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Holoholo: DOUBLE – Double Digit Oio!

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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!

Holoholo: How to correctly release your fish

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With more fish being caught now, and a lot being released, our On-The-Water fly fishing reporter Jason has some essential tips.

Jason: With catch and release fishing increasing in popularity, it’s important for newer anglers to be aware of the importance of proper fish handling.   I’ve put together a list of tips to ensure the fish you release survives to be caught again:

1) Try to avoid sticking your fingers under the fish’s gill plate.  This can damage the delicate gills, causing the fish to bleed.  A bleeding fish will often end up a dead fish.

2) Try not to hold the fish out of water for more than 15 seconds at a time.  One study showed that a fish held out of water for more than 15 seconds is up to 600% more likely to not survive.

3) Keep ’em wet!  Handle the fish with wet hands, if possible, and try not remove too much of its protective slime.  

4) Revive the fish by facing it into the current or pushing it in a circle.  Pushing the fish back and forth, contrary to what you may see on TV, is actually not good for the fish as its gills only work in one direction.

5) If possible, fish barbless!   A barbless hook does less damage to the mouth of a fish, and is safer for you, too!   I personally pinch or file down all my barbs before I even begin tying a fly.  When people ask why I fish barbless, I joke that it’s as much for me as it is for the fish!  I’ve been fishing barbless flies exclusively since 2017, and I can count on one hand how many bones have spit a barbless fly running at me.  

6) Try to release the fish in an area free of predators.  This is obviously not always possible, but we try our best.  For instance, if I land a fish in an area where I earlier saw a shark, I will to wade to an area further down the flat to release it.   Ensuring the fish is fully revived before the release will also help, as a tired, slow-moving fish is easy pickings for a shark or large barracuda.

7) This last one is going to be controversial since it’s pretty widely practiced by both fly fisherman and conventional fishers alike, and in many cases is done to obtain a weight of the fish.  Try to avoid “lipping” the fish and suspending it vertically.  If you do, try not to hold it in this position for too long as it can damage the fish’s jaws and put strain on its spine and organs.  Anyway, if rule 2 above is followed you should be ok.

Some of the above may seem excessive, or even downright silly.  As a beginning fly angler and catch and release practitioner, I committed many of these myself.  But remember, if it’s worth releasing a fish, it’s worth doing so in a way which maximizes its chances of survival.  Otherwise, you are better off harvesting it (if it’s legal, of course) and making some delicious lomi oio or fried papio! Thanks for reading, and happy fishing (and releasing)!

Holoholo: A Fly Fisherman’s Perspective on 2022 So Far

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I’ve asked Jason, our in-the-water fly fishing reporter, to fill us in on how the Spring has been, and what the near-term outlook may be. You can check him out on IG at commonmango82.

Jason Tsurumaki: For reference, I mostly fish the east Oahu flats and employ a mix of bombing (blind casting) and sight casting, which I personally feel is the most productive approach to these deeper, reefier fisheries.  Because I do not strictly sight fish (like the majority of fly fisher’s targeting o’io), I tend to pick up all sorts of interesting bycatches which can act as a barometer for the overall nearshore fishing picture.  

Looking back at my catch log, east Oahu was pretty hot from the start of the year up until about mid April.   We are unsure what caused the slow down, but speculate it’s a combination of increased fishing pressure (from both fly and regular fisherman) and more activity in the water overall due in part to reopening.  Those familiar with these spots know they are easy to access and frequented by every waterperson under the sun including fishermen, divers, surfers, SUP boarders, windsurfers, kite boarders, and in recent years, foilboarders.  We believe the fish are still around but have become more wary and less likely to come onto the flat and feed aggressively.  

Outside of the fly fishing world, I am not sure how many folks are familiar with the concept of “educated fish.”  In short, the belief is that as more fish are caught (and subsequently released), the population gradually learns to either not go after strange pieces of fur or plastic, or to simply avoid an area altogether.  The degree to which this actually occurs is debatable, however.  There are certainly other factors, many of which cannot be easily accounted for.

We’ve recently pivoted to another south shore spot and have seen modest success, but time will tell if this holds.  In the meantime, we will intermittently check out the east side spots, to see if things perk up again.  Sometimes locating the fish can feel like a game of whack-a-mole.  

One last thing worth mentioning is we haven’t “bycaught” too many papio yet this year, I would say far fewer than most years.  So not sure if this is a bad sign or not for all the papio whippers out there.  Although readers do need to keep in mind that we normally fish on the flat, well inside of the breakers.   As always, your mileage may vary. 

If pressed for a near-term outlook, I’d say the current La Nina cycle will keep fishing on the slower side.

Good luck folks, and have fun! 

Holoholo: How to catch less fish: Fly Fishing

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Holoholo writer Matthew broadens his shore fishing skills and tackles fly fishing.

Matthew: Fly fishing… It can either be peaceful and enjoyable or a complete mess of frustration and tangles. Sure, it looks easy to cast a fly setup. Wave the rod forward, wave the rod backward, and let go of the line and watch it sail. It seems so simple and easy, or so I thought. After picking up a fly setup for the first time, I headed to one of my go-to Oio spots and tried casting. It resulted in a disaster, a horrible wind knot, and a hook in my shoulder on the first cast. Luckily I took the advice of another fly fisherman and started off with barbless hooks, and the hook didn’t go in too far. What happened? It turns out that muscle has nothing to do with casting, and it has a lot to do with form and timing. Timing, timing, timing, timing. I still have not gotten anywhere mastering it yet. 

