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Coach Haru: Right handed people should use a right handed bait caster

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Coach Haru explains why right handed people should use right handled bait casting reels, and why he takes both a spinning reel and bait casting reel on his kayak. Very good tips, pay attention! 🙂

Coach Haru: I don’t like too many stuff on yak.  I usually carry 2 rods. I don’t fish with dead or live bait.  So I don’t need a rod for catching bait. Reason I don’t fish with bait, when fish bite bait, many time they swallow deep so that fish’s survival chance is less than lure fishing. I only take fish for my friends and myself. Others gotta go back to sea. I don’t even like treble hook much. I clip barb to make barbless or use single hooks on plugs too.  

On the photo below, bait cast reel is left handle model but every other bait cast reels that I have are right handle model. Basically bait cast is made to crank with right handle for right hand stance. Editor’s Note” Coach Haru is a striking coach. 🙂

Many people who cast with right hand stance use left handle model because no need to change grip when reeling. Bait cast reel is made to cast with handle side is top because weight of reel is designed to cast easy and far. If handle side is down and cast with right hand stance, it’s not good as the other way. Manufacturers designed it that way. Left handed people should have left handle, right handed for right handle. People say not convenient for switch hands every time cast, but cast grip and reel grip are different.  

Casting grip.  The hook on the rod is between first and middle fingers. Thumb is on the spool to control backlash. 

Reeling grip. The hook on the rod is between ring and pinky, thumb on the reel not on the spool. Some right handed people use left handle model because don’t like to switch hands but cast less and grip gotta change anyway. When fight big fish,  fight fish with spinning rod is pull up and reel. Bait cast is reel vs fish straight reel without pull with rod. Especially bait cast rod is soft to make precise jig action.

Slow jigging is good with bait cast. But off shore jigging are vertical fishing so no need to cast no need to switch. I use right handle because I have used right handle bait cast so many years that easier for me. Also I switch to spinner with left handle when one arm gets tired. 

Usually I take 2 rods. Right handle bait cast with metal jig.  Left handle spinning reel with right bait casting rod with plug. I set spinning in right pole holder, bait cast on left holder. Go to the destination, I troll with the plug, when I get the point or found fish in fish finder, stop and drop jig with bait cast. While jigging if I see boil on surface, switch to spinning cast the plug to the boil. When I go to next spot, troll plug again.   I put left handle spinning rod in right side of holder. And right handle bait cast in left side, because location of handle. Pick the rod with right hand, reel with left hand. Cast with spinning rod, the other rod is in left side that can cast without the other rod in the way. Left handed people should do opposite. 

Coach Haru: Testing the little tungsten jig

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Coach Haru was able to give the compact 60gm tungsten jigs a solid test off his kayak just outside of Hilo Bay.

Coach Haru: This jig can swim, fall fast, cast far, and has less water resistance. When windy day from shore, or even against wind, small heavy bullet-like-jig flies very far. I use 10”6 jigging rod with PE 30LB, 5000 high gear spinning reel and can cast almost 100 yard.

“Match the bait” is key word for searching the best bait for the fishing. Often see a boil on the surface, cast a lure but fish don’t take. It might be the issue of size of bait they are feeding.  Need to find out what fish are eating by knowing each season what kind bait come to near shore. I gut the first fish I catch to see what is in fish’s stomach. Often the lure used is the same size of bait found in the fish. So if fish is not interested in the lure you’re using, change size to small like this tungsten jig.

I like 60g and 80g because they are not heavy and designed to cut the air to fly fast and far. Off kayak and boat, if used vertically, the jig drops very fast. Less water resistance that’s good for strong current or double current. When you see fish in the fish finder, jig can reach the fish zone fast. 60g can reach 300ft, 80g can go deeper depending on current.   For shore casting, on the first cast reel straight in as soon as hit the surface with rod tip up like 11o’clock position. It makes the jig to skip on surface like surface plug. I caught many Kawakawa (sumagatsuo) that way. A couple times try on surface , then next is straight reel in midrange, and next is start from bottom. If there no bite then change to jerking or mix with fast, slow, stop and go, short jerk, long jerk, slow jerk.    For shore cast with this tungsten 60g, I use 10”6 spinning rod and  reel 5000SW, colored PE 30LB( 8X), 40lb fluorocarbon leader 4ft-8ft depend on place. For kayak,  6”6 medium type bait cast rod and high gear bait cast reel, colored PE 40lb, 30LB fluorocarbon 15ft.  

I tuned up the demo jig Scott gave me. Changed eyes to red. Red eyes imitate wounded bait, 2 front hooks are Hirauchi (flattened metal) to shine those hooks. Blue assist line matches to the color of fish make it invisible in water. The rear blade is very popular in Japan now. Many makers make it now. What it does is imitate tail section. If the jig doesn’t wiggle well when straight reel in, this blade makes it to act like it’s swimming. Also blade is shinning more than jig so in murky water the blade shows up better. I thinks that fish takes the blade because it is small bait separate from jig. Rear hook is hirauchi hook too. I use Daiwa snap. It’s easy to change jigs, this small and thin snap has 75lb strength. But I don’t use deeper range and bigger jig over 100g I use solid ring and split ring.

This dobe papio must have thought the jig and blade was a tasty bait fish!

The other style tungsten jig I added a treble hook and blade to the rear and a single assist hook to the front. This white papio liked that look!

Compact Tungsten jigs have slayed nearshore and offshore!

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Top to Bottom: 60gm, 60gm, 80gm, 100gm

Last summer I requested some Tungsten jigs from two jig manufacturers , and was sent a batch of 60gm test models from the first company. A few months later the second company sent a couple 80gm and 100gm models. Both sets were painted but lacking the tough clear coat to make them puncture proof, and some were eye-less. I had a feeling they’d work, purely due to their small size, and resemblance to tiny bait fish.

The 60gm jigs came through just about every time I tried them off the kayak, catching fish as small as moana, and as large as ulua and kahala. They were so easy to fish because they got down to the bottom quickly, even in current, and didn’t have much resistance as I jigged them back up. As a control, I switched back to a lead jig of the same weight in the middle of a hot bite, and didn’t get a single hit.

These are some jacks that went wild for the compact jigs.

Wanted to see what these jigs could do in the hands of a jigging pro, so I passed a couple of the little 60gm jigs to Capt Erik. One day at the buoys the pelagics were showing on the sonar but not taking trolled lures. Capt Erik and his dad started with larger lead jigs that had caught fish in the past, but those jigs were ignored. So they dropped the little 60gm jig down and KABLAM! Shibi and aku fought over them and the guys had to stop fishing and drive away because they caught enough for their ohana. The tuna had tiny bait fish in their stomachs and the jigs had perfectly matched the hatch.

Thanks for making this video Capt Erik!

Tried the 80gm and 100gm jigs a couple times off the kayak and like them because they are heavier and get down faster when I’m fishing deep but I haven’t landed anything on them yet. I broke off two ulua and unbuttoned what felt like a small uku. These bigger jigs don’t look as eye catching as the 60gm jigs from the first company, but they still hooked fish. All this has convinced me that compact jigs dropped on hungry fish will get bit!

I ordered a small batch of 80gm and 100gm jigs from the first company with a few 60gm jigs thrown into the order. The production finish, with glow in the dark stripes exceeded my expectations. Almost too beautiful to fish, and coated with a tough sealant. I’m selling these at “friends and family” pricing to guys that catch fish and take great pictures. 🙂

Stay tuned to hear how effective those jigs are, from cliff, kayak and boat. Mahalo.

Update: Check out how well the tungsten jigs worked for Coach Haru here!

Holoholo: Our First Big Yellowfin Tunas

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Capt Erik and his dad Edwin continue to up their game. Just a few years ago they were new boat owners, now they’re on their new-to-them Boston Montauk chasing pelagics and dropping down on Deep 7.

Capt Erik: As usual, me and dad talked about what kind of fishing we wanted to do, the week leading up to the day I was free to fish on Sunday January 10th. Since we recently purchased two electric reels for bottom-fishing, I wanted to try and increase the odds of catching a nice bottom-fish by heading out to Penguin Banks and trying our luck there.  Continuing to watch the winds online while the week progressed, and realizing that my free time on my fishing day was getting shorter as we were packing the boat up the night before, I switched the plan and decided to stay at our local pier and just try trolling on our side.  Dad was pretty relieved to hear this because he just went bottom fishing on Thursday and Friday. 

We left the house at 5 AM, stopped at 7-Eleven to grab gas, food & ice and was in the water before six. There were a lot of boats at the pier staging to get ready and launch, but luckily with our small boat and simple set up we were able to avoid the mad rush and get out quick.

I had a plan in mind of the route I wanted to take and started my line from the head buoy. The sun started breaking the surface while we were about 4 miles offshore, the wind was low, the water surface had light texture and there were some long swells that were easy to handle.  The birds were just starting to wake up and move around and so we continued on our way dropping our Lures out right after the green flash. We had a Tsutomu 9″ bullet on the long center line (that I received while attending an Ahi course by Tsutomu), a 6″ Mark White smoker lure on the side and a 6″ chrome head lure rigged with flashabou by Derin Goya at First String Fishing (@firststringfishing) on the other.   

