Hawaii Nearshore Fishing

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BKK Hooks – Small bait hook, wide gapped jig head, offshore live bait hook, treble hook and assist hook. How did they work out?

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BKK Hooks are designed in Japan and manufactured to exacting standards in China. They are known for making very strong, sharp, long lasting hooks that meet specific fishing needs. They were tested by our various Holoholo reviewers. Here’s how they performed.

Red Octopus Beak

Tested as damashi/sabiki fly hooks for akule and opelu.

Product Description: The offset hook point provides much more contact with the fish’s mouth, resulting in a better hook-up rate.

Additionally, the red coating increases the concealment of the hook (matching the color of the bait used) and also guarantees great saltwater corrosion resistance.

Results: Akule and opelu flies were made with these. They kept their point and didn’t rust after 5 uses. Recommended.

Silent Chaser EWG Round Head

Tested as jig hook for oio whipping on the flats.

Product Description: The BKK Silent Chaser 1X EWG is a versatile round-head offset jighead featuring a wire jig hook with an Extra Wide Gap round bend, super sharp needle point and SS nano coating to enhance penetration when fishing with very light gear.

Predominantly used in finesse approaches close to the bottom, the Silent Chaser 1X EWG is designed for stealthier presentations and to be snag proof. Size range goes from size 1 to 4/0 for Texas rigging a wide array of soft lures.

Results: Multiple large oio were landed whereas other premium brand jig hooks bent open. Recommended.

Beastly Cat

Tested as rear live bait hook for offshore fishing.

Product Description: Designed with a thick wire, it features BKK’s signature Hand Ground hook point technology boasting an excellent penetration capability, being able to penetrate through hard bony jaws and reducing the overall weight of the hook structure.

The Super-Slide coating additionally minimizes piercing resistance and provides an instant and deep hook up.

Results: Used as an offshore live bait hook. More positive hooksets than other hooks used but corroded and lost its point after 1 use. Not recommended.

Raptor Z treble hooks

Tested as replacement hooks for plugs and poppers.

Product Description: The BKK-RAPTOR-Z incorporates BKK’s latest manufacturing technologies, being engineered to hook strong and aggressive “monster” fish and stay hooked to the very end.

Thanks to BKK’s Hand ground technology and Bright Tin coating, it is equipped with ultimate impaling power, being able to penetrate even the hardest bony jaws and superior corrosion resistance.

BKK’s Slim Ring Technology further allows for an easier attachment of split rings.

Results: Multiple ulua have been landed on these. The treble hooks don’t open up under intense pressure. Recommended.

Sea Ranger+ assist hooks

Tested as assist hooks on micro jigs.

Product Description: Developed to tackle big fish using a small jig.

Comes pre-tied with BKK high quality solid core assist cord, which is very robust yet retains its softness. Shimmering and glowing fibers increase the attractiveness of the jig, triggering more strikes.

It features a heavy gauge providing excellent strength to the hook and BKK’s Hand Ground hook point technology lightening the weight of the hook, providing an outstanding penetration performance. Additionally, the U-spade Slip Lock feature keeps the assist line securely in place.

Last but not least, the bright tin coating ensures sharp hooks in saltwater environment, preventing saltwater corrosion.

Results: Glow tinsel attracted small and large fish; hooks stayed sharp and corrosion free after countless uses. Never tangled on the jig. Recommended.

We didn’t sell these hooks in the Store except for the Sea Ranger+ assist hooks. Please let us know via the Contact Page if you’d like us to special order a box of hooks for you.

Holoholo: Urban JDM lure testing – Papio, broken rod and Tilapia

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On summer break before his Senior year of high school, Matthew Ikeda accepted my plea to test some of the oldie but goodie JDM whipping lures and give his feedback on an Anetik shirt. I had previously posted about the lures we had tested that day here.

Matthew:

A little while ago, Scott messaged me wanting to find a test spot for some JDM lures. We played around with a few options at first, but not wanting to show any landmarks, we chose a secret-not-so-secret spot that we were sure wouldn’t upset anyone. When Scott picked me up, he gave me an Anetik hoodie to try for the day. The sun was high and scorching by the time we arrived at the spot, so the semi-porous fiber of the shirt felt pretty good. I decided to start off with a Duo Tide Minnow Slim SSR, which was around four inches and in a pearl color. It casted well, despite there being a crosswind and its lack of an internal weight transfer system. In the murky water, the pearl color really stood out and because of its enticing side-to-side action, I felt confident using it. 

This spot is extremely dependent on the tide, so I was wondering if the tide was right for the Papio that sometimes run through. I began getting bites from Kaku early on, but there was no sign of the target species. The tide was rising fast, so I was depending on the influx of water to bring the fish into the canal. I got my wish 20 minutes later, when I felt a violent take that nearly ripped the rod out of my hands. I set the hook and let the fish take its first run. With the headshakes, power, and quick movements of the fish, I was pretty sure that I had just hooked a nice Papio. As I brought it closer in, I could see that I was correct. It was a good-sized white Papio (GT), larger than any I had hooked at this spot before. I babied the fight on the way in, unsure of how secure the hooks were, but the Papio eventually got tired. I grabbed the line and pulled it over the wall, landing the fish. Scott took some pictures, recorded a short video, and it was released back into the nasty water.