After taking a few more horrible casts that would’ve made anyone laugh had I been fishing with a buddy, I made my way out past the shoreline and tried blind casting downwind. My casts were still pitiful and the line slapping the water probably scared any fish away within a hundred yard radius. Long story short, it was a tough evening. I ended up with a Nohu (poisonous Hawaiian rockfish), which fought like a rock, and a bunch of actual rocks that I pulled up from the bottom. 

I headed out the next day at midday to attempt, with emphasis on the word attempt, to catch an Oio sightcasting. I got lucky and saw one within minutes, as I already knew how to spot Oio, which is the only component of fly fishing that I am decent at. Casting accurately, enticing a fish to bite, and fighting a fish on fly gear are things that I still suck at. As you might expect, the line on one of the false casts slapped the water with a loud SMACK! and the Oio hightailed it out of there. Aargh, this is harder than it looks. I saw several Oio after that, and all ended relatively the same way, the line hitting the water and the Oio spooking.  

The next day I went out and dedicated more than half the trip to just learning how to cast in the shallows, and I got a lot better at it. After getting the timing slightly better and incorporating the double haul technique, my casts were looking better. I headed out and after a while I was able to spot a lone fish around four pounds heading straight towards me. I waited to see if it would turn, which it did, and I made a cast without spooking it around 12 feet in front of it. I thought, “Damn, the reef is so gnarly here that if I hook this fish I’ll probably lose it”. To my surprise, it ate the fly and the fly line started going through my fingers, and not to my surprise, it reefed me almost instantly. Aargh. I retied my leader and ended up spooking even more fish before I decided to call it a day. 

The next week, I tried at a new spot, and saw a few fish, but the wind was so bad that it was nearly impossible to make a decent cast. I ended up blind casting, but to no avail. 

I was starting to get really frustrated with fly fishing and was considering bringing back out the spinner rod and reel for my usual Sunday Dawn patrol. After thinking about it for some time, I decided to give the fly rod another chance, with a new strategy and new flies in hand. The only problem was that I didn’t check the weather and it ended up being very windy and with clouds overhead. Not the best conditions for sight fishing. I proceeded forward, sighting some fish, until the rain came. There I was, the only idiot on the flat, in horrible wind and rain. I took out my phone to video, so I could at least bring something home, right? I ended up scrolling on instagram for a little bit, in the middle of the water, until I looked around and spotted a blueish-green blob around 20 feet away from me. By some miracle, an Oio had presented itself right to me, probably not being able to see me because of the ripples on the water and choppy waves. But I could see it, and that’s the main thing. 

I put my phone away, silently stripped out the line needed for a 20 foot long cast, and decided to lead the fish by a LOT. Luckily it never changed course and it came within 5 feet of my fly sitting on the bottom. I started with a long strip to catch its attention, followed by some short and fast ones. To my amazement, the Oio lit up and swaggered over to my fly. I gave it two hard, fast strips, and on the second one, I felt the weight of the fish, and set the hook. The fish felt the pain and took off toward the horizon as I frantically tried to release the loose fly line. Once it got into the reel, I applied mild pressure on the reel with my other hand and kept the fly rod high. Once it stopped running, I could feel it rubbing against rocks and ran over to free it from three different coral heads (in hindsight, I was lucky). I started working the fish in but forgot I had to feed the line into the reel evenly (I’m used to spinners that have a level wind mechanism), so the line piled up on one side and the reel jammed. I quickly let some line out and filled the other side of the reel, getting the fish in closer until we locked in some circles around each other.

After what felt like an eternity, it froze on the surface and I netted it. I was ecstatic and let out a pretty loud yell. The fish was bigger than I originally thought, measuring at 22”, and since it was a “fatty”, I’d probably estimate it at five and a half pounds. I took some pictures and it was released back into the water. Wow, what a rush. I went home a little after that, stoked to the moon and back, happy that I had managed to land my first Oio on the fly rod. 

I’m still a beginner and learning as I go, and most likely got lucky with that fish. Thanks for reading this long story. As for the Oio, I’ll be back for more, that’s for sure. And as always, good luck to you all.

Holoholo: Golden at long last

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Jason has been chasing a particular species of inshore jack all his life. How fitting that he captured it on a fly rod at the spot he first gazed upon one as a child.

Jason: The story begins the day before, during our Saturday morning outing.   I had spent most of the day fooling around with streamers at the edge of the flat, trying for papio, lai, or whatever would bite.  Things were pretty slow, so when the tide went down, I decided to switch to targeting bones.  

Anyone who knows me knows I am an unabashed bomber, but the tide was low, and the light was good, so I decided I would sight fish.  My friends John and Brent were on the beach talking story with a fisherman they had just met, and I decided I would fish nearby, in a location I knew was frequented by pa’opa’o.  There were a lot of blacktips that day, and I saw a few bones but none were interested.  About 30 minutes in I spotted what, from a distance, appeared to be a pa’opa’o. Just as I raised my rod, it spooked, and took off for the channel. “Maybe next time…”

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, and since we had all struck out we decided we would give it another try Sunday.

Given what I’d seen the day before, I decided I would focus on the same area right out of the gate.  The morning light wasn’t great, and the tide was a bit higher than it was midday Saturday. This was all the excuse I needed to revert to my preferred MO of “targeted” bombing. I hit all the same spots where I’d seen fish the day before, eventually parking myself at the same location I’d seen the pa’opa’o. I got myself into a nice casting rhythm, covering a 90 degree swath of water with my 6 wt R.B. Meiser switch rod.

I had not been doing this for more than 5-10 minutes when I noticed a bait fisherman wading out nearby.  I kept one eye on him and the other on my casting, hoping he would not stop near me.  I was beginning to contemplate moving when I suddenly felt a heavy take, followed by a relatively slow, but powerful run.  Having hooked a number of barred and yellow spot trevallys in the past, I recognized it immediately.  Could this be it?  It definitely was not a bone!

