Hawaii Nearshore Fishing

A community of fishers sharing knowledge and Aloha

You are here: Home / Archives for Resources

Attempt to raise halalu and sardines

By Leave a Comment

It took a couple of years to figure out how to keep oama alive in a plastic tub with decent filtration and aeration.  If I pre-treat for parasites and feed the oama enough, they can live for months before they get skinny and sickly. I don’t keep as many as I used to and try to use them for bait before that happens.  Turns out oama are probably the easiest bait fish to bring home and raise since they are so chill in the bait bucket and tub.

First 2, healthy halalu

Scratched up halalu with healthy halalu

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve heard that halalu don’t last long at home because they need a large pool of strongly circulating water.  But having a supply of live halalu would be awesome to use for bait on the kayak so I asked the young up-and-coming halalu master, Matthew, to catch some for me since I had yet to resume my attempt to catch them after my struggles last year. He dropped off two healthy halalu one day, and I put them in my 100 gallon tub filled a third of the way full.  I had 4 moose oama in the tub at the time, and the two halalu were so spastic that I moved the moose to a smaller tub for fear they’d die of fright.  The next day Matt dropped off 6 more halalu, but since they were caught with damashi, some were snagged on the sides.  Foul hooked oama heal quickly in captivity so I thought the halalu had a fair chance of survival also.  Along with the halalu was a lone, healthy sardine, and since I thought it would die quickly, I banished it to a small tub by itself.

Healthy, hungry halalu survivors

The halalu started dying off, one by one, and it looked like the wounded ones died first. On day 3 of captivity, the remaining ones started to eat opelu pieces but by day 4 only 2 of the original 8 are left.  Maybe they are the first two that weren’t wounded during capture?  They are looking really healthy and hungry.

Sardine on Day 1

Sardine with loose scales before it died

 

The lone sardine never ate but outlasted most of the halalu, dying on day 5.  He probably would have done better with the halalu but I didn’t want to risk him getting the the precious halalu sick.

If the two halalu continue to thrive, I might add a few more very healthy halalu and see if I can keep them alive long enough to be trolled deep. In California, anchovies, sardines and small mackeral are netted and kept in open pens in the harbor to be sold as live bait.  The fish that have stabilized in captivity are called “cured baits” because they are hardier and can survive being put in boat’s live well and bounced around until they are used for bait.  Maybe I can cure these halalu in the same manner?

Any of you tried keeping halalu or sardines alive, and how’d that work out?

 

2018 Oama Season Prediction

By 8 Comments

It’s the second week of July and no sizeable schools of oama have been reported on Oahu.  Oama have been abundant the last few years at many of the usual spots and there were even nice piles at places that are normally hit or miss.  Seemed like a late start so I looked back at past fishing logs for comparison and consulted Kelly, our resident Oama Expert.

  • 2014 – Normal start and stayed a little longer than expected. Arrived in late June and was mostly gone by October.  El Nino began late this year and water began to warm up.
  • 2015 – Season started late and ended late. Oama came in late July and stayed at some places past December. El Nino in full effect.
  • 2016 – Season started late and ended late. Oama came in late July and stayed through November. El Nino ended this year and water began to cool.
  • 2017 – Normal start and slightly late ending. Oama came in late June and began to leave in October, at most places. La Nina brought a lot of rain.
  • 2018 – The Summer season seems late.  The La Nina effect is ending and the water temps and current direction are returning to normal. Small aholehole, normally a spring time arrival, are showing up now.  The halalu have been slowly showing; normally they build up after the oama schools have been in for a while.  Small oama aren’t in at most places, but there have been trustworthy reports of a few actually being caught this week.  The pesky baby papio haven’t been around either, nor have the 8 to 10 inch omilu that arrive to feed off bait schools.

Will it be a late Start, late End kind of season like 2015 and 2016? Or will it be an “off” year where there won’t be much oama and the predators will be much harder to find? What do you guys think?

Our hopeful prediction is:  More oama come into the regular spots in the next few weeks, and are catchable by the end of July.  Papio, mainly omilu, should start raiding the oama piles by the middle/late August.

We’ll see how we do as Oama Prognosticators.

What’s the difference between white papio and omilu?

By 4 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I started fishing as a kid, the rare papio I caught were very small; less than today’s 10 inch fork length minimum.  Most were omilu but some were small white papio incidentally caught oama fishing.  I didn’t realize the two species were so different, and a lot of newbies may not either.

Look at the pictures above.  The omilu (bluefin trevally) on the right have their eyes set further back than the white papio (giant trevally) on the left.  That’s because they hunt looking ahead, targeting fast moving creatures on the reef in relatively clear water during the day. They have a narrower profile and dart into reef crevasses to ambush their prey, which consists mainly of small fish, but does include some crabs and shrimp.

The white papio’s eyes are larger than the omilu’s because they hunt in low light and off color water, especially at night.  Their eyes are set forward because they often root around for shrimp and crabs on the bottom when they are juveniles, and tako and eels when they are larger and slower moving.  The white’s mouth opens larger than an omilu in order to swallow such a big piece of food.

Many believe that white papio tastes milder than omilu because their diet includes crustaceans and other non-fish critters whereas the adult omilu mainly eats fish.

Whites are proportionally thicker than omilu, and grow much larger.  The state record for white ulua (GT) is almost 200 lbs whereas the omilu record is 28 lbs.

The fish feel different on the line too.  Omilu generally run faster than whites because they are slimmer and quicker, and dart into the reef holes if given a chance.  Whites pull steadier and often last longer because they use their thickly muscled bodies to resist being pulled.

How should you target each species?

Omilu: They hunt early in the morning in low light and throughout the day as the tide fills in, but take a siesta when the sun is very bright.   When the sun goes down, they settle back into their deep reef safe zones to sleep.   They have a weakness for oama but also hit quick moving lures.  Generally more discriminating than whites, they also appear to be smarter.  Besides dunking around the bait fish piles, whipping near clear, turbulent water can be very productive.  Omilu hit aggressively if they feel safe enough to do so.

