Sorry, after 9 yrs of smooth sailing, the website took a WordPress update that broke it, and that uncovered a bigger problem that had to be resolved by the hosting company Bluehost. It took 4 days of prodding them to work on it, but once they did, all the data and functionality was restored.
It’s good to be back.
Sorry, this is long overdue. Navigation through the Store isn’t as seamless as I would like because the Store pages are really built on a blog platform. In order to fix a couple inconveniences I’d have to pay a yearly fee for specialized widgets, which would cut into the little the Store makes so far.
I started the Store in 2019 to sell products we sorely needed in HI, at a discount so entry to try wouldn’t be too high. Thank you to those who supported the Store and website over the years. I’ve added more products in the last couple of months to complement the the influx of oama and halalu.
So, to access the Store, click on the link in the top nav menu. That would take you to the Store or you could select Shop as you mouse over the Store link.
All the Product Categories will be displayed. Select “Newly Added” in the upper left corner to see the latest products, or select the Product Category you’re interested in.
If you click on an individual product you’ll be able to see its description and our personal experience with that product (usually).
Click “ADD TO CART” to add a product to your shopping cart.
To return to the top Product Category you’re in, click on the breadcrumb trail link. If you want to see all the Product Categories again, click on the Store link at the top nav bar.
I think the rest is self-explanatory. You can pay with PayPal or Venmo and most orders ship out within 24 hrs.
On summer break before his Senior year of high school, Matthew Ikeda accepted my plea to test some of the oldie but goodie JDM whipping lures and give his feedback on an Anetik shirt. I had previously posted about the lures we had tested that day here.
Matthew:
A little while ago, Scott messaged me wanting to find a test spot for some JDM lures. We played around with a few options at first, but not wanting to show any landmarks, we chose a secret-not-so-secret spot that we were sure wouldn’t upset anyone. When Scott picked me up, he gave me an Anetik hoodie to try for the day. The sun was high and scorching by the time we arrived at the spot, so the semi-porous fiber of the shirt felt pretty good. I decided to start off with a Duo Tide Minnow Slim SSR, which was around four inches and in a pearl color. It casted well, despite there being a crosswind and its lack of an internal weight transfer system. In the murky water, the pearl color really stood out and because of its enticing side-to-side action, I felt confident using it.
This spot is extremely dependent on the tide, so I was wondering if the tide was right for the Papio that sometimes run through. I began getting bites from Kaku early on, but there was no sign of the target species. The tide was rising fast, so I was depending on the influx of water to bring the fish into the canal. I got my wish 20 minutes later, when I felt a violent take that nearly ripped the rod out of my hands. I set the hook and let the fish take its first run. With the headshakes, power, and quick movements of the fish, I was pretty sure that I had just hooked a nice Papio. As I brought it closer in, I could see that I was correct. It was a good-sized white Papio (GT), larger than any I had hooked at this spot before. I babied the fight on the way in, unsure of how secure the hooks were, but the Papio eventually got tired. I grabbed the line and pulled it over the wall, landing the fish. Scott took some pictures, recorded a short video, and it was released back into the nasty water.
We fished pretty unsuccessfully for the rest of the time, as the bite went completely dead. We were just wrapping up when I got another bite. I set the hook and my rod crumbled. Shocked, I reeled the fish in with half of a rod, and I was pretty disappointed to see that the fish was just a snagged tilapia. It really sucked because the rod was my go-to O’io rod for the longest time, and there was a lot of sentimental value to it. To break a favorite rod on such a trash fish sucks, but that’s fishing I guess. In all, it was a good trip but the broken rod kind of killed the vibes.
Reviews:
The Anetik Remix Tech long-sleeved shirt had great ventilation and felt soft. I never felt like I was sweating despite the midday sun. It fits my body well and is better at adapting to slightly different sizes than some other brands. It comes with a hoodie and drawstrings if you need to tighten it. One thing that the Anetik shirt does lack is a face covering. Nearly all of my fishing shirts come with a face covering (attached to the shirt) that I can cover my face with. If you need to cover your face while wearing the Anetik hoodie, you will need to buy a separate face buff, either from Anetik or another brand. However, Anetik shirts have some of the softest material I’ve felt while also fitting me perfectly, making it worth the hassle. The sizes tend to be small, so you may need to buy one size larger than usual. For example, I am normally a “large” but I needed an “extra large”. Rating: 9/10, just find a buff to go with it.
The Duo Tide Minnow Slim SSR is an intriguing lure. It has a thin profile that matches a lot of our young baitfish. Some other common lures like Rapala X-Raps have fatter midsections, which I’m not too fond of. It casts well despite not having an internal weight transfer system and moves well in the water without needing too much attention. It dives around 1-2 feet deep. Lighter lures like these are good, but are best suited for harbors, canals, and calm areas without wind and choppy surfaces. In other terms, I wouldn’t use it anywhere with waves and lots of water movement. Lures like these would probably struggle to cast directly against the wind, due to the lack of the weight transfer system. However, when used in the right areas, or casted downwind, it should be very successful. Rating: 8/10, need to use it in a calm area.
The Anetik shirts have kept the kayak and wade fishermen cool and protected from Hawaii’s harmful UV rays. That had been established in this post. But how do they hold up during land sports worn by men and women, and how do the shirts perform in Florida’s extreme heat and humidity? Let’s find out.