Whatever it was, it knew what it was doing, and took me straight into the channel, tangling my fly line on the edge of the reef in the process.  I made my way all the way to the edge (which was a little sketchy) and managed to untangle it.  At that point I realized it hadn’t gone into the middle of the channel, but instead towards the nearby pier. 

I tightened up the drag, and was able to steer it away from the pier, but a nearby piling sticking out of the water was still a threat.   After applying more pressure, I was relieved to see the flash of the fish’s side a few feet in front of the piling, indicating I had turned its head before it could wrap me.  The problem now was my 6 wt switch rod lacked the lifting power to control the fish. A few minutes went by, and I managed to finally muscle it to the surface and within view…it was a pa’opa’o. The pressure was really on now!

With a relatively light (and long) switch rod, I realized it would be tricky to land by myself, so I yelled for John to come over.  He booked it 100 yards plus across the flat with his net, while I continued to keep it away from the pier and near the edge of the flat.  It was the longest minute or two of my life, but he finally arrived and and made his way to the edge and into a little sandy channel where the fish and I had been at a stalemate.  After a few tense moments and last second escapes, the fish was finally secured in the net.  I couldn’t believe it!

Along with awa’aua (ladyfish), the pa’opa’o (golden trevally) is a fish I’ve dreamt of catching since small kid time.  I finally got my awa’aua on the fly in 2016  – but the pa’opa’o had continued to elude me…until now.

P.S. As a kid, my father would often take us to the area near that same pier to fish for halalu.  I’d often explore the pier itself, and would stick my head over the edge to take a peek at what was below.  I would usually see a school of weke or small kupipi, but on one occasion, there was a big beautiful pa’opa’o swimming beneath it.  That memory, like this one, is forever burned into my mind.  Thanks for letting me share this story!

Jason

Holoholo: Papio not biting? Go chase oio!

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Jeremy and Matthew have been whipping with small lures for oio this Winter and Spring while waiting for the papio action to heat back up, and all-season fly fisher Jason shares some helpful tips that cross over to spin fishing for oio.

Jeremy:

When the papio bite is slow, I switch it up and target o’io.  Fishing for o’io with lures is challenging, but it’s all worth it when you finally hook up.  Nothing beats that first screaming run.  I primarily like to use light spinning gear, but if the winds cooperate, I do also attempt to use the fly rod, which is a completely different challenge, LOL.  For the spinning setup, I like to use 9’-10’ rods rated up to 1oz.  For the reel, I’m currently using a Shimano Stradic 5K filled with around 300 yards of 15# braid and attached to that is 15# fluoro leader. 

Big o’ios can rip out a ton of line, so using a reel that has a high capacity will greatly reduce your chances of getting spooled.  There’s nothing worse than getting spooled and having all that line stuck all over the reef (Do NOT let yourself get spooled if you can help it).  And as always, I highly suggest catch and release.  O’io are great sportfish that put up excellent fights that all fishermen dream about.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could experience that every single time instead of only once in a while?  Just something to think about…

Matthew:

Lately the Papio action has been pretty dead, except for a few exceptions. Even the Lai and Kaku haven’t been playing recently, and it is probably the worst Papio fishing I’ve seen in a while. The only time I was able to catch was on the north shore at the break of dawn, which was a nice trip, with a 16” papio and a 12” papio.

But since the south shore has been completely dead for Papio, I’ve taken the opportunity to learn how to catch Oio whipping with lures, or more specifically, grubs. I’ve learned a significant amount in the past two months or so, but I’m still nowhere near the level of some real hammahs out there, who catch a few Oio per trip without problem. Whipping for Oio is a lot harder than fishing for them with bait, you have to trick the Oio into biting a fake imitation of a shrimp or crab.

Oio, in my opinion, are the spookiest fish in Hawaii. Do something wrong and you can see them take off towards the deep as fast as a bullet. Cast too close to one, it spooks off. Stumble on the reef and cause a small commotion, any Oio within 40 feet is gone. I think that the spookiness of the Oio in shallow water was the most frustrating thing that I had to deal with at first. I’m used to using noisy and big lures to catch Papio. The Papio is a very angry and aggressive fish, and the more noise and commotion you make, the better chance you have of hooking one. The Papio will rush towards any splashes on the surface. The Oio is the complete opposite. Make any sudden movements or cast wrong and you miss your shot. Papio will also take multiple shots at a lure sometimes. With Oio, you only have one shot. The most frustrating thing is when you see a tailing Oio and start making your way toward it, but then it spooks away even though you did absolutely nothing wrong. I still don’t have the patience to actively target tailing Oio, so I’ve resorted to blind casting in slightly deeper water (2.5 – 4 feet deep). I understand though, that it gets even harder, in fly fishing for Oio. Fly fishing for Oio is a serious art and I have great respect for fly fishermen who target Oio. It’s something that I might consider trying to learn, but much later. 

I was able to land four Oio in the past month, by sheer dumb luck. The biggest one being 23.5” and pushing seven pounds, and three smaller ones all being around four pounds. Whipping for Oio is especially addictive because you can actually feel their first run, whereas when you’re dunking, the heavy rod and sand/rock spike takes most of the first run away from the fish. 

Anyways, it’s slow right now, so don’t worry if you’re not catching. You’re not the only one. Try something different, go for light game, smaller papio. Try topwater lures for Kaku. Try using bait in deeper water. If what you’re doing right now is not working, consider trying something different until summer. Good luck out there??.