White Papio:  The bigger ones (ulua) prefer to feed in the cover of night so live and dead baits slid down or dunked work well.  During the day, white papio hunt in slower moving, off color water like bays, stream mouths and harbor channels. Big ulua hunker down in deeper water caves during the day but can be agitated to bite by the gurgle of a large popper.  If big whites are together they can be very competitive feeders, fighting off each other to get to the lure first.

 

 

Pedaling test of Hobie Revolution 13

By 5 Comments

Frank and I have worked up to being able to paddle 2 miles out to the deep for a few hours of fishing but when the wind picks up it’s a pretty strenuous paddle to get back in.  We definitely feel it the next couple of days.  Pedal kayaks are looking better and better for the efficiency of using our stronger muscles (legs) and freeing up our hands to fish.

There are a few makers of pedal kayaks and all but Hobie use a bicycle style pedaling motion that turns a propeller. Hobie pedal kayaks use a piston style pushing motion that causes fins under the kayak to flap. The Hobie pedal kayaks seem to be the gold standard.  Hobie’s drive train mechanism is easier to maintain than their competitions’ and only Hobie has an actual dealership on Oahu.  That was the clincher for me since the pedal mechanism on all the makers’ kayaks is prone to breaking down.

We’ve been told by guys who have used the various Hobie models that the Hobie Revolution 13 is the one we want for ease of transport to fish a couple miles off shore so Frank made an appointment with Windward Boats in Kailua, Oahu for the water test.

In this video, Frank is instructed by Bert to set the comfy raised Vantage seat, secure the paddle, deploy the rudder, insert the Mirage Drive 180 pedals and go into reverse gear.  He takes the Revo 13 for a spin, then I do, and then I switch to the longer Turbo fins for increased propulsion.

I found the bare Revo 13 to be lighter to carry than I expected.  Its advertised weight without the seat, Mirage drive, rod holders, etc is 70.5 lbs and my old Scupper Pro is supposed to be 55 lbs but the Pro feels quite a bit heavier than the Revo now that I have the rod holders, rudder kit, fish finder mount, transducer and battery permanently attached.  Since the Revo already has its rudder installed, I’m guessing the other permanently mounted accessories will add 12 – 15 lbs but still be car-toppable with the right car rack system.

We tested the Revo 13 in flat water and it was faster than I expected also.  Definitely quicker than paddling the Pro, which is a fast Sit On Top kayak.  And although the Revo 13’s width of 28.5 inches is narrow by pedal boat standards, it’s 2.5 inches wider than the Pro and felt a lot more stable.  Folks coming down from a much wider paddle kayak may not feel the same way, however.

The carry handles, rudder control, hatches, seat and Mirage Drive looked and felt well thought out.  Granted, we didn’t fish the Revo 13 but it did feel like a quality boat. The best blue water paddle fishing kayaks (Jackson Kayak Kraken 15, Ocean Kayak Trident 15, Wilderness Systems Thresher 140, etc) are half the price of the Revo 13 and come with more accessories and fish carrying capacity.  Is the pedaling convenience of the Revo 13 worth it?  For a few thousand more, we could get a power boat but I don’t want to have to deal with boat maintenance and having to trailer it around.

I have this transition plan in my head to adjust to our aging bodies:
Paddle Kayak -> Pedal Kayak -> Motorized Kayak -> Boat

What do you guys think we should do?

 

Fred Hall Show – Was it worth going from Hawaii?

By Leave a Comment

So was it worth it for Erik and me to fly from Hawaii to Los Angeles to attend the Fred Hall Show for 3 days?

The plan was to keep our traveling cost down, meet good people and bring back killer deals.  We got the lowest priced “Fred Hall Show Special” room at the hotel attached to the Long Beach Convention Center. It was a Hyatt Regency, and very nice, and the hotel rate was lower than I’ve paid in Los Angeles in quite a while.  We didn’t rent a car since we would mostly be walking less than 100 yds to the Convention Center that housed the Show, so we saved on rental fees and hotel parking.  Erik used Lyft to transport us to the market, Trader Joe’s and a restaurant, and because he was referred by a friend he was given a $20 voucher. I was surprised how easy it was to use the Lyft app, and how friendly and interesting the drivers were. Definitely will use Lyft on my own.

Speaking of Trader Joe’s, I used these health bars to price compare, wow were they cheap! And this photo was taken before the basket really filled up.

On the suggestion of our fishing buddy Kelly, we had brought up small kine omiyage for the exhibitors we hoped to talk with.  Hawaiian Host chocolate mac nuts on sale at Long’s and NOH Poke Mix that was easy to pack.  I was absolutely stunned how many people asked what I planned to do with those chocolates as I carried the big box around. Male show goers wanted some, and female show goers asked if I bought the box at the show.  At the end of each day, we were using the box to carry our killer deals, and stop people in their tracks.  We gave the chocolates to exhibitors that were especially nice to us, and the poke mix to the exhibitors who ate poke but didn’t know how to make it.  We stuffed our business cards in the packaging and when the cards fell out, we hoped we’d be remembered fondly for sharing a bit of Hawaii.

Even without the omiyage, everyone we met at the show, and on our travels was really courteous and pleasant.

Erik and I were narrowly focused so we zipped past a large portion of the exhibits (fresh water, fly fishing, food, hunting, camping, cooking, boating, destination fishing, etc) and didn’t sit in any of the seminars.  There even was a kiddie pond with live stocked trout outside the main arena, and a lagoon to pedal the Hobie Kayaks and cast Daiwa rods.

Jim Sammons

There were two other booths of interest to us that I hadn’t mentioned earlier. The first was Seigler Reels, formerly named Release Reels, and then Truth Reels.  The reels are completely made in the US of A and pelagic kayak fishers value them for their small aluminum footprint, big gears, strong drag and simple maintenance.  They are often compared to Accurate reels.  Jim Sammons, of the Kayak Fishing Show, was helping man the  booth with the owner Wes Seigler, and I stopped by because I had bought a live bait well for my Scupper Pro 15 yrs ago and still haven’t used it.  Jim didn’t remember me, of course, but did remember the era when he sold those bait wells out of the Fred Hall Show.  He was stoked to receive the NOH Poke Mix and Wes was really interested in hearing if he could catch an oio and ulua on a fly rod.  Answer: Oio, relatively easy for a skilled fly fisher like him; ulua, much harder with a fly and fly rod.