Lori, golfer
Tested long sleeve Flight Tech 1/4zip on a very hot 88 degree weather day on the golf course. I like how it provides great SPF coverage while still keeping me cool…no sunscreen needed since it went all the way down to my wrists. The false collar provides extra back-of-the-neck coverage and the zipper is great to protect your chest area.
This material is very breathable, but it can get caught on tees or the velcro from the glove. I wore a small but probably should have tried the medium top (for reference I’m a lululemon size 6 top), as I don’t like my golf clothes to be so clingy.
I also wore the top to work one day, it kept me pretty warm in the air conditioning too, so it’s a versatile piece, great for travel too.
Donna, pickleballer
I’m used to wearing short sleeves and putting on sun tan lotion, so at first it felt warm to wear the long sleeve Flight Tech w/zipper in this summer but I got used to it and liked that I didn’t have that oily feeling on my skin when I was done. And I got compliments wearing it. 🙂
Al, pickleballer
At my age the sun protection is important. I liked the long sleeve Root Tech shirt in the Sky Heathered color.
Mike, Florida wade and SUP fisherman
I tested the Remix Tech Hoody in Fl with 75% humidity and 98 degree weather. Felt like 111 degrees. It performed well. I’m 5ft 9″ and 200lb and wore a size Large that felt snug but didn’t restrict motion. If I need a looser shirt I’ll go up to size XL. The zippered pocket was a nice touch for keys, etc. I found that sticking the shirt in a cooler with ice water was great but due to the tight fit, it takes a little effort to get it back on. It’s light and comfortable with just enough protection from the sun. After it gets wet it dries quickly. I like it, it’s great for very hot days and protects you from sunburn. Hood is big enough to accomodate hat. 5 stars!
To wrap up the testing of the old whipping lures I had from 2019, I stood on the side of a harbor, mid-day, to video how they cast and swim. The wind at my back was blowing hard at times, so casting them out with my small bait caster wasn’t an issue. This was only the second time casting lures since 2019 so I was a little clumsy; on the kayak I have just been bottom fishing or live baiting. There were sardines on the side of the harbor where I was standing, and small aha (needlefish) were patroling outside of that school.
It was interesting to me that the aha ignored most of the lures but chased certain ones, and 2 white papios (juvenile GT) chased 1 particular lure that has worked well in the bay off the kayak.
Please let me know if you find these types of tackle tests helpful.
IMA Popkey 0:00 Slant faced top water lure that walked and rolled fairly convincingly. 120mm and cylindrical, so a slightly larger bait fish profile. Got intercepted.
Maria Chase SW 1:04 Floating shallow diver with realistic tight rolling action. Casts well and got chased.
Palms GIG 100s 2:07 Only 100mm (4 inches) yet 30g (1 oz) so it’s a small, narrow, heavy stickbait. Didn’t get bit but will be deadly for bigger papio and small pelagics in deeper water.
Zetz F-Lead 90 3:02 Only 90mm (3.5 inches) yet 26g (almost 1 oz) so it matches the size of the small bait and sinks down quickly to their depth. This was the only lure to get chased by white papio (juvenile GT), and was chased twice! It’s killer in the bay for suspending papio off the kayak.
Shimano Waxwing Boy 0:00 Zig zag swimming action that may look too bold to mimic a bait fish. Slowing down the retrieve slows down the zig zag to a less aggressive pace. Casts well.
Vudu Mullet 3.5 inch 0:43 Very lifelike swimming action. An aha thought it was a dying bait when I just dropped it in the water, and would have inhaled it had I not lifted the lure out of the water reflexively. So the aha continued its path and attacked the sardines! The light weight and flexing body makes the 3.5″ lure difficult to cast, at least with my bait caster. A long spinning rod would have an easier time. There is a 4.5 inch Vudu Mullet that is heavy enough to cast well.
Rapala XRap Sub Walk 1:50 Has been hard to cast into the wind on previous outings. Rolls and wanders just under the surface.
Rapala XRap Twitching Minnow 2:40 Has been hard to cast into the wind on previous outings. Erratically rolls and flops on the retrieve.
The halalu and oama fishing is the best we’ve seen in years and the predators know it. Now’s the time to fish the shoreline before the bite slows down.
We’ve restocked the Store with lures you can’t find domestically that hammered fish the last time the shore fishing was incredible, and we’re getting some Duo International lures in soon to sell at Intro pricing.
Duo Realis Pencil 130mm. 5-1/8 inch, 1-1/8 oz. Utilizes 2 steel bearings to balance the lure and call the fish in. Perfect for the bigger shoreline predators and strong enough to land mahi mahi!
Duo Spearhead Ryuki 110S. 4 3/8 inch, 3/4 oz slow sinking twitch bait with moving weight transfer system to cast far. Check out this video!
Been running a 25% off Anetik Performance clothing sale so more people could try their amazing products, and a lot of styles/colors sold out. So the new replacements are now 20% off, and the originals still around are at the amazing 25% off price.
The guys and gals who used ’em for land based sports (golf, tennis, pickleball) will be reviewing them very soon, and so will an active fisherman in hot and humid Florida. Stay tuned to hear how the clothing out perfomed and strugged a bit under adverse conditions.
Check out the Anetik products in the Store here.