Jason:

O’io (bonefish) are one of the fly fishing world’s most revered sportfish, renowned both for their fighting prowess and skittish disposition.  But one of their more overlooked qualities, in my humble opinion, is that they are available year-round.  Unlike those targeting papio, I usually continue to see action, even through the cold, wet winter months.  That doesn’t mean things don’t get more difficult.  When the water gets colder, the fish often aren’t as plentiful in the shallows, and cloudy conditions can make sight fishing tough to near-impossible.  For those new to chasing bones on the fly here are few simple tips to increase your odds during the winter months.

1) Be willing to blind cast.  
I know for many, “bombing” (as it’s referred to by Hawaii fly fishermen) can be a tough sell.  I know of a few sight casting purists who will refuse to blind cast, out of principle.  There are others who simply think it isn’t worth the effort.  “Why waste time and energy casting if you don’t see any fish around?”    If you’re like me and enjoy the casting almost as much as the catching, this is a no-brainer!  When the clouds show up, and high tide blows out the flat, you can just stand there staring at glare on the surface, or pack it in… or you can throw out a few blind casts, and you just might get lucky!  If nothing else, you’ll get in some good casting practice, and for me, it’s simply relaxing!  

2)  When in doubt, wade out.  
When you aren’t seeing many fish in shallow, there is a decent chance they’re all hanging out near the outer edges of the reef, where the water is deeper, there is more wave action, and they feel safer.  I find this to especially be the case in spots where there is a lot of nearshore activity from swimmers, divers or other fishermen.  Bonefish hate people!   You do need pretty good eyes to spot them out here, but in my experience at least, you’re far more likely to get an eat way out here.   And if you can’t see them, see tip  #1! 

3) Successful blind casting isn’t entirely blind.
While I never pass up the opportunity to take a shot at a fish that I see, as mentioned above, I tend to prefer bombing with a switch rod because I find it more relaxing.   Some folks I know don’t understand how it’s possible to consistently catch fish this way, but I believe the key (in addition to possessing stupid levels of persistance) is “targeted” blind casting.   I’ve found over the years that I catch more fish when I am targeting areas I have previously seen fish in, either on a lower tide, or when the light conditions were better.   As you spend more time sight fishing, and seeing fish, you will start to recognize the type of terrain that just looks fishy.  I will often target areas with a bit of wave action, where the bottom is a mix of rock and seaweed (not just in the sand pockets), or areas along the edges of channels or near on-ramps to the flat.  I will also never bomb in waters shallow enough to sight fish in, as this is a recipe to spook everything within casting radius!  As you wade out, you should also hit some of deeper sand pockets along the way as these can hold fish even on a lower tide.

4) Move!
Whether sight-casting or blind casting, there are countless times where I’ve hooked a fish just minutes after moving to a new spot.  Whether this is simply dumb luck or not, is tough to tell, but I tend to believe that if you aren’t seeing fish, or aren’t getting bites, it can often pay to move.  The more water you cover, the greater your odds of finding fish.
Well, that’s all folks!  Bonefishing during the winter is really not much more complicated than that, at least for how I like to catch them!  Good luck, and remember, he who has the most fun wins!

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: Patagonia Stormfront sling pack review

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Our on-the-water fly fishing reporter Jason would like to complement the sling pack review Dino submitted with a review of his current pack.

Jason:

Since Dino just did his review of the Simms Dry Creek Z pack, I though I’d give my impressions of the very similar Patagonia Stormfront, a bag I have now owned for almost 3 years.  

The Stormfront lives up to its name in Japan!

When I purchased the Stormfront nearly 3 years ago, I had already owned a couple of waterproof packs.  Like Dino, I recognized after a few “incidents” that a normal pack was was not going to cut it for serious wading.  My first two waterproof packs were both Fishpond Westwater Sling packs.  These were slightly smaller, but similar in style to the Dry Creek and Stormfront.  They were great bags, but I had my eye on the Patagonia since I started fly fishing.  At some point, I broke the zipper on the Fishpond, and that was all the excuse I needed to upgrade.   I am sure many of you can relate.  

Like the Westwater and Dry Creek, the Stormfront is marketed as a “waterproof” sling fishing pack, meant to be worn across the chest from the right shoulder down to the left hip (although not reversible).  All 3 packs have a large main zippered compartment with an internal zippered mesh pocket, a small zippered outer pocket, and use welded TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) construction, a magic technology that means the bag has zero stitched outer seams, leaving the zippers as the only potential ingress points.   To solve for this, Patagonia uses a fancy German-made TIZIP waterproof zipper, the same type used on the older generation Simms Dry Creek bags.   Like the Dry Creek, only the large main compartment uses the fancy zipper, although I’ve found the outer pocket to be relatively waterproof.  To be safe, I only use it to store trash like line clippings and food wrappers.   As Dino mentioned, the zipper must be maintained.  The Stormfront came with a small tube of TIZIP branded lube, which is just ordinary synthetic silicone grease.  When I ran out of it, I started using the same Super Lube Synthetic Grease I use on my fly reels, which seems to work just fine.  

Like the Dry Creek, the Stormfront is equipped with multiple lash points and D-ring, as well as two attachment points on the rear for the fly rod tube straps.  The two straps that attach to these can hold a standard fly rod tube up to about 4-5 inches in diameter, but can also be used hold a landing net, a shorter two-piece whipping rod, or even a sand spike or two.  The D-rings and lash points on the strap are useful for hanging a zinger, hemostats, clippers, or any other fishing-related paraphernalia you want to keep within easy reach while on the water.  If you need to get something from inside the bag, you just slide it around your torso like you would for any other sling bag.  This is especially handy on the water where a regular backpack can be a PITA to get stuff out of when you don’t have anything solid to put it down on.