In fact a lot of the accomplished fishers we talked with wanted to know if they could catch papio/ulua, oio, mahi, ahi, etc in Hawaii.  They understood that it may be hard to get a trophy fish the first time out but just wanted to return home and say that they caught something while vacationing in paradise.

 

Front of jigs, not glowing

Glow pattern on the back of the jig

 

 

 

 

 

The Taiwan-based Jigging Master brand was the other brand of interest, and they had vertical and slow pitch jigs with a contrasting glow pattern on the back if you loaded it with a flash light. That might be enough to attract interest in the deep.  We purchased a few of these hard to find jigs that we’d normally have to pay shipping to get.

Looking back, we didn’t buy a ton of stuff but what we did get some great deals, were given unique products to test, made some solid business relationships and… when Erik returned home, he called the Shimano service rep we met at the show on Saturday, and the Michael was able to authorize the full replacement of 3 broken, out of warranty jigging and plugging rods Erik had sent up months ago that were lost in storage because the postal service had damaged the mailing label.  That cemented the deal for us, we’re definitely going back next year!

Fred Hall – Sunday (last day)

By Leave a Comment

Erik and I were up late Saturday night, processing photos and video we took that day.  I effectively woke even later than expected Sunday morning because I didn’t realize Daylight Savings Time kicked in!  That gave me only about 2 hrs to follow up with a few exhibitors before I had to leave for the airport. For background on these folks, please read the previous post.

First stop was Lumica to show them the Iki Jime instructional video Erik had completed.  The US CEO and Japanese sales rep were so stoked they made sure we both had the small, medium and large kits to try out in Hawaii. That was really nice of them.

Then we bee-lined over to the 13 Fishing booth. JD surprised me with a Black Omen medium-heavy graphite travel rod and case he grabbed from the warehouse after last night’s show, to test with their new Concept Z salt approved casting reel that uses a polymer bearing instead of actual ball bearings that can jam and rust.  The reel looked tiny but has 22lbs of drag!  I’m always looking for a travel rod that fishes like my one piece rods, and their Black Omen rod felt like it was up to the task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erik showed JD the completed video he made of JD’s interview and JD was so grateful he went behind a curtain and returned with a t-shirt, lanyard, cap and stickers for both of us!  I had seen 13 Fishing in catalogs but wasn’t familiar with the quality of their products.  Their branding and apparel looked really contemporary compared to some of the more staid brands that just offer shirts and hats with their name in block letters.

Next we raced over to the Major Craft booth and Lee was so animated we asked if he’d want to be video interviewed. He didn’t even have to think about it and launched into a very entertaining monologue you’ll be seeing on this site soon. As Lee said, he’s “podagee” so he has no problem talking on camera.  He gave us both Major Craft hats to sport when we’re fishing the Jigpara jigs and we promised to connect with Brandon and him when we’re settled back home.

 

 

On the way out, we stopped by the Promar – Ahi USA so I could get the telescopic gaff for Frank and the bat to go with my gaff.  It’s incredible how reasonably priced their products are.  Frank could make a bat out of wood for me but it’s cheaper in the long run just to buy the Promar bat (Ahi USA is the lure side of the company).

With all the expected goodies, I had to repack my bags to make room.  Erik’s flight was leaving the next day so he stayed to see if there were any drastic price reductions in the last hours of the show.  Stay tuned for the show and trip wrap up.  Video interviews to follow after that, and look for product giveaways in the not so distant future.

Fred Hall Show – More of Saturday’s action

By Leave a Comment

Saturday was the busiest day of the show.  Unfortunately it rained both Saturday and Sunday so testing the Hobie pedal kayaks in my non-fishing clothes was out.  I apologize in advance for so many photos with me in it; Erik thought it would be good to prove that we were really talking to folks instead of just looking for killer deals.

We focused on booths relating to fishing in Hawaii and started by visiting my friend Jackie in the Alaska Reel Adventures booth.  Represented were the very popular Shelter Lodge and Anchor Point resorts made famous on the original Let’s Go Fishing and Hawaii Goes Fishing tv shows.  The two lodges are so popular that spots fill up a year in advance. The majority of their clientele are Hawaii based, or have ties to Hawaii since the big draw is the Hawaiian hospitality, local gourmet meals and ohana-style partying.

We stopped by the Promar – Ahi USA booth and visited with  owners Ben and Zooey, whom I took torching in January, and our buddy Steve, who was busily pricing damashi at show prices in this photo.  These guys made sure we were fed, knew our way around the massive show, and introduced us to other industry folk.  Gotta love a small business that treats their customers like family.  I planned to purchase a gaff for Frank and wooden bat for me to subdue our deep water catches, and asked Steve to hold those for me.

 

 

The Shimano Service booth was nearby, and the technicians were teaching customers how to take apart and maintain their own reels.  Erik posed the question often asked by our local Facebook fishing groups “will you service a reel with an aftermarket power knob?” and I asked “what is the recommended grease for drags and gears?”.  Stay tuned for a video of their answers.

It looks like Erik is really making them sweat but it was all good in the end.

 

 

We stumbled upon the Lumica glow light booth where Jason and Ikeda-san were displaying their deep drop jigs that take a glow stick insert, and their Iki Jime kits.  Iki Jime or Ike Jime, is the practice of humanely killing fish with a spike to the spinal cord, thereby preventing lactic acid build up from ruining the fish’s flavor.  Erik video’d Ikeda-san, on the right, describing how to use the Iki Jime kit. Most of the show goers just took free stickers from their table because they didn’t understand the concept of Iki Jime, so Jason and Mr. Ikeda appreciated our interest.  They gave us a few glow sticks, jigs and a small, medium and large Iki Jime kit on the condition that we try it on the fish in HI and provide a review. Great guys.

Next up was the Pacific Lures booth where they print actual Pacific fish photos on SoCal style surface irons and heavy yo-yo jigs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary, owner of Pacific Lures, wanted us to test the Hawaiian printed designs created by Brad Titus, and gave this set to test.  The orange-red yo-yo jig in the center is their kale kale pattern and has been deadly on the deep predators. The others look yummy also.

