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Brought in some incredible products, don’t miss out!

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We are selling 3 products we’ve tested and love.

  • Action Hat DIY kit that allows you to mount a GoPro to your favorite hat
  • Anetik Shade Socks that provide UPF 30+ protection to your legs and wicks sweat away
  • Anetik Shade Mask that provides UPF 30+ protection to your face, neck and shoulder in a contoured, breathable manner

We just bought a few of each to see how they sell. The Anetik shade products are $5 off so grab one before they are gone. And make sure you’re subscribed so you can receive store coupons.

Visit the store now!

Holoholo: June Catch Report

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Our hardcore Middle School fisherman, Matthew, provided this timely inshore report.

Matthew: I know I haven’t done a catch report in a while, so here it is. Fishing’s been picking up lately, with more Omilu and Kaku showing up inshore, even some Oio. Moi season is now closed. After going to Japan again, (I know, lucky) and picked up some new crazy good JDM’s, I went fishing.

I walked around half a mile until the crazy things happened. I saw some large Iao jump 20 yards from shore, so I made a cast. I reeled the lure in, but dropped my walkie talkie. The lure is sitting still in the water. I picked up my walkie talkie and there was a Kaku that had apparently jumped on my lure. It put up no fight, and I could see it was a goner. The hook was deep inside its throat and it was bleeding immensely. I quickly got pliers and got the hook out, and made a short cast at the 4 or 5 Kaku that followed the other one in.

Due to the rushed cast, I didn’t notice that the front hook was all tangled with the line until it started moving. The Kaku didn’t notice and didn’t care. A bigger one jumped on the back hook and must’ve been mad it fell for a fouled up lure because it fought extra hard. Tag and release. I thought they would have been tired of the Vertice Z by then, so I switched to the top-secret-sworn-to-secrecy-topwater-lure that has been working insanely well for me recently. A Kaku took a swing for it but popped off at shore. Then I realized in that rushed cast my baitcaster was very tangled. Great. At the worst time possible too.

By the time I fixed it, the school was gone. The lure that worked well that day is the Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Vertice Z, which is also the same lure that Scott opened with in his shop recently. I’ve been getting other mixed action recently as well. I visited a sardine pile on the east side and caught a few, but couldn’t fool the Omilu that were attacking the school. However, I made up for it with an Oio the same day.

That top-secret topwater lure has got me great catches, including some rather odd ones. I caught the biggest Kaku I’ve seen at my shallow water spot, while being smaller than my personal best, it was big for the flats. I also somehow got a Menpachi Papio at midday using that topwater too. Strange, huh? And something that was almost laughable, I landed a big Obake Weke on that topwater. If you want the lure’s name, you’re gonna have to do some real convincing. On the other hand, the Vertice Z is just as good or better at times.

Oama are in at some spots already, as well as sardines. No sign from the halalu though except for the spots that have most of the year. Nehu are getting bigger so time to upsize your lures. Go gettum guys!

JDM vs Non-JDM Round 1

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So, we kicked off our informal comparison of Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) lures vs Non-JDM lures. The plan was to use Erik’s aluminum skiff to take us to promising reefs for wade whipping.

As Erik and I were launching we saw papio blowing up bait fish. We scrambled to put a lure on, and Erik threw a JDM micro jig; I threw a Shimano Waxwing Baby. On the second cast I hooked a papio and was surprised it was an omilu, not a white, in the muddy water. Waxwings are sold in the US and not in Japan, so Non-JDMs were up one! I got another hit that missed the upturned double hook, and the school swam out of reach.

We picked Robert up on the way to the wading spot, and he rigged Carolina-style with a non-JDM soft plastic knob-tailed shad. Erik threw a JDM popper, I threw a JDM hard plastic sub-surface lure, but there was no life on the flat. We got back in the skiff and trolled around for nada.

Then Erik put us on a drift into the shallows and Robert connected with an omilu on his Maria micro jig, followed by a lizardfish. Officially, the jig is not distributed in the US, but sold in some local tackle stores here, so we considered it a JDM jig. JDM 1 – Non-JDM 1.

The sun was sitting on this action-less day so we dropped Robert off and headed back to our launch site. Low light conditions are when the popper really shines and with 5 mins to go, Erik pulled off the last inning rally. His JDM popper got hit as soon as it landed in the water, and the fish pulled drag like a big papio. Turns out the biggest fish of the day was foul hooked, but was released relatively unharmed.

