A little backstory...

  

Every young child living in Hawai'i has been around the ocean, and what better way to pass the time than to go fishing. After all, we're surrounded by water. I remember going with my parents to the beach, baiting up the hook, and fighting a kūpīpī or po‘opa‘a as it took the tip of my bamboo pole underwater; I was “hooked!” I though that's all there was to fishing but it was just the tip...

Middle school afternoons, I spent time with my grandparents. I found out that some of my family worked on Aku boats and listened to the stories of how hard it was to fish for a living. I would always ask to go fishing no matter how limited the time was, just to get a bite. They encouraged this new found hobby and over time, the bamboo changed to graphite.

Towards the end of high school, whipping became my preferred way to fish. I would go with Sensei Jay on the weekends to whip the bubble while he fly-fished. I eventually found my way down to Nervous Water Hawaii on his recommendation to check out their specialties. I was immediately drawn to Dean-o's streamers and after successfully fishing them, I attempted to make my own. Saved up enough to get a vise, hooks, material, and go down this rabbit hole - I would spend more hours on the vise than fishing. My interesting designs all looked like crap. I’d bring them to Sean at the shop, he’d laugh, then point me in the right direction. Over time the dust settled on the vise and fishing was on the back burner.

Years later, my grandpa had passed but my grandma was aging and needed a full-time caretaker. I decided to quit my valet job to support her 24/7. Fishing is a great getaway and since I was home all the time, I decided to dust off the vise. After achieving a design, I prepared my tackle for the next day. Fortunately, I already met Miranda and she would come home early from work to relieve me for an hour. I’d call Cody and we took the new, slicker creations to get tested. We fished every week for whatever amount of time we could get away. A lot of testing, trial and error, whitewash, chest-soaked cold days allowed me to find successful fly patterns. Within a few months we were very successful and this hobby of fly tying became much more alluring. Fishing is always an easy conversation so it felt good to bring home fresh fish for someone who could no longer cook my favorite meals.

After seeing the results, my friends and family encouraged me to share my products with the community and turn this hobby into something more. Attracting the attack, Automatic Flies LLC was born in August of 2015 in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

After my grandma passed, I remember that Automatic Flies are made with a purpose. Through this journey I’ve connected with an amazing Pro Staff and other solid fishermen who’ve turned into close friends. There have been many ups and downs in an industry I figure out day by day but to each and every one of you who have been along for the ride and continuously #AttractTheAttack, MAHALO!