Holoholo: Mid Season Whipping Report

August 18, 2022 By Scott Leave a Comment

Our JDM equipment expert and whipping enthusiast, Thad, provides a snapshot of how Oahu shoreline whipping has been going this year.

Thad: The whipping and plugging off-season had been painfully slow for me since the start of the new year. Plugging was completely ineffective and whipping with the bubble/fly setup was only slightly better. My fishing partner Dino and I began targeting other species on lures such as oio with some success. But whipping light to medium plugs and bubble/fly is our true passion so we kept at it with the hopes of getting lucky one weekend. Around the beginning of June, we began catching a few small papio in the 1 to 3lb range which indicated to us that the papio season may be just around the corner.

At this writing, it’s now mid-August and safe to say we are in the middle of the summer papio/ulua season – at least for the spots we go to. A little over a month ago, I took my first good dawn patrol strike of the year on a 45g Shimano Rockpop Slim popper from Japan. It ran for a good 10 seconds before spitting the hook but it was so exciting to know the big fish were coming around. Around late July, we decided to try a new spot that we’ve always been talking about. I committed myself to plugs that morning and resisted the urge to switch out to the more consistent bubble/fly setup. We started our normal dawn patrol session by reaching the spot before any light peeked over the horizon. I started with the cheap, but surprisingly effective Rockpop Slim. Just to give a background on why I use this lure – when plugging in the dark in an area with a rocky shoreline, I often can’t see where my lure is until it’s very close and this often causes me to snag and lose my lure in the rough surf zones. Rather than losing expensive lures to rocks I can’t see, I use the Rockpop Slim which is only a fraction of what my other lures cost. I change the stock hooks out to heavier and stronger Shout curve point trebles which also helps to keep the lure from skipping out of the water on the rod sweep.

We were casting our lures in the dark for a good 15 minutes when I felt it snag something. Knowing it couldn’t be the rocks since the lure was still a good way out, I immediately yanked back hard to set the hook. As the fish started its run, I set it several more times to make sure I had a solid hookset. The fish took a good amount of line on the first run but didn’t run much after that, which led me to prematurely declare to Dino that it felt like a 6-7lb fish.

As I fought the fish and leaned back on the rod, I realized it wasn’t coming in as easily as I thought. The fish gave me a couple of scares when it found some rocks to rub the line against but was soon in front of me and at the surface. A shine of the headlamp confirmed what we were hoping for – ulua! What a great way to kick off the season. Dino secured the fish for me just before a wave got there and we hurried back to an area with a calm tidepool to keep the fish in.

We quickly took a few pics, got a fork length measurement, applied a Pacific Island Fisheries Group tag into its back, and carefully released it back in the ocean.

Normally we’re used to one and done trips but this wasn’t one of them. The morning progressed and there was now enough light to see our lures in the water. Dino decided to switch to the bubble fly and whip in a whitewater area as I continued plugging the same spot, but this time with a 1.5oz Mark White. About half way into a retrieve, I see an ulua’s head break the surface, trying to hit the lure. It kept trying, back and forth, water flying everywhere until it finally managed to grab it about 30 yards from the rocks. I felt its power immediately as it peeled line from my reel at a much faster rate than the ulua I had caught earlier. And then it popped off. Nothing was wrong with the hook so I just have to assume the hook wasn’t able to set properly in the ulua’s bony jaw. I finished out the exciting morning with two more big explosions on topwater lures. We’ve been trying the past few weekends and have been getting a few big strikes and bent hooks but nothing like that first morning. A similar tide and moon phase is coming up so we’re hoping to be able to land another one soon.

Wondering how the testing of the 40g and 60g tungsten micro jigs is going?

August 12, 2022 By Scott 3 Comments

Small metal jigs have gotten popular with the shore whippers, kayak and boat fishers due to their versatility. No other type of lure can be casted so far and fished the entire water column.

The jigs made of lead and steel, shaped to imitate a fleeing, dying fish, definitely produce and are usually reasonably priced.

But there are times when you want the densest/heaviest jig in the smallest size available, to cast as far as you can, from shore, or sink as fast as you can while drifting on a kayak or boat. That’s when you need a jig made out of tungsten, which is almost twice as dense as lead. That means a lead jig of the same weight as a tungsten jig would be almost twice the size.

We first tested tungsten jigs in the 80g and 100g size and offered a few in the Store to see how they’d sell. Click this link to see what they looked like.

Since they sold so well (there’s a few 100g jigs left), we ordered smaller 40g and 60g tungsten jigs for the shore jiggers and kayakers targeting fish that want a smaller bait. A few guys have been testing them for almost a year now but I hadn’t gotten much feedback so I was concerned that they were duds.

Top row: Blue/Silver, bottom row: Green/Yellow

**Some examples of how to dress the jigs**

Instead I found out the kayakers were getting wreaked by fish too big for their small hooks (the jigs are 2.5″ and 2.75″ long), and the shore jiggers were quietly catching fish on the micro jigs. I haven’t jigged much in the last year and only have a picture of a small uku, but luckily Grant shot this video of a beautiful yellowspot papio he landed on a 60g tungsten jig. Thanks Grant!

Non-tungsten jigs definitely catch fish but when the preds are focused on tiny baits like oama and nehu, it’s good to have the micro jigs handy. The jigs have proven to glow for a long time and be scratch resistant so we’ll put them on sale in the Store soon. Just wanted to ensure we were providing a great product at a fair price. Stay tuned!

Update 2/5/24. Dropped the 60g tungsten jig over some good marks. Check out what happened!