We didn’t see any birds that were working on our way to one of the fish aggregation devices, but did see someone jigging at the FAD. We decided to pull the lines up and try jigging since we saw that boat pull in a small shibi (5-10lbs?).  Dad dropped his jig on his electric reel down deep and I stayed up high since we couldn’t see any fish on the fish finder and wanted to work all columns.  After three drops and coming up with nothing and watching the other boat make three drops and coming up with zero as well, I looked around and saw there were birds now working the surface of the water approximately 500 yards from us.

We brought the lines up quickly and sped to the bird pile.  As soon as we got to the birds, I dropped my jig down and held my rod as I drove.  Dad put out a 5″ pink squid lure on his electric reel.  I slow down to about 5 to 7 knots and was able to hook an aku, about 7lbs.  We brought the aku in and bled it while trying to stay with the birds.  We continued to work the birds but about six more boats joined in and it became hectic to maneuver.  We couldn’t get another bite for ~10 minutes and watched as the other boats were successful in picking up smaller tunas about 10 pounds. We decided to leave that area and continue on the path I had routed and planned in my head.  


The path I made up was based on our previous trips in December where we saw lots of birds. Shortly after leaving the birds where the other boats were, I saw bigger sized skipjack tunas jumping in front of us and birds that were sitting down on the water and would fly over when they seen the fish jumping. I was able to observe some flying fish scatter at the top of the water very close and made a small turn towards it.  Right after I turned the Mark White lure line started peeling out.  The fish gave a little fight and then started surfboarding on the surface. The fish hooked itself in a way where it pulled the gills, bled out, then came up dead.  It was a good sized Aku about 15 pounds.  While bleeding the fish we made a big rookie mistake 🙁 We left the lines in the water and our leader line with the chrome head got caught around the prop and stopped it. It took us about 15 minutes to cut the leader line free from the propeller and then I circled back to where we caught the fish. I didn’t see any other fish jumping and while circling around again to make another pass in the area I could see a huge pile of birds very far off in the distance. When I troll with dad I’m usually always driving while dad sets lines watches the Lures and controls the lines according to which Direction we need to move in.  We work well together this way because my eyes are better at seeing the birds and dad doesn’t get seasick while not looking into the horizon (looking down at lures, tying down poles etc).

The bird pile I’m seeing way off in the distance is free of any boats and the birds are very actively working the surface, diving as well as flying high to move and dive. I instruct dad to pull up the centerline and watch the lines as I speed to get to the pile. Before we get to the pile, dad puts out the third line. I look at the GPS and realize that the spot we are in is the exact spot that I wanted to go to. It was a destination we had marked the month before when we took a double strike but couldn’t land either fish. About 3 to 4 minutes into working the pile I see the first fish jump out of the water!! It was a yellow fin tuna that I guessed about 60 pounds. I told dad “we are not leaving this pile. I don’t care if we don’t catch anything today I want to work this pile because I can see what kind of fish there are. “

We continue following the birds and I continue to see the fish jumping out of the water and now my heart is racing. We circle once within 1/4 mile of where we started and then get back down to the bottom where we started our circle when we finally hear it. . . Our 14/O Penn senator real starts peeling line end drag is screaming.  It took the Tsutomu 9″. Trying to remain calm we pull up the other lines and prepare ourselves. I had a good idea of what was on the line because I’ve seen the fish jumping around but decide to keep the boat moving instead of stopping and fighting it up and down like you normally would a tuna.  Once the deck was clear, dad takes the wheel and I take the rod and reel at the back.  I work line slowly back into the reel but we have a lot of line out at this point (100 yards?). I realize that if at some point we do get the fish boat side that someone will have to leader the fish up.  I asked dad to hand me my gloves get the gaff’s ready and the bat for dispatching.  Dad takes the rod and reel for a second while I put the gloves on in anticipation of leadering and tells me “we forgot the bat.”  I jump back on the reel and now the fish is close. I get the first glance and my adrenaline goes even higher. Neither of us have ever seen a fish like this before while on a boat.  I told my dad when i saw it “Big Fu$*!n Yellow!”


I grab the leader line and start working the fish toward us as it circles its way boatside trying to make sure I guiding it to Dad standing to my left. Once it’s in reach of dad ‘s gaff he sinks it in. The fish still had a little life left and frenetically kicked at the surface, dousing us with water and splashing dad’s hat to the side, blocking his sight. Dad holds the gaff with one hand, quickly tossed his hat off with the other and I reach over and grab a meat hook. As quick as I can I put it in the fish’s mouth and yank. We hoist the fish up over the rail and hear a thud of the fish hit the floor of the boat.  A huge relief overcomes the both of us as we realize one of our long-time fishing goals was just achieved. 

As we sit there physically tired and emotionally relieved, I tell my dad what my wife, Jessica told me the night before. I always ask my wife what kind of fish she wants to eat to try and see if I we can fill her request (in hopes that if we do then happy wife happy life:).  She has called two out of the last two fish that we caught when she has asked (she asked for shibi the first time and mahi the second time and got both).  The night before she asked for an Ahi for spicy poke.  I responded and said I think I can get you poke, probably got small shibi.  She said back to me “no I want ahi.”  I explain to her that that may be a tall order based on the season but we’d try.  I guess I’m not the only one who gives her what she wants. haha.  Mahalo ke Akua!  Thanks be to God!

I spike the fish’s brain, gilled and gutted the fish to honor it, and keep the meat as best as we can and we realize there was no way it was fitting in our cooler.  We grab the fish bag and transfer the ice from the cooler into the fish bag and maneuver the fish into it. After cleaning up the deck a little bit we decided to try for another one since the fish were still around jumping and we were still the only ones at the pile. At this point the weather had turned from a calm light wind day to now the front of the rain, so the air was chilly and the rain was toward land and blocking all view of land and blocking view of the pile from other boaters? The first long line went out with the Tsutomu again and shortly after the Mark White lure went out, we heard that beautiful sound once again but this time on the 12/O.  We knew to fight it up and down now.

It was dad ‘s turn to fight the fish and I was glad that I could film him. I took charge of the GoPro cameras while dad took charge of the rod and reel. I was amazed to watch him fight this fish because typically he’s so anxious when there’s a good fish that dad ends up horsing the fishing and sometimes pops the fish off. He took his time and methodically got the fish up crank by crank. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we already had one in the cooler? I saw it was getting close to leader as my GoPro was underwater filming the fish come up.  I put the GoPro down and grab the leader line. This fish was swimming in a clockwise direction while circling up, opposite of the first.  Upon its fourth circle I could see it was going toward the propeller and feel it was stronger than the first fish. Our motor was still on and propeller was still in the water and the fish must’ve gotten spooked by the movement or sound because it took off on its second run. I let go of the leader line and let it do its thing.  Dad kind of laughed at the situation and took his spot at the reel again after putting the gaff down. Once again, he got it up to the surface and by this time once I grab the leader I could kind of tell that it was tired.  In fact, it looked as if it was defeated because on its last circle because it went straight for dad’s gaff and he was able to sink it in perfectly. It gave no fight and I reached for the second gaff and we lifted it slowly in. This time the feeling was more of a validation . . . A feeling of “ok, maybe we might know a little about what we’re doing.”  Opportunity met preparation this day.  

We knew it was our time and very lucky and blessed to have the two fish already in the boat so after quickly joking about going for more we took our time to properly gill and gut the second fish, ice it down, clean the deck and head in. 



When we got to the pier, we realize there’s no way we’re taking the fish bag out without pulling the fish out individually to properly wash boat and also knew that we really needed more ice for the fish. Instead of washing down at the pier (which was already full of boats anyway) we got ice and headed straight home. 

We don’t have a big fish scale so we weighed the two fish by standing on a normal scale, then with the fish and subtracting.  The weight of both gilled and gutted fishes came out to 72 and 74lbs. We took some pictures with the family and my friend Kelly came to help cut one of the fish in the early evening. 

We shared the fish with friends and family and kept replaying the events in our head.  You never forget your first and now we truly know what the feeling of “Ahi Fever” is like.  

Holoholo: First mahi ever!

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Middle schooler Hunter has gone from shore fisher to diver and now boater in just a couple of years. He shares his first mahi mahi experience.

Hunter:

It was a calm light wind day and I had high hopes of what the ocean would provide on this beautiful morning. Me and my dad headed out to the east side to do some diving and fishing. The boat ramp was packed but luckily we found a stall quickly. Heading out we admired the glassy water and we watched it turn from a harbor green to a deep dark blue.

We dropped down our jigs in 300ft of water and waited for it to hit the bottom. As soon as I closed my bail and stated reeling I immediately get weight on my line. I watched in amazement as I brought up a baby opakapaka. It was a bit small but since we were so deep the fish had pressurized on the way up so we would either keep it or throw it back to let it die. We decided to keep it to experience a small opakapaka’s taste.