Then we tracked down J.D., whom I’ve met when he was repping Rapala lures, Sufix 832 braid and VMC hooks in Hawaii.  He had generously given me the Sufix 832 that Frank and I have been using to fish deep off the watercraft, and a set of Rapala Coastal lip-less plugs that I plan to fish when the papio move in.  I wanted to let him know we started using VMC Tournament circle hooks on our big chunks of baits and was surprised to find him working the 13 Fishing booth.  13 Fishing is a relatively new tackle company that made a big splash in the freshwater bass segment with affordable, innovative rods / reels sporting eye catching designs and ergonomics geared to the open minded younger angler.  J.D. explained the key features their largest salt water approved bait caster had over reels in a higher class range, and Erik video’d our conversation.  I promised to dialog with J.D. over email when I returned home, to set up a stress test of a couple bait casters.

Lastly, we chatted with the Maui-based Major Craft reps, Brandon and Lee who are famous on social media.  Erik follows both on Instagram and immediately connected with them.  The boys openly shared their boat and kayak jigging secrets and entertained us with their larger than life personalities.  Erik bought some hard to get Jigpara jigs at show pricing and we made an agreement with the boys to keep in touch so we’d be able to provide product feedback on social media and this website.

Whew… if you made it this far, thanks for hanging in there. There were a few other vendors of significance that we spoke with but may have to include them in a later post.

Stay tuned for the dramatic final Sunday summary. I think you’ll be as surprised as I was.

Fred Hall Show – Saturday

By 3 Comments

 

 

 

 

Erik and I recovered from being overwhelmed with the expansiveness of the show and did a much better job photographing and videoing the deals and activities.  Here’s Erik trying the Progressive Insurance boat simulator.  You can tell by the Progressive gal’s expression in the second photo that Erik’s actual boat skills didn’t translate well to the simulator.

I’ll write a more detailed post with supporting video in the next few days but here’s some quick highlights:

Turner’s Outdoors seemed to be discounting all the rod brands they sold

Phenix Rods were heavily discounted also

 

 

 

 

 

This “no-name” brand of vertical jigs looked like other popular brands but was much cheaper

And look how cheap their sabikis were!

 

 

Check out the realistic patterns on these Pacific Lures iron jigs. Some designs were from photographs of Hawaiian fishes.

They had the Taiwanese based Jigging Master rods, reels and jigs

 

 

And even had a free, indoor air soft rifle range

Fred Hall Show – Friday

By Leave a Comment

Erik and I made it to the Long Beach Fred Hall Show, and were there from start to finish, 1pm to 9pm.  It was everything we had hoped for and more.

We fueled up on Mexican food before the show knowing we’d be doing a lot of walking.

The crowd wasn’t as bad as it would be this weekend so we were able to cover the entire show and meet some old friends and make new ones.

The best deals seemed to be on rods and lures. We haven’t bought any rods yet because taking them back on the plane would be challenging, but we did grab a few jigs and accessories at bargain prices.

There were some innovative products like Jigging Master “underhead” reels that are seated under the rod like a spinner but are level wind bait casting or conventional reels.  They are made for dropping and retrieving jigs, not for casting, and combine the best features of spinning and conventional reels.  Some are right hand crank and some are left hand crank.

We weren’t able to try the Hobie pedal boats on the water but hope to tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is how Erik plans to take his rods back to Hawaii.

We’ll do a better job taking show photos tomorrow.  We kind of forgot to do that since we were kind of shell shocked with the enormity of the exhibits.

We’re going to the Fred Hall Show, the nation’s largest consumer fishing show!

By Leave a Comment

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

Erik, boat plugging and jigging enthusiast of @fishoahu Instagram fame, and I will be attending the 72st Annual Long Beach Fred Hall Show from March 8 – 11.  The show is geared towards West Coast fishing, but there will be a lot of products and techniques we could apply to fishing in Hawaii.

I used to attend this fishing expo when I lived in SoCal, and it would take me 3 hrs just to walk past every booth not including the time to stop and buy stuff, and attend demos.  I hear it’s a lot bigger than the last time I attended.  Here are some of the highlights we’re interested in, taken off the Fred Hall website :

  • The world’s Largest Sportfishing Show
  • California’s Largest Boat Show
  • So. Cal.’s largest international hunting and fishing travel show
  • Nearly 1000 booths
  • Acres of Boats
  • Nearly 400 seminars
  • Accurate Fishing Saltwater Tank
  • Cousins Tackle Main Seminar Stage
  • Largest Marine Electronics Display in California
  • Izorline Fishing Coach
  • Hobie Kayak Fishing Seminar Theater
  • Test Drive Hobie Mirage Drive Kayaks and Eclipse Pedal Boards on the Hyatt Regency Lagoon
  • Cast new products at the Daiwa Casting range on the Hyatt Regency Lagoon

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

Besides checking out the latest fishing gear at discounted show prices, I’m interested in taking in the expert seminars, trying the Hobie pedal kayaks on the water and learning more about the Mexican fishing resorts which offer types of fishing similar to what we do in Hawaii but have a lot more fish to target.

 

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Taken off www.fredhall.com.

In addition to those topics, Erik is keen on checking out the latest boats and diving gear.

We’re also hoping to attract sponsors to help move Hawaii Nearshore Fishing forward.

Erik will try to do frequent updates via Instagram, and I’ll try to do the same on this website.  Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss a thing.

Subscription process changed!

By Leave a Comment

The process to subscribe to posts recently broke. Apparently some application that shared the server with Hawaii Nearshore Fishing has been spamming people and that caused our emails to be rejected too. Boo. So now our emails are being sent by a dedicated email service called MailChimp (cute name huh?) and they should get to your mailboxes.

If you’ve already subscribed you should continue to receive new posts in a slightly different format via email. If you tried to subscribe but didn’t receive your confirmation email, we’d like to ask that you try again.

Thank you for your patience,
scott

Thank you for subscribing but if you didn’t receive the confirmation email…

By Leave a Comment

… maybe it went into your spam folder?  If you tried to subscribe a while ago and didn’t receive that email, please try again and check that folder if you don’t get the email within a minute or so.

It also seems that Gmail accounts are currently not getting that confirmation email. I’m looking into that problem.  Please contact us if need any assistance with the subscription process.

We promise to try to make the  posts as helpful and interesting as possible.  Drop us a comment if you have any suggestions on how we could improve.