A good friend, Scott, contacted me saying he was gonna take his 9 yr old son Dylan fishing and wanted to know where he should go. They were back home on Oahu visiting family and earlier on this trip, they had tried to whip for papio and catch oama but the fish weren’t in those spots. I texted the Holoholo writers asking for suggestions and they told me of a Windward spot that was kid friendly with bathroom nearby, that had bamboo-pole-kind fishing. My afternoon was free and I hadn’t seen Scott in 8 yrs so I asked if I could join them and hopefully we’d manage to get Dylan a few fish.
I hadn’t oama fished since 2019 and had to find my old tackle. I found the old oama poles but couldn’t find any spare small oama hooks or split shot so I brought those poles with buss up line and hooks, and the top half of a spinning rod. Didn’t need a bait bucket or bait pump since we didn’t plan on keeping anything. The net ended up staying in the car. Scott picked up a longer telescopic pole and split shot at Nankos.
We started fishing a couple hours before the peak afternoon King Tide and chummed up fish you’d see in a salt water aquarium along with some well fed balloon fish but the damashi-sized hooks I put on the two longer poles may have been too big, and Scott and I only managed to land two small pualu (surgeonfish). A few hours passed and we were hot and hungry, heading back to the car when one of the uncles there showed us where catchable oama were and gave us his leftover secret baits. Don’t ask me what they were ‘cuz I can’t reveal them!
Pieces of the secret bait brought in the whole school of oama, with baby papio dashing in every so often to grab some pieces. The big hooks couldn’t hook the fish so I got the crusty oama poles out of the car. 1 didn’t have a hook on and the other 2 had dried up bait stuck on the hooks! The hooks looked rusty and a little dull but we gave them a try, missing a lot of oama before we all got a few that were put back in the water. These were Dylan’s first oama ever, and Scott’s first in years. The uncle that blessed us really saved the trip and we passed that on by giving our leftover bait to the guys that fished near us.
Meanwhile, Holoholo writer Pono checked an oama spot on the North Shore with friends and they quickly caught a bunch and ended up releasing them alive since the papio weren’t around. Catch & Release Oama, kind of unheard of, but was a reminder that oama fishing in its purest form is about enjoying the outdoors and sharing that experience with others.
Oama and halalu are full bore now. Papio should be full bore soon. Enjoy them while they’re in.
I recruited Holoholo writer Matthew Ikeda, who has been red hot catching oio (bonefish) on the flats with a jighead and grub, to help test the old, used JDM lures I had banished to Second String status. Those lures were described in this post.
Matt suggested we fish at a not-so-secret urban canal in Honolulu in case landmarks were exposed. He was using spinning gear (8″3″ Major Craft rod, Shimano Twin Power 3000 reel) designed to cast 1/2 ounce lures and I dusted off my 7’3″ 13 Fishing travel rod and 13 Fishing Concept Z bait casting reel. I hadn’t whipped since 2019 so I needed a few practice casts to get going.
The wooden Lucky Craft Sammy and wooden Tiemco Red Pepper were duds. They just didn’t float as crisply as their plastic versions we’ve fished before. They’re X’d out in the photo above. The plastic Tiemco Red Pepper and Daiwa TD Salt Pencil seemed to bob up and down ok but the fish weren’t interested in top water lures so we’ll have to try them again later. They are marked with a “?”.
Matt was able to walk-the-dog with the Tackle House M Quiet in a wide, sweeping way, but the fish didn’t want that presentation either. The Maria Chase SW (Salt Water) wobbled erratically and looked good with my steady retrieve and I missed a couple short kaku bites I think. You can see the action of those two lures in the video below.
The lure presentation that stood out was the Duo Tide Minnow Slim SSR (Super Shallow Runner) under Matt’s control. That lure, circa 2015, has a fixed center weight unlike it’s rolling weight successor but still casted well and swam with a really tight roll.
Sure enough it got slammed by a white papio (juvenile GT) you would think was too big to be in the canal. Maybe what they say about those fish being mutants is true – this fish seemed to float in the air when Matt lowered it to be unhooked.
Matt will be writing up his perspective of the day and that guest post will include the capture and release video. Stay tuned for that, and another round of whipping lure testing in easily accessible spots.
It’s the last week of July and the El Nino has been warming the air and water for a few weeks. We expected that to kick off the oama, halalu and papio seasons but it seems like they all just recently started picking up. Halalu are in a few of the regular spots, in large piles and have been attracting papio and even ulua. Oama are beginning to fill in at the regular spots, and still look like they just swam in from the deep.
Since this is a transitional year from La Nina to El Nino, with the scientists predicting it will just be a moderate El Nino, maybe the fishing season will be similar to how it used to be: oama and halalu will peak in August and thin out by October; papio will be hitting the early piles now and not be as showy by September, but still catchable if you put out a live bait.
Now is the time to whip near the bait piles in the early morning and late evenings as the predators try to ambush the bait in the low light. To help with that, we have restocked our Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) lure supply with what was so successful in 2018 and 2019.
Go to the Store > Newly Added to see the recently added products, or select the product category you’re interested in.
Matthew Ikeda, our young, on-the-water intrepid reporter, shares the details of his back-to-back fishes of a lifetime catch.