We fished pretty unsuccessfully for the rest of the time, as the bite went completely dead. We were just wrapping up when I got another bite. I set the hook and my rod crumbled. Shocked, I reeled the fish in with half of a rod, and I was pretty disappointed to see that the fish was just a snagged tilapia. It really sucked because the rod was my go-to O’io rod for the longest time, and there was a lot of sentimental value to it. To break a favorite rod on such a trash fish sucks, but that’s fishing I guess. In all, it was a good trip but the broken rod kind of killed the vibes. 

Reviews:

The Anetik Remix Tech long-sleeved shirt had great ventilation and felt soft. I never felt like I was sweating despite the midday sun. It fits my body well and is better at adapting to slightly different sizes than some other brands. It comes with a hoodie and drawstrings if you need to tighten it. One thing that the Anetik shirt does lack is a face covering. Nearly all of my fishing shirts come with a face covering (attached to the shirt) that I can cover my face with. If you need to cover your face while wearing the Anetik hoodie, you will need to buy a separate face buff, either from Anetik or another brand. However, Anetik shirts have some of the softest material I’ve felt while also fitting me perfectly, making it worth the hassle. The sizes tend to be small, so you may need to buy one size larger than usual. For example, I am normally a “large” but I needed an “extra large”. Rating: 9/10, just find a buff to go with it.

The Duo Tide Minnow Slim SSR is an intriguing lure. It has a thin profile that matches a lot of our young baitfish. Some other common lures like Rapala X-Raps have fatter midsections, which I’m not too fond of. It casts well despite not having an internal weight transfer system and moves well in the water without needing too much attention. It dives around 1-2 feet deep. Lighter lures like these are good, but are best suited for harbors, canals, and calm areas without wind and choppy surfaces. In other terms, I wouldn’t use it anywhere with waves and lots of water movement. Lures like these would probably struggle to cast directly against the wind, due to the lack of the weight transfer system. However, when used in the right areas, or casted downwind, it should be very successful. Rating: 8/10, need to use it in a calm area.

Action Hat GoPro mount captured the shark attack and saved my camera a few times

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I don’t have any kayak photos of me with the GoPro mount since my partners don’t have mounts on their hats!

Been using an Action Hat DIY kit in my favorite fishing hat since 2017 to mount a GoPro Session 5 and ensure the hat would float. The thin foam didn’t make the hat noticiably hotter to wear, and saved my camera when I knocked the hat in the water a couple of times.

The head cam is the only one I use because it’s easier than a camera mounted on the kayak to turn on and off, and I can point it to the action as I turn my head. I usually just turn it on when I get a bite, but I had forgotten to turn it off after landing a roi (peacock grouper) on the Windward side and was so blessed to record the Tiger Shark approaching from the bow of my kayak, almost knocking me over, and then leaving after a kick in the eye. A kayak mounted camera wouldn’t have been able to capture the complete shark encounter.

The very popular DIY kit to mount to any hat was out of stock for quite a while but Action Hat was able to restock its supplies, and sent me a new shipment of kits and hats with the mounts built in. When the limited supply sells out at the low introductory pricing we’re running, I’ll restock.

You can purchase the DIY kit from the Store here.

These are “flat bill” hats in Camo, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.

These are “flat bill” hats in Black, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.

These are “curved bill” hats in Gray, pre-fitted with the Action Hat GoPro mount. Check ’em out in the Store here.

Anetik UV Performance Clothing, fully tested, long overdue endorsement. Get ’em for the humid Summer season.

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Scott in Shade Mask, Low Pro Tech shirt (Large) and Shade Socks
Scott in Roots Tech Hoody (Medium)

I started wearing Anetik clothing in 2019, initially to provide sun protection while kayak fishing. Their breakthough product was the Shade Socks (leg sleeves connected to socks) that eliminated the need for suntan lotion on the legs. I also used their Shade Mask and loved how fitted and non-billowy they were, and their standard Low Pro Tech long sleeve shirt was almost magically cooling. I didn’t get sun burnt at all. Loved ’em so much I started selling a few styles in the Store, and got a few tank tops and quarter zip long sleeve shirts for myself. I personally found that the sizing on their chart to be accurate.

But don’t just take my word for it. Three of our Holoholo writers have been wearing Anetik shirts purchased from other fishing supply stores. Here’s what they had to say about them.

Grant in Remix Hoody and Mission Underpant
Grant the uku slayer in Remix Hoody
Grant in Low Pro Tech Hoody

Grant, offshore kayak fisherman – The Anetik hoody long sleeve is by far the most comfortable, versatile SPF shirt I own. It’s cool enough for Hawaii weather and warm enough for Oregon weather. It’s my favorite travel shirt too. The Mission Underpants blocks out the sun, keeping me cool and comfortable without needing suntan lotion.

Devan sporting
Tokunaga branded Anetik hoody

Devan, offshore kayak fisherman – I’d say their sizes probably run a tad bit on the smaller side so XL fits me nicely. Extremely breathable, very nice form fitting, excellent comfort, and very, very well made.