Mahalo nui loa,

scott

Fishing has been slow so we went torching!

By 2 Comments

Friends from SoCal were in town a few weeks ago and I wanted to take them fishing but the nearshore prospects had been so dismal.  I opted to take them torching (reef exploring at night) instead.  The conditions were perfect for that: minus tide shortly after dark with very light winds.  Ben and his wife Zooey had snorkeled in HI but had never explored the night time reef before, so they were super excited.  They happen to own the Promar / Ahi USA company that sells nets, head lamps, gloves and air pumps, as well as the Live Deception jigs and floating landing net mentioned on this site, so torching would be a fun way to test their own gear. I hadn’t torched in a few years and had never gone when the moon was as large as it was.  I was hoping we’d at least see critters moving around in the well lit sky but feared they’d be harder to net than when they’re sleeping under a dark moon.

We didn’t take any spears and didn’t plan on keeping anything besides off season oama but they were hoping to at least see the night tako and white eel they had heard so much about.

When we got to the water Ben immediately spotted a 9 inch weke in an area I had just quickly walked past on earlier trips.  If the fish was sleeping, we would have tried to place the net on top of the fish, but I had a feeling this one was ready to make its escape.  Zooey expertly used a net in each hand and chased the weke into the net with the squared edge.  Impressive for her first attempt ever!

 

Ben spotted a slightly smaller weke shortly after, and netted it before I could video the capture.

I was amazed at their dexterity to net fish under the big moon but this school sized oama was wise enough to slip away.

We were just 30 mins into our expedition and they had already seen more fish than I had ever spotted in the “dead zone”.

Ben is using the Promar 180 lumen headlamp, collapsible net with tangle free mesh, and latex grip gloves.

The moray looked whitish when illuminated, hence the mistaken identity.

I really wanted them to experience the area that normally has the most sea creatures so I explored ahead but turned to see them huddling over something in their net.  They thought Ben had cornered a harmless white eel but were a little shaken when I explained that they had netted a sharp fanged moray eel!

We made it to the section that normally holds a greater variety of fish and Zooey gently netted a moorish idol.

She followed that up by coaxing the odd looking saron or marble shrimp into the net.

Ben gently placed it back near its home.

The Toby puffer is the dark oval thing in the bottom right.

Best of all, Zooey found a cute little Toby puffer to replace the one that had been the mascot of this site.  We saw a small night tako but no white eels and much less critters after the first 2 hours. Ben and Zooey really appreciated the night life they encountered in the shallows, something most Hawaii visitors don’t get a chance to experience.

Except for the largest weke that got spooked and jumped out of the tub on its second night of captivity, the other fish are alive and doing well as pets in my tub at home.  Catching oama by hook during the day is much more efficient than scooping them at night, but it was fun to hunt them that way.

Like his/her predecessor, the new Toby quickly got used to being in captivity and swims to the surface to be fed, spitting water at us.

Best Tackle Shops on Oahu

By 13 Comments

The guys who have been sharing their perspective through guest posts have provided this tackle shop review of the shops from Waipahu to Kaneohe.  A team of 5 contributed to this, maximizing coverage and minimizing bias.

Brian’s Fishing Supply – On King near Piikoi. Old school tackle shop space with a lot of tackle crammed in.  Will leave you alone until you ask a question and often Brian and his staff have great advice you never would have thought of.  They specialize in rod building, slide baiting, bait casting and whipping and have the latest products not carried anywhere else.  They also do rod & reel repair and stock the parts most commonly needed.  Prices are comparable to other shops on the island. Make sure you check the No Parking times if you park on King Street.  Small parking lot behind the store but you have to access through a narrow driveway.

Charley’s Fishing Supply – Kakaako.  Charley’s has been around, at other locations, for more than 50 years.  They have a lot of hard to find items like resin float balls, compact water proof tackle boxes, jig replacement hooks, etc. at really good prices.  If you haven’t been to Charley’s lately, you need to check out their updated inventory of local, mainland and Japanese lures.  There’s always a sale on the most popular rods and reels that are priced lower than anyone else on the island and have friendly, knowledgeable sales people. Try to pay in cash when possible.  Designated parking is limited to 3 stalls in the shared strip mall’s outdoor parking lot but there are metered stalls available on the exterior.

Ewa Beach Buy and Sell – Ewa Beach.  Small selection of fishing equipment but well stocked in Campania Lures, Flash Bombs and Hammer Bombs.  Comparable pricing and decent parking.

Hanapa’a Fishing Supply – Kalihi.  There’s also one in the Pearl Ridge Shopping Center.  They specialize in dive equipment (upstairs) and sell nets and netting that you can’t get anywhere else. They stock the basic dunking and whipping tackle. Comparable pricing, limited but usually sufficient parking if you go during off hours.

Hobietat – Kaimuki.  Combination radio control cars / model rockets / fishing tackle store.  Friendly staff, and the owner, Butch, is a very knowledgeable troller and diver.  Moderate selection with expert advice.  Street parking out front.

J & E Fishing Supply – Kalihi.  A throwback to the old mom & pop store where tackle was laid out in card board boxes and the front door was a roll up corrugated gate.   In this shop, the owners are a mother and daughter.  They have a large inventory of hooks and lead, whipping lures, trolling skirts and a surprising number of lower end rods in the back room.  J & E stocks more JDM lures than any where else on the island.  Very reasonable pricing.  Decent parking.

J Hara Store – Kaimuki.  This is the Oahu branch of their flagship Big Island store.  Located on the bottom floor, East side, of the complex on Waialae Avenue with Long’s and Times.  Store is larger than you would expect; half of it is hunting gear.  They stock the basic fishing and diving gear plus a lot of whipping lures and have great, unadvertised prices on Penn reels and carry the low to mid line of Daiwa reels.  Comparable pricing with regular advertised specials.  Check their freezer by the front door for fresh, frozen tako and other baits.  Parking is shared by a lot of businesses so can get busy during peak hours.

Kaya’s – Chinatown.  Talk about old school, Kaya’s looks like it did back in the day.  It’s a very small,  cramped shop but Raine is very friendly and helpful and the prices are very reasonable. They are known to have the best prices on lead but also sell hooks, swivels, hand nets, crabnets, poles, reels, floaters, tabis, slide gaffs, sand spikes, head lamps, rod building threads, knives, line, lures, etc.  You may have to pay for parking but if you buy enough lead you can offset that expense!