Spring 2022 Shore to Boat Fishing Report and Summer Forecast

June 7, 2022 By Scott 4 Comments

The guys quickly summarize how fishing has been in the Spring, and what they expect in the next few months. Spring is normally a slow time before the bite picks up in the late Summer/Fall so it’s interesting to see how the different fisheries have performed.

Matt, Oahu whipper: The Papio fishing has been pretty good as of late, and the O’io action has been great since March. It’s sometimes frustrating to see crowds of fishers in my usual spots, but I’ve been moving to other areas and exploring new grounds. I was rewarded for my trouble two weeks ago with a three-hour O’io blitz in which I caught nine fish ranging from one to eight pounds.

Since late March, I’ve caught more O’io than I caught in all of last year but there’s signs that the action will start to slow down. While I wasn’t able to get out this weekend, there were multiple reports that the usual spots were completely dry. Perhaps the action has to get worse before it gets better again.

However, the Papio action seems to have picked up recently, with a bunch of my friends being able to land some nice fish. There are one or two spots with Halalu in right now, and just a few more with Oama, so try to get in on the Papio action while you still can. We can hope that this first wave will be refreshed by the usual June-July run, but it is uncertain. Good luck out there and tight lines!

Jeremy, shore jigger:

(click to enlarge)

Every year, I like to set a fishing goal for myself. This year, I’m really trying to get an ulua on a jig on a lighter setup (PE2 mainline or less), so I’ve spent a lot of time this year primarily focusing on this tactic.

The year started strong with some massive strikes that couldn’t be stopped. But, from around March till May, the action was relatively slow. Some of our usual spots that used to be pretty consistent, have been fairly quiet and only a few fish caught here and there. So we did some exploring and have found a couple new spots that have been pretty hot. We’ve found some schools of papio up to the 3# range, so hopefully that’s a good sign for the upcoming summer months.

If you’ve never tried jigging from shore, it can be really fun, but get expensive in a hurry. Besides the obvious challenges of possibly getting stuck on the reef, knot getting caught on your guides and snapping your line on the cast, you also have the risk of getting cutoff a lot. In just the past few weeks, I’ve lost about a $100 worth of jigs from fish cutting me off on the reef.

But, I love jigging since it allows you to work the entire water column and you will take strikes at any and every depth. Sometimes the strike will be when the jig is falling or right when it hits bottom, or it could be at the very surface. You just never know and that’s the best part about it. Just be ready for that sudden tug and hopefully luck is on your side. Good luck to everyone. Hopefully it’ll be a HOT summer.

Shea, Big Island offshore kayaker: In April, ono and mahi were biting. Opelu was somewhat plentiful. In May the opelu was hit or miss. The pelagic bite really slowed. Hoping the bite picks up soon but realistically Fall is the peak season.

BJ, Oahu night whipper:

Whipping at night has been productive since the beginning of the year. The menpachi and aholehole have been good sized, biting well, and have been around in high numbers. Papio are also coming up occasionally. Night fishing should continue to be effective throughout the summer and into the early fall, especially as the presence of bait fish fill the shoreline.

Scott, Oahu offshore kayaker:

Wind limited the number of fishable days in the last 2 months and the bite was still slow when guys could get out. Opelu has been sighted recently but they aren’t biting well. Kawakawa and small mahi mahi have been the most common catch. Ono have recently been landed.

This is the NOAA water temperature graph of inshore Kaneohe Bay last year, from May through December. Because of the placement of the sensor, the recorded temps are higher than the deeper areas of the bay. Temps rose before the end of May, to 83.5 deg F which was actually the peak for the year. That may explain why the offshore kayak fishing picked up before June and remained somewhat consistent until the water temps really dropped off in November, falling to 74 degrees. By the end of November, the bite really slowed down. Since this year is a La Nina year like last year, the water temps may follow the same pattern so I’m expecting the bite to pick up soon as the water warms!

Erik, inshore and offshore Oahu boater: Bite seems to be picking up offshore. A lot of guys have been getting ahi recently. We’ve found smaller cane-size mahi (5-8lb) nearer and aku piles further out. The opelu bite was good in the mid-morning but the size of opelu was on smaller side. Overall the bite seems to be picking up and should hit its stride in the Summer.

Holoholo: Whipping at Night for Menpachi and Āholehole

May 25, 2022 By Scott 7 Comments

Aloha! My name is BJ Hosaka, and I have been an avid reader of the Hawaii Nearshore Fishing blog since I was a freshman in high school. The types of fishing I enjoy doing are: whipping at night for red fish, dunking for oio on the flats, dunking at night for small game, and live baiting oama for papio. I enjoy writing and wanted to share some of what I have learned during my fishing journey. Growing up when I was learning how to fish, I did not have anyone in my life to teach me. One of the ways that I learned how to fish was through this blog (Scott and the other fisherman who have shared their stories and tips). I hope is to do the same and bless others through the sport of fishing.

Over the past couple of years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to fish at night for ʻāholehole and menpachi with a friend of mine, whom I met through my girlfriend’s family. He has been whipping at night since he was a young kid. He has refined and perfected his technique, learning over the years how to consistently catch fish. In this guest post, I’d like to share with you some of the information, tips, and techniques that I have learned from him.

Here are some key factors and tips to keep in mind when whipping for menpachi/ ʻāholehole at night:

Find Structure: Menpachi, ʻāholehole, and ‘āweoweo are cave fish. They hide in boulders, ledges, and under rocks during the day and come out at night to feed. Fish where there is a lot of structure: healthy reefs, boulders, break walls, rocks with sand pockets. Even if you don’t necessarily see them during the day, they might be there at night.