We kept jigging and sending down ika and catching larger and smaller opakapaka. Luckily we were able to release most of the smaller ones as they had not “thrown up their stomachs”, and swam away totally fine. An hour went by and I was reeling up an opakapaka. It reached the surface but suddenly fell off the hook. It had died on the way up so we started trying to grab it and swing our boat around when suddenly we heard a splash and saw our opakapaka was no longer there. Assuming it had come back to life we moved on but as I looked away I saw the vibrant blue flash of a school of mahimahi.

With my heart and mind racing I quickly threw out a Yozuri Crystal Minnow. First cast, only 3 followers which didn’t dare to bite the lure. Second cast the whole school was trailing my lure. Finally on the third cast a big splash covered my lure and my reel started screaming like I’ve never heard it scream before. I was on.

It was an effortless fight to say the least. It may have run fast but it had tired out faster than any other fish I’ve seen. We had no gaff so we three pronged it in the head.

After securing the fish we headed in calling it a day not having enough ice to keep the fish fresh. We took it home and filleted it. I am looking forward to enjoying this fish!

Holoholo: Birthday Ulua Outing

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High school writer Matthew no longer needs an introduction as he is our most prolific guest poster. Check out the onshore and nearshore action he experienced in just the span of a few hours.

Matthew:

My birthday was coming up so I booked a trip with Captain Chris Wright (IG – @alohafishinghawaii) to hopefully get on some Uluas plugging and some Oio on the flats. When the day arrived, we got on the boat at 630 and headed out to his Papio spot to warm up for the plugging. I started off with a modified bubble that had a popper lip epoxied on it, made by Frank. It had really good action and I had no doubt it would attract fish. As we got out to the spot, we started casting and I started to get chases from Papio. Unfortunately, the modified bubble did its job too well and the Papio wouldn’t even look at the fly, all they wanted was the bubble. We could see splashes attacking the bubble but not going for the fly. As we got out further, I got a big explosion from a big Papio, but like the others, it wanted the bubble and not the fly. I reeled it in and saw some teeth marks that had punctured the bubble. 

I switched to a popper that Captain Chris had rigged up and started casting that. Within a few casts, I hooked up to a nice 3-4 lb white Papio and fought it to the boat. It was nice to finally feel some weight on the pole. We released it and with the next drift, I hooked up to another similar sized Papio. Same process, fight, catch, and release. 

After, we started drifting out to the deep to try and catch an ulua. I switched to his heavy plugging setup and started casting a big surface skipping iron that he had. We casted that for around an hour and a half without any strikes, so we headed inshore to target some smaller Papio with the light tackle (kastmasters, grubs, small flies). We were fishing along the edge of a reef that looked pretty fishy, and pretty quickly we were getting bites. 

We landed a few 10-13” range Omilu before we were reaching the end of the reef. All of a sudden, the baby turtle that was cruising next to our boat crash dove and swam away. The reef fish on the reef scattered and hid. We were wondering what happened, but then a few seconds later we saw three black shapes passing under the boat. They passed less than five feet away from the boat in crystal clear six foot deep water. They were big Omilu Uluas that we estimated to be upwards of 20 pounds. Of course, we made a cast toward them, but they weren’t interested in something as small as my 1/8th ounce kastmaster I had on. 

We headed even more inshore to the flats to hunt for bait, which in this case, small crabs were the bait of choice. We scoop netted around 15 small “blue pincher” crabs and headed out to catch some Oio. Captain Chris hooked us up with a smaller setup that was meant to be used to sightcast tailing Oio. He instructed us to cast ten feet in front of any Oio we saw. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any oio so he told us to cast over the dropoff and slow drag the crabs. On the first cast, I felt something subtly tapping on the crab that I assumed was an Oio (I had never hooked an Oio over 14” before since I don’t target them). I opened the bail and let it eat it. After a few seconds, I reeled up the slack and set the hook hard. What happened next was something I had only seen on videos before, but never experienced in person. The oio took off on a blistering run that had the reel spinning faster than I had seen before, even faster than a big Papio. The oio made a high speed run for around 30 seconds before it stopped. I started to gain some line but the Oio made a second run, this time toward a barnacle-crusted buoy. I ran at full speed to try and get to where it was, keeping the rod high at the same time. Fortunately it never made it there and we were able to fight it safely. After a few more smaller runs, we had landed it. We took some pictures and released it. 

We ate lunch on the flats and then decided to go for Uluas again. We headed out to his first spot and casted for a while with an orange popper. We didn’t get any bites after around an hour, so we headed to his other spot with only 45 minutes left before we had to head in. I started working his popper, and after 15 minutes of casting, the popper was tossed into the air over a flurry of whitewater. We could see an Ulua’s tail heading back down into the depths. I kept retrieving the popper and a few seconds later, it came back and demolished the popper again. I set the hook a few times and it started barreling towards the depths with so much power it knocked me off my feet. I stood back up and started trying to boost it but it was already over. It had cut the line in the reef. I was completely humbled by the immense strength of the fish. We were all bummed but it was a great learning experience, as I now knew how much strength I had to give to keep the Ulua from reaching the reef. Little did I know, I would need to boost an Ulua up sooner than expected.

Captain Chris rigged me up with an even bigger popper and on the very next cast, I could see a huge black shape following the popper in. It hit it once but missed, and it disappeared. I kept working the popper and a few seconds later, just 15 feet from the boat it came out of nowhere and completely obliterated the popper. I set the hook hard a few times before planting my feet against a cooler for leverage. Knowing what happened to the last Ulua, I started boosting it even before it stopped running. I’d never tried to stop a fish before it stopped its first run, but in that case it was necessary. As soon as it stopped running, I kept boosting it as Captain Chris started moving the boat towards deeper water. The Ulua took a second run that I stopped pretty quickly. After, the Ulua stubbornly resisted, but after a while, it came to the surface and Captain Chris was able to grab it by the tail. 

Captain Chris and my Dad were cheering for me but I was either too exhausted or shocked to say much. It was by far the biggest fish I had caught whipping. We took pictures of it but it wasn’t too thrilled about that and whacked me hard with its tail, leaving a wound I didn’t even notice until I got home. We released the fish and we headed back into the harbor. 

Many mahalos to Captain Chris for making my birthday a memorable one and for putting us onto the fish with expert tips. It was something that I will never forget. I would highly recommend Captain Chris @alohafishinghawaii to anyone that is looking to fish saltwater in Hawaii. 

On a side note, the shorefishing bite has significantly slowed in the past month, a few papios coming up in late october to early november, but only one Papio coming up in the last few weeks (at least for me). Out of the five trips I went on recently, I landed a 12” papio and a good sized Awaawa. It does seem like the Awaawa are moving inshore for the winter, as I have hooked quite a few in November as well as my friends. Good luck to all of you in this slow winter season!

Holoholo: Boat jigging tips from a young, committed angler

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With the water so cool now, the offshore pelagic bite has slowed. But bottom fishing and jigging is always productive if you can find the fish. We asked Merik to share his hard-earned boat jigging knowledge with us.

Merik I am an 8th grader in Honolulu HI and an avid fisherman inshore and offshore. In fact I love anything to do with the ocean. One of my favorite types of fishing is vertical jigging, from shore or on a boat. I mainly jig off a boat and it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Uku caught in 100ft of water on Majorcraft Live Bait 60g

Overview

There are a lot of factors that come into play while jigging. Depending on what species you’re targeting, the action and style of your jig will reflect that. There are two main types of jigging that can be done, slow pitch jigging and fast jigging. Certain species like biting a certain style of jig and the way it is worked. Slow pitch jigging represents a dying bait fish, while fast jigging represents a fleeing bait fish. When jigging, especially offshore, the way you work your jig based off the fish you’re targeting and the conditions can depict the amount of fish that hit your jig. Just know that there are no rules that are set in stone while jigging and the main thing is that you enjoy doing it so feel free to bend those rules.

Jig Choice

Jig choice is quite important when jigging. The depth, current, structure, and setup can lead to what jig would be best for that situation. Slow fall jigs for example, you want to fish in places with less current, because the slow fall jig flutters on the way down and sways side to side, so when on the boat your jig will drift and will end up having a wider scope and will be more horizontal to the boat. Jigs more geared towards fast pitch jigging you can fish in high current scenarios, and where the drift is moving so that you can get your jig down to the bottom. I have noticed that the fish much more prefer the jig when it stands in a more vertical position rather than a horizontal position. The more vertical you are also increases the falling action on a jig which gives you a higher percent chance of a hit on the fall. Required weight can also depict what your jig of choice is, heavier jigs in deeper and high current scenarios are the likeliest of choice. But if you are willing to stay over your jig, then you can use smaller jigs. I have dropped 60g jigs down 300ft, but the main thing is that you stay over your jig. I typically use 40g jigs in anything 30-100ft, 60-130g jigs in anything 100-250ft, 150-250 in anything 250-600ft and anything more I would go 400g+. But those are not rules and you can drop a 40g jig down 250ft if you want to. I personally just don’t have the patience.

