I have to preface this interview with a personal note: I kept a boat in the same marina as Lexi’s family for years and I feel like I watched her grow up fishing on the dock as hardcore and dedicated as anyone. Even as a child she would spend hours soaking a bait in the marina. She is no longer a child, but still fishing with that same drive and spirit! Keep after em Lexi!
BD: Where do you call home?
Lexi Furukawa:I was born and raised in Orlando, but spent half of that time at the port (Port Canaveral). To this day people still think I am from there or currently live there.
BD: What do you do when you’re not fishing?
Lexi Furukawa:I am a full time student at Adventist University of Health Sciences, but I am also an assistant manager at West Marine.
BD: What other interests or hobbies do you have?
Lexi Furukawa:I enjoy being out in the woods, shooting my bow, and playing volleyball. But these days I only coach it. I thoroughly enjoy shooting fish in the face if I cannot get them to eat. Pole spear is all I need. I love to line dance. Sometimes I even like to just watch fish, or marine life for that matter, interact and feed without having to catch them.
BD: Who introduced you to fishing?
Lexi Furukawa:I could fish before I could walk thanks to my wonderful daddy. We started off with a bass boat, then got our first offshore boat (20ft Pro-Line) when I was 6, and got our current boat, a 40ft Wellcraft Sportbridge in 2001. I caught my first bass at 2 years old, continued to fresh water fish, then moved to backwater, and began offshore adventures at the age of 6.
BD: What types of fishing have you done so far?
Lexi Furukawa:Oh goodness! Ha. Let’s see, I have bass and brim fished all over Florida, wherever I could find water to entertain myself. I have fished the backwater in many different areas. I have fished in marinas, including mine for over 15 years. Specifically targeting snook, and catching sheepshead in the meantime waiting for the tide to get right. I offshore troll and bottom fish on a normal basis. When the cobia are thick, we make a day out of stacking up cobias on ice. I have deep-dropped in the Bahamas and limited out on yellow-eyes and blackfin snapper. I have skinny water stalked bonefish. I have other-side tuna fished. I have fished anywhere from Port Canaveral, the Keys, the Abacos, and even pond hopped. I am always ready and excited to try new forms of fishing and always willing to learn something new!
BD: Can you tell us your favorite kind of fishing?
Lexi Furukawa:That is an extremely tough question. I thoroughly enjoy stalking bonefish in the Bahamas, but I also love pulling up a 40 lb grey in 220 feet of water. And I absolutely love the chaotic cobia fishing all day. So I can honestly say I do not have a favorite. As long as I am fishing in some way, it is my favorite.
BD: How would you describe your future fishing goals?
Lexi Furukawa:One of my biggest goals is to head over to Costa Rica and Roosterfish. I would also love to catch my first marlin!
BD: What aspect of fishing do you like the most?
Lexi Furukawa:What aspect of fishing is there not to like?
Even if I get skunked, I am so thankful and in an irreversible happy place when I am fishing. I love the connection I have to the ocean and how it can truly affect my moods.
If I haven’t been fishing in quite some time, it genuinely affects my outlook and psyche. I go mad! Even a short boat ride to the buoy line and back puts me in a jolly mood. It’s my way of breathing and relieving stress. I do not have a care in the world when I am out on the boat. Unless I’m worried about the person with the gaff in their hand and whether they’re gonna let me down or not. But overall, every aspect of fishing, whether it’s catching or fishing, is beautiful to me. I love it all.
BD: What memories have been highlights to date?
Lexi Furukawa:Okay I definitely have to brag about this one. On my most recent trip to the Bahamas I caught my FIRST bonefish and he was a stud! Probably weighing in at about 11 pounds or so. I was beyond elated! Another critter I am proud of, before they were banned, was a 30 lbs. 15oz Red Snapper (back in the day that was big). She hangs on my wall to this day. I have so many wonderful memories, but those two stand out in my brain.
BD: Tell me some other aspects of you.
Lexi Furukawa:I am a huge family person. I would rather live in a cardboard box and have all of my family with me, then to have all the money in the world and have poor relationships with my family or no family at all. That is how I was raised and I think that is the way it should be. I also love working with children. I am a volleyball coach for kids ages 9-12 and have tutored troubled children along with other things. I love God for without Him none of this would be possible. I cherish my friends and most of them are pretty much family. I also believe kids should be taken fishing as much as possible. It is a healthy and outstanding hobby and a perfect way to bond with their parents. I am most certainly an outdoor girl. I cannot stand being stuck indoors for long periods of time. I think it adds to my already craziness… I am a people person (most of the time). I love to shoot my bow and guns. I love spending time fishing with my boyfriend. I like working. I am a busy body. I cannot stand laziness. I find the human body intriguing and incredible, hence my pursuit for a degree in the medical field. I love my parents the same, but I am definitely a daddy’s girl.
Life is beautiful and I am evermore thankful I was raised to appreciate just one of the many facets.