Dino in Remix Tech Hoody

Dino, wade whipper – It has good ventilation and is super durable. I like the zippered pockets on the sides. Fits slightly loose but not baggy.

You really need to try the Anetik clothing to experience UV protection and cooling comfort from the Hawaiian sun.

In anticipation of a hot and muggy summer with possibly power outages, I’ve brought in the popular styles in most sizes for you to try. If/when they sell out at the crazy intro price of 25% off I’ll order more. but they won’t be at this unheard of pricing.

See all the Anetik products here.

Follow up on products recently mentioned and tested- all working well with one exception

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Back in July of 2021, I mentioned a few products I thought would be game changers. Here was that original article. So how’d they do?

  • The budget AT&T Maestro Android smart phone is my backup phone and has performed as expected.
  • The Samsung Galaxy S10 (refurbished on Amazon) purchased for $240 is my current phone and has performed flawlessly. I’m definitely buying refurbished again.
  • The Mr. Heater Handheld Shower – Cabelas.com – $44.99 was really convenient to use when I couldn’t wash my gear down with a hose at the beach. But a year and 4 months later (4 months after the warranty expired) it rusted out. I didn’t realize the water it sucks up runs through the unsealed parts of the pump and if you rinse salty clothing like I did in the bucket, then sucked up the water with the pump, you’re gonna cause some serious damage. Doh.

I’m trying the Iron Hammer portable shower, $47 on Amazon. I like that it has a dial style shut off valve near the shower head that I can use to stop the water flow without having to reach into the bucket and turn the shower off. It also has 2 water flow speeds, and the high flow is stronger than the Mr. Heater shower.

  • Gator Guard Gator Patch keel protector. I’ve dragged the kayak up cement boat ramps and across white coral and the keel protector has done its job. If I could cover the entire bottom of the hull I wouldn’t need kayak wheels at all! I highly recommend this product.
  • The ExpertPower LiFePO4 compact battery continues to easily last all day, recharges to 13.5 volts, after a year and a half of use. The ExpertPower lithium iron phosphate batteries are the cheapest I could find that had a great reputation. From my experience with my one battery, I highly recommend them.

We’re an authorized Avet dealer!

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Avet reels have been around for 20 years and are known for their small-footprint frames billeted from aerospace grade aluminum in the good ol’ US of A. Because their machining tolerances on their stainless steel gears are so small/exact, the reels don’t have to rely on excessive bearings to run smoothly. Instead, the reels are very easy to maintain workhorses that can take a lot of abuse in the salt and keep on performing at a high level.

Just some of the lever drag series available

There are 6 lever drag series and have recently added a star drag series. The base models start with a single speed gear and a single drag washer, and their largest reels have 3 speeds and 4 disc drags. A magnetic brake to minimize back lashes can also be added. Then there’s all the colors you can choose from. Really, it’s like building your own custom reel.

Raptors of each series

I’ve been kayak fishing with an SX Raptor for almost 2 years. The SX series is their smallest frame, but the Raptor model added magnetic cast, 2-speed and a max drag of 26lb in a 17oz reel. It’s been awesome to grind up ulua and sharks in low gear, and when I took it apart to clean it, there was very little residue to wipe off.

Hawaii shorecasters have been loving the medium sized Avets to cast effortlessly and bring in big game, and the boat guys have been running the large trolling reels.

The Avet reels have been underpriced for so long that they did raise their prices this year, but are still much cheaper than Shimano and Accurate when you compare features.

Drop me a line if you’re interested in an Avet. I’ll order the reels as they are requested and while I’m prohibited from selling at a discount, I can provide a rebate on other products purchased in the Store.

You can learn more about the various Avet reel options by checking out the Avet Reel website.

Product Review: The best Casio tide watch ever, G-Shock G-Lide GBX100

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Disclaimer: This isn’t gonna be a techy or wordy watch review. It’ll be brief and hopefully convey why the Casio GBX100 has all the features you want in a tide watch without much bloat, at a reasonable cost.

I’ve had a couple of Casio G-Shock tide watches in the past. They were super durable, never broke, and had batteries that lasted for years. But the tide graph was limited, basically just telling you if the tide was rising or falling, and the watch band was a little stiff.

My most recent watch, the G-Lide GLX150 had the standard LED display, which made it hard to view the screen if tilted at an angle.

The curve of the tide graph, shown here, never changes, what does change is the highlighted section telling you were you are in the tidal swing. I couldn’t tell if the tidal swing was steep or shallow.

The G-Lide GBX100 came out in 2020 and was the most advanced G-Shock tide watch to date. The resin and stainless steel case is very light yet durable and sports the retro look of the 80s. The buttons are on the side and recessed, which makes them less likely to accidentally depressed, and the strap is very supple and comfortable. The strap’s drainage slits allow your wrist to breathe and stay dry, and has two metal prongs to hold the strap to your wrist. It’s water resistant to 200 meters.

The display uses a high-definition LCD which makes it viewable in bright conditions, and at an angle. If you need to view in low light, there is an LED backlight available at a push of a button. Very easy to make out the time and date, even with old eyes.

There are 3 screens that will aid your fishing.

Sun rise and sun set times with moon age.