Maui Sporting Goods – Kapahulu.  This is really a dive shop but they have a limited selection of fishing equipment and are the only shop on the island that sells Major Craft Jigpara jigs.  Parking is challenging in this area.

McCully Bicycle and Sporting Goods – Moilili area. Despite their name, they have quite an inventory of standard and higher end fishing tackle and gear (whipping, plugging, slidebaiting, trolling, and diving) . Great prices on terminal tackle and basic goods like tabis and air pumps, but they rarely have sales.  Ample parking on Young St behind the store.

Nankos – Kaneohe. Tackle section on the small side but they also sell beer, ice, snacks, and cigarettes. They specialize in rod, reel and diving equipment repair.  Very knowledgeable friendly customer service but you have to ask for help otherwise they will leave you to wander. Easy parking in shared lot.

POP – Pier 38 near Nicos.  Large, clean air conditioned store, back half comprises of boating gear.  Good selection of basic fishing gear, whipping lures, deep drop jigs and trolling skirts. Comparable prices. Helpful staff and lots of parking in surrounding lots.

Roy’s Fishing Supply – Aiea/Hekaha.  Roy’s is the island’s Shimano Authorized Warranty Center.  They have a very impressive stock of off shore, shore casting, whipping, dive and rod building tackle/gear.  On the pricier side compared to the above shops, but they should have what you’re looking for.  When you’re in need of help, go up to the counter and ask.  Ample parking.

Waipahu Bicycle (Buster’s) – Waipahu.  Small selection of fishing tackle but a lot of shore casting expertise.  You have to ask for help to be assisted.

West Marine – On Nimitz Hwy near the piers.  Focused on boating related equipment but also has SUPs, kayaks and fishing tackle for sale.  Prices are MSRP unless there is a seasonal sale.  Great place to buy marine electronics, epirb, etc.  Knowledgeable staff and convenient parking.

 

 

 

Guest Post: Tie your own halalu flies!

By 25 Comments

This post is from my fishing buddy Thad, who not only taught us how to catch halalu this past year, but also catches the bait we use to catch oama, and finds great deals on Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) lures so we can get the best stuff at reasonable prices.  Here’s how we did on that inaugural halalu training trip. Frank caught on quickly and I’ve since decided to avoid further halalu frustration.  Search for “halalu” in the search box on this site to see how we did on Trip 2 and Trip 3.

Aloha Hawai‘i Nearshore Fishers!  A reader of Scott’s blog had asked for tips on how to make the flies that were mentioned in his first halalū article so I was asked if I’d be willing to write a simple “how-to.”  Hopefully my first guest blog is coherent enough for readers to understand as I can tend to ramble on with my thoughts.

So this past season, Scott, Frank, Erik and I gave halalū fishing a try – my first time going after these juvenile akule in over 12 years.  Me and a buddy of mine used to frequent the usual west side spots every weekend for akule many years ago, jigging simple homemade flies on ultralight gear.  I had never used these flies for halalū so when I was preparing for our trip, I got my usual plastic strips and red beads ready but decided to take a few flies with me just in case.

When we arrived at the spot, there were already a few fishermen whipping the school but two individuals in particular were hooking up consistently on what looked like flies very similar to the ones I made for akule.  Encouraged by this, I tied a fly to my 3lb test fluorocarbon leader and cast just past the edge of the pile.  Immediately, a halalū swallowed my fly and got hooked deep in the throat.  I was happy to know the flies I made over 12 years ago still worked!

Since that first trip, I’ve noticed many people using similar flies for halalū with a lot of success.  It could be that people were using flies for halalū back then as well and I was just too dense to notice.  I also see flies being sold online and in stores now.  We had to make our own back then and couldn’t buy them even if we wanted to, but you can’t beat the feeling of catching fish on a lure you made yourself.

I’ll just throw in my little disclaimer here.  I don’t consider myself an expert fly maker in any way – not even close.  I was never shown how to make these flies so I’m sure there are better, more efficient methods of making these but I think I can at least cover the basic concepts to help get you started.

I should begin with a list of the supplies I use.

  1. A simple fly tying vise
  2. Lumaflex thread cut to 2” to 2 1/4″ lengths
  3. Flash thread (optional)
  4. Beads
  5. AH style gold hooks size 12 or 13
  6. Monofilament line
  7. Scissors

I recently bought a cheap vise online to replace a broken one.  I later saw the same vise being sold at a local tackle shop at the same price so if you can, you should buy this locally.  This vise easily clamps to the edge of any work table.

The lumaflex thread is basically a spandex thread that comes in a variety of colors so you should buy several to experiment with different color combinations.  Lumaflex or similar spandex thread can also be found at many local tackle shops.  The beads I use are made of glass but I have used plastic ones too.  Same with the lumaflex, I would buy several different colors to try.  The important thing with the beads is finding ones that will be able to slide past the barb and sharp curve at the bottom of the hook.  The hooks I use are AH style gold in size 12 or 13.  Gold seems to be the preferred color for most people so I go with that.  The monofilament line I use is 8 or 10lb test. For this example, I’ll be making a fly using a size 12 gold hook, blue and red beads, white wings, aurora blue flash thread, and orange body.

The first step is to slide two beads onto the hook, past the barb and sharp curve.  They should be able to slide all the way to the eye of the hook.  The hook is then clamped to the vise.

 

 

 

Thread one end of the mono in through the bottom of the second bead, then back through the same bead, creating a loop.  Place 4 or 5 pieces of the pre-cut lumaflex thread and optional flash thread in the mono loop and slowly pull both ends of the mono.  Most flies I’ve seen use 4 lumaflex threads, creating 8 wings.  As a personal preference, I use 5 threads to create 10 wings on my flies.

This is where it gets a little tricky, especially with glass beads because they crack easily.  Carefully pull both ends of the mono until the centers of the lumaflex get pulled through the bead and begin showing on the other side.  I then remove the mono and slide the second bead up against the first one.  Adjust the wings so they fan out nice and even.  The tension in the bottom bead should be enough to keep it from sliding back down.