Track the tide and moon phase: The moon and tides play a significant role in how and when night fish feed. Generally, we will fish on a rising tide near the new and full moon. However, some spots may only be productive on a full moon, some are productive only on a dark moon, and others may be productive during both. The tide is similar; some spots may be good at low tide while others may be productive at high tide (or anything in between). It is important to track your catches and see when the fish bite best.

Finding the strike zone: ʻāholehole and menpachi tend to feed in the mid- to upper-water column when fishing from shore. To be in the most productive zone, figure out how to get your bait in their strike zone. If the water is shallow, you may want to use a bubble float or light hammer bomb to fish where they are actively feeding and to prevent getting your line stuck. If the water is deeper, you can use a heavier hammer bomb, golf ball, or lead in order to fish the mid-water column.

Choosing the right lure: With the plethora of lures and bait out there (e.g., flies, grubs, worms, and strips), it can be hard to choose the right lures to use. Although night fish will bite anything when hungry, if you want to consistently catch fish, it can be helpful to present a lure that matches what they are actively feeding on. Here’s a tip: ʻāholehole and menpachi feed on small shrimp, plankton, worms, and small crustaceans. Do your best to find a lure that looks similar to these. While red fish and ʻāholehole will bite non-glow lures, we have found our best luck with small lures that glow.

Using Bait: We often bring bait as back up when lures aren’t effective. We have caught menpachi on aku belly, shrimp, sand turtles, ika, cut ʻōpelu, and cut akule; but will rarely hook ʻāholehole with bait.

Hook size/ Leader line/ Leader length: We generally will use MZ hooks sizes 10-14. We tend to get more bites on smaller hooks, especially from ʻāholehole. For the leader line, we’ll use anything between a 4 and 10 lb test fluorocarbon. Similar to smaller hooks, lighter line will generally produce the most bites, especially in heavily fished areas. We run a long leader (9-11’), but you can use whatever you are most comfortable with to cast.

Surf (Tip for ʻāholehole): ʻāholehole like the surge. They are generally found in the areas where waves tend to break and areas with some surge/whitewater.

Slow Retrieval: For ʻāholehole and red fish, we use a very slow retrieval (reeling as slowly as we can). I’ve been taught that the lure or bait should slowly glide through the water, giving ample opportunity for the fish to strike as night fish will generally feed on slow moving prey.

Time of year: Because the presence of bait is steady year-round, menpachi and ʻāholehole can consistently be caught throughout the year.

Night Fishing Safely: Fish with a partner at night and be aware of your surroundings. Bring a headlight with extra batteries, tabis if fishing in reefy/rocky areas, and always check the weather before you head out.

-BJ

Spring bait fish report

April 15, 2022 By Scott 11 Comments

It’s the middle of April, and back a few years before the seasons got all “kapakahi” (uneven, unpredictable), sardines and iao would come into the shallows during the spring, and oama would begin to trickle in late July. The last couple of years didn’t have much of these very important shoreline bait fish, and thus, the shore fishing was slow.

Well, large schools of iao have been spotted on the west and east sides of Oahu and hopefully will draw in the shoreline predators. An unexpected large school of medium sized oama was spotted a month ago on the east side but hasn’t been seen since. The oama were running into my legs because unseen predators were harassing them.

Offshore, the opelu schools have been hit or miss, depending when and where you went, but if you caught some, they’ve been deadly for mahi, kawakawa, shibi and even the occasional ono.

These early indicators hint of a more “normal” summer season. What do you guys think?

Holoholo: February – March Shoreline Report

March 12, 2022 By Scott 8 Comments

Dedicated shore fisher Matthew shares his observations of the way Winter has transitioned into Spring, updating the general report posted last month.

Matthew:

It’s been getting slower and slower recently for the vast majority of people. Personally, this winter was among the best that I’ve ever enjoyed, and the bite was consistently great. However, spring has come and the fish appear to have left for “greener pastures”. A lot of people whom I know have switched to fishing on completely different sides of the island, which has rewarded them handsomely. However, being limited to fishing only Oahu’s south shore has really shown me how vulnerable my chances are. It’s been getting increasingly difficult to find any fish on the flats and on the reefs.

Often, when I do catch an Oio, it’s only a small one (three or four pounds), not the larger ones that many Oio fishermen pursue (five pounds or larger). The Papio bite wasn’t ever really good to begin with, but it was passable. Come spring, it has completely died. Even during the first hour of sunrise and the last hour of sunset, there appears to be no sign of the Papio that would regularly navigate our waters. Normally, this would be attributed to cooling water temperatures and the lack of bait fish near shore, but this year appears to be significantly worse than those of the past.

The people I know that have been shore jigging have been striking out equally as much. The bubble and fly method has also not been successful for the people that I know. However, people on boats have been having great luck recently (maybe that’s where the fish went?) with many fish such as Uku, Ulua, and Pelagics.

So, unless you can shell out the money for a boat, stay put on shore and grind out the next few weeks or months. I suspect that as the water temperatures rise, the baitfish come in, and summer arrives, the fish will also come around. Please also erase Kona winds forever (nobody likes them).

For now, people that have been dabbling in UL (ultralight) fishing have been relatively successful, as well as the freshwater game. If you want to grind out the flats game (I probably will), you’re more than welcome to, but don’t expect much. The same goes for whipping for Papio and other inshore predators. Until the water heats up and the baitfish arrive, I’d expect things to remain much the same. If you’re a ulua fisherman (sliding or baitcasting), now’s that time of the year where all the big ones come up. Quite a few large Ulua have been landed in the past month, and perhaps there’s a 100+ pounder waiting out there somewhere.

Good luck, stay safe, and just have fun!

Shoreline to boat, the doldrums had set in! What to expect in coming months.