(Sun is rising at 7:01 am, setting at 5:52 pm, and the moon age is 10.6 which is 4 days before the Full Moon)

The day’s highest tide and lowest tide.

(High tide at 2:21 am @ 2.00 ft, low tide at 6:54 pm @ -0.01 ft)

View at a glance of date, time, sun rise, sun set, moon age, where you are in the tidal flow, and next high or low tide.

(In this example, the tide is falling to a low of -0.01 ft at 6:54 pm)

This is the most useful screen.

The watch is technically a smart watch but faulty. It’s klunky to pair and use the fitness features with a smart phone so I opted to configure the watch manually.

I’ve used it for a couple of months now and love how comfortable it is on the wrist, how visible the screens are, and how helpful the solar – lunar data is for fishing.

The GBX100 retails for $160 but you can find it on sale online (I got it for 20% during an rei.com sale), and at 15% off at POP during December.

Products that will make your fishing and life easier

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Just wanted to share some products that have worked out really well.

So I broke my supposedly waterproof Galaxy S8 Active when I dunked it in fresh water after it went under in my PFD (personal floatation device). I needed a temporary phone right away, and got the Walmart-only AT&T Maestro.

AT&T Maestro Android smart phone – Surprisingly capable for only $70. Just needed to insert my AT&T sim card and optional SD card, and run through the normal new phone setup. Did the job as the temporary backup. Was comparable to a higher-end smart phone with the following exceptions:

  • Display not as vibrant; didn’t auto-adjust as well to ambient brightness.
  • Phone’s speaker a tiny bit muffled.
  • Photos not bad but not as crisp as my old Galaxy S8.
  • Visual Voicemail didn’t work so I didn’t know when a voicemail was left.
  • Wasn’t a Samsung so couldn’t download my previous Samsung data backup.

I really needed a phone that had good call quality and took great photos. I didn’t want to pay $900+ for a “flagship” phone so I decided to try an Amazon Renewed (nicer way to say refurbished) phone with a 90 day warranty.

Samsung Galaxy S10 (refurbished on Amazon) – Debuted in 2019 as Samsung’s flagship phone, for $900. Was available in July 2021 as an Amazon Renewed (refurbished) for $240. Figured, if this refurbished phone lasts more than a year I’ll still be better off than with a $900 phone that only lasts 3 years or so. I was surprised how much better the S10 was than my S8. Don’t believe all the negative reviews about the refurbished phones on Amazon. Amazon sells “renewed” iPhones also. If you purchase a phone “locked” for your phone network, it should work with your sim card just as easily as if you purchased from your network’s store, AT&T in my case, and you have 90 days to see if you got a lemon.

Mr. Heater Handheld Shower – Cabelas.com – $44.99. Just put water in a bucket, drop in the base that sucks up the water, and go. Even has a suction cup so you can mount on a stationary object and rinse hands free. 6 foot hose, rechargeable lithium ion battery. So many uses at the beach including washing off the little one’s feet. Much more water efficient that dumping a 5 gallon gas can on your gear like I have been doing. There are other brands of battery powered hand held showers on Amazon, I just haven’t tried them.

Gator Guard Gator Patch keel protector – I have an Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.3 kayak that has a decently thick wall of plastic. I drag it onto rocky beaches, boat ramps and parking lots more than I should, because it’s just so much faster than putting the wheels on in the water and placing padding under the kayak in parking lots. So the keel gets scratched up and if I kept dragging it around I’d possibly wear through the hull. I’ve stuck on strips of Gator Guard’s Gator Patch, which are kind of pricey, easy-to-apply UV resin fiberglass strips. Those patches are now getting gouged up instead of the kayak’s plastic, and hopefully won’t wear through. I don’t feel nearly as bad dragging the kayak around now.

ExpertPower LiFePO4 compact battery – I’ve been using the 5 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery on my kayak for 5 months now and it easily holds its charge for the 6hrs it’s powering my fish finder, and weighs less than 2lbs. Much lighter than a sealed lead acid battery and holds its charge longer. Currently selling for $34.99 with free shipping to Hawaii on the ExpertPower website. Hard to believe a LiFePO4 battery can be so cheap and shipped free. Here’s the initial review of the battery.

How the Avet SX Raptor held up after a year of kayak fishing

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The Avet brand of reels is not well known in Hawaii. You won’t see them in local tackle stores. I had heard of the brand but hadn’t seen a recent ad for them in years. Accurate is the much better marketed brand that also builds 1-piece aluminum framed reels with stainless steel and anodized aluminum components.

When I was at the 2020 Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, I was taken over to the Avet booth and explained to long time rep Ben Frazier how I needed a light, powerful reel to land strong fish and sharks as safely as possible on my kayak. Specifically, I wanted to troll my baits with very light drag and clicker on, and then increase the drag quickly once the fish was hooked. The problem I was running into with my star drag Shimano Trinidad, was that I took a while to spin the star drag to proper fish fighting tension, and the high gearing of the reel, while great for bringing in the bait quickly, was hard to winch sharks off the bottom. Ben suggested the small framed lever drag SX in the fully loaded 2-speed Raptor version. The Raptor came with a max strike drag of 17lb, full max at 26lb, with low 3.8:1 gearing and high 6.3:1 gearing. It even had a magnetic cast control to pretty much eliminate back lashes. The SX Raptor weighed in at only 17 ounces, and retailed for $395.