Matthew: I was in bed when Sean from Nervous Waters Fly Shop asked me if I wanted to tag along with him and Frank to their spot, which I was only vaguely familiar with. I had just got my wisdom teeth removed hours before, so I was in a lot of pain and bleeding quite a bit. While I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able in a day’s time, being able to watch fly fishing masters at work was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss. I accepted the offer and arranged to meet them at the spot.
That morning, I was still bleeding a little bit but most of the pain had subsided, so I figured I was okay, plus I figured the adrenaline of sight fishing would help numb the rest. I met them at the spot and we walked out into the water. I had brought both my fly rod and a spinner rod, but I decided to start off with the spinner as I got used to the spot. We split up pretty far from each other at first. I decided to take a long loop around, wasting 15 minutes just to get in position to cast with the wind into a spot that looked good. I saw a few fish initially, but they didn’t want anything to do with the neon orange grub I was using. I switched to a darker grub that looked more natural, and immediately the fish started to show more interest. I started to feel pretty good about my chances.
Twenty minutes later, I was on my phone changing the music when I saw the outline of a big fish passing just 15 feet in front of me. I quickly put my phone in my bag and flipped an underhand cast in front of it. To my surprise, the O’io rushed the lure, ate, and immediately took off at breakneck speed. Within seconds, half of my line was gone and the fish had almost made it to the ledge, which would make my loss certain if the fish reached it. I started backpedaling and tightened the drag a little, trying to slow the fish in any way. Eventually, it did slow down and I was able to regain some line. But I had a long fight ahead of me.
Because I chose to carry two rods on me, I had to bring the smallest spinning rod I owned (so it fit in my backpack). I’ve used the same rod to catch Halalu before. The rod, a 7’10” light action, is perfect for sight casting accuracy, but that combined with the 12 pound test I chose to run made for a challenging fight. Over the next 40 minutes, the O’io ran in circles, taking line before I would eventually regain it, like a never ending game of tug of war. But the fish eventually got tired and I was able to grab it by the tail, and that’s when I realized how big it was. “Double digits” immediately came to mind as we took some pictures. Sean had a boga grip so we hooked it up, and I was stoked when the scale read right at 10 pounds. We took a couple more pictures before I released it. I took some time to relax and take it all in while Sean and Frank went back to fishing, completely satisfied with the day.
Sean and Frank had started to walk into the wind, and were pretty far away so I decided to follow them. I decided to look in the shallows for some tailing O’io, because I had never hooked a “tailer” before. I saw one pretty quickly and casted at it… but was disappointed when the lure landed right on top of the fish and spooked it, causing a big explosion. I continued on, trying to catch up to the guys. The water started to get very skinny and even though I knew O’io could get up that shallow, I questioned whether it was reasonable.
I was watching Sean, who appeared to be taking a shot at a fish when I spotted a big tail around 30 yards out. It was at a bad angle, directly into the wind, but I decided to stalk the fish. Luckily, some clouds had come in, so I hoped that they would help mask my presence. As I creeped up closer and closer I realized that this was another big fish. Its back was nearly out of the water and it seemed really occupied with digging at a specific patch of seaweed. I made my first cast at it, which was terrible and landed nowhere near, but luckily it didn’t spook the fish. I reeled in the lure quickly, made the adjustment, and casted. This time it was a beautiful line-drive cast, flying just two feet above the water before landing at the perfect distance in front of the fish. I dragged the lure along the bottom, making puffs of sand in an attempt to divert the fish’s attention. The fish jerked and moved suddenly, and then, wagging its tail, it swam over to my lure. I kept dragging the lure, so sure that the fish would spook, just like all the other skinny water tailers I had casted at in the past. But this time there was a small tug, and then a tap-tap-tap. I set the hook hard, and there was a big explosion as the fish took off even faster than the last. Luckily I was all the way on the inside, so the fish would have to spool me if it wanted to get over the ledge. For a little while, I thought it might just do that. But it stopped and started to come back in, much faster than the previous O’io. Within 10 minutes, I had it doing circles right around me. I walked into even shallower water as I tried to beach the fish. The tactic worked and the O’io tired fast, allowing me to grab it. I was shocked. It was another very big O’io and the stoke was high once again.
Frank took pictures of me holding the fish up as he called Sean to get the weight. This time, the fish tipped the boga at 10.5 pounds, making it another double digit O’io to make the day even more special. We took a pretty cool release video and the fish was on its way. Again, I stayed back to rest because I couldn’t really believe what had happened. Sean caught a good sized O’io on the fly, and Frank sightfished two puffers and an eagle ray, so we all ended up catching. We talked story on the way back and then parted ways.
The high didn’t last forever, and when I got home my calves and forearms were cramped and my pain from my wisdom removal reappeared. But the memories of that day will definitely last forever, and it was well worth it to get out there. Catching two double digit O’io on the same day is something I’ll probably never do again. I’d be happy if I caught one a year. It was a crazy day for sure and I suppose the lesson is that you just have to get out there and take some chances. Sometimes, you might just get lucky. My thanks to Sean and Frank for inviting me to tag along. I learned a lot from watching the true masters of the art, and I am very lucky to have that chance. Stay safe, have fun, and good luck out there!
Been using an Action Hat DIY kit in my favorite fishing hat since 2017 to mount a GoPro Session 5 and ensure the hat would float. The thin foam didn’t make the hat noticiably hotter to wear, and saved my camera when I knocked the hat in the water a couple of times.