Types of Jigs

Kahala caught in 550ft of water on Majorcraft 180g

There are a few main types of jigs that you have to choose from. There are long jigs, short jigs, flat fall jigs, casting jigs, slow fall jigs, butterfly jigs, and the different in them lies in the shape. Long jigs are normally long as the name mention and they are usually weighted evenly sometimes with a bit more weight on one side. Straight fall is where the jig is completely even on all sides so that it flutters down side ways. You also have casting jigs and fast fall jigs which are much more weighted on one side which give them a straight down fall action or when shore jigging a father casting distance. Lastly are slow fall jigs and butterfly jigs which are designed to flutter on the way down. This is done by having them be unevenly weighted so that they flutter side to side on the fall. Some brands that I liked and used before are Major Craft, Shimano butterfly, Duo International, and Maria. Yet there are many other jigs out there and they all will do the job. I have noticed the way you work the jig makes the entire difference rather than color. 

Working the Jigs

Moana Kali caught in 140ft of water on Majorcraft Live Bait jig 60g
Nabeta caught on Ahi USA Assault 60g jig in 100ft of water

Working the jigs is the most important part in jigging and what I believe is the biggest factor to enticing a fish to bite. Like I mentioned, there are both slow fall and fast fall jigs. Slow pitch jigging with slow fall jigs are completely different from fast jigging. You are keeping your jig close to the bottom, and pitching it up and letting it flutter down. That is supposed to represent a dying bait fish. Fast jigging you want to work faster obviously, simultating a fleeing bait fish. For both I think it is very important to have a small time to pause so that it lets the jig fall. No matter how fast you’re jigging, give your jig time to stop and flutter down, even if it is for a split second because that is when you will most likely get hit. Certain species prefer certain actions. Ulua, omilu, kahala and most Trevally species prefer a fast moving jig as well as all species of tuna, kaku, and Awa Awa. Other species like yellow spots, uku and goats prefer a mid range type of action where your giving it time to fall, yet still pitching the jig at a moderately fast pace. Lastly, for slow pitch I noticed a lot of times you would get fish like nabeta, nunu peke, kagami and hagi. You can still catch all those species with all types of actions. It’s just that I have gotten the most bites from those fish on those types of action. 

Setup

The setup for jigging can vary, but honestly you don’t need those fancy jigging rods like Ocea, Fcl and Zenaq to catch fish. It may help get you more bites and it will be easier to work the jigs, but really they aren’t necessary. The main thing rod wise is that you want something that is easy for you to use and preferably light in weight. 

Ulua caught on Shimano Butterfly 140g jig in 125 ft of water

Reel wise, a nice solid reel should do the job and it should be able to fit a sufficient amount of line and the lighter it is, the easier it is on your arm. But it isn’t the most important factor when jigging. I think that capacity is more important than weight of the line when jigging. You want at least 200 yds on your reel because you may be thinking that a 60lb Ulua isn’t gonna bit a 40g jig, but it has happened to us micro jigging with a 2500 size reel and they are impossible to stop. And if you hook a pelagic jigging, which can happen, capacity will help you land the fish. I would say minimum for boat jigging is PE 1.5 and the maximum is PE 5. You can go higher but the thicker your line is, the harder time it will have cutting through the water. You want thin line so that your line can slice through the water and get to the bottom faster. I usually connect it to mono leader with an FG knot but that’s just because that reel doubles as my whipping and casting reel. But you can use PR knots, GT knot, Albright knot, or whatever knot you find reliable and low profile. I don’t use fluoro because it’s so abrasion resistant, most knots can’t cinch down enough. The weight of your mono is your choice. I do 25lb mono for a PE 1.5 setup, and 60lb mono for a PE 3 setup

Conclusion 

Jigging has quite a lot of factors that come into play, and it may seem like a lot to take in. But 5 years ago when I was first introduced to jigging, watching the guys hand-line jig at the buoys, I didn’t know anything. Me and my dad tried jigging for 5lb aku with a 9/0 penn and a spreader bar (we didn’t catch anything). The main thing is to have fun, and be committed. The more you jig the more you will get a good stroke down and you will then get more bites. The main thing that kept me going was that I was having fun doing it and it was addicting, especially when you got the strike. I didn’t know about any of this when I was jigging at that time, I was doing anykine, but I was catching. There are no rules to jigging, but the main thing is that you enjoy doing it. If I got one hit every trip I was successful. So main thing is that you stay committed and have fun doing it and eventually the bites will come.

Coach Haru: Tips to make you a successful jigger

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With kayak and boat jigging getting really popular in Hawaii, Coach Haru has provided some simple tips to keep in mind while scouring the depths for something strong pulling and delicious.

Coach Haru: Most of time fish bite the jig during the fall. Angler feel fish bite during the jerk but really fish take a jig when jig is suspended or the moment of the fall. Japanese fisherman say “making MA” which means, make timing. Jerking or reeling makes moment of suspend or fall to let fish have a chance to take a jig. Toothy pelagic fish attack jig during reeling or jerking up. They bite tail so need hooks on tail of jig. Jigs made to fall straight down, fast, are tail weighted jig. Purpose is to use on windy day for casting. Long distance cast.

From boat or yak, strong current makes it hard to reach the bottom. I use only center balance jigs from yak because I don’t have to cast far. If there’s strong current, I pedal my Hobie to keep against current while jig is falling or use I use a sea anchor. Falling is more important than reeling up. Basic of fishing is how long can keep bait including lures in the water. As long as jig falls, chances of bite is great.

You have to feel how the jig is moving in the water. Any lure fishing angler has to know how it works. If no mental image of lure action, hard to make MA. Artificial bait won’t move by themselves. All about anglers skill. Fish is not too stupid. They know when is the best time to attack bait. When bait are wounded and not be able to get away. Angler who can perform wounded weak bait will hanapa’a.

Fast action and slow action: Slow action for appearance. For example there is a bait ball boiling. Cast a lure into the ball. Lure must be more appealing to the fish since it’s competing against huge group of real bait. Slow or suspend the jig to show the lure. As soon as you leave the ball, reel fast to perform bait running away. Imagine if I am a fish, what attracts me is easy meal. I think humans are the same way. Easy $$$ is best of all!

Composite Fall fishing report , zero to 350ft!

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If you were wondering if things improved after the lousy summer season, here’s the Team report from shoreline to boat:

Jeremy, flats whipper and fly fisher: After a really slow summer, I had high hopes for good action in September, as it’s been a prime month year after year. This year was no exception. Papio and o’io bites were good, along with the opening of moi season, accounted for my best month so far this year. But as we neared the ending of October, action has died down quite a bit. With winter approaching, catch numbers will drop, so it wasn’t unexpected that bites have dropped, but it still disappointing when you go home whitewashed sometimes, LOL. How has everyone else fared this fall?

Matthew, shoreline whipper and fly maker: It’s been a very slow September-October for me, months that in previous years have been great for me. The fishing has been very inconsistent (at least on my part), and I wasn’t able to find any pattern (tides or conditions) in the few catches I made except for “right place at the right time”. 

Since I am a fly tyer that is eager to test my new colors, I have been strictly whipping with bubble + fly at a few spots. The Papio bite has been odd this year, ending earlier than normal. Being on the south shore of Oahu definitely doesn’t make the bite any better, but perhaps other sides of the island are seeing similar trends, just less drastic. However, a bunch are still out there, and if you’re lucky, you may be able to catch one. I was able to pick off a few Papio at one of my spots, most of them in the early morning. The only thing similar with all of the catches is that they were caught on smaller flies, around ¾” shorter than my normal flies (a significant amount for a fly). Perhaps the Papio are keying in on smaller, easier to catch prey? The colors that worked for me this month the most were Oama and Hinalea patterned flies, to match the most common baitfish at my spot. One of the Papio that I was forced to keep because it swallowed the fly had a hinalea the exact size of my fly and a small manini in the stomach. 

I have been seeing less activity in the water, such as baitfish fleeing from a predator, less schools of baitfish along the shoreline, and less follows and boils on my flies. It could mean the bite is turning cold, but it’s no reason to give up. 

It may be a good time to focus on other types of fishing, such as fishing for “easier to catch” edible fish, such as Moana, Toau, Taape, or Weke. Kaku fishing on the flats with topwater lures is a fun, year-round event that I enjoy, but not something I’ll turn to yet. Oio fishing on the flats has also been inconsistent, with some of the guys getting great results one day, with nothing the next. While the fishing may be slow, I’ll keep plugging away at my spots until I catch something. For all of you like-minded whippers, keep at it, the time will come soon. 

Dino: “Well, another whitewash morning” I say to Thad as we walk back to our cars. This is a saying that was becoming more and more common during the peak summer months. I didn’t know what was going going on? Corona virus perhaps? Cutting my nails at night? Who knows…

Things changed as October arrived. I started picking up some small paps here and there. Noting to write home about, but hey at least I was getting some kind of action. I mainly fish town and north shore for the most part. Action was good at the north shore spots where the Halalu were coming in. Good sized Lai were caught and friends picking some nice sized awa’awa. I’m primarily a whipper these days. Hardly ever using bait anymore. That being said, bubble fly is my main technique. Picked up a nice sized omilu on the town side during a dawn patrol session, weighing 4 pounds. The sun was barey coming up when it hit. The Kanakē fly by my good friend Jourdan Kua’ana of Lawai’a Flies has been really productive for me. It’s what I was using when the 4 pounder hit.