February 20, 2022 By Scott 10 Comments

Every year, there are a few months when the bite comes to a grinding halt. The slowdown is normally exacerbated by cold fronts dropping the water temps quickly, but this year, the water has stayed relatively warm at about 75 – 77 degrees and yet it’s been super duper slow since mid-January for the shore guys out to the boat guys.

We’ve had stretches of very calm water which actually slowed the bite even more. The less desirables, above, although tasty, bit because nothing else would.

Inshore

The papio at heavily fished spots probably won’t be in until the end of May at the earliest. According to the late Jim Rizzuto’s Fishing Forecast, it’s also a slow period for moi and ulua but the aholehole bite should be good. Papio and ulua should improve in April. Kaku is a wildcard, according to Mr Rizzuto.

Best bet: The guys fishing for oio with bait and lures (flies and small weighted jigs) have been doing well lately. Get in the water and get it to where they are feeding, for your best shot at the silver bullets.

Kayak

Bait has been hard to locate and catch, and if you’ve been lucky enough to have live bait, they generally went unmolested. Even the bottom fishing has been slow. Mr Rizutto’s forecast says that uku is normally slow until April, but Mahi normally return in March and some were actually caught this week. Kawakawa should be around now, though we haven’t heard of much.

Best bet: Fish the best conditions (low visibility, good current, some chop on the water) with the liveliest, freshest baits and drop down to where the fish are holding.

Boat

Winter/Spring trolling season hasn’t been too good. Some billfish and aku have been caught but not in great numbers, and the mahi and ono haven’t really shown in consistent numbers yet. Just this past week, there’ve been reports of large shibi/small ahi off the west and south side of Oahu, but the bite has been on and off. The Deep 7 snappers are biting but nabeta has been slow. Sailfish and kawakawa should bite through April according to Mr Rizzuto.

Best bet: Plan to round out the day by bottom fishing with the best baits and conditions possible. Things hopefully pick up in March.

Holoholo: The Heartbreak of Buying the Wrong JDM Reel

February 18, 2022 By Scott 4 Comments

Kawika Chee is an ultralight JDM obsessive who loves when random people message him about anything related to light tackle. He takes a light hearted yet educational stab at clarifying some of the mystique of JDM reel specs.

Kawika:

When it comes to labeling reels and lines, Japan and the United States are still at war. Thousands of stateside anglers have been burned by the disparate language and rating system used on the Japanese market – but instead of counting up these various and sundry disasters, I will focus on the case of angler we will call “N. C.” and his 700 dollar JDM reel/line buy gone wrong. After all, a single bad purchase is a tragedy – a thousand; a mere statistic.

N.C. is a highly experienced offshore fisherman and gear fanatic with two 100+ ulua on his resume – and with respect to this purchase, this turned out to be a bad thing. The over-confidence from a lifetime of handling prize fish, fast rods and faster women blinded him to the mistakes he would eventually make. But he was not up against an easy task – when I look over our conversations, I count 39 texts discussing prospective JDM buys – and this was also in consultation with a local JDM-only gear dealer and the most knowledgeable Japanese-speaking angler I know. The fact that this tragic buy could happen after so much discussion speaks to the difficulty of parsing the constellation of options the Japanese market presents. This does not even consider the difficulty of getting a Japanese reel serviced, as Shimano America will not touch them.

N.C. wanted a high-end 3000 size Shimano reel that almost no one else on-island would have. Though this article takes a joking – perhaps even abusive – stance toward the man, he does get style points for choosing the JDM Shimano Excense. Placed between the Stella and the Twin Power in price point, this all-black beauty has garnered an excellent reputation in its short time on the market – especially among Japanese sea bass fishermen for which the reel was purpose-built. NC ordered the 3000 MHG model, intending to use it with 10lb test Daiwa J-braid (PE 1.5). He assumed that the spool would have the same capacity as American 3k spools. Unfortunately, “M” stands for Medium depth spool – by which they mean “stupid shallow” – less than 140 yards of line.

The Jet-black JDM Shimano Excense c3000 MHG pairs beautifully with the utilitarian look of this shocking white PE 1.5 (comparable to J-braid #10) Unfortunately, it’s medium-depth spool (the “M” in “ MHG” will hold less than 140 yards of it

We are at risk of making bad JDM reel buys for two main reasons: A JDM reel of a particular size will often come in a large variety of different sub-models which differ from each other in spool depth and speed of retrieve (gear ratio). Now this is critically important: the names of the reels come in this form: (model name)(model generation) (body size)(size) (spool depth)(gear ratio). So, a Shimano Soare 3000 of the XR generation (generations are named arbitrarily to distinguish older and newer models) with a compact body, high gear ratio, super shallow spool would be the “Soare XR c3000 SSHG”. The complexity of this naming system is a peek into the Japanese mind and a reminder that there is a very fine line between genius and madness.

On spool depth, Shimano Japan reels come in Super Super Shallow (SSS), Super Shallow (SS), Shallow (S), Medium (M – and still very shallow for our purposes) and Deep (indicated by the absence of any spool notation). The Japanese seem to prefer shallower spools for most light applications for several reasons – one is that you don’t need as much expensive Japanese braid to fill it. Another is that casting distance is improved by larger spool sizes due to reduced friction as line comes off the spool. The last is that as line comes off the spool during a fight the drag tension increases due to the reduced diameter of the coil of line on the spool – large diameter shallow reels do not have as much of a problem with that.

These spool depth disparities are HUGE. For example, a 1000 deep spool will accommodate more line than a 2500 shallow. In an extreme case, the 500s spool will accommodate only 90 yards of 2lb fluorocarbon – and an American 500 may hold 190 yards. To my knowledge, all Shimano light reel spools in the US are equivalent to the Japanese deep spool – but in Japan, deep spools are not even available in reel sizes under 3000. This all necessitates that you get a sense of PE line diameter so that you can be sure you will have enough capacity for your purposes – we will discuss this later in this article.