The head cam is the only one I use because it’s easier than a camera mounted on the kayak to turn on and off, and I can point it to the action as I turn my head. I usually just turn it on when I get a bite, but I had forgotten to turn it off after landing a roi (peacock grouper) on the Windward side and was so blessed to record the Tiger Shark approaching from the bow of my kayak, almost knocking me over, and then leaving after a kick in the eye. A kayak mounted camera wouldn’t have been able to capture the complete shark encounter.
The very popular DIY kit to mount to any hat was out of stock for quite a while but Action Hat was able to restock its supplies, and sent me a new shipment of kits and hats with the mounts built in. When the limited supply sells out at the low introductory pricing we’re running, I’ll restock.
You can purchase the DIY kit from the Store here.
These are “flat bill” hats in Camo, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.
These are “flat bill” hats in Black, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.
These are “curved bill” hats in Gray, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.
Traditionally, oama seasons starts in August, and the peak season starts at the end of August. With it being a warm El Nino year, we’re expecting a good oama season although there haven’t been large, catchable schools yet at the normal places.
If you’re new to oama fishing, or need a refresher, click here to read the comprehensive oama fishing guide.
I met Tobias on the water once, just weeks before his 2 year high school teaching assignment ended. While we didn’t get to team up and fish together, he left this treasure trove of vivid memories for the rest of us to enjoy.
Tobias Tillemans: I grew up in New York and Minnesota and fished obsessively in both places, dunking worms off docks or, later, chasing trout. I had a spell guiding flyfishing in Alaska before I started teaching High School science in Seattle, where I started fishing from a kayak. I’ve done some paddling expeditions in Baja and Alaska, always chasing fish.
A few weeks after I moved to Hawaii, I bought a 2017 Hobie Compass Outback and an old pickup to haul it. I was psyched out of my mind to fish; there is no better way to put it but, though I’ve fished my whole life, I didn’t have a clear grasp of how the ocean or the marine ecosystem behave in Hawaii. I figured I would just have to figure it out. I joined the Oahu Kayak Fishing Club Facebook group, read everything anybody posted, asked some occasional questions, then just fished a lot.
I quickly learned that nobody kayak fishes from where I lived in Hau’ula, on the windward side. In two years of fishing, I never saw another kayak. Occasionally there was a skiff. The weather’s not good, it’s sharky, and there aren’t many shibis, but it was quick and easy for me to launch from the beach. Kayak fishing is only partly about catching fish for me anyway, with the rest being a mix of a desire for solitude, independence, and a connection with some great power that occupies the blue-water ocean and also the mountain ridges of the Hawaiian Islands. Hau’ula is an excellent place for seekers of these other parts of fishing. The dripping wet rainforest backdrop is shot through with basalt cliffs, sliced occasionally by waterfalls, and capped by an ever-changing tapestry of clouds in shades of gray, peach, white and purple. Solitude is found in great abundance. The place has mana, and using a motor to get out there would have diminished the experience for me and the reward of every fish I caught. I also worry about the impact of over-fishing and motor noise, and I can rest easy fishing a self-powered boat.
As a teacher, I had to work from 9 am-4 pm, but if I was quick, I could fish before or after work. I gradually made it further offshore until I was maybe half a mile out, guessing that, with such a productive nearshore ecosystem, I’d easily find predator fish. It didn’t work that way. This part of the ecosystem is just too heavily impacted by overfishing. I was not that excited about this kind of fishing anyway. Outside the reef, a different ecosystem exists that is part of that high mountain and deep ocean spirit, and I hoped to have a brush with it. The elegance, beauty, and power of the pelagic fish are undeniable, and I knew that catching those fish would be a way to commune with the energy I was out there seeking.
My first visit to what I considered proper pelagic fish habitat, about 200’ of water, was spooky, and I didn’t even fish. I just peddled out there and sat for about 10 minutes, wrapping my head around the deafening aloneness of the place, and trying to build a sense of safety when I felt pretty unsafe. The swells rolled under the boat, I watched clouds form and dissipate over the Ko’olauloa range, and I peddled back in. From then on, getting back out there was pretty much all I could think about.
Eventually I started catching bait. I tried for akule in the dark, but those were some of my least safe experiences and, after losing my navigation before sunup on a not-good weather day, I gave up on them. For me, opelu hold some of that deep ocean mana which, for whatever reason, the akule do not. I found that 10 mph winds and 5’ swell were the worst weather forecast I could fish in. Soon I was comfortable offshore by myself, and I found some deeper structure, maybe old buoys or wrecks, and a jigging spot in 300’ that held a lot of 10-15lb papio and kahala.
I watched the birds head offshore in the morning and back in at night. I missed and broke off lots of fish but I caught lots of kawakawa (mackeral tuna). I was getting harassed sometimes by what I later learned were ono, and always by sharks. The sharks and the whales are both part of the beauty of the offshore ecosystem though, and I tried to appreciate them equally. I learned a lot from Bill Ho, Facebook, and YouTube, and was just having an amazing time out there.
In the spring, some aku (skipjack tuna) and mahi-mahi turned up in the mix. The iridescent aku are carved by the ocean from polished aluminum and could beat their tail fast enough in the boat to create a hum, like a mosquito.