In the past, I left the fly like this as you can see in the picture Scott posted in his first halalū article, but I have now been finishing the flies with additional lumaflex wrapped around the shank of the hook.  This helps gives added support to keep the bottom bead from sliding down and gives it a nicer, finished look.  When I’m done, I remove the fly from the vise and clip the wings to the desired length.

Hopefully this simple how-to will help get you started on making your own homemade halalū/akule flies.  I would love to hear of better, more efficient methods if anyone is willing to share.  Mahalo for reading!

Update:  Thad details how to fish this fly.

For your halalu fly rig, I would suggest you run the lightest egg lead you can cast which will allow you to reach just beyond the school. The lighter lead will not scare the fish as much as a heavier one. I run 2 or 3lb test fluorocarbon leader. As for the length of the leader, look at how long the other fishermen are running them for that spot. I use a 5ft ultralight rod and normally run my leader about 6-7 feet. There are some spots where I would run leaders as long as 10-12 feet. It depends on the wind, the amount of room you have to cast, and how easily the fish are spooked. Obviously, you shouldn’t run a long leader when it’s windy or crowded. You don’t want to snag your neighbor on a cast.

I cast my lead just past the school if possible. Make sure you keep track of where your neighbor’s lines are before you cast and know the approximate location and distance of their lines. I let your lead sink all the way if the bottom is snag free. Otherwise, let it sink a little but begin your retrieve before it reaches the bottom. There are many retrieval techniques. I like to jig my fly up from the bottom, and through the school. I hold the rod with my right hand near the stripper guide and shake the rod up and down quickly as I slowly crank the reel. Others like a much slower, sweeping movement of the fly. Watch your neighbors and try different techniques to find what works best for you.

Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already.  Lots more Guest Posts, How-Tos and Recipes are in the works.  Thanks for reading.

If you haven’t seen the site in a while, plz check it out

By Leave a Comment

If you’ve been subscribing to posts, I’d like to thank you for your loyal support.

It’s really easy just to skim the contents of the post in the email you are sent but if you’ve been doing so you may have been missing out on some recent changes.  The easiest way to get to the site from the email is to click on the title “If you haven’t seen the site in a while, plz check it out” above, and when you’re viewing this post on the website, click on the links off the main menu.

We’re striving to provide the most helpful and entertaining content possible.  Please let us know how we can further improve your viewing experience.

Much Mahalo,
scott

When is the best time to fish in Hawaii? – 2018 Update

By 2 Comments

When I started this blog in 2014, I was trying to figure out the most productive conditions to fish, and as I gathered info I wrote a post titled “When is the best time to fish?”.   It’s been one of the most popular posts because folks are always searching for that topic on the web.  The basic info still applies but I’ve experienced the following exceptions to the rules.

 

Presence of bait fish and easy access for predators to hunt bait trump other factors.

In general, I’m fishing for predator fish that eat bait fish.  Bait fish aren’t always around but when I do find them, I always check for hungry predators stalking nearby.  Certain inshore bait fish seem to attract predators better than others.  Often, the oama school will be left alone but papio and kaku will be attacking the iao (Hawaiian silverside) and nehu (Hawaiian anchovy) schools.  Some shallow spots are best to pursue predators when the tide rises high enough to allow them to reach the bait, other deeper flats have more predator action when the tide is lower, limiting the area bait can flee.  Each spot is unique. Fish the individual spots enough to learn the patterns.

 

In deep water, presence of bait and moving water often trump other factors.

Shallow inshore areas need enough water for predators to feel safe hunting, which usually means the rising tide is a great time to fish.  Deep offshore areas always have enough water, and the overhead sun has less negative effect than in the the shallows, so what seemed to be the key factors are presence of bait fish and a moving current.  Current can be caused by tidal movement, wind and waves.

 

Consider the Hawaiian Moon Calendar prediction.

Besides tracking tide, wind and size of moon, I started noting the 30 day moon phase of each outing. The ancient Hawaiians noted each day/night of the 30 phases from New Moon to Full Moon and came up with general observations for each of these phases.  Some of the observations/predictions are counter intuitive, for example some of the phases leading up to the Full Moon are expected to be good fishing days, whereas I thought they’d be unproductive during the daylight hours because the predators were hunting at night.  I’m still accumulating catch data to compare with the Hawaiian Moon Calendar predictions but there does seem to be a correlation between the Calendar’s prediction and my results.  Log as much info as you can about each fishing trip in a way where you can determine patterns.

Big improvements coming!

By 4 Comments

In order to provide diversified and interesting content, I’ve enlisted the help of friends to Guest Post in their areas of expertise.  More How-Tos and Product Reviews will be also be added.

If you have any other improvement suggestions, please reply or send me a comment. And if you haven’t subscribed already, please do, so you don’t miss any posts.

Thanks for your faithful support,

scott

The stuff I use and why I use ’em – Fishing Tackle

By 5 Comments

(Updated April 2019)

Since starting the blog portion of this site in 2014, I’ve stumbled upon equipment to make my fishing easier, more productive and more enjoyable.  I can’t share our fishing spots with you but I can share the equipment I especially like.

The gear categories are fishing tackle, fishing attire, and kayak fishing equipment.

My style and preference may be very different from yours so please take that into account.  Where I deviate the most is using bait casting gear instead of spinning gear.  I’ve mentioned why I like to use bait casters here.

Some of my gear may be discontinued but you should be able to find a newer, hopefully better version of the product.  If you have a product you think is better, please share it with us.  I’m always looking for continuous improvement.

I’ll update this list as I think of other products to add or replace, and write separate product reviews for the really deserving ones.

Fishing Tackle

Rods: I primarily use bait casting gear and like my rods to be as light in weight and as sensitive as possible.  I try to be careful with my rods so I’ve been able to use graphite / carbon fiber rods which are lighter and more responsive than fiberglass. The lightness really makes a difference when I’m whipping or jigging for hours at a time.  For whipping, I try to find G. Loomis demo rods on eBay, and use Shimano Trevala rods for jigging.  I also have a Shimano Game Type-J jig rod that is a super light, strong delight to jig with all day.