October has been pretty good considering the peak summer months has been really slow for me.

Be safe, have fun!

Jason, fly fisher and on-the-water reporter: It’s certainly been a Fall (and year) like no other.  Looking back at my logs, I see that I’ve hooked at least one bone on all 4 of my fall trips, and friends have also been consistently hooking fish. 

I will note that I have seen far fewer bonefish in shallow this year – a direct result, I believe, of the pandemic-spurred increase in nearshore ocean activity.  I have also heard that other flats around the island have been a bit slow this year, but suspect these reports are coming from hardened sight-fishermen who simply aren’t seeing as many fish.  

I personally believe the fish are still around, they’re just staying farther from shore, or are hanging out in the deeper channels of the flat where they feel safe from the swimmers, SUP boarders, spearfishermen, whippers, fly fishermen, throw netters, windsurers, kite boarders, foil boarders…. well you get the picture!  It’s a “circus” out there, as my friend Rich likes to say, haha.   If you can come away with a fish, you definitely beat the odds.  Either that, or fish the weekdays (might as well, you can’t really go anywhere for vacation this year).  I personally enjoy blind casting for bonefish with my two-handed rods, so I am pretty well-adapted to catching bonefish that don’t want to be seen.

Another thing I’ve noticed, is there seems to be fewer reef fish in general on the flats, and the oama have never really made an appearance (at least in these parts).  I am not sure if this is also related to the general increase in activity, or maybe just an increase in folks harvesting them (legally and illegally).  I know there’s got to be more of that going on this year, thanks in part to our current economic conditions.

My suspicion is that things will begin to fall off soon (pun intended), but for now, I’ll keep shooting until I miss! 

Kelly, SUP inshore troller: Fishing has been slow, mo betta go surf!

Scott, offshore kayak fisher: Fall is normally a great time to offshore fish because there are more light wind days, the water temp cools a bit, inviting pelagics to come closer to shore again, and opelu become more catchable than they are in the summer. But recently, the kayak hammahs have been reporting slow pelagic fishing despite catching a tank full of opelu. My uku spots have only held bait stealers. Not sure where the bigger fish moved to. Bottom fishing for goats and nabeta is still productive, and the big jacks are still willing to take jigs. Hope the target fish are targetable soon!

Erik, small boat fisher: Nearshore bite has been good for us this season.  As the winds died down and the seas calmed, it presented more opportunities to fish.  Calm nights have brought a good menpachi/aweoweo bite in late September and akule bite was good earlier October with larger size akule showing up.  Bigger schools of opelu have also been seen and caught and the better bite times are at dawn and dusk.  Pelagics are seen more regularly closer to shore and ono and mahi are coming in to feed on the bait.  We’ve not had to go further than 350′ for the ono and mahi, and live-baiting seems to be the best way to get them.  We’ve gotten all the pelagics on lures so far and plungers/slant-faced along with deep-diving lures are what’s been working for us. 

Holoholo: After work and school grocery run

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Capt Erik shares how his plan came together, in this heart warming tale of 3 generations fishing together on their “new to them” 17ft Boston Whaler Montauk.

Capt Erik: Sometimes I feel like I’m crossing the line of exposing, experiencing, & sharing time with my oldest son into indoctrinating him into becoming someone who loves fishing. Which is why I choose to limit the amount of time we’re out trolling so that he doesn’t become bored or feel like I forced him. I balance his ocean loves (swimming, snorkeling & most: night torching) with some trolling & whipping. This fishing trip was AWEsome.

I decided that we would do an evening troll after work for a couple hours since I had a longer work week & needed to get out the oldest son out of the house to break away from the distance learning schedule. The bonus was that dad was able to go with us. The plan was to blast straight out to an area that I heard was biting & see if we could get something on the way in. 3 hours max to make it in before sunset, park boat at home and I’d wash it in the morning before I head to work. We headed out from the pier & my son took his favorite place at the bow and hemo’d his shirt before we took the boat off the trailer. I saw some rain squalls 10 minutes out & told him to put his rain jacket on just in case. He must’ve been tired from standing on the bow & bracing himself because he laid on the seat to nap. Since we were slowed for him to don his rain gear and we saw some birds diving & circling already I looked at the fish finder and noticed opelu schools.

“Dad we go put em out already?” I asked. “Yup!” Dad responded. As my son caught some ? not even 5 minutes into the lines hitting water the starboard line starts going ZzzzZzzzZzzZ. Dad takes the wheel, I try waking my son up but he’s in a deep sleep & start bringing in the center longline. Wind squall is starting & the cold air-drizzles begin. Fish is still on while I pull the center line lure in & decide to leave the port side lure out. Cranking in the fish I see an ono thrash on the port side line ? & after another quick jerk of its body it’s free. I get the ono to the boat & realize the one treble hook it’s hooked on the outside of its mouth & the fish still has some life left. No time to waste “Husssss” gaffed right in body.

I tried waking my son gently but let him rest as the rain was now consistent. 1 on the boat within 30 minutes of launching. Dad and I did a big circle to try and let the rain pass knowing we’d be following it if we turned around and went straight back in. My son woke a little while after and was surprised to see the fish. He was still groggy and the rain squall wasn’t moving so we decided to rush em in. We got pelted by rain and it was so thick at one point the gps couldn’t connect to the satellite. The heavy white-out rain only lasted a minute and through it all not one peep from my son. No complaining , not scared and just sitting there watching me and his Papa laugh at the situation. Of course the calm came after the rain and it was a beautiful and little chilly drive into the bay. Had plenty time to wash at pier and head home to let my youngest play with the fish and take pics.

And when we got home my oldest told everyone “WE caught a big fish.” I loved hearing that. He may not have seen the fight but he was onboard and still felt a part of the catch. He was the good luck charm!

da_satosWe have the exact same mentality and approach for our daughters.1 likeReply

fishoahuI tried waking my son gently but let him rest as the rain was now consistent. 1 on the boat within 30 minutes of launching. Dad and I did a big circle to try and let the rain pass knowing we’d be following it if we turned around and went straight back in. My son woke a little while after and was surprised to see the fish. He was still groggy and the rain squall wasn’t moving so we decided to rush em in. We got pelted by rain and it was so thick at one point the gps couldn’t connect to the satellite. The heavy white-out rain only lasted a minute and through it all not one peep from my son. No complaining , not scared and just sitting there watching me and his Papa laugh at the situation. Of course the calm came after the rain and it was a beautiful and little chilly drive into the bay. Had plenty time to wash at pier and head home to let my youngest play with the fish and take pics.

Holoholo: Omilua speared on inaugural boat trip

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Holoholo writer Hunter, true to his name, has gone from shore fishing to hunting under water. He typed this on his phone one night, while fishing, and sent it over via IG DM! Congrats on your big omilu Hunter!

Hunter:

I woke up at 5:30am on a Saturday morning. My dad had just bought a new boat from his friend for a cheap price. We decided to test it out with one of his friends. As we drove closer to Heeia boat ramp my excitement grew. Arriving at the parking lot we saw my dad’s friend waiting for us in his car. We parked the boat in a stall and got all the stuff ready. As we launched the boat and tied it to the dock I grew nervous for no reason at all. It might’ve been excitement but it felt like butterflies. We all jumped in the boat and headed out to the spot.

The water was flat but choppy. We drove at a slow speed as we were only beginners. Arriving at the spot we could tell it was clean. I jumped in and was amazed to see clear waters and fish all around me. We swam around, shot a couple fish including a munu and an uhu. As we made out way back to the boat I dropped down on a small Munu. I saw a small papio as well. As my eye drifted from one side of the hole to the other I saw the outline of two big fish.

My heart started beating faster and faster as I approached what turned out to be 2 big electric blue Omilus. But just as I got into range they noticed me and started booking it. I rapidly ascended to the surface to report what I had just seen. With excitement I shouted “Ulua!” My dad and his friend came over. His friend told me what to do and to be careful as they were very big fish.

I slowly ascended being conscious that this might be my first omilu ulua. I tried to stay calm but my heart was racing. I landed on a small ledge across from the hole where the omilus were in. As they circled in and out the biggest one made a mistake and came too close to me. I took the shot and hit him right next to the head. He went crazy tangling my line and pulling my gun. 10 minutes of absolute chaos. Finally he got tired and as I went down to retrieve him I was basically having a heart attack at that point. I pulled the fish out and relief fell over. I brained the fish I couldn’t help but smile cheek to cheek.

When we got back in we decided to weigh it at Nankos. It came out as 14.41lbs. It was a day to remember in my books.

Coach Haru: Japanese jigging tips – Part II

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Coach Haru is a well known and well respected MMA striking coach. He’s been effectively jigging off his kayak in Hawaii using techniques learned in Japan and would like share his insight with us.  We’re super blessed to have a jigging sensei share such hard earned knowledge. Coach Haru feels that jigging can be very effective when done correctly, and the assist hooks allow for the safe release of fish you don’t want to take home. He loves the challenge of using lures only to capture his prey. Currently he’s in Japan and hopes to return to HI when the quarantine lifts.