All new light Shimano reels above 1000 size in the US come in two relatively high gear ratios – HG (high gear) or XG (extremely high gear). However, to these options Shimano Japan adds Power Gear (PG – very low/slow) and a regular gear ratio (no notation – but between HG and XG). It is worth noting that very large American Shimano offshore reels do have PG options for cranking in the toughest pelagics.

In what I regard as an almost criminal move, some Shimano reels even come in a high-end and lower-end version – different reels entirely; the lower-end model often distinguished by the letters “bb”.

This spool capacity confusion also happened in part because NC was not conversant in the most consistent and useful measure of braided line – “PE rating, which is the standard in Japan and the best stat to read to determine the true diameter, and, by extension, strength of Japanese braid. PE stands for “Polyethylene” which refers to braid. To get a sense of numbers using a familiar braid which is actually rated in PE, Daiwa J-braid 6,8, and 10 are labeled as PE 0.6, 1.0, and 1.5 respectively. Most American market braids, including Shimano’s own Power Pro, are not labeled in PE, and seem to be rated in strength arbitrarily. If NC had known about PE and had read the capacity of the MHG in PE rating, this could have been avoided entirely.

To complicate this further, when JDM braids list their strength in pounds, they generally use a different metric than pound test – max breaking strength – which is often used internationally including in Europe. This rating is often double what we may expect from the line if rated in pound test – a JDM braid labeled as 8lb breaking strength may only be as strong as what we would expect from an American braid labeled at 4 pound test.

These two lines, labeled for sale on the Japan/international market and the US market, respectively, are actually the exact same product. Note that the JDM box gives a weight of 19 pounds while the US version lists 8 pounds. This demonstrates that “pound test” in American lines and “max breaking strength” in Japanese lines are not comparable.

So deep is this confusion that my favorite local store stopped selling JDM Major Craft Dangan Braid because frustrated customers were breaking the tiny lines they expected to be much stronger. Spiderwire is one of the few American braids labeled in both pound test and max breaking strength, for example, four and fourteen. This confusion led Nick to purchase 8lb max strength PE 0.4 – what we may estimate at about 4lb test for a 3000 size reel paired with a rod capable of throwing 1 1/4 ounces!

NC had finally found a line small enough to fit 240 yards onto the JDM “shallow” spool of the Twin Power c2000SHG. Unfortunately this PE 0.25 is also approximately 1/4 the strength of PowerPro 5lb test, and without the stretch and abrasion resistance of Mono, the future looks bleak for this already sad man.

Up to this point I have concealed NCs identity to avoid shaming him. But my anger at him has built during the writing of this article and justice demands that I reveal that he is Nicolas Keoki Chang of 1322 Kinau St Unit 2, Social Security *** ** 4772. As much as teasing as there has been so far, this is written out of concern and care. Given the price of JDM reels and the difficulty of servicing and returning them, it’s really more important than usual to take pay close attention when parsing this information before clicking. Or, you could take best overall approach and the one I stick to myself – just don’t buy them at all.

Holoholo: 2021 Oahu Shore Fishing Recap

January 6, 2022 By Scott 4 Comments

Die-hard shore whipper Matthew reviews the past year is such rich detail, it’s hard to believe he’s *just” a 10th grader.

Matthew: 2021 was an interesting year. Whether you’re glad or sad that it’s over, Happy 2022, and may this year be better than those in the past. In terms of fishing, it was a very up and down year. Meaning, when it was good, it was great, but when it was bad, it was BAD. For some reason, there was no in-between in 2021. In the summer of 2021 (after many months of horrendous fishing), a rather unexpected surge of big fish took the fishing community by surprise. More big fish were being pulled up than ever before, and many benefited from this uncommon event. I landed my personal best papio, then again, then again, and then again. In other words, they just kept getting bigger. The oio bite was also flourishing, and many took those opportunities. The Halalu run may have been one of the best in the past couple of years. However, the Oama run arrived late, and when it did, it was rather underwhelming.

But, the summer of 2021 was amazing. It warmed the hearts of many fishermen whose fruitless spring efforts had finally paid off. It was by far my best summer and according to some of my friends, their best summer as well. Too bad summer can’t last forever…

Once August closed out, so did the bite. Just like a switch was flicked, the Papio bite suddenly turned dry, all but one oio spot (for me) dried up completely, and the bad weather started to pour in. In fact, that bad weather still is plaguing many fishermen currently (written 1/2/22). The after effects of this current storm will probably leave the flats muddy and unfishable for at least a week or two. It may change the structure of some spots, shifting sand and mud to places they weren’t before.

Anyways, that one last Oio spot that I continued to hit until probably around November dried up eventually, and so did my hopes of landing my personal best before the end of the year. I tried moving to different spots, but all I could really find were rats, with maybe one 5# oio mixed in every once in a while. The Papio bite continued to stymie anyone’s efforts who actually bothered to try. Many were hoping for a change of pace in December, and that’s what they got. It got even worse. December may have been the worst month of fishing that I have ever experienced. I was able to pull a few Oio out of it, but absolutely nothing in terms of Papio. Many of my friends shared the same struggles as I did.

So, new year, new fish? Maybe? I still haven’t gone fishing yet this year due to the thunderstorms. ****I will go fishing in any amount of rain and wind, still stubbornly casting away, but the moment thunder is heard, I don’t want anything to do with it. Don’t mess with thunderstorms if you’re holding something that’s basically a lightning conductor in your hand.****

Hopefully we’ll see reason to believe that 2022 will be a better year for fishing. Whatever happens, the summer of 2021 will go down as one of the best summers for fishing ever, if not the best, and the winter will go down as one of the worst. Maybe 2022 is due for a little more consistency (it really does owe us some!). Have fun out there, stay safe, and tight lines.