The Dry Creek and Stormfront do have a few minor differences, spec-wise.  The Stormfront does lack the fly patch, but more importantly to me, it also does not have a net holster.  I usually just stuff my net between my pack and my back, which is not the most elegant of solutions, but it works, though I have to admit I do get a tinge of net holster-envy looking at that Dry Creek.    The Stormfront is also a bit larger, at 20L versus 15L, but I don’t think this will be an issue for most people.  My older Fishpond Westwater was even smaller, at about 13L and I never had trouble fitting several spools of leader, a spare fly line, Hydroflask, a few granola bars or spam musubis, and a couple of fly boxes in there (unlike Dino, I keep my birth control pills securely in the glovebox of my car).  During the rainy months, a small packable rain jacket can also be stuffed in there, no problem.

All in all, if you’re looking for a good dry bag for whipping, fly fishing or any other activity near the water for that matter, the Stormfront will fit the bill.  It’s waterproof, durable and more than large enough to store everything you would need for an entire day out on the water.  On top of that, you also get Patagonia’s legendary Ironclad Guarantee, a true lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty.  Will you have to pay for it?  Yes.  Like the Dry Creek, the Patagonia is not cheap.   It retails for around $229.99 currently, although I scored mine for $219.99 back in 2017.  Definitely steep, especially for a bag you may only use a few times a month.  But as Dino says, “buy once, cry once.”  In the modern age of disposable, planned obsolescence, there is something almost nostalgic about a product that can potentially outlive you.

Holoholo: Hookum Flies restocked! Read how to fish ’em.

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Holoholo writer and fly tier Matthew has restocked the store with his well-designed and effective flies.

  • Cotton Candy
  • Mullet
  • Halalu
  • Oama
  • Golden Blaze 2.0

Matthew: A second run of Hookum Flies will be available in the shop now. Very sorry for the delay to all of those who have been waiting, but there was a load of orders I had to deal with, which have now been taken care of. In this second run we will be running the Oama and Halalu again, this time in larger numbers, but we are introducing three new colors, those being the Golden Blaze 2.0, Mullet, and Cotton Candy. These five are some of my favorites as well as top sellers and producers. Understandably, since it’s now summer, Oama has been working well, as well as halalu as the usual summer baitfish trickle in. They may be coming in late this year, but they are starting to come in and Papio catches statewide have picked up recently.

For this run, a lot has been fine tuned. The Oama, Halalu, and Golden Blaze designs have changed drastically with a lot more layers and different types of flash and feathers being added. Hooks remain the same: Gamakatsu 2/0 saltwater series hooks. Again like last time, we are offering only the four inch flies on the site, but if you would like to order a custom order or view more of my products not on sale on this site, please contact Scott and he will put you in contact with me. 

Some other products I regularly make are the 5” big flies and 2.75” mini flies. The 5” flies are meant for bigger game and are tied on 4/0 Gamakatsu hooks. They can be tied in any color. The 2.75” flies are meant for lighter game fishing, sort of as a more durable replacement for grubs and soft plastics, and also can be tied in any color. I have a lot more colors that I tie that are not on this site, so please feel free to contact me through Scott or leave a comment below. 

Currently, it is evident that fly season is starting to pick up, as me and my friends have started to catch a little more in the past few weeks. Here are a few pictures from my catches on my flies recently, including two Awa awa and a bunch of Papio:

The rig that many people whip flies with is the bubble and fly rig, which has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. Many people are used to fishing grubs and strips behind bubbles, but flies seem to do even better behind a bubble. I use a specialized big bubble, which has a wire running through it to avoid fraying of the line, made by a friend. I then tie on a fluorocarbon leader, which is usually around 6-7 feet long, sometimes more or less. I usually use 20-30 lb. My fly choice depends on the spot, but I have been trying a prototype Hinalea fly recently that has been doing good in reefy zones. If it’s more of an area filled with sand pockets I’ll tie on the Oama or Halalu, but all flies work in most applications. 

Again, the Oama fly has been doing good in sand pocket areas, the Halalu fly appears to be doing good in deep water with a significant amount of reef, the Golden Blaze 2.0 fly has been doing well in similar conditions to the Hinalea, which is deeper water with coral heads, the mullet fly has been doing well in murky water or anywhere there is mullet, which can also be applicable to surge zones, where the Uoa’oa inhabit. The Cotton Candy fly seemed to generate bites in all of those places, generating the most bites at dawn or dusk.

Thanks for supporting my business, and if you catch something on it, please let me know via my Instagram page, @hookumflies or in the comments on this post. Stay safe, and tight lines!

 ~Matthew (Hookum Flies)

Holoholo: The one that almost got away!

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Our fly fishing Holoholo writer Jason shares the details of a how a big, smart fish had him on the ropes and he had to throw in the towel but luck and skill prevailed.

Jason: I managed to coax my friend Dave out for some fishing, so we decided to hit an old spot where we both started fly fishing together years ago. The plan was to hit our usual haunts, starting with bombing one of our favorite channels before moving west to sight fish. 
The channel ended up being dead, and an hour went by with only a single grab, which was probably a small papio.  With the tide bottoming out, we moved onto a shallower portion of the flat closer to the break to do some sight fishing.  

I saw a few as soon as I got out there, and had some decent shots with a couple follows.  I hadn’t done a ton of sight fishing with my new 11 ft Trout Spey, and was impressed by how it cast one-handed.   About the fourth fish I saw was the perfect setup – a lone fish swimming slowly straight at me from about 40-50 ft away.  I made my cast and carefully watched its body language as I slowly stripped the fly in.  I fully expected a follow, then a rejection, but instead saw him accelerate towards the fly, and wiggle a bit.   This was my chance!  I stripped sharply, felt the weight of the fish, and before I knew it he was headed for the horizon, literally.  