I had fished that little reel for a year, landing small ulua and large sharks with ease. In fact, anytime the high gear was feeling a bit bogged, I switched to low to bring fish in quicker. The lever drag mechanism was much easier to adjust properly while fighting a fish, and I liked how light it felt on the rod.

It was my first lever drag 2-speed reel and it exceeded my expectations. But then it was time to break it down and see how corroded it got. I watched a video on how to open it up and clean it, and it didn’t look hard at all but was very different from my Shimano casting reels. I played and paused the video as I took the reel apart. There was no trace of salt or corrosion in the reel. I was amazed. And no breakdown of the drag washer material despite fighting sharks at high drag, to try to bust them off. I couldn’t believe how pristine the innards were. I could have easily gone another year without opening it up. Later, I read that lever drag reels are sealed better at the reel handle than star drag reels, and don’t let much water in.

I just use the Avet as my bait trolling/bottom fish reel so I’ve never casted it. Never jigged it either. But for what I use it for, it has been excellent. From what I read online, the comparable Accurate reel is smoother but more expensive and requires more maintenance.

I definitely recommend the Avet SX Raptor as a light-in-weight workhorse reel and am looking to add another Avet as I step up into larger fish. Please let me know if you’re interested in purchasing an Avet reel. If there’s enough demand, maybe I could become a dealer for the Hawaii market.

Added some of my favorite lures to the Store

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The lure inventory has been depleted and I’m looking for new manufacturers to partner with. In the meantime, here are a few of the lures that have worked well for us. You’ll find a sample of each in the Store.

Jigs

Capt Erik introduced me to these inexpensive but effective semi-slow pitch jigs back in 2016. In that report, I referred to the jig as the “pinkish, silvery 30 g (1.05 oz) Japanese micro jig”. You can read how effective there were for Capt Erik that day.

These JDM Xesta Afterburners are casting jigs, meant to be retrieved diagonally. They’ve caught numerous inshore fish, kawakawa and even the ono Frank caught trolling one. Here’s that incredible story.

These shore jigging lures were purchased at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach back in 2019 before Major Craft Jigparas became so accessible in Hawaii. Very effective, beautifully crafted, reasonably priced jigs.

Shimano’s Flat Fall jig introduced the US to slow pitch jigging. We’ve caught everything from jacks to pelagics on these. Great zig zag fluttering action and superb hardware.

Shimano’s Coltsniper was introduced a bit later as a casting and vertical jig, shaped to imitate small slender bait fish. Affordable and very versatile.

Sinking Lipped Plugs

The Zetz F-Lead was my secret weapon for whipping off the kayak for submerged white papio in the Bay. 90mm and almost an ounce in weight, it was easy to cast from a seated position and would sink down to the depths of the schooling fish. Check out how good it worked in this report. I refer to this killer as the “heavy lipped swimmer”.

The Ima Gyodo Heavy Surfer is a similarly compact, heavy plug with a shorter lip that swims more like a fish shaped, lipped jig. Very popular in Japan for shore whipping over non-snaggy terrain.

Both of these would be great casting from shore into deeper water.

Completely Hooked Lures “Minnow” catches everything

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This product endorsement is long overdue. We’ve been using the 1.5 inch CHL Minnow on our damashi rig and whipping for halalu for more than 3 years now and it has never let us down.

We got hooked on the little Minnow when the Purple Obake color slayed the halalu. Here’s one of the halalu reports.

The various shades of green work really well in the deep, catching not only the target fish but often hooking big fish that bust our rigs, although I’m sure all 80 colors perform at their optimal times. I personally think it’s the fish shape and the kick of the little split tail that makes the predators bite.

The nabeta actually prefer the Minnow to cut bait!

A lot of the kayakers use the CHL 1.5″ Minnow on gold hooks to catch their prized opelu baits.

The best part about the CHL Minnow is that they’re made to catch multiple fish and are less expensive than the other soft plastic brands. Look for them at your favorite fishing supply store but if you don’t find the color you want, you can purchase them online at chlures.com.

Retiring my Buff® Elite Gloves after 2 yrs of hard use

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2yr old pair on left, new pair on right

These gloves have been used on every kayak trip for the last 2 yrs, have prevented blisters and sun burn, grabbed slippery fish, and have saved my skin from fish hooks but gotten torn up in the process. They smell like fish after each trip, and have to be left in the sun to kill the funk. It’s time to retire them with honor and start using a new, clean pair.

2yr old pair on left, new pair on right

I reviewed the gloves when I first started using them, and they exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately only brick and mortar stores are allowed to sell them, otherwise I’d love to share this hard to find kayak fishing tool with you guys.

If you paddle and fish, these are the gloves for you.

Product Review: Bixpy kayak electric motor

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I’ve used the Bixpy rudder-mounted electric motor on my Trident Ultra 4.3 seven times since the initial trip in April. It’s worked flawlessly except for the time I didn’t attach the power cable to the motor properly and the cable got loose in choppy seas. I had to paddle unaided 2.5 miles back to shore and it really made me appreciate the boost I get from the Bixpy.