Sufix 832 has been restocked, 8lb to 40lb

October 7, 2021 By Scott Leave a Comment

Sufix 832, arguably the best braid you can buy in the U.S., is always out of stock in the summer. It’s finally available from the supplier, so we have a good assortment of pound tests and colors, at our regular very low prices but not many of each. Click here to get yours before it sells out.

Holoholo: Summer big papio action was red hot – will it continue?

August 19, 2021 By Scott 2 Comments

If you haven’t been working the grounds this summer, Matthew tells you what you missed and what you can expect to happen in the next few months.

Matthew: Summer is now pretty much just a memory, and the action is unfortunately starting to slow down. I expect that we might only have a few weeks left of decent fishing before the action reverts back to levels commonly experienced during the winter months. The saving grace for the remainder of the season could be the arrival of the Oama, which still have not fully arrived inshore yet. Many are struggling to find schools of Oama and I personally only know of a few. Those few are not big schools and are not really biting too well.

For bait fishermen, the numerous Halalu piles over the course of the last month or so have served as Papio magnets, and those fishermen have been quite successful. However, some of those piles have been netted or just left without warning. The few piles that remain are guaranteed to be crowded and not so fun to fish. Without the Halalu piles to draw in the fish, and with the Oama still being nowhere to be found, there won’t be much incentive for Papio to come inshore. Sure, there will always be a few Papio hunting for smaller reef fish and Lizardfish, but unless the Oama come in, there definitely won’t be as much action as we saw in July and the first week of August.

In general, the fish have been dead set on biting at true dawn and true dusk, with not much action between those times. I’ve been getting the vast majority of my action from 530-630 A.M. and 630-730 P.M. Pretty much all of my trips have produced no action for the “junker” time, but then had one or two bites from a bigger fish towards the “better” time period. Unfortunately I got to experience the sting of a bunch of total whitewash trips over the last two weeks, something that didn’t happen to me during June and July, except for maybe a few times.

I think that it is still a good idea to squeeze a few more Papio out of this season before the action goes completely dead. After all, it will take a few weeks to make the full transition to “winter fishing” again. But after the action dies down, it may be a good idea to reconsider other types of fishing. Freshwater fishing is a year-round option, as well as Oio fishing, Moi fishing (when in season), and other small game alternatives (reds, reef fish, nenue, kala). Of course, you can still fish for the straggler Papio as well.

This summer was definitely the best season that I’ve ever experienced, with several big Papio caught and many smaller ones. A few of my friends also had great success fishing for big Papio as well. Overall the year so far has provided much more action than the previous one, so perhaps this winter will hold more fish than in the past. Stay safe out there, have fun, and good luck fishing!

Go gettum! -Matt

Holoholo: Papio Palooza at the Old Stomping Grounds

July 19, 2021 By Scott 1 Comment

Big Island kayak angler Shea (IG: @shea_ue, YouTube: Affordable Wahoo) shares an incredible early morning shore whipping bite. There’s even an action packed video capturing most of the retrieves and strikes! Sounds like the papio are in, and are hungry!

Shea: My friend and I got to the grounds just at 5:15 AM, just as it was getting light enough to see the heavy offshore rains on the horizon. I was armed with my light shore casting setup: Okuma Hawaiian Custom 9’0 medium paired with a Daiwa Fuego LT 3000 spooled with 12lb Fireline braid. We were both using plastic casting bubbles and some craft fur “deceiver” patterns that I tied back in 2019. This was the first time in over a year that either of us had been to the area so we weren’t sure what to expect. The plan was to just see what was biting practice catch and release.

It was still pretty dark when I made my first cast out over the reef’s edge. I retrieved it with my favorite pop-pause action, using short downward sweeps of the rod to chug the bubble forwards a couple feet, then reeling to pick up the slack. Something exploded on the fly just as it was passing over the drop-off about 30 feet out. After a brief but intense battle, I scrambled down the rocks to the waters edge and landed a healthy 15 inch white papio (juvenile Giant Trevally). It had inhaled my fly, but after some finagling with my pliers, I sent the fish home with a good release. A couple casts later, another smaller white papio around 9 inches long grabbed the fly way out in the deep and came in without much of a struggle. My friend landed her first fish of the day, an 8 or 9 inch omilu (Bluefin Trevally) a few minutes later. This was also her first ever papio on a fly!

We kept moving along and working the edge of the reef and it wasn’t long before I took another strike just as I was bringing my fly into some structure. This fish felt a little bigger and pulled drag as it dove over the edge and I could immediately feel the grating of my leader against rocks. Luckily, the fish decided to change direction and unpinned itself from the bottom. A couple minutes later, I was able to slide an ~16-17 inch white papio onto the rocks, work the hook out from the corner of its jaw, and nose dive it back into the water. My 8-foot 25lb test Mason soft monofilament leader was pretty scraped up, so I decided to retie.

On the very next cast, a scrappy 11 inch omilu inhaled the fly and came in pretty easily after a short run. I couldn’t believe how fired up the fish were over this fly! I had tried using it at this exact spot a few times back in early 2020, but didn’t hook anything but a few aha (needlefish). Baitfish such as halalu, sardines, and nehu are much more abundant this time of year, so perhaps that helps explain it.