The mahi-mahi is part tropical bird: social, prone to flight, and sometimes green, yellow, silver, orange, or blue, depending on its mood.
The weather was always an issue, and sometimes I would be stuck on shore for weeks, but I got amas in the fall of 2022, which extended fishable weather for me up to my tolerance for nausea. I got better at running two lines, one deep and close and the other shallow and 200’ back, turning slow circles to keep them separated in the water. I learned to clear the second line before trying to fight a fish on the first and to give a fish time to eat before setting the hook.
I finally landed an ono one morning in December 2022 before work. It was a little over 40 lbs. It hit at dawn on some structure in 160’ of water, and there was no mistaking what it was. It took half my line in 8 seconds. I played it gently, but I always felt I was on a ticking clock with sharks in that area right up until the fish was on the boat. I got a kage shot on it after about 20 minutes, hoisted it onto the boat, got covered in ono slime, and still had time to make it to 7-11 for more ice before taking a shower and hustling to class.
This spring, I got serious about missing fewer fish. If I can get fish to eat my opelu, I wondered, why are so many of them making off with my bait, my hook, or both? I stopped fishing stingers or wire unless there were ono around and I downsized hooks, figuring this would lead to more confident strikes and less suspicious nibbling. I got picky about how the hook went through the opelu nostrils to keep the gap of the hook open, and changed how and when I set the hook: late and hard. I started to understand the changing daily and seasonal behavior of the opelu, and learned far too late that 10 lb floro catches way more bait. In a kayak, you can carefully study the behavior of bait and predators in a specific spot or piece of structure to learn how they react to bathymetry, currents, tides, and weather. I enjoyed puzzling out this ecology while feeling part of the greater Polynesian ecosystem, verdant and fragile, isolated in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. I explored new areas and occasionally fished with guys like Bill Ho and Max Reyes.
In June, I sold my truck and boat to move back to the mainland with my wife and two girls, who harbor a deep and abiding desire to live closer to family. Once the kayak was gone the daydreams I would drift into of the sewing-machine twitch of an opelu on a damashi, or the scream of a rod going off, felt raw and painful. I sold the boat as is, right down to the damashis, rubber bands and 5oz weights, rods, 5/0 hooks and wire rigs, but I brought back with me a full toolbox of skills. Now I live on a narrow but 700-foot-deep lake with schooling bait fish that are harassed all day by salmon and a supporting cast of trout species. They seem to set up on shelves on about 100’ of water, heavily influenced by the thermocline. There are no sharks, but also no whales. I’ve seen some guys out there in decked-out Hobies, hunched over their fishfinders. The bird behavior is different, but I can read it with a whole new eye, and I am once again trolling Facebook Marketplace for a kayak and an old pickup with which to haul it.
From 2017 to 2019 I was fishing shallow water with friends and was looking for lures that floated, dove a few feet at most, and casted well with a 7.5ft bait casting rod. I bought a bunch online from Japan, was given a few, and eventually settled on 3 confidence lures not shown here. The Waxwing was one of the 3; the other two were so deadly I blurred their appearance in blog photos!
When I looked for my old lures, I found a box full of lures that didn’t make the First Team. A couple of these were fished and caught fish, while the others stayed in that box because they were too much like other lures I was fishing, or were experimental lures given to me that I never fished. Here’s a breakdown of what they are.
The Lucky Craft Sammy (top left) is one of the easiest walk-the-dog lures but this one is made out of wood and the original owner preferred the hard plastic Sammys. I’ve never fished it. The Tackle House M Quiet (upper right) is a top water lure meant to fish calm, quiet water and I did catch a kaku on it but it was light for me to cast with a bait caster.
The IMA Popkey (2nd from top, on left) with its slanted face can be walked, waked or splashed but I never got around to fishing it because the fish I was targeting in very shallow water liked very slim lures.
The Tiemco Red Pepper (left side, 2nd down) is an original wooden bodied lures, and the Tiemco Red Pepper (right side, 3rd down) is plastic bodied and customized with reflective material by the original owner. I hadn’t fished either but have fished plastic bodied Red Peppers and have gotten the most violent strikes on them if I let them bob up and down and sit in the water.
The Daiwa TD Salt Pencil F (lower right) is the reknown Daiwa Salt Pencil in a very small, light size, so it really was hard to cast far but was very deadly when pulled so the water gurgled through the cut out gills, then paused.
The Duo Tide Minnow Slim, and Maria Chase SW in the bottom right aren’t back weighted so I assumed I’d have a hard time casting such light lures with a bait caster, thus I didn’t bother to put hooks on them but I had purchased them used from eBay Japan because they were the OGs of JDM lipped lures. They are fished by straight retrieving them and pausing. Their tight wobble and small size is what gets them bit.
These are 5 inch or bigger floating lures, geared to attract larger fish so I ended up not fishing them from shore. The Daiwa SP Minnow (top) has ball bearings that roll back on the cast, so it casts well. The well known Yozuri SP Minnow (2nd from top) is a lousy caster but has a very aggressive swimming action. It’s probably better used as a trolling lure for papio. Both the Jackall Bowstick and River2Sea WideGlide have wide walk-the-dog actions and big fish potential.
Have you guys fished any of these, and how were they? Any comments on their potential? Since I still have the First Team lures somewhere, I wonder if I’ll ever fish these?