The motor and lithium battery pack add about 9lbs and an extra 5 to 10 mins to my setup, depending how sleepy I am, and a little bit of drag if I’m paddling without running the motor, but man, does it extend my paddling range.

In the normal, slightly bumpy seas, I average about 3.5 – 4 mph with the motor on, paddling along to ease over the bumps. 4 mph is my top burst speed if I paddled without the motor, but with it, I can arrive at my deep spot 2 miles out without feeling tired at all.

I’ve been able to fish further, longer, and that has resulted in more fish caught. The motor, controlled by the remote on my wrist, also lets me stay in position, against the current, so I can fish right over a mark. And when I have to rerig I keep the motor running at low speed so I’m slowly getting to my destination.

The Bixpy turned my very seaworthy paddle kayak into a hands free fishing kayak. I love it and can’t imagine fishing the deep without it now.

If you have any questions about the Bixpy, send me a message through the Contact page, and I’ll be happy to share more about my experiences.

Columbia shoes and “sandals” that don’t slip in the rain

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With all this social distancing time, I’m catching up with long overdue product reviews. I’ve been wearing the Columbia PFG Fish Flip “sandal” (slippers to us locals), and the Columbia Grixen Oxford shoe for more than a year after catching a good sale.

The Grixen Oxfords look good enough for work and going out, and are waterproof with a grippy sole. Just checked though, and looks like they are discontinued. Shucks, it’s hard to find durable, decent looking shoes that can be used for pretty much all occasions.

The PFG (Performance Fishing Gear) Fish Flip has an anatomically contoured midsole and a grippy rubber sole. The sandals keep their shape, hold your feet in place and are made to wear wet.

Why do I care about grippy footwear? Well a few days before going to the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, I slipped on a wet vinyl sided cardboard sheet in the rain, wearing rubba slippas. My back foot slid back, like a reverse lunge, and I ripped my middle toe nail completely off! My other toes were sliced up too. My first thought was whether I could still walk around the Show for 5 hrs. Thank God the antibacterial gel prevented infection and the Grixen shoes had extra room up front for band-aids!

I haven’t worn the offending rubba slippas since, and the Fish Flips have keep me planted, even when I swept out our flooded garage. If you don’t mind embroidered fish on the band of your slippers, I highly recommend the Fish Flips. And if you can find a pair of the discontinued Grixen Oxfords, jump on them. Look for sales, the Columbia products are often deeply discounted.

Holoholo: Sufix 832 works in freshwater too!

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Shaydon has a huge following on IG @96degreesindashayd, posting pics of Kauai land based jig caught fish and mainland freshwater bass, with a consistent Aloha vibe. He’s been spooling his freshwater reels with Sufix 832 and we asked him if he’d mind sharing his results.

This freshwater review is in conjunction with the saltwater shore whipping reviews.

Shaydon: I’ve spent this year  in Pennsylvania for work and being an angler at home in the islands, it was necessary for me to invest in some gear dedicated to fishing the Delaware River for its wild Bronze Back (smallmouth bass) and walleye. If it’s anything I’m particular about for any of my setups, whether it’s my salt water or freshwater gear, it’s gonna be my line. It’s the link between the angler and the fish being fought. Of course the  hooks, swivels, split rings, etc. are key but if those are up to par then I believe your line should be too. The problem I run into here on the east coast, is that I prefer to use Japanese PE line which is not so much available off the shelf, whereas Sufix 832 is.

Sufix 832 has been such a great braided line. Like PE braid, it’s very supple which makes for great knot strength. I’ve got into some situations and it has also proved to me that it has great abrasive resistance against logs and decently sharp rock ledges. I’ve found that this line casts better and better as you use it. Below are some of the many catches on Sufix 832 15lb. and 30lb. On both spinning and baitcast setups.

Holoholo: Sufix 832 works well whipping from shore

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We asked some of the whipping hammahs to let us know what they thought of Sufix 832 braid. Not surprisingly, their experience was positive like ours was. You can still buy the 8lb, 15lb, 20lb and 30lb in the Store and if the Sufix 832 sells well we’ll bring more in at great pricing.

Keola (Oahu shoreline whipper and plugger): Went whipping in East Oahu Hawaii and got this Omilu (Bluefin Trevally) on my light setup. Tested out the Sufix 832 Advanced Superline braided fishing line (8 pound test). This line has excellent casting ability and lays nicely on the spool of my Shimano Stradic CI4+ 1000HG. In addition, the quality/color of the line does not appear to decrease/fade dramatically after multiple uses like is common with other line manufacturers. Overall a great product that I recommend you try. Here’s a short video showing the Sufx 832 at work.

Brandon (Owner and private seller of Vividprizmflies): I’ve been using Sufix 832 on my 3k Stradic fl. It’s an awesome alternative to YGK braid from Japan. Thin, smooth, casts through guides easily, and I haven’t gotten any wind knots yet. The 10lb Sufix I’m using says its equivalent to 6lb test monofilament in diameter but its actually more like 4lb mono diameter. Hands down if I can’t get my hands on JDM or other high end braid line, Sufix 832 will be my go to over PowerPro and J-Braid.”

