2023 was better overall than 2022 but fell a bit short of expectations. A weak El Nino did warm up the water in the late Spring but faded, and it was a windier than normal year. Overall water temps didn’t get that high and there were less fishable offshore days than the previous years. Thanks to the Holoholo writers for summarizing their season.
Shoreline:
Oama:
Some spots were very good and consistent, holding oama through September. Other spots that normally hold large schools were dry. The oama came in late July and left by October, which is the typical timeframe. Overall, an 8 out of 10. Papio weren’t hitting the piles much though.
Halalu:
It was a very good halalu season on Oahu. The regular spots held fish for a long time despite getting pounded. Papio were seen and some caught near the halalu piles.
Oio Flats Jigging:
Matthew:
The O’io fishing this year has been great in general. Unlike previous years, I chose to completely forego the summer Papio run and instead focus on only flats fishing for O’io. It got a little tough this year with the presence of many new anglers on the flats, but spot rotation is something that I’ve found extremely valuable. Rotating between four or five spots has kept each one fresh for the next time I fish it. I never fish the same spot twice in a row. With the increase in pressure, I’ve hardly seen any fish in the shallows, instead being forced to go to deeper water in search of those smart fish.
This summer showed a really impressive number of O’io, but most of them were smaller fish (under 4 pounds). This winter has been very cold and while the numbers of O’io have decreased exponentially, the quality of fish has also increased exponentially. Recently I’ve been fishing for most of the trip without a nibble but depending on that one 5lb+ fish to come around. I haven’t had much numbers, but nearly all of my fish in the past month have been over 5 pounds. For example, I went through the entirety of August, September, and October without catching a single Oio over 5 pounds, although I was catching more numbers in smaller fish. I’ve also shifted my strategy from “stay in one area you’re really confident in” to “cover as much ground as you possibly can” recently. They’re still out there, you just gotta hope for the best sometimes. Good luck🤙
Fly Fishing:
Jason: The year overall was a fairly productive one, with all of our usual flats producing bonefish, along with the occasional 10-12” omilu (a trophy on our flats). By October, the action started to taper off, but this is perfectly normal for those of us hunting roundjaw o’io on the flats (versus the deeper water sharp jaw variety). Looking back at my catch logs for myself and friends (aka our group text string) I’d say our numbers were pretty much right around our averages, however we did focus a bit more on the windward side of the island this year than years past. This is partly due to the Navy’s closure of a popular flat, which remains closed as of this writing, and partly because exploring new waters is part of the fun in fishing!
Plugging/Whipping:
Thad: I dedicated more time during the summer of 2023 to throwing plugs instead of bubble/fly, so my papio catches were down. Did that mean I caught more of the bigger predators like the elusive ulua than in the past? Nope. But my fishing partner Dino had a year to remember with his back-to-back big ulua on consecutive days. I did have in increase in big strikes so the opportunities were there but I suffered from the rubbah hook/bent hook curse so I caught less fish overall. The plugging action picks up around the summer months but the timing is a little different every year. The 2023 action seemed to start a little earlier than the year before. Whipping the flats for oio was more productive for me this year as we’ve been able to dial in some new spots. People say the winter months are better for oio but to me they seem to bite equally year-round. Hopefully the oio action will continue through 2024 and I’ll be able to make the summer plugging strikes stick.
Dino:
2023 has been a really weird year as far as fishing goes. It was really up and down for me. I accomplished what I feel I will never be able to accomplish again. I hit uluas on back to back days in July. A white ulua in the 35 ish pound range and an omilu in the 22 pound range. Lost another one at landing some time after. The oio action on the flats has been hit or miss. Some days it’s good. Some days it’s dead as can be.
The Summer was good and the plugging really slowed in the Winter so I’ve been doing flats fishing for oio which has been a little bit of hit and miss for me. Picking one up here and there.
Hoping that 2024 can bring some good action for the bigger shoreline game. Gathering and prepping the plugging gear as we speak.