It felt like a pretty nice fish, and seemed intent on heading for open ocean.  Rather than risk breaking the fish off, I clamped down just a bit, but still allowed him to take line.  When I finally felt him slow down, I felt exactly what I dreaded – I could no longer feel the fish and instead felt the line stuck in the rocks.  I waded out as far as I could in a desperate bid to free it, but I was already pretty close to the break when I hooked him, so things were getting dicey.  At one point, I was up to my chest in water getting slammed by waves, so I decided to throw in the towel.  I was heart broken, but decided no fish was worth drowning over.

I reluctantly started walking backwards with the drag locked down, just like you do when breaking lead line while ulua fishing.   My line was stretching quite a bit, and at some point I realized the line wasn’t stretching at all, but was actually slipping against wherever it was pinned.  The line gradually loosened up and I could suddenly feel the fish again – I could not believe my luck.   I slowly brought the fish in, while praying that the line, hook and all my knots held together.  It would be incredibly anticlimactic for it to suddenly come off now, I thought to myself.  Luckily, the fish was so spent from struggling against the pinned down line that it came in without even making a second run.  I was ecstatic, mostly because I felt there was no way I should’ve landed it.   

Dave ended up getting a mongoose fish and a nunu, and the reports I got from other friends fishing nearby were mixed.  One friend had landed one and lost one, but the majority of the others (which include some VERY good sight fisherman) reported not seeing many fish.  Hmm…  I think I really got lucky today!

Holoholo: Fishing during the winter months

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Our Middle School Holoholo writer Matthew is social distancing like the rest of us, and took up fly tying! He also wanted to share how tough this Winter has been for him.

These past few months have been great for a lot of people, but they’ve been the worst four months in all the time I’ve been fishing. During December, January, February, and March, I went fishing a total of 39 times, sometimes going two different spots in one day (mostly because winter and spring break fall in those months) and only caught a measly total of 7 notable fish (not counting a bunch of Hinalea, Nunu, and Lizardfish), which were a 2-3 lb Omilu, a 2 lb Omilu, Three good size Moana, and a small Kaku. Not counting as a fish, but I did catch my first ever Samoan Crab on rod and reel. I tried a bunch of spots, deep and shallow, and tried just about every technique from flies, kastmasters, grubs, to dunking but still not much. I had the mentality, “If I keep pounding I’ll eventually get something”, but eventually it seemed like it would not get better, so I’m giving up until summer, or until this coronavirus passes, which I hope it will. On a positive note, pretty much everyone else has been catching a lot of stuff, with more Papio popping up on my Instagram feed. Certain hammahs have been catching like it’s still summer at certain deep spots, or wading. 

In the downtime, I decided to pick up fly tying. I’m figuring if I can’t catch fish I might as well stock up for when the fish are actually biting. At first, I had no idea, and the flies looked horrible. I had no idea what to do, and I just used nail polish to get the flies together at the head. I kept trying, got a little better, my UV flashlight and UV resin came in, and I was able to finally add eyes to some flies. 

After a lot of refining the design of the flies, I think I am starting to get the hang of it, but I still have a very long way to go to get to the level that other local fly makers are at. Eventually, I want to sell some to pay back the significant amount of money all the fly materials and tools cost. If anyone has any tips for me they would be greatly appreciated, from materials to different designs I could try, everything would help me. 

Good luck to all of you guys that are still going fishing now, although it seems like everyone is doing quite fine. Stay safe and healthy during this outbreak and practice social distancing.

Holoholo: First fish on the fly gear!

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Accomplished whipper Jeremy recently picked up the fly fishing game. He landed his first fish on fly gear this Saturday, and followed that up with a solid catch on the spinning gear Sunday. He’s making it look easy during the “off season”.

Jeremy: Had a good weekend of fishing. 

Saturday morning:  Winds were projected to be light, so I decided to bring out the fly gear.  I’m still a beginner and I need the lighter winds so I can practice casting.  Fly fishing, especially the casting, is the hardest type of fishing I’ve ever done.  I still suck at it, but can’t get better unless you practice, so my buddy and I headed out just as the sun was coming up.  We split up and started looking for tails.  My primary goal was to get in casting time, so I blind casted as I made my way onto the flats.  I still haven’t caught anything on the fly gear, so catching any fish would be an added bonus. 

I slowly walked and looked for tails and every so often made some casts into “fishy” areas.  At around 7:15am, I made a blind cast, slowly stripped in my fly, and about halfway into my retrieve, I felt a small tap.  I set the hook and there wasn’t much movement, so I figured it was a really small papio.  But after about 5 seconds, I think the o’io finally figured out he was hooked and took off on a blistering run.  I stop the initial surge, got him turned, and then he decides to swam almost directly back to me!  I tried to crank my reel as fast as I could to keep tension on the line, but it felt like he spit the hook.  Just as I’m about to give up hope, I feel tension again on the line.  Yes, fish still on!  He made a couple more small runs before I finally landed him.  Chee!!!  My first fish on the fly setup!   Took a few pictures and released him back.  

No other action for the rest of the session, but I was stoked.  Landed my first fish and got to get in some much needed casting practice time.

Sunday morning:  Winds were slightly stronger, so brought out the spinning gear.  No action in the first hour, but around 8am, I felt a small tap on the line.  I set the hook and it felt like I was stuck.  I maintained tension and then it took off.  Scrapped the fish for around 5 minutes and landed another nice o’io.  