Product Review: Line Cutterz

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By Robert Richards

Have you ever gotten tired of fumbling around with scissors, braid shears, nail clippers, pliers or even biting your line?? I have. I have even left them all at home and tried other means to cut my line. This happens time and time again to even the most disciplined fisherman. Luckily the people behind Line Cutterz have our backs! You may have seen these products before either on Shark Tank or through an advertisement. I certainly did, so I reached out to the guys at Line Cutterz and they were kind enough to send me their triple play pack! I have thoroughly tested (to my normal use) both the Line Cutterz Ring and the new ceramic blade Zipper pull! Our gracious host, Scott, will review the flush mount.

As most of you are already aware, I am an avid kayak fisherman. As of late though, I have been dabbling back in the shore whipping game to test out some of our products and generate great content for you folks. The thing is, these Line Cutterz are great for ALL types of fishing! The ring is comfortable on the finger or very easy to attach the your most used or accessible rod. Heck, if you wanted to you could even strap it to that lucky banana! So far, I prefer to keep the Velcro strap the ring comes with so I can alternate between placing on my finger or rod. A pro tip for permanent mounting would be a simple piece of electrical tape and a zip tie.

The Zipper pull is just as versatile. It is easily added to a key ring and attached to any piece of clothing that has a zipper. In fact, I added mine to my life jacket right next to my emergency whistle!

If you haven’t already seen them, there are countless videos of @line_cutterz on Instagram (or Line Cutterz, LLC on facebook) showing the ease of cutting line that is as simple as to make a loop and pull the loop onto the blade. With a little bit of practice, you can accurately cut tag ends to your desired length with one or two hands! You can even clip the knot on the hook or lure to cleanly remove the line for a clean lure! The blades are extremely sharp! With that said, there is no chance you can actually cut yourself! The recessed blades make for a finger cut free experience. I have used mine on braid, fluorocarbon and monofilament from 10lb test all the way up to 100lb test without any problems.

No more searching for another piece of equipment that is tethered down or at the bottom of the tacklebox. With a few Line Cutterz you can have them everywhere and never have to worry about finding a way to cut your line!

I am loving my Line Cutterz for cutting my Monofilament, Fluorocarbon or Braid! There are a bunch of other merch you can get besides the actual cutters, but that may be for another article or you may see some of the gear in our online shop! Stay tuned!

Product Review: Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart with Beach Wheels

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By Robert Richards

Ever question how to get your kayak easily from the truck to the water? Who hasn’t? After pouring over all the options, composing pros/cons lists, comparing features to cost, reading reviews and observing friends’ use of kayak carts, I finally settled on the Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart (Wildy Cart).

Why I like it: Simple and functional design that holds a lot of weight and is easy to use!

Coming from using Hobie kayaks with the reinforced scupper holes to prevent scupper hole damage and easy to use scupper carts, I found searching for a kayak cart to be a difficult task. Since I now fill an Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.7 with a fitted cooler and all my fishing gear, weight limits on carts and ease of dragging through the sand were the leading factors for me spend so much effort researching kayak carts. I was looking at about 210lbs (dry) worth of carrying weight. Now I could have chosen a different cart and unloaded gear on the beach, but sometimes that simply isn’t an option.

So, my minimum needs for a kayak cart were to transport at least 210lbs, and have beach wheels. I noticed that most kayak carts rely on kick stands to keep the cart in position and ready for loading. Potential problem with other carts is not being able to balance properly in sand or be easily tipped over if bumped, or the stand could even get broken, since these carts are meant to have the kickstand forward for use. Some carts have 2 stands on one side, which certainly would reduce forward tipping and provide overall stability. Though there still is a chance the cart could tip backwards, and you must start the loading process all over again. The Wildy Cart’s bunker bars are designed in such a way as the bars act as a stand in either direction! If the cart tilts the other way, the bars act as a teetertotter and you simply load the kayak as usual. As a bonus, I have found that I can easily load the kayak onto the cart by simply lifting the tail end of the kayak and slide the cart under the kayak or if I am in the water just slide the cart under the kayak and strap it. This cannot be done as easily with any of the kayak carts on the market.

Furthermore, most carts on the market have a one size fits most frame with little to no flexibility to adjust to fit your kayak perfectly. Here is where the Wildy Cart shines again, because you can not only adjust height (2 settings), you can adjust the width as well. On top of that, the Wildy Cart has the option to swap out the wheels from beach wheels to all terrain and vice versa! Other carts do have wheels that can be used for sand and all terrain, but I found they don’t do as well as purpose-built wheels. For strapping, pretty much all the carts (including the Wildy Cart) are a chore to strap; you must loop the straps around the kayak and cart to hold the cart onto the kayak. Though there are a couple of DIY modifications you can do, which I may cover in a future article.