The wind picked up and we decided to change up the game a bit and re-rigged with 10lb J-line fluorocarbon leader, a size 3 “aji” hook, and soft plastic glitter strips. We used the tailwind to bomb casts way out there for a half hour or so, missing a few strikes and landing a couple small lai (Doublespotted Queenfish). My friend lost the glitter strip I gave her on a cast, then found a Campania grub on the ground and landed a 9 or 10 inch omilu on it. Way to improvise!

The big lai weren’t cooperating, so I changed back to the fly and a couple casts later, had the most explosive strike of the day as a white papio almost went airborne on the lure in 3 feet of water. It did the usual strategy of diving right over the dropoff, but this time I held the rod tip as high as I could and managed to keep the line off the rocks. I think this was the largest one of the morning, somewhere around 18-19 inches long and very healthy. This fish really surprised me, as it was already 7:30 AM and I’m used to the white papio bite stopping right after sunrise. Sometimes it pays off to wake up early and just go even when it’s cold and rainy, because you never know when you’ll be in the right place at the right time!

Here’s the video capturing all the action.

Tight lines and fish responsibly everybody!

-Shea

Holoholo: Papio action is heating up!

June 9, 2021 By Scott 10 Comments

Matthew is back with a very timely shore fishing update.

Matthew: It’s only been a few weeks since I wrote my last post, but a lot has happened since then. Like flipping a switch, the Papio bite has turned on all of a sudden and is excellent as of now. All of my friends have caught Papio on their last trip or two and most of the time have caught more than one per trip.

I was pretty dead set on fly fishing a few weeks ago, and landed another nice Oio which was my second on the fly rod, but then the weather report for Sunday presented some not-so-ideal weather conditions. High winds, cloud cover, and a fast rising tide would have made it extremely difficult to sight fish. I decided to go check out an old Papio spot, and was treated to a nice Papio on my very first cast. Welcome back to Papio whipping. I hooked up to three more that day but lost them all, but was still satisfied with the one Papio.

A few days later, I went Papio fishing at the same spot and was treated to the best day I’ve had whipping. I landed seven Omilu ranging from 11-15 inches, had many more spit the hook, and saw countless chases and boils. This is probably an average day for someone fishing on another island, but for two hours on Oahu, it was a “once-a-year” kind of trip.

Fly fishing was now completely tossed to the curb and I was now hooked on Papio fishing once again, my old passion. I was invited to my friend’s beach house for dinner and I figured, why not bring my pole just in case? Sure enough, I had some time and I threw a few casts at an area that I was completely unfamiliar with. As dusk approached, I was able to land my biggest Papio in a few months, which put up a great fight.

The next Sunday, I had a chance to go with two guys I’ve been fishing with for a while now, and hit up one of the old spots. We had yet another good day. I landed a Papio and a Lai, one guy landed three Papio, and one guy lost one and had a bunch of bites.

So, enough of that… But what about predictions? So far, this season is looking like it is going to be an above average season, and it’s been looking like it for a few weeks now. The Halalu and sardines are in a select few spots that I know of and the Oama are starting to make their appearance at some of my spots too. I’ve been seeing some Iao on the flats, which almost always means that predators will be drawn towards shallower waters. Other fishermen have been sharing similar results to our catches and have been reporting the same uptick in bait sightings. Hopefully this year will make up for last summer’s subpar action.

In summary, the season is just starting, but if you haven’t gotten out fishing yet, now’s the chance. I’d guess that the good fishing will last until mid-August, and then by October the bite will probably be dead or at least slow again. Stock up on summer gear, stay safe, have fun, catch some fish, and I’ll catch you on the next report??

Big fish returned to the South Shore and one tried to eat my uku

May 30, 2021 By Scott 4 Comments

It’s been a few months since I’ve checked my “big fish” South Shore spot. The last two times the only critters present were little bait stealers. Boaters had been getting ono and mahi mahi on the troll recently so the plan was to get out, catch opelu and troll ’em up out to 300ft. Unfortunately the few bait marks didn’t bite so I paddled around with the Bixpy motor assisting me, and nothing bothered my 8″ frozen opelu. Since the water was so flat, I went out to a spot about a mile away from my normal grounds, that held tackle busting ulua in the past.

Before I reached the spot I saw some promising marks and dropped the frozen opelu down. Felt some hard pulls and something ran hard with the bait. I thought it was a small shark but it settled into a familiar jerky fight. A long, skinny uku surfaced but had some fresh wounds past its dorsal fin. Something left a 6 inch bite mark, biting down from the dorsal fin towards its tail. Maybe that’s why the fight was so intense early on. What grabbed it wasn’t that toothy since the uku wasn’t shredded, so we’re thinking big ulua.

I drifted around that area, but nothing wanted another opelu or jig. On my way back to my regular grounds something really heavy ate my opelu and didn’t want to budge. I eventually broke it off and lost the rest of my baits, including live moana, to bait stealers too small to eat my big hooks.

The uku was 22″ and only 5.5lb because it was a male that had spawned out. It was pretty busted up on the outside but luckily the bite marks didn’t enter the prime meat.

Water temp was 76.5 degrees, up from 74 degrees two months ago. That’s still a little cold for May, but on its way up to the peak temps of 84+ degrees in the summer. The big fish are back but the opelu are really hard to catch now.

2021 Early Inshore Season Predictors

May 4, 2021 By Scott 11 Comments

Early last year, even before the Covid shutdowns sent folks recreating in nearshore waters in droves, we noticed that the inshore bite was slower than normal and bait fish were absent. 2020 turned out to be one of the lousiest fishing years in recent memory and fruit crops like mango were lacking also. We at Hawaii Nearshore Fishing believe that was primarily due to the affect of the La Nina weather phenomena, which cooled the ocean water temps and changed the direction of ocean and wind currents.