Reels: Again, I primarily use bait casting reels.  I used other brands in the 90s to kayak fish and they corroded quickly so I switched to early model Shimano Calcuttas and have used Shimanos since. The Shimano bait casters rated for salt water are easy to cast, corrosion resistant and fairly easy to maintain.  If I need to have the reel professionally repaired, Shimano’s flat rate repairs have been very reasonable.  Reel parts are also available online at a great price with expedited shipping.  I’m able to do most of my reel maintenance myself now, after bungling my initial repairs.  Besides the Calcuttas, I use Shimano Curados, Tranxs and a Trinidad (conventional).

Line – Backing or Main: Sufix 832 braid. I’ve tried the other popular brands with less than desirable results.  I’ve found Sufix 832 to be round (8 strands), smooth and cast very well.  It doesn’t bind into itself they way the other brands did, and if I do get a rare backlash I can easily pull out the snag without too much drama. I’ve heard great things about Jerry Brown braid and want to try that soon.

Line – Top Shot: I’m able to put Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon on my bait casting reels. I’ve tried to put it on a spinning reel and it spun itself off.  Invizx, being castable fluorocarbon, is nearly invisible in the water and very abrasion resistant. It takes a lot of rubbing on the reef to get cut off by a fish but it also makes it hard to break off snags.  I use Invizx on my trolling reel and inshore casting reel.  Invizx only goes up to 25lb so I don’t use it on my plugging setup.

Line – Leader: Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon leader. I like that Blue Label is supple and easy to tie knots, and doesn’t seem to kink like some other brands.  I use 40lb Blue Label in place of wire leader when kaku are around and don’t think I’ve been cut off yet.

Hooks: When I lived in California, I’d go on party boat trips once or twice a year.  The guys would tell me that if you’re gonna spend the money for these trips you don’t want to lose a fish because your hook was too weak or too dull.  The “designer” hooks cost a little more but you know they are sticky sharp and won’t break on a fish.  I use a Gamakatsu Live Bait hook as the front hook on my double trolling rig because the short shank doesn’t extend out too far and make the bait look funny, and an Owner Flyliner hook on the rear hook because the longer shank will extend out of the fish and be easier to unhook. I pinch the barbs down because I often tag and release and it’ll be easier to pull out of my flesh. I replace my lure trebles with Owner Inline Singles for the front hooks and Owner 4X trebles for the rear hooks.  The designer hooks have a corrosion resistant coating and when they begin to rust I toss them.  Usually I lose them before that happens.  I started using the big VMC Tournament Circle hooks to fish big baits from my kayak’s rod holder.  They are strong and sharp and not as expensive as the Owner and Gamakatsu circle hooks.

Update April 2019: I now use VMC hooks in place of the designer brands wherever I can because they perform almost as well and are often close to half the price of the designer hooks.  My hookup ratio hasn’t seemed to suffer. Here’s an team review of the VMC 6X circle hooks and 4X treble hooks.

Lure Clips: Tactical Angler Power Clips.  These clips make it easy to slide in and out lures very quickly and the wide bend allows the lures to swing more freely than if tied directly to your leader. Haven’t lost a fish due to clip failure yet.

Weights.  I do use a special weight to whip and troll.  It’s my secret weapon.  Maybe I’ll reveal it later.

Swivels.  I don’t have a specific brand but I do try to use ball bearing swivels.  The bait casting reel doesn’t introduce line twist like a spinner does so I don’t have problems with tangles.

Lures – Whipping. I’m of the belief that the bait fish in Hawaii are small and shifty. Most of the plugs available domestically are larger than I prefer, or don’t cast well in the wind.  Friends and I have been using 1/2 to 3/4 ounce, 4 to 5 inch JDM lures that match our hatch, cast well and most float.  They are hard to obtain at a reasonable price but I’ll write more about them later.

Lures – Jigging.  Since the Japanese invented the Slow Pitch jigging technique it stands to reason that the JDM jigs are the best.  The jigs available locally work too, and I’ve had some amazing results with the Live Deception jig by Ahi USA.  I love jigging but don’t get to jig very often. Friends and I are still trying to get better at the sport.  All but the Live Deception, 4th from the top, are from Japan, but some were sold in the local tackle shops.

Landing Net: Promar ProFloat landing net.  It floats, it has tangle free mesh, an elastic lanyard and it’s cheap.  What more can you ask for?  It’s available in the tackle shops in town.

Gear Lanyards: I use various tethers on my tackle bag and kayak.  I really like the T-Reign Retractable Tether because it doesn’t leave loose cords around to get tangled in.  So far, after a few years of use, they haven’t corroded.  I use Boomerang Snips too and after years of use, if the retractable spring stops working I glue an attachment point and use the T-Reign tether to hold it to my bag. (see photo)

Waterproof Tackle Bag – Patagonia Stormfront Sling.  This bag is expensive, and the price has gone up twice since I purchased it 2  yrs ago.  But the main compartment really is waterproof and makes for worry-free wade and boat fishing, and easy cleanup. Patagonia honors their lifetime warranty. A zipper tab broke and they gave me a brand new sling bag after 2 yrs of use.  This time around I won’t be carrying bait for oama and stinking it up.

Fishing pliers: Rapala aluminum pliers.  All my previous “carbon steel” needle nose pliers have eventually rusted out and left corrosion stains in their sheaths.  These aluminum pliers shouldn’t rust but they are shorter than the ones they are replacing.  Hope they’re long enough to keep my fingers away from sharp teeth.

Aha (needlefish) safety video

By 6 Comments

The Hawaiian Needlefish, or aha, has been implicated in several stabbing incidents, a few fatal.  They tend to leap out of the water with their beak open, slashing anything in their path.  Those stabbed by the aha have found teeth in their infected wound.  I hate when they bite my lure or bait and I try to let them tire out before they get within range of assaulting me.  The big ones, called Blue Bone because they actually have blue bones, can be chunked and fried but I’m happy enough just to shake them off and set ’em free.

In this video, a little aha is about to ram my kayak but the landing net’s webbing intercepts it.  You can see that it had opened its mouth and is angrily slashing. It clamps down on the webbing and doesn’t let go until I remove the hook from its jaw.  Good thing I had taken my foot out of the water. They do make a few high speed initial runs and somersault all over the place.  Poor man’s marlin indeed but can leave a nasty wound.