and how to move the fly, was incredible. We were walking down the flat in pretty shallow, or skinny, water. There was a bonefish not more than two rod lengths away, coming toward us and then away, from left to right. Ed dropped his crab-looking fly, with eyes and legs coming out near the hook shank and EP fiber wrapped with lead wire. He pulled the tip of his rod from where it was to the right, making his fly swim at exactly the right moment, when the fish only saw the fly. It didn't even notice us, only a few feet away. Let me be clear: these fish were super spooky that day. I wasn't hooking many fish. For Ed to hook this fish was a huge accomplishment, and what I noticed was how he did it: his timing, moving the fly at exactly the right moment. Timing made all the difference.

I've watched Ed hook hundreds of fish, many that I thought were impossible. He knew something the rest of us didn't. So one day, I'm making a YouTube video asking the guides, "What is the secret to bonefish? What is the secret to catching these fish?"

Captain Chris Wright was fishing with us, so I asked him first. Chris is another top guide in Hawaii, another one of Hawaii's finest, born and raised here and an amazing fisherman. So I asked:

Makani: "What is the secret to catching bonefish?"

Chris: "The secret. OK, when you're on the flat, you want to move as slow as possible. You want to see the fish and get close enough not to spook the fish."

The secret to Chris was stealth: not spooking the fish. Which makes a ton of sense. If the fish sense you or hear your splashes as you walk, they become less likely to take the fly.

Now I'm with Ed, and I ask him the same question.

Makani: "What is the secret to catching bonefish?"

Ed: "OK, the secret is... OK, try wait... OK, you know when you pick mangoes, right? You look at the tree and you see the mango that is too green. You don't want that one because it's not ready. You look back up at the mango tree and you see the mango that is too ripe. You don't want that one either. OK, now you look up and you see the perfect mango. The one that, when you pick it, is ready to eat. That's the one you pick."

How does picking the right fruit translate to catching bonefish? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. That is what Ed and the rest of us are able to do: see the fish that will eat, the fish in the perfect position to present your fly to. If you see three fish in front of you, you want to pick the one you can get the fly in front of that will eat. When we see the fish, there are sudden movements and body positions that scream, "This fish is going to eat." The fish look a little more aggressive, just searching for food. Picking the right mango, or bonefish, is the secret to bonefishing.

Ed, however, wasn't only top tier on the flats; he was also an amazing bottom fisherman who knew how to find and catch fish. We would go out on his yellow boat when the wind dropped, to spots outside Hanauma Bay and Allen Davis on the island of Oahu. Because of the trade winds, these spots were normally rough, with waves crashing and the wind blowing. When the current went in the direction of the wind, it got smoother, but still lumpy. If you're not paying attention to the currents, you may find yourself in a situation. As soon as the current starts in the opposite direction of the wind, the waves start crashing and increase in size. It is super uncomfortable when this happens.

Ed knew those waters well and knew where the fish were without a GPS. Just like in fly fishing, Ed had a way of hooking fish, and he could tell the kind of fish depending on how they were fighting and where we caught them. He knew things that took a lifetime to learn. Fortunately, those who fished with Ed learned how Ed fished. Every time you go out, no matter if you already know how to fish, you can always learn something. That small piece of knowledge may be more valuable than you think. It could change the way you fish completely, improving your technique or a knot. Every piece of knowledge you gain helps you become a better fisherman. Ed helped me become a better fisherman.

We usually dropped vertical jigs, flies, bait, grubs, and live bait when we had it. Ed had his way of cutting bait. We would send it down and hope to catch Moana kali, weke ula, uku, and other bottom fish. Every time we saw color as the fish rose to the surface, we were stoked! We fished in one hundred to one hundred fifty feet of water. That's where, according to Ed, the nice fish were located. For sure, during January and February, we would catch the good stuff.

We would often go to Chinese restaurants or my house to eat our catch. Ed would cook his fish with his secret recipes. Super awesome. Those were memories that will last a lifetime. Ed was the glue that kept us together.

Ed was always down for a good time. There are stories that friends of Ed share of Ed being Ed, and here are the stories we shared. We would even golf together often. It would be Chris, Ed, myself, and sometimes Frank. Pretty fun. I'm not a golfer, but I'll golf with these guys any time. Some shots I'd get down the fairway, and most of the shots Ed took went straight. Chris, if you ever read this, let's not forget about the last Girl Rain!

Ed's flies were works of art. He was right-handed and tied left-handed. He would come over, tie a couple of flies, and we would be ready for the next day. Ed made a signature fly called the ET Mantis. The fly was made of EP fiber, bucktail, Krystal Flash, and small double eyes. It looked like a mantis shrimp, and the bucktail gave the fly a ridged look. He would invent all types of flies and make them work. When you got it, you got it. With fly tiers, it's hard to mimic exactly what the other guy does. Ed tied left-handed, which led to a different look than the guys tying right-handed.

We were fishing the finger of the Triangle when he introduced this new fly to me. He called it the Bumblebee. The body was golden chenille, with small lead eyes and a wing, and the main part of the fly was made of EP fiber, which gave the fly a rectangular shape. The tan EP fiber was tied in front of the bead eyes and extended past the bottom of the hook, making sure it did not extend longer than the hook length. The wing was then given four brown stripes to give the fly contrast.

This time we were going one for one: I'd hook a fish, then he would hook a fish. A lone bonefish was coming toward us at a forty-five-degree angle. Ed cast, waited a second, then started to retrieve the fly smoothly. The fish darted to the fly. I watched the fish inhale it. The newest invention Ed created worked.

Ed loved creating new flies. More than once, Ed would give me a fly, I'd tie it, and the next time we fished, he would tell me that fly doesn't work anymore. He always had an arsenal of flies ready to go.

Ed was Ed. We were hanging out in Maui when Ed purchased a sixteen-thousand-dollar Rolex with a little help from Jeremy. Jeremy and Amelia are married and both exceptional fishermen. They travel and fish all over the world. Jeremy is one of the other guides here in Hawaii. He is from the mainland somewhere and found a local Hawaiian to marry. They are super cool and super fun to fish with.

We took a trip to Maui together and hung out. The winds and weather didn't allow for any fishing. We drank a lot one night, and the next morning we went for a cruise down to the shops at Wailea. The Shops at Wailea is an outdoor mall with a few bars, a dozen restaurants and retail shops, and the famous ABC Stores. At one point, Ed, Jeremy, and Amelia went into the Rolex store, and Ed saw the watch he wanted. That was their recon. We ended up talking, and Ed was psyching himself up to purchase the watch, but he didn't have the money or a credit card on hand. So he asked Jeremy to borrow $16,000. The next thing you know, Ed has a sixteen-thousand-dollar Rolex.

Jeremy's version of the story is way better.

Shortly after this trip, Ed found out he had cancer. In 2024, Ed passed away. He fought hard and long and even took people fishing when he wasn't feeling his best. On one of those off days, I had a client call me. I was busy, so I recommended Ed.

The guy goes out with Ed. He doesn't have a great time. He calls me afterward and leaves a message complaining about Ed, and then writes a review about me. It's a shitty review, but a review. I'm proud of knowing that Ed showed up to take these guys fishing. Battling cancer with low energy, he thought more about the opportunity these guys would have missed if he didn't show up. He put the clients first. Knowing Ed's situation gave that review a different meaning. He died only a few months later, and this review reminds me of Ed: the guy who showed up and put others first.