Good news is the effects of La Nina should be dissipating very soon, and we expect this year to be a transition year to normalcy. Fruit trees seem to have more flowers than normal, leading to more fruit. Already, more early season papio have been caught than last year.

We don’t expect the oama / papio season to be as epic at the 2015 and 2015 El Nino years but we do expect fishing to be better than last year. Stay tuned for a more in depth oama prediction as indicators become clearer.

-scott

Holoholo: Whipping weighted flies for oio

April 25, 2021 By Scott 9 Comments

There was so much interest in the art of bouncing small lures for oio that Matthew decided to share how he transitioned from papio whipping to retrieving lures excruciatingly slow.

Matthew:

It was probably somewhere around December when I was a little annoyed about how dead and slow the Papio action was. I was doing everything right but getting no results at all. It isn’t like me to give up Papio fishing, but desperate times require desperate measures. I weighed my options at trying different styles of fishing, those that an average fisherman like me could do, some of which included shore jigging, plugging, ultralight fishing, and oio fishing. I tried shore jigging with a friend of mine who had the idea of shore jigging down pretty well, and that didn’t go so well. After a few trips I decided I didn’t like that kind of fishing, and I quickly decided that plugging was going to be even slower than regular papio fishing. My ultralight rod was broken, so I decided not to try fishing with a half-broken ultralight rod. I decided to try my luck at Oio fishing. I’m kind of a fisherman who doesn’t use bait, not because I don’t like the smell or the hassle of getting it, but because I just like the challenge of catching a fish on a lure, where it’s more of a challenge. I’d seen pictures of many Oio that a few guys were catching on lures, and I thought, “well, it can’t really be that hard, can it?”. I headed out to a spot that I knew pretty well with a bunch of misplaced confidence. Turns out, it was really that hard and the guys were just making it look easy. Catching Oio on lures was not easy. I must have gone almost ten times before I decided that it wasn’t for me and I shelved the idea for later. I returned to fishing for Papio.

It also turns out that going back to fishing for Papio was just like banging my head against the wall over and over again, and in the three months that passed trying for papio, I only landed a measly 12 incher. I decided to stop banging my head against the wall and considered trying for Oio with lures again. With a few tips from Jeremy (see his recommendations) whom I’d been messaging on Instagram for a while, I headed back out to the spot again, with newborn confidence, which once again… was misplaced. I went on a few more trips being completely whitewashed. I decided not to give up this time and instead take a more strategic approach this time. I looked on google maps and tried to find the areas that looked best within the spot, areas that just looked “fishy”. I marked them on the map and looked for landmarks that could help me find the spot once I was out there. The next trip, I tried the spots, running through a few, until I tried a sandy channel that I had marked on the map. I casted and thought I was hung up on more seaweed for a second, as it was coming in with little resistance. Then, I felt the kick of a tail and my reel started screaming. I’d finally hooked the fish that I had been chasing for months. It put up a spirited fight and I landed a… small three pounder. Damn! These things fight harder than they actually weigh. I tried marking more spots on the map and went more times, failing for a few trips before finally hooking a nice seven pound Oio on the lure. It put up a really good fight and eventually surrendered. I was stoked, and it was my new personal best at the time.

I was wondering if I could get any more distance on my casts, as I felt that I wasn’t getting enough distance with my papio whipping rod (you have to use light lures for Oio to not spook them). I bought a lighter whipping rod from a friend and went out to another spot I hadn’t tried in two years. I waded out to a sandy channel that looked good on google maps and bam! First cast I had a nice Oio on. It put up a real good fight on the lighter whipping rod and my lure was casting further, so I was like, “yeah, this was the right decision”. I kept marking places on the map that looked fishy and put a mark wherever I caught a fish.

Eventually, after a few more trips, I landed two more nice Oio before hooking into a really nice Oio on the light rod, which put up an awesome fight. It was probably one of the longest fights I’ve ever had, lasting around fifteen minutes. After taking a monster first run and bringing me down to my mono filler line, I was able to gain some line back before it just took all of it out again. I had to chase the fish halfway across the flat before I finally got it in my sights. It didn’t seem to like seeing me and took off on another run. I got it close again and we proceeded to draw circles around each other for what seemed like forever. I finally got impatient and made an attempt at it when it was on the surface, but I ended up flopping and embarrassing myself. I had to wait even longer before it finally surrendered on the surface and I netted it, with the tail sticking out of the net. I was stoked to land the nice Oio, which was 24 inches and around eight pounds. At this point I had started to make my own lures to catch the Oios, so it was even more gratifying. I kept marking more spots and trying new things, which leads up to now. Between that I landed a smaller Oio on my lure and missed a couple more.

It was a rough journey to learn how to catch Oio on lures, and I really have to thank Jeremy who provided crucial information in the beginning. Without his help, I might still be struggling right now. I’m glad I have something to do when the Papio bite is dead now, but I am still learning every trip and I am nowhere near the level as some of the real hammahs that nail a few Oio per trip without problem. I’m considering trying fly fishing next, but that’s a whole new challenge and I think I’ll hold off on that for now. Anyways, good luck to you all, and tight lines??..

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

April 9, 2021 By Scott Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Holoholo: Papio not biting? Go chase oio!

April 5, 2021 By Scott 7 Comments

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

Jeremy:

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

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

Matthew:

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

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

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

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

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

Jason:

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

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

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

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

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

Added some of my favorite lures to the Store

March 30, 2021 By Scott Leave a Comment

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.

Compact Tungsten jigs have slayed nearshore and offshore!

March 8, 2021 By Scott 4 Comments

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

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

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

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

Thanks for making this video Capt Erik!

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

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

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

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