Nearshore:
Kayak Fishers (West and Northsides of Oahu): Largest shibi (yellowfin tuna under 100lb) of the season were caught in the Spring, along with mahi. Summer to early Fall were consistent for shibi and mahi. Aku popped up in the early Fall. Ono were caught in early late Fall. Bite has slowed in Winter but there are still pelagics to be caught if you’re in the right place with a lively opelu. Uku seems to be available year round.
Scott: (Windward side kayak) Slow ’til March when aku schools moved in shallow. Then the wind blew ’til October. When the weather finally allowed offshore kayaking, the small shibi and small mahi were in shallow but that only lasted a few weeks, water temp was 79 degrees. In December the temp dropped to 74 degrees and the pelagics were scarce. Currently, nehu bait balls are getting pounded by small kawakawa and opelu from below, and birds from above. North swell often shutting down exposed spots.
Dive:
Pono: Didn’t get a ton of diving in this year due to having a busier than normal schedule and a windier than normal summer (my usual dive season). However, the few outings that I were able to go on were very productive! I had a lot of fun down-sizing my speargun, kayak diving, and trying new recipes. Diving deeper has shown me that Oahu still get fish if you know where to look! I think there were more nearshore pelagics in the Fall compared to other times of the year, we were seeing shibi and kawakawa on reef dives.
Boat:
Erik: 2023 brought two new boats into our fishing experiences, a 21’ Force and a 17’ Boston Whaler. The year started steady and progressively got better with October being our best month. We are blessed to have landed Ahis in both boats this year and have caught enough fish to share with friends and family.
Offshore fishing is still good but the wind and high surf have been limiting factors.
We look forward to more fishing adventures in 2024 and hope to see more of our fishing family out in the ocean.
Regarding the o’io fishing getting more difficult… I have been fly fishing for o’io for about 8 years now, and have friends who have been doing it for over 15 years, and one friend, over 25 years. The consensus seems to be that the fishing has been getting markedly tougher since at least the early 2010s. This just kinda is, what it is. When you are targeting a very spook fish in shallow water, they are going to be sensitive to all sorts of human pressure, and not just from fly fisherman, or o’io whippers, but swimmers, spearfisherman, SUP boarders, “dog people” (if you know, you know.. LOL) throw net guys, tako divers, and pretty much anyone else traipsing about on the flat. It’s part of what makes catching these fish so much of a reward – you are really overcoming the odds to catch one. When fly fisherman from around the world hear about us having bonefish in Honolulu, it’s always a bit of a surprise for that reason (most world class bonefish destinations are not nearly as urban, nor have the same level of pressure).
Yup, pretty unusual to be able to catch a trophy bonefish in a heavily populated area, that’s so heavily trafficed by other beach enthusiasts.
Good thing the lay nets are banned in the urban area you speak of.
Yes, these poor fish have enough things against them, this point.
I don’t want to put too fine a point on this, but I want to leave with one final note… I invite all fly fishermen or o’io whippers who happen to be reading these comments to imagine a time, let’s call it “15 years ago,” when 6-10 fish days were the norm – and we aren’t talking, searching high and low, covering acres of flats, casting til your arm falls off, squinting at the water until you go blind, kine fishing, we talking just sitting in one spot blind casting! If you had to fish hard and maybe only hook one or two, that was a rough day!
I bring this up because it is a sobering reminder that the tough days of today, may be the “good ol days” of tomorrow – or maybe not?
Coming to Oaho in Feb and need advice on kayak fishing guides nd locations. Can you help point me in the right direction? I have e 25yrs of kayak fishing experience on the Chesapeake Bay so I am quite familiar with what’s involved. Any advice on who I could contact for a day trip would be appreciated. Doesn’t need to be a pelagic trip.
Hi John,
I don’t personally know any kayak guides but do know they exist. Your best bet would be to join the FB Group called “Oahu Kayak Fishing Club” and ask if any of the guys would guide you or know of guides.
Good luck,
Scott