Coach Haru: Tairaba (see previous post) is 100 years old. Started in Nagasaki Kyushu and Tokushima Shikoku. It was just round lead with a hook and put shrimp on to catch Tai (red snapper). But shrimp became expensive so commercial fisherman started to use plastic instead.  

There is a Japanese proverb “catch Tai with a shrimp”, back then red snapper was not high end fish. Shrimp was more valuable and expensive.

It was in March, 5 min from my house in Kobe, I got a Buri (wild hamachi) with the 40g halalu color.

New style jig has a flasher plate in the tail. Bass shop sells those plate. Putting it on the tail of jig is popular right now. This is by Hayabusa Jack eye Maki Maki.( reel it reel it). It can cast very far then just retrieve it fast and stop and go. In the morning, most of predators on the surface casing bait, then sun comes up, they go down. Cast it when jig hit the water, fast retrieve and stop for the moment then go again for a couple times. If there is not bite then drop a jig to mid range. Still not bite then drop to the bottom. Just reel it fast.

Now retrieve jig instead jig up and down is popular because easier and anybody can do, not get tired for fishing all day long. Especially from kayak, sit down to fish has less angle than stand up to jig. When stand up most of time tip of pole is down. Jig up to straight but sit on kayak, pole points straight and jig up. When fish bite and have to set the hook, there is not much angle to set the hook hard because tip of rod is already up. Miss fish more than fish from stand up. That’s why retrieve lure is better for kayak fish. I had a Hobie Pro Angler that allowed me to stand up to fish on the kayak just like boat. But changed to Hobie Revo 13, it was harder and lost fish a lot because fish wasn’t hooked well by short angle of rod position. 

There are many jig sabiki in market. There are from super light to heavy. When fish are not biting lures, use smaller like tungsten then still fish are not biting, I use jig sabiki. Size of flies on sabiki is are an inch or less, leader on fly is 15lb to 30lb. There is Nomase (live bait fishing) sabiki which can keep the bait fish on sabiki continue to fish not detach the bait from fly. The leader of fly is longer than normal sabiki that bait can swim better.  Use a jig instead leads. Prefer swimming jig but not long center waited jig can tangle line and flies easy.   TG bait or Jigpara are good. I don’t put hooks on jig because I dont wanna lose especially TG bait. Also I put 2 flies out more than that. I had tried home made jig sabiki had 4 flies, Kawakawa hit it more than one, I lost entire set up so I use just 2 flies. Also it’s shorter that easier to use from Kayak. Jig is swimming jig, when reel it, jig wiggles makes flies dance good. I will post a picture when I make my own jig sabiki. 

Online store has been open for 2.5 months

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We opened the Store with the intention of selling products we endorsed, that couldn’t be found in a local shop. Small quantities of products were offered to determine what would sell. Prices were set lower than anywhere else online, and these deals were only available to Hawaii addresses at very low shipping rates. Breakthrough JDM lures sold out quickly, as well as some unique items like Shade Socks to eliminate UV damage while kayaking, while other products didn’t move as expected.

No glitches in purchasing process (PayPal) and shipping of products were encountered, and all purchasers were happy with their purchases, as far as we could tell. We would really love to hear how the products worked out in the field.

We were surprised that the Sufix braid and VMC 4x treble, inline and live bait hooks didn’t sell better but maybe we weren’t offering the size/colors that more people wanted?

So for our next round of product offerings, we’d like you to tell us what you would be looking for. If we can bring that product in, we’ll try to sell it for less than anywhere else you can find it. We aren’t planning to compete with the local tackle shops so please limit your requests to things you can’t buy locally. Please use the Contact page to let us know.

Thank you for all your support!

VMC terminal tackle and Sufix 832 to be stocked soon!

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Some of the tackle we’ve endorsed on this website will be stocked soon, at introductory prices.

Clockwise from top left:

  • VMC Heavy Duty Live Bait hooks for big baits like opelu
  • VMC 4X Inline Hooks to replace big trebles on plugs or use as trailing hook on bait
  • VMC 4X Treble to replace stock trebles on small lures
  • VMC Heavy Duty Ball Bearing Snap Swivels
  • Sufix 832 Braid – 20lb – 300 yds – Hi Vis Neon Lime
  • VMC Heavy Duty Ball Bearing Swivels with Welded Rings

If these sell well, we’ll bring in more sizes.

Mahalo to those who have purchased from our fledgling store. We’d love to hear how the product(s) has worked for you.

Ulua Fighting Championships

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This plugging catch of a lifetime story originally ran in the Hawaii Fishing News, July 2015 edition. The author Gary Soma, aka @sakana_sniper on IG, gave permission to run this on Hawaii Nearshore Fishing, for those who may have missed it the first time. Enjoy!

At 6 O’clock on a midweek morning, I got a text from Kaimi reporting that the conditions were prime for a late afternoon plugging sesh. We had just finished a batch of experimental lures we’ve refined over the last year, and I had just finished wrapping a factory sample of our 8’6” Medium Heavy Popping Rod. This would be our chance to give them a trial by fire. The variable winds made work miserable and I couldn’t wait to punch out and get on the water. As soon as the clock struck 4, I was out like trout! Once home I quickly gathered all the necessary equipment and headed out to gas up. On the way, I got a call from Paul saying he’d be joining us but got held up at work, so he’d be a little late.

After launching the Whaler, Kaimi and I decided to bust out the light tackle for a Papio hunt. We cruised to one of my spots that I’ve nicknamed “Papio Pass,” which usually holds a good size pile of whites. Just like we hoped, school was in session and they were looking for a fight. On Kaimi’s first cast he hooked a good size fish with his bubble and grub rig. After a great fight Kaimi landed the Omilu and we both took a moment to admire the beautiful two pounder’s electric blue, neon green and lemon yellow hues before gently releasing it. We always let the first fish of the day go for good luck, because as everyone knows, a little luck can go a long way when fishing.

Next it was my turn to get on the board. Soon after my lure hit the water on my third cast, something decided to annihilate my 3 ½ inch Yo-Zuri Sashimi 3D Popper. I fought the bugger for around 5 minutes and the white ended up weighing around 3 pounds. The “Scrap and Release” action was awesome that afternoon and we managed to land half a dozen Papio before it was time to scoop Paul up. With the tide rising, I couldn’t wait to see what the big game spots had in store for us.

On our way to the “Proving Grounds” we readied our new weapons for battle. I hadn’t had time to properly connect my 100# braid to my 150# mono leader so I went with the second best option tying a double palomar knot to connect my braid to a heavy duty swivel and palomar knots to connect my leader to my lure. This knot is my go to knot and has proven to be bullet proof when tied correctly. On Paul’s rod, our newest prototype, he had tied an FG knot linking his 80# braided line to 8 feet of 150# mono leader.

Upon arrival at the Proving Grounds we all commented on how epic the conditions were and the anticipation of action was as thick as the voggy Kona wind air. I was the first one with his lure in the water with no takers, but it usually takes a couple retrieves to wake the big boys up. With the commotion of three lures splashing and splashing it didn’t take them long to hear the ringing of the dinner bell. On my fourth I cast really leaned into one and sent my 6 oz. prototype popper on a first class trip. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The line took forever to float down to the slick cobalt surface and I slowly picked up the slack. Once the line came tight I up jerked my rod and made a perfect pop sending a shower of liquid fire set ablaze by the setting sun. My next jerk created a textbook chug sending a bellowing “boop” resonating to the depths. Just as I was about to follow up with another pop a large shiny submarine half breached, creating a ten foot radius of foamy wash followed by a thunder clap of a tail slap. All I could do was hold onto my rod with a death grip. The fish immediately dove with all of its might as I desperately struggled to get the butt of the rod into my fighting belt. Luckily the fish took a half second break in between runs allowing me to get my rod into its fighting position. I tried my best to slow the fish down by turning up the drag, but my feeble attempts failed miserably. On its second blistering dash the fish managed to find the reef, and my punishment came to an abrupt end. The release of pressure sent me reeling back and fortunately the center console saved me from taking a plunge over the opposite side of the boat. The feeling reminded me of when the opposing team released the rope in a match of tug of war. With my tail between my legs I retrieved my line minus my swivel, leader and defiled lure with about ten feet of the end of my 100 pound braid showing sure signs of being cut off by the jagged ledges below. This first round had gone to the heavy-weights.

An Ulua strike is about the only thing that can get my heart to jump out of my chest. Every blow up never fails to catch me by surprise and there’s nothing that cures the fatigue of throwing a 6 oz. lure a hundred times better than that. Based on the strike, boil and run, we estimated the fish I had just lost to be at least 80 pounds. Even though I took some cracks I readied my gear for the next fight.