This brings me to a few observations I have about the Wildy Cart, now that I have spent nearly a month with it. Aside from easily loading it as described earlier, I did notice that the height setting had a huge impact on how you load the kayak. With the higher setting, the higher you have to lift the kayak to put on the cart. This can be a very difficult task if you must lift the kayak onto the cart on the beach. I tend to prefer to slide the kayak onto the cart in the water. I figure it is best to let the water do most of the heavy lifting. You only need fight the buoyancy of the wheels this way. However, this does expose your cart to the salt frequently and I have yet to learn of the possible damage that I will cause the cart from this loading method. With submerging the cart in water, it tends to fill the bars with water and there is no draining that can take place in the bunker bars except at the plastic piece at the four ‘T’ junctions.

Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart specs (MSRP $199.99) :

-As promised, the cart looks and feels as though it can handle 450lbs

-13” x 7.5” beach wheels

-Bunker bar frame

– Easily adjustable width that does help from kayak twisting upon loading.

– 2 height options

– 2 security straps

– No scupper posts

– Built from aluminum

– easy to load and unload kayak

– collapses with 4 bolts to fit within the hull of my kayak

Specs not listed:

Weight: ~15lbs, Length: 32”, Height- High: 17.5”, Low: 15”

Width: Beach wheels- 33 ½”, Bar adjustment range: 16″

I have got to say that I am loving this kayak cart! I would highly recommend getting one or trying one out. I purchased mine during a 20% REI sale but had to pay extra shipping for the oversized item. It’s cheaper to buy it at $199.99 from Amazon Prime.

Disclaimer: I am not yet affiliated with Wilderness Systems, I did this review purely out of love for this cart!

2018 Product Endorsements: Gear that passed the test

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I was able to extensively test a bunch of new products this year. Not all performed well for the long haul. Here’s the ones I fully endorse that passed the test after their initial review.

Rapala Fish and Game Shears – Strong, sharp, effective in opening a fish’s cavity for gutting, snipping off gills, fins, etc.  Comes apart for easy cleaning. Stainless steel blades haven’t corroded after months of use. Currently less than $9 as an add-on on Amazon Prime.

 

Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool – Small enough to fit in my kayak PFD pocket, easy to open serrated blade with one hand.  Stainless steel construction. Needle nose pliers, knife, flat and phillips screw driver. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Here’s the original review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Action Hat DIY GoPro mount – This kit with internal foam floation allowed me to mount a GoPro on my favorite hat.  I don’t feel the foam insert when I wear the cap, and the GoPro isn’t as glaringly noticeable as my previous GoPro hat. The hat hasn’t fallen off my head yet, but I’m pretty sure it will float long enough for retrieval since the hat itself floats. $29.99 on livelivegear.com.

Yeti Rambler Camp Mug – While not directly related to fishing, the camp mug can be used to drink something hot while you wait for that ulua to bite.  I’m testing some of the Yeti products that can be taken fishing (soft cooler, etc) and this mug was a sleeper. I really liked how it felt in my hand, and how the double insulated walls and lid kept my coffee hot for a long time.  Here’s the original review.

 

 

Buff® Elite Gloves – Though not specifically made as fishing gloves to paddle with, these gloves have been awesome for kayak fishing.  I’ve machine washed them many times and there’s no signs of wear.  I don’t kayak fish without them. Here’s the original review.

 

Product Test: Yeti Rambler 14 oz Camp Mug

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The Yeti company was founded in 2006 with the mission to build “over engineered” coolers that are bear proof, disaster resistant, and can keep ice longer than the competition. Thanks to a very aggressive marketing campaign, they are best known premium cooler brand.

Yeti drinkware has become very popular on Oahu, especially the 18 to 64 oz bottles with the cap that allows you to hold and swing it with 3 fingers.   It appears that Yeti has surpassed Hydro Flask as the brand to have.

I’ve been testing the Yeti soft cooler Hopper 12, the Rambler 20 oz tumbler, and the Rambler 14 oz camp mug for the last two months.  I use the mug everyday and will review that first.  Will review the Hopper and the Rambler tumbler after I get more use in.

The camp mug is so wide in diameter it won’t fit in most cup holders.  Look how much narrower the tumbler’s base is compared to the mug’s.  The mug wasn’t designed to be a daily commuter.  It was designed to take camping to hold hot soup, hot cereal and your favorite hot beverage.  While large, and double-wall insulated, it’s not heavy but does feel burly (in a good way) due to the large handle that could fit a gloved hand.  That double-wall insulation prevents the outside from getting warm to the touch, and never “sweats”.

 

 

 

 

 

The mug easily fits on my Keurig tray with height to spare, and the stock clear plastic lid with sipping hole keeps my coffee hot for much longer than I need it to. In fact, I have to let the coffee cool a little before putting the lid on, otherwise I’d burn my lips.

If you’re a sipper and take more than an hour to sip your hot beverage, you could purchase the MagSlider lid ($9.99) that keeps the mug sealed until you’re ready to sip.  My coffee used to become lukewarm by the time I finished it and tasted kind of weak. Now that I’m finishing it while hot, it tastes so much better.

The mug and rubber gasketed lid wash up easily and have resisted staining inside and out.  The mug lists for $24.99 and I’ve seen it at a lot of tackle stores and surf shops this holiday season.  I recommend getting one, especially if you can catch a storewide sale. Using it makes me feel like I’m in the wild outdoors, though I’ve never used the mug outside of the house.