No action again for the next hour, then I get another slight tap.  Set the hook…Hanapa’a!  Small one, but it’s a beautiful 13” omilu.

Awesome weekend for me.  Landed some nice fish in this “slow” period.  But, one thing I’ve noticed recently is the strikes are really different.  I’m not getting any of those hard hitting ones.  Almost all my bites in the past couple months were really small taps or felt like dead weight, like I was dragging in seaweed.  It’s like the fish don’t really know they’re hooked for the first few seconds.  So my tip for the week:  set the hook if you think you felt a bite and keep constant pressure for a few seconds, even if it feels like seaweed.  It might actually be a good sized fish ?

Holoholo: Another fly fishing oddball slam!

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Jason, our fly fishing writer and in-the-water reporter shares another unusual catch during the “winter off-season” . There’s fish to be caught, just might not be your normal target species.

Jason:

My car’s dashboard read 72 degrees on the drive down around 9:30 am.  Winds were light and variable.  Not ideal conditions for bonefish, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.  I hit my usual spot, and started blind casting.

No more than 30 minutes in, I snagged a suspiciously bonefish-like object which immediately took off running.  I was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t feel that big but fought very hard for its size, making 4-5 runs before I finally got it in the net.  It was a nice fish, I would guess 4ish maybe 5 lbs.   
I was thinking I got pretty lucky, but then I hit another one about an hour later.  This one unfortunately spit the hook before I could subdue it.  Felt almost like a large papio the way it ran laterally with some head shake, before taking off, but smaller oio often fight like this.  Odds are it was smaller rat-sized bone.

The day was rounded out by a mixed bag of random stuff – a nunu, a flounder (my 2nd ever on the fly) and a micro omilu – all hooked on the same fly.  


I headed back to the lot at about 12:30, feeling pretty pleased with myself.  There is nothing more satisfying than a productive and efficient morning, especially when you weren’t expecting to hook anything.  

Holoholo: Fly fishing report for 4th week in January

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Jason, our fly fishing enthusiast and on-the-water reporter kicked off the year with an oio that would beat most dunker’s PB.

Jason: Last week, a group of friends and I decided to wade a well known Oahu flat in search of bonefish. Many in the group were chasing their first fish of the year, and despite the wintery conditions, anticipations were running high. I decided to bring out my new rod, an Epic 411 (4 wt 11′) Trout Spey wrapped by my friend Asa, who was also part of the group. A “trout spey,” for those unfamiliar, is basically a scaled down Spey rod (two-handed fly rod used for salmon and steelhead), adapted to fish smaller rivers and streams for trout.

We arrived at the “entry” point around 7 am. One member of our group parked his vehicle further down the coastline at the “exit” point in order to transport everyone back at the end of the trip. Conditions on this morning were chilly and windy, so we knew every fish would be hard-earned. It’s well known among Hawaii fly fishers that cold weather means bonefish prefer to stay deep, with only the larger or more desperate fish venturing onto the flat to feed. The first 2 hours were uneventful, with the group mostly blind casting due to the heavy clouds overhead.

I picked one of my favorite “go-to” spots and, after what seemed like the millionth cast, I finally felt a nice take, followed by the strong steady pull of a feisty rat (smaller bonefish). The fight ended quickly, and I took a few photos of the fish and released it. I was super stoked to bless the new rod so early in the trip, and decided anything hooked after this would be a bonus.

The bonus came about an hour and a half later, when I hit another one about a quarter mile down the coast. I could tell it was a good fish by the way it took off and knew the 4 wt Trout Spey would be put to the test.

The fish made several strong runs but each time I was able to stop it, just before it reached the edge of the reef. This tug of war lasted close to 5 minutes before the fish finally ran out of gas and allowed itself to be brought in close. Despite being exhausted, it still proved difficult to land as the 4 wt lacked the backbone to control and get it to the surface. It took several attempts, but a few tense minutes later, I finally had it in the net. I don’t normally carry a scale, but my friend Glenn does, so we got a weight – 8 lbs on the dot. Not too shabby for a “trout” rod. With the tide going out, I spent the rest of the day sight fishing. Despite the wintery conditions, I managed to spot 5 fish, and even got a few follows. A third fish would’ve been nice, but under these conditions, I felt grateful to even get the two. When we regrouped at the exit point, I learned my fish were the only bones hooked. Better lucky than good!

Holoholo: Oama Fly still doing work

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Jason, our prolific fly fishing Holoholo writer and in-the-water conditions reporter provides this update on his latest fly creation.

Jason: It’s been about a month since my last post “Oama Fly works!” and I’ve continued to fish the fly nearly exclusively.  Just thought I’d share some additional data points I’ve gathered since then.  The fly in question is a slightly tweaked Clay Yee’s Reef Special, a fly I had decided to try out after experiencing a few skunky weeks with my usual go-to patterns.  


Two weeks after that initial trip, I returned to the same spot with David, and managed to hook a couple more nice fish.  The smaller of the two was hooked on my old standby Super Gotcha, but the larger was hooked on the “oama fly.”   David, who wasn’t fishing an “oama fly” did not catch anything.  

A week after that, I returned once again and ran into my other friend Richard.   There were at least a half dozen other fly fisherman out, and fishing was tough due to the light winds.  I don’t think I saw anyone hook one all day, and we were about to give up ourselves when I got lucky and hooked one on – you guessed it – the “oama fly!”  