The sun was fading behind the Koolaus when the bell rang signaling the start of round two. I was casting off the bow so I was first to get my lure into the zone directly above the Ulua mansion. Every bit of my attention was on my lure and it was as if it was an extension of me. I took up the slack in my line as my lure surfed down the face of the swell. I gently twitched my rod trying my best not to jump and tumble the lure which could tangle my barbless 4/0 trebles around my leader, ruining a perfect cast. As my popper began its uphill ascent I popped with full force creating the ideal series of pops. Nearing the apex of the wave my lure duck dove through the swell and I was startled by a Titanium Ulua side slashing with murderous intentions aimed at its next victim. With deadly precision the fish smashed my popper and plunged downwards shaking its head with its brand new chew toy tightly gripped in its jaws. This pitbull of the sea surely had motives of hanging another lure on its wall of trophies but I was not about to let one more of our home lathed lures suffer the same cruel fate as his brother did minutes earlier. I forced the butt of the rod into my gimbal and locked the drag down. The added pressure only seemed to enrage the Titanium Ulua and its burst of power caught me off guard,  nearly jerking me overboard. Luckily still dry I regained my fighting stance, feet staggered with hands locked high on the rod. The last bits of sunlight were vanishing quickly and I knew I would soon be fighting with the lights out. Luckily Paul was on top of things and gave me an assist by placing my headlamp on, helping me to be as safe as possible. While I exchanged blows with the Titanium Ulua, Paul decided to swap out his lure for one of our experimental nocturnal prototypes for Kaimi to sample. With the fish still diving, I decided to try and turn his head with some heavy upward jerks. I slowed its momentum and thought I had my opponent on the ropes but playing possum the Ulua’s next sprint literally forced me to take a knee. My line was straight down and each inch of line gained was back breaking. Amazingly I endured the barrage and finally got to see color about 20 minutes into the battle with the aide of Paul’s 300 lumen headlamp. About a minute later Paul had the fishes tail in his grasp and lifted it over the gunwale. Once in the boat we realized why the fish fought so hard. It was foul hooked with the front barbless treble lodged in the collar area under the gill plate, unfortunately piercing several gills. Once I removed the hooks the fish began to bleed out and I could tell it was in too bad of shape for a release. I reluctantly dispatched the fish and put it in the cooler. Round two was one to remember.

As I shut the lid of the ice chest I heard a tiny splash behind the boat. With my headlamp I searched the boat and was surprised by a shout of “Hanapaa!” Kaimi was hooked up on his first cast! I immediately put the fighting belt around his waist as the beast ripped line full steam ahead. Kaimi made his way to the bow and I did my best to clean the deck of the blood and slime from the previous fish. Kaimi tried to stop the monster from running home but its charge was one of those freight train screemahs. Paul was right beside Kaimi and told him to brace himself because Paul was about to turn up the drag to the max. Paul coached Kaimi and urged him to jerk the rod to attempt to turn the brutes head. Fortunately Paul’s tactics paired with Kaimi’s strength succeeded in turning the fish and it detoured towards deeper waters with us in tow. The bend in our newest rod was a sight to see. The way it shouldered the burden of whatever was on the end of Kaimi’s line was simply beautiful. I wanted to see what this rod was capable of and yelled to Kaimi, “Boost! Boost Um!!!” Kaimi’s efforts only seemed to aggravate the fish and its next dash for the deep was insane. The pressure was impossible to weather and Kaimi’s rod began to get closer and closer to the rail. I placed my hand between the rod and rail to prevent the rod from snapping in two. Kaimi tried cranking and said,” the reel is broken I can’t crank!” The reel he was using had a 6 to 1 gear ratio, so I told him,” you gotta boost, then crank! The reel no more torque!” Once he figured out how to gain line, the tug of war began. At this point I remember Kaimi saying,” What the hell did I get myself into!” Kaimi would gain 10 yards and the giant would steal 20 in return. The struggle was real! This back and forth punching and counter punching went on for the next 15 minutes. At that point the reel looked half empty so there was still quite a bit of work to be done. Every so often Paul and I would shout battle cries to Kaimi ordering him to keep the line tight and to BOOST! The strain on his back and arms were beginning to take its toll, mirrored by the looks of agony on Kaimi’s face. I told Kaimi to move the fight to the rear bench to alleviate some of the strain on his back. The seated position was also a safer alternative with darkness upon us and his strength fading. Fueled by adrenaline the fight began to slowly tip in Kaimi’s favor and the leviathan started coming in. Once Kaimi gained a fair bit of line back we knew we’d soon see color. Every so often we’d shine our lights into the midnight blue depths as Kaimi continued his give and take battle with the monstrosity on the end of his line.

I can honestly say that If I was the one doing all the heavy lifting I probably would have thrown in the towel by now, but Kaimi has the strength of a bull and the “Cojones” to match. If you’re curious about how it feels, grab a broom stick and tie a thirty pound dumbbell three feet from the tip and have someone push down on the tip every so often. Time yourself to see how long you last.

After a dozen peeks over the side of the boat we finally saw something silver down deep and yelled, “Ulua! Boost! Bring Um Up!!!” The beast had other ideas. Startled by the alien lights above it went on another blistering tear. I again had to cushion the rod from the rail with my hand, otherwise it would be “Sayonara!” Kaimi endured the run and had to pivot as the fish ran to the opposite side of the boat. Gaining line, the weight of the fish was more of a dead weight now. We knew the fish was coming to the surface this time. With Paul’s light penetrating into the abyss, we could see the sterling shape making its death circles on its way to the surface. When given the opportunity I planned on tail grabbing the Ulua. As we watched the beast’s ascent, the reflective shape kept growing and growing. When it finally surfaced I stood in shock stunned by the size of the fish. Paul yelled, “F@#&ING BEAST,” snapping me back to reality. I was not about to tail grab the giant and risk a dislocated shoulder should it decide to flick its tail. I yelled to Paul, “get the gaff!” and he scrambled to find it and eventually found it near the fuel tank. With surgical precision he sank the gaff in the behemoths gaping mouth and the cheering began. Kaimi had triumphed in the 30 minute Super Heavy Weight Main Event, giving him the Ulua Fighting Championship Belt.

On our first attempt Paul and I failed in lifting the titan into the boat but with Kaimi’s help we heaved its enormous head out of the water and slid its torso into the boat. Seeing the fishes length span from one side of my boat to the other I’m sure every curse word out there found its way out of our mouths. I quickly grabbed the measuring tape off my console and measured the fish from nose to fork. We couldn’t believe that the number under the center of the tail read 58 inches (147.3 cm). The fish was guaranteed to be over the hundred pound mark, every ulua fisherman’s dream catch. Several years ago I had landed an 80 pounder while spearfishing and this thing made that one look like a pan fry papio. Paul and I then assisted Kaimi in getting the fish on his lap for some quick photos before the release. After snapping some souvenir pics I gave Kaimi the green light for the release and Paul gave him a hand with sliding the fish back into the water. The momentum of the fish sent it five feet below the surface and we shared a round of fist bumps and “Chee Hoos!” Kaimi soon noticed that the fish had floated back to the surface and was on its side with no signs of life. Occasionally after a strenuous battle it takes a bit of reviving to help the fish recover. I started the boat and we guided the fish, flushing fresh ocean water through its gills for 5 minutes before Paul released it once again. The fish just floated again as it did before. We tried again but the mighty Gladiator had fought to its death. We were bummed that the fish had died, and looking back, the fish never kicked once after it surfaced. The great champion had likely perished on its last ditch run for the reef. We took solace in knowing that the fish would be feeding our families and friends for weeks to come.

Out of curiosity we decided to get the fish weighed before we cut it up the following day. At Nanko’s Fishing Supply we weighed the smaller of the two first. It weighed a solid 43 pounds which was much heavier than our closest guess. It’s funny how small it looked sitting next to Gladiator. Next it was time to weigh in Gladiator, with all three of us struggling to get the Ulua’s tail rope onto the hook of the scale. Once the behemoth was fully supported, our eyes instantly found the digital screen, with mine nearly popping out of my head. The certified scale read 130.1 pounds, a true colossus. I never would have imagined that we would land an Ulua over a hundred pounds, yet alone one that weighed a hundred thirty. After weighing the fish I made a Gyotaku of Kaimi’s catch of a lifetime. Hearing the story is one thing but seeing the true size of Gladiator immortalized on rice paper leaves most speechless.

After printing the fish, we quartered the pair of Uluas with the majority of the meat going into a cooler for an icy bath in my secret marinade. After a two day soak I smoked the strips low and slow for at least four hours. Everyone can’t seem to get enough of the stuff and by the time it comes out of the smoker all bags are always spoken for.

When recounting our greatest fishing tale, people still find it hard to believe that Gladiator was landed on an eight foot six, medium heavy popping rod and a budget spinning reel. With this type of tackle we are clearly underdogs when brawling with large Ulua, but that’s what makes this type of fishing so challenging, exciting, and ultimately rewarding when you do land that one fish after losing countless others. All out scraps with the monarchs of our Hawaiian reefs is what we live for. For us its all about living the Plug Life.

Fred Hall Show 2019 – Part II

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Axel Valdez of Hotel Buena Vista

Last year, Steve of Promar / Ahi USA introduced me to Axel Valdez, co-owner of the renown Hotel Buena Vista on the East Cape of Baja Mexico. Steve highly recommended the family owned hotel for their hospitality and fish catching prowess.