The windy Summer conditions have kept me from kayaking, so my attention has turned to the coming papio season. I took a small, informal survey with some shoreline whippers I recently met.
The guys hadn’t heard that oama had come in, so they weren’t really fishing much.
All 3 wished they could fish more often but because of work and family obligations, they mainly fished for an hour or two when they could get away for a quick session. They didn’t have much of a budget for fishing gear, so they throw the bubble and grub, an inexpensive lead head feather jig, or kastmaster and often don’t catch as much as they’d like to. None had tried Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) lures and hadn’t even considered using them. At most, they tried Rapala or Yozuri plugs with moderate success.
In 2017 I was fully caught up in the JDM lure craze and was buying used lures from eBay Japan just to try as many as I could, at 50% of the new price. The lures I received looked almost brand new and swam pretty well but some didn’t have the internal weight transfer system that allowed them to cast extremely well for light lures, and then swim enticingly. I later discovered a couple exceptional JDM lures so I sold a few of the used lures, and the rest have been sitting in a dark bin.
One of the guys I surveyed works in a grocery store I frequent, and said his arthritic right hand eventually hurts when he twiches his lead head jig, so I gave him the two circled swimming plugs. Cranking and pausing the smaller of the two lipped plugs was much easier and he caught 2 kaku the first time out. He hasn’t used the larger bone colored plug yet because his target fish have been small. He was sold on JDM lures after that but paying $20 or more for a JDM swimming plug was cost prohibitive for him.
(After writing this post I found a box of JDM lures tucked away that weren’t being fished. You can read why they were acquired and how they’re supposed to be fished, here.)
So that got me thinking, the lipped swimming plugs don’t require specialized gear, and can be quickly fished, cleaned up and put away. What if I could sell the US domestic version of Japanese swimming plugs that cast and swim well, at an affordable price, comparable with the Rapalas and Yozuris in our local shops? Would the whippers on a budget and with a short window to fish be interested?
I’m in the process of inquiring if I could become a dealer of those lures. I had been able to get some IMA Sasuke 120Fs a few years back, and sell them at a fair price but the distributor no longer sells them.
If you watch video below, you can see that I took my left foot out of the water and appear to have pushed the shark off with my Xcel split toe surf booties. Or did I? I have no memory of taking my foot out of the water so am just relying on what I see in the video. What do you think? Did the surf bootie kick save my life? Looks like I put my foot back in the water to avoid flipping over. Good thing the shark didn’t come back for another taste!
I started wearing the Xcel split toe booties to walk into the water to surfboard fish. At 1mm, they are thin, fit the foot nicely, and provide a bit of protection from the reef.
Oahu Holoholo kayak angler Grant Taura shares his best outing to date. This one just happened to coincide with a kayak tournament.
Grant: Most of the time I have a game plan when I fish. On this particular day, our club Oahu Pelagic Pirates (OPP), which I recently joined, had a mini tournament event. Our club leader, Max Reyes, caught a Kawakawa the week before and it was the only fish that came up. That was the original tournament date. Since it was “merely” a Kawakawa and the only Pelagic that came up that weekend, he graciously gave up the win and the tournament “redo” was planned for the following weekend.
Leading up to any fishing day, there is a fair amount of planning that goes on, starting with weather conditions. Things we factor in are wind speeds, gusts, current, current direction, time current shifts, tides, swell sizes, etc., and more importantly location. Richard Yuen had been doing his research and was stuck on going to this particular location which I wasn’t to thrilled about. The whole week he was pleading his case. He sounded convincing as Richard always does. I reluctantly agreed on the location all the way up to our launch which was at 3:30am. I was still not feeling it. It was a mental struggle for sure.
Our goal is usually to pick up a few Akule (goggle eye) before sun up for live bait just in case we don’t pick any Opelu (scad mackerel), which is our favorite live bait of choice at sunrise. I’ve been finding out that Akule can be just as appealing as a live bait. Three of us, Richard Yuen, Tommy Tran and myself were able to pick up Akule. Game on! At 5am the Akule bite had come to a halt. We started to head to the Opelu “spot”, putting out live akule. Around 5am we heard “hooked up” from Tommy over our radio, which is usually our call out to let each other know that we hooked up to something. Hopefully that something is a fish and not a shark or any other species besides a fish. One thing good when fishing with buddies is that in case you need help, someone is there to help in an emergency or help land a monster fish. Tommy landed a 19lb Shibi after his battle in the dark. What was awesome with this fish was that it was his first Shibi, which is funny because he has landed the elusive Ono and the rare Sailfish from a kayak. Go figure.
Me and Richard, on the other hand made the pedal to the Opelu spot at sun up. Lately the Opelu have been biting prior to sunrise so we like to be on the spot at or before sun up. During this time of the year it can be difficult to pick up Opelu. We have been struggling over the last several weeks. When the Opelu bite time arrived I wasn’t able to grab any in our normal spot. So I headed to a couple of locations where I have seen them before. At one of those spots I was able to pick up a big fat one. Over the last couple of months I have been learning a lot about target areas I should be checking out. Not specifically the location I was fishing but what to look for in the water, under the water, tides, moon etc. Fishing as I have come to know is a lot of luck but you can increase your chances by understanding fish behavior, eating habits, environment etc. It also requires the right equipment, skill and a lot of patience and perseverance.