Coincidence?  The rational side of me knows that with oio, the fly typically isn’t as important as finding a fish in the right mood.  The basic Reef Special (and Clouser before it) certainly isn’t anything new, indeed it is one of the oldest patterns around.   But like most fisherman, I find once I’ve got faith in something, this becomes an awful tough thing to shake.  It’s partly why we wear lucky hats, avoid bananas on the boat, but bring the ti leaves.  In the end, it comes down to what we feel comfortable with, and this fly has definitely earned its way onto my shortlist of favorites.

Holoholo: New Oama fly works!

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Our man in the water reporter, Jason, has been seeing big omilu breeze by as he stalked wary oio. He decided to switch gears and try for the papio while they’re so close to shore.

Jason: With oama season in full swing, I had started playing around with ideas for an oama fly, eventually settling on a modified Clay Yee’s Reef Special  ( http://www.nervouswaterhawaii.com/default.asp?id=144), itself an oama imitation and variation of the classic Clouser minnow.  My humble additions included adding some olive to the wing to mimic the darker topside of the oama’s body, replacing the shiny polar flash with a few subtle strands of white Krystal flash, and replacing the white variegated tinsel chennile body with plain white chennile.  There are a lot of oama imitations on the lure market today, but I feel you can’t beat the natural movement of fur, hair and feathers.  I couldn’t wait to test it!

Ian, Jason, Dave and Mike

Turns out that weekend I was also supposed to “play guide” for friends Mike and Dave, along with Mike’s cousin’s boyfriend Ian, who was visiting from California.   Dave and I started out fly fishing together years ago, but he hadn’t fished in awhile. Ian is a big time trout guy getting his first taste of saltwater fly-fishing and Mike is brand new to the sport, and still learning to fly cast.  Not the most ideal conditions to test my “new fly,” but I was determined to fit it in.


Since I was out there to show Mike and Ian how it’s done, I wanted to hook at least one bonefish “for demonstration purposes.”  I started out with one of my favorite bonefish flies, a version of a classic Super Gotcha taught to me by my friend and mentor, Asa.  About 30 minutes in, I manage to hook a small one to show Ian.


After taking pictures and showing Ian the fish, I released it and switched over to my new “oama fly.”  The tide was going out, so I waded out closer to the break with the intent of targeting omilu in the turbulent white water.  About 5 casts in I hooked a nice fish that I could instantly tell wasn’t an omilu.  I spent the next 5 minutes chasing the fish around, freeing my line from the reef as I went.  At one point, the line got stuck pretty good and I could no longer feel the fish tugging.  I thought for sure it was gone, but when I waded over, I was surprised to see the fish furiously swimming in circles trying to free itself.  Luckily it was too tired to break my tippet, and I quickly scooped it up with my landing net.  It was a nice fish, made even nicer by the fact it was almost lost.  Not my target species, but I wasn’t complaining!   I got some photos, then revived and released the fish.  

The next couple of hours were pretty quiet, so we decided to double back to the spot where I caught the smaller fish and wait for the tide to come in.   Ian still hadn’t hooked anything so I wanted to try to get him on a fish.  I set him up to bomb a fishy looking pocket near where my earlier fish was hooked, but minutes later it was Dave who ended up hooking one.  This fish was around the same size as my first one, and could have very well been the same fish.  The fight had taken him back to the west, so he and I decided to stay there and let Ian have the “hot spot” to himself.  

At this point Dave and I had each got the monkey off our backs so we were just talking story and lazily blind casting.  Mike was about 75 yards in front and just to the east of us practicing his casting in a sandy pocket.  All of a sudden I was cut off mid-sentence by a strong take, followed by another episode of running back and forth across the reef.  This one was a bit smaller than the second one and took the same “oama fly.”  

After releasing the fish, we were all pretty hungry so we decided to call it a day.  Unfortunately, Ian ended up getting skunked, but I told him not to feel too bad.  Some guys fly out to Hawaii solely to chase bonefish and leave empty handed after a week of pounding the flat.  He only got to fish for one day, and on the last day of his trip.   He will be back, and will be better prepared next time.   As for me, I think I’ve got a new fly to add to my rotation!

Jason

Holoholo: Fly fishing odd ball slam

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Jason, our resident fly guy, provided this unusual catch report and insight to what’s going on near shore.

Jason:

I was getting over a cold and felt that a fly fishing session was just what the doctor ordered. My first choice had no parking, so it was onward to my backup spot.  I got there, rigged up, threw on my wading boots and waded out, looking for fish and “bombing” (blind casting) as I went.   

On my wade out to my usual spot, I hooked a small scrappy omilu while “playing” with a spotted eagle ray.  As often happens when sight fishing bones, it seemed to come out of nowhere to snatch the fly before the ray could get to it.  It wasn’t much bigger than 7,” but what a load of fun on a fiberglass fly rod.  

A little while later, while bombing, I thought I had snagged the bottom.  I waded up to the spot where the fly appeared to be stuck, and tried to free it.  It was unusually stubborn, but after some finagling, I felt it give, but with a weight at the end.  “Great, a rock,” I thought to myself.  I was shocked to see a fully inflated porcupinefish appear at the surface  This was a first for me.   It appeared to be foul hooked below its anal fin (probably very near its actual anus, haha).

After a good chuckle, I continued to bomb the same general area, working a bit to the left, then later, a bit to the right, in front of a big blue hole, maybe a hundred yards or so from the “mouth” where it opened up to a nice, wide channel.  After about a dozen casts, I was about ready to call it day when I finally felt a tug.  There it was; I was just a short 2 minute fight away from completing…. the Fugu Slam! Actually, I don’t think that’s “a thing,”  but I’m calling it that from now on HAHA.    All were hooked on the same fly, too, which earns me extra prestige points haha.  

The bone was a rat, no bigger than a couple pounds, but this was about as fun and interesting a day as one could ask for.