Felipe Valdez of Felipe Valdez Sport Fishing

This year, I was able to meet Axel’s brother Felipe, who recently launched his independent guide service, Felipe Valdez Sport Fishing. Felipe puts together customized trips that could include surf fishing for roosterfish, panga (wooden motorized skiff) fishing for nearshore and bottom fish, and cruiser fishing for pelagics. He could even take a kayak out on a cruiser and put us right on the fish, equipped with live bait. East Cape trips are very affordable compared to farther destinations, and because the Hotel Buena Vista is rustic, clients don’t have to pay 5 star prices. Since their warm water species are similar to our jacks, grouper, mahi, tuna and marlin, we could use our own gear and techniques to try to land them. Makes for an easy destination fishing trip from Hawaii. Our crew is trying to see if we can put together a trip for next year’s prime season!

I sought out Ali Hussainy of the Bloody Decks website and the Local Knowledge fishing show. Bloody Decks started as a fishing forum, I believe, and is now the world’s largest saltwater fishing website. If you haven’t watched their tv show Local Knowledge on YouTube, the focus is to compare and contrast SoCal fishing with Florida fishing. Makes for some interesting background on the two fisheries and some serious smack talking. I told Ali I manage a tiny Hawaii based fishing website and would welcome any advice he had on how to grow it! Traded him a box of Hawaiian Host Caramacs and a couple NOH Poke Mixes for the original Bloody Decks t-shirt. Unfortunately they were out of the Local Knowledge shirts.

Stumbled upon the Anetik booth, maker of the world’s only UV protectant leg sleeves, as far as I know. I had read about them in a kayak fishing review when I was looking for leg protection from Man Of War stings. The “Shade Socks“, as they’re called, provide UPF 30+ coverage on feet and legs, in an ultra breathable way, and have a rubber grip at the top of the sock to keep it in place.

Pete walked me through the fashionable lineup of fishing shirts, polos, hoodies and face masks in their breathable UPF 30+ material. The show pricing was so good, I got the shade socks ( no need to put sunscreen on our legs now!), performance shirt and shade mask and will be testing them on the kayak soon.

I like the contoured fit of the shade mask. Won’t catch a lot of wind when kayak fishing. Turns out Anetik’s products are sold on Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. Check out their Hawaii retailers here.

In the outdoor perimeter of the Long Beach Convention Center, there were wading pools filled with hatchery rainbow trout kids could catch and take home, and trained dogs leaping off a ramp to catch a ball before landing into a pool of cold water.

This little pooch was just getting acclimated with the chill.

Ended the trip with a stop at an REI (Recreation Equipment Inc) store, to bring home reusable canvas bags for the wife. She loves these because they wash and dry without distorting as they shrink. For $5.99 they are a pretty good deal to be used as grocery bags and gift satchels.

Fred Hall Show 2019 – Part I

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Being able to talk with the major fishing brands in one setting was too hard to pass up. The crew who provide reviews for this website couldn’t make the trip so I went solo and opted to use Lyft to get around.

I hit up the vendors on the first two days of the show, Wednesday and Thursday, while they were still fresh. Last year, when Erik and I hit the show on the weekend, the guys in the booths were swamped and glassy eyed.

A lot of the guys we met last year weren’t there this year, but I did meet some new folks and learned a lot about the products we use and hope to use. The show focuses on Southern California fishing and Alaskan / Mexican destination fishing lodges, but I was able to see a bunch of products and services that would interest us back home in Hawaii.

I had been tracking the Bixpy electric “jet” motor that mounts to a kayak’s rudder for a while. The jet motor has such a compact footprint on the rudder and the lithium ion battery is so small and light, that someone could paddle around without running the motor and not be negatively impacted.

My concern was how long the jet motor and lithium battery would last in the salt since together they cost $1000. The Bixpy rep said the motor should be able to run maintenance free for a few years, and then would be easily repairable at the factory. The lithium battery, however, would need to be replaced after about 3 years of normal use, and a replacement battery would cost about $500. That’s still cheaper than the $1800 plus Torqueedo kayak motor.

Since one of my favorite sales guys, Rick Carr, was repping Minn Kota electric motors at the show, I stopped by to understand how much it would cost to mount a salt water trolling motor on my new Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.3. Rick recommended the Minn Kota Riptide Transom Mount 45lb thrust with “Digital Maximizer” that efficiently conserves battery power. List price is about $320, and it would be mounted off the right side of the kayak, behind my seat, and I’d control it with an extended tiller. Sounds like I know what I’m talking about huh? I’m not a boat/motor guy so it took a while for me to understand the terminology. This would be the least expensive way to add a motor to my yak but the downside would be the added weight of an SLA battery and the weight/size of the electric motor hanging off the side of the kayak.

Steve and Peter Oropeza working hard and having fun in the Promar booth

Steve Oropeza, of Promar / Ahi USA, helped me get situated with the locations of the 500 plus exhibitors, and told me that Chase Baits and Hookup Baits were two of the hot lure makers this year.

Chase Baits makes very realistic swimming soft plastic squids that look like they would be effective to fish vertically. The squids were about the size of our Hawaiian cuttlefish and could be killer in low light but I opted not to get any since I still have a few lures I haven’t tested from last year!

At first glance the Hookup Baits just looked like beefed up freshwater tube baits with better hardware. But the owner Chad explained how the lures were properly weighted with Owner jig hooks to swim optimally and the durable plastic bodies were infused with fish attracting scent. Their photos of the saltwater bass, yellowtail, and tuna with Hookup Baits hanging out of their mouths spoke to the effectiveness of the easy-to-fish lure. The lures could be cast and retrieved like you’d retrieve a weighted soft plastic, or fished off the bottom in a hopping manner. The silhouettes really replicated the bait fish they were imitating. I picked up some 3/8 oz jig head versions to whip with, and some 1 oz jig head versions to fish vertically.

A friend wanted me to pick up a Nomad Design DTX Minnow in the 6.5 inch, 3.75 oz size to troll fast and deep for pelagics. They are the hot offshore brand of lures from Australia that are encased in hard plastic, wired throughout the body, and rigged with heavy duty inline single BKK hooks. I can’t troll a lure faster than 3 mph so I decided to try the Nomad Design Maverick, in the 5.5 inch, 1.5 oz size. The Maverick is a very versatile lure that floats, and can be popped, walked or retrieved so it swims underwater in a gurgling S-shaped pattern. I’m thinking I can put the Maverick out as I paddle around, and retrieve it on the surface when I get to a fishy spot.

Stay tuned for Part II covering a Mexican destination bucket list trip, UV protection leggings for kayak fishing, dogs jumping into frigid water on command and more!

Sharing fish, a Hawaiian tradition

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It’s Hawaiian culture to share your catch with family and friends, especially with those who are unable to go out and catch for themselves.  I’m not a big fish eater and rarely bring home more than one fish, so I didn’t participate in this tradition too much.  But a friend from church had asked me if I could keep hage for him, if I caught that incidentally, and I thought that would be a slam dunk.  Turns out I didn’t get to fish much since he asked, and when I did, I didn’t bring up any of those bait stealers.

I mentioned this to Capt Darren, so he kept a big, unusual looking deepwater hage during a Penguin Banks trip.  When I picked it up, he insisted I also take a yellowspot papio for my friend since he has never had one before, and an uku and yellowspot for my family.  Uku and yellowspot are my favorite fish to eat because they are not fishy and you can sashimi/poke them as well as steam and fry.  And, it’s possible that I can catch them myself nearshore.  Besides ono and nabeta, they are the only ones I cook at home.  I felt a little “shame” to take such good fish when I just went to pick up a hage, but Capt Darren said no big deal, he just likes to share with people who appreciate the fish he quickly chills in a salt water/ice cube brine on the boat to slow down the spoiling process.

The uku looked big by my standards, although he said it wasn’t big but it wasn’t small either.  I didn’t weigh it but measured it at 20.5″ FL.  I told him I’d be stoked to ever catch an uku that size on my kayak.  That night, the day after the fish were caught, I made a simple onion, inamona, sesame oil, Hawaiian salt and chili flake poke with some uku and yellowspot. The uku was so fresh it still was very firm, whereas the yellowspot was much softer. Both were very good, and good together with the contrasting texture.  I shared the uku and yellowspot with my parents and collectively we ate them raw, steamed, sato-shoyu and fried.  I don’t like cooked fish because it tastes fishier than raw, but wanted to see how the day 3 (two days out of the water) uku poke would be lightly fried. Had the tiniest fishy aftertaste but I liked the flavor and texture.  Capt Darren really does take care of his fish!

He also gave me their leftover fresh halalu bait that his first mate had caught since I was going kayak fishing the next day. I’d be targeting uku and yellowspot, but I figured “pressure is off” since my church friend got his hage and bonus yellowspot and my family got such prime fish.  I was moved by Capt Darren’s generosity and didn’t think I’d ever catch such a big uku on my kayak. Turns out I was wrong! Here’s what happened trolling that fresh dead halalu bait!