Taking what I have learned, it was time to test it out on this location. I got out to the area I wanted to try and sure enough at around 7:45am I took a strike. At first I thought it stole my bait, but I could still feel movement in my line like the Opelu was still alive so I set my rod back in my rod holder and then my line took off. I set the hook and the fight was on. I could see the fish on my fish finder but I noticed a mark coming up to it from the bottom, I assumed it was the tax man, I opened my bail and allowed the fish to get away from it. Getting “sharked” or “taxed” can happen from time to time. That seemed to have worked. As I was fighting the fish I could feel tail beats which I learned from watching Devan from his Where’s D-Ahi? YouTube videos. It was likely some sort of Tuna species. I was hoping that it was a Shibi. As I hit my leader and I could see color and it was the target, Shibi. I knew it was probably going to be my biggest Shibi so far by the length of the fight and the weight I could feel when fighting it. I pulled out my pedal drive as it got close. We do that because Shibi and Tuna species tend to go in circles under your kayak and the line can tangle and create havoc and you could possibly end up losing your fish. I got my Kage (spear gaff) ready and when it was in range, I speared, circle gaffed it and pulled into the yak! It ended up being my biggest to date weighing in at 39lbs.
After putting the Shibi on ice, I let out an Akule. Within 10min I took another strike. I brought up a 19lb Shibi. This one only took about 5 min compared to the 16 min for the 39 pounder. It wasn’t as dramatic but still a prize for me. With two Shibis in the bag I decided to start heading towards our launch point slowly trolling a third Akule. After a couple of hours of nothing I decided to start heading in. On the way in I wanted to pass another spot that I thought would have action. By that time I had come closer to Richard and Tommy and within a safe distance where we wouldn’t get tangled. Just as I was pulling nearer to Richard I had seen the signature jump from a Mahi Mahi. Richard was hooked up. I watched him handle that Mahi and watched it do circles around him before landing it. The Mahi Mahi ended up weighing in at 11lbs. Richard was now on the board. Soon after that Richard had landed that Mahi, I took a strike and as I was setting the hook, I heard Tommy say “hooked up” then “double” at the same time Richard “hooked up” The action was insane. I ended up landing my third Shibi weighing in at 25lbs. Unfortunately Tommy had lost both his hook ups and Richard had lost his due to a cut line. The day was over for me as I needed to get the fish on more ice. I only carry 20lbs of ice when I go out.
As I was heading I heard Tommy say “hooked up” again. What day we were having. He landed his second Shibi of the day. It weighed in at 12lbs. Epic was the best way to describe the day. Best day on the water fishing for me hands down.
Here’s the video of the 39lb shibi.
I started wearing Anetik clothing in 2019, initially to provide sun protection while kayak fishing. Their breakthough product was the Shade Socks (leg sleeves connected to socks) that eliminated the need for suntan lotion on the legs. I also used their Shade Mask and loved how fitted and non-billowy they were, and their standard Low Pro Tech long sleeve shirt was almost magically cooling. I didn’t get sun burnt at all. Loved ’em so much I started selling a few styles in the Store, and got a few tank tops and quarter zip long sleeve shirts for myself. I personally found that the sizing on their chart to be accurate.
But don’t just take my word for it. Three of our Holoholo writers have been wearing Anetik shirts purchased from other fishing supply stores. Here’s what they had to say about them.
Grant, offshore kayak fisherman – The Anetik hoody long sleeve is by far the most comfortable, versatile SPF shirt I own. It’s cool enough for Hawaii weather and warm enough for Oregon weather. It’s my favorite travel shirt too. The Mission Underpants blocks out the sun, keeping me cool and comfortable without needing suntan lotion.
Devan, offshore kayak fisherman – I’d say their sizes probably run a tad bit on the smaller side so XL fits me nicely. Extremely breathable, very nice form fitting, excellent comfort, and very, very well made.
Dino, wade whipper – It has good ventilation and is super durable. I like the zippered pockets on the sides. Fits slightly loose but not baggy.
You really need to try the Anetik clothing to experience UV protection and cooling comfort from the Hawaiian sun.
In anticipation of a hot and muggy summer with possibly power outages, I’ve brought in the popular styles in most sizes for you to try. If/when they sell out at the crazy intro price of 25% off I’ll order more. but they won’t be at this unheard of pricing.
See all the Anetik products here.
In 2019 I was still whipping the shoreline and started playing around with various jointed swimbaits. The hardbodied ones from Japan swam so realistically but were expensive. I ordered a few of the Egret Baits “Vudu Mullets” and decided to do a very quick field test. Our JDM lure expert Thad, our shoreline whipper and equipment reviewer Dino, and I each gave Vudu Mullets a quick going over. Thad’s immediately got hit by the kaku in the top photo. Dino’s got snipped off with just a slight tick in the line. Mine caught this small white papio. The Vudu Mullet casted well for a segmented lure due to its internal weight and swam incredibly enticingly. 2019 was a slow inshore year so we only did the one field test and I began to focus on offshore kayak fishing.
If this year turns out to be a great baitfish year, the Vudu mullet, in the 3.5″ and 4.5″ sizes should slay when cast near the piles. A few are in the Store for the first time and on sale for $7. You won’t find a better swimming lure than the Vudu Mullet for this price.
This is what I wrote about jointed swimbaits back in 2019. Click to read.