Final score JDM 2, Non-JDM 1. We really didn’t have enough shots at fish to stage a head-to-head lure comparison. We did confirm that the papio really aren’t in yet. More testing to follow!

Are JDM whipping lures worth the $$ ?

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The product testing crew here has been buying Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) whipping lures from Japan for a few years now, and some JDMs are beginning to show up in the local tackle shops. Because of the higher quality and international shipping, they cost quite a bit more than US Domestic lures. But are they worth it?

Scott:

I had been trying to fish shallow reef flats (1ft to 3ft) and sinking lures like Kastmasters kept snagging the bottom or picking up limu. The floating plugs found in the shops at the time were bigger than our inshore baits (nehu, iao, baby mullet) and didn’t swim that well. The popular bubble and grub setup required a long leader and therefore a long rod to be fished effectively.

I was given a Shimano Waxwing in 2015, a couple years after it made its successful debut in Hawaii. The Waxwing immediately caught fish on the flats because the rear double hook faces up and is relatively snag free, and it has a very aggressive zig zag swimming action. The Waxwing worked in the surf too, and I even caught an oio on it! Read about that here.

The Waxwing was so ingenious, yet only sold in the US market, not in Japan. That got me curious. Did that mean there were other Japanese lures even better than the Waxwing that we don’t see in the US? I tried some popular JDM lures purchased online overseas, and most worked, to some extent. Then I met Thad through this website and he took my JDM knowledge to a whole ‘nother level.

Thad had been tracking JDM lures for a number of years and started me on a few “guarantee catch” ones. Those lures cast well due to rear weights, swam perfect every time, and drew some incredible strikes.

Thad:

Why do I prefer to use JDM lures over the ones available here in the US? It mainly comes down to variety and quality.  While we in the US are limited to a few domestic brands and a small handful of Japanese makers that have branched out to the US, the sheer number of brands and models available in the overseas market is staggering.  All those lure choices leads to increased competition between lure makers to produce higher quality and better performing lures.  Even when a Japanese company branches out and makes a lure available in the US, the JDM version will often be available with more color options as well as a saltwater version that comes with stronger hooks and increased weights.  

Testing new lures to see how they perform here in our local waters is something I and many of my fishing friends enjoy doing.  With Japanese brands collectively releasing numerous new lures each month, we never run out of models to try.  I’ve come across a few JDM duds that didn’t perform as hoped, but more often than not they turn out to be winners.  It’s an expensive addiction that we all enthusiastically share.

Features I look for when reviewing new lure specs are size, weight, floating vs sinking, diving range, and swim action.  My ideal specs are around 80-125mm, 10-25g, floating, and if it dives, I prefer a range of 0-30cm.  These requirements alone will rule out most lures available here.  Another “must have” for subsurface lures is an internal weight transfer system to provide optimal casting distances and swim action.  I believe Daiwa was one of the first companies in Japan to use an internal weight transfer system back in the early 80’s.  It’s pretty much become a standard feature of subsurface lures marketed in Japan but it’s not as widely available in US lures.

Scott: We’ve been exclusively whipping the JDMs for so long, we’ve decided to do a JDM vs Non-JDM challenge to see if the JDMs really are that much better. Stay tuned as Robert uses grubs, kastmasters and domestic plugs while I fish the JDMs! And if you have had experience, good or bad, with JDM lures, we’d love to hear about it, via a comment on this post. Chee!

Unexpected catch of a lifetime!

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Elias Espiritu , aka @kurupt_hawaiian on IG, shared this amazing land-based, light tackle catch. No net, no gaff, no problem!  

It’s March 15, 2019. I’m sitting at home  it’s about 9:30am and I’m bored. I know I have to be back home early to pick up my son from preschool, so I’m unsure if I want to go fishing or not since I’d only have a little while to fish. I love to fish and try to go as much as possible. I decide to go anyways for a quick trip. I grab my light gear, SPX PE1 rod, shimano Twinpower xd 4000 spooled with 20lb test Jbraid. I plan on catching hopefully one or two pan fry sized papios to eat. I pull up to my spot and throw on my go to lure, the daiwa sp minnow with about 5 feet of 20lb fluoro for leader. I’m whipping for about 20 minutes then finally I catch a small 2-3lb barracuda. I snap a quick picture, take it off the hooks and throw him back in the water.

     5 minutes later I’m at the edge of the water and to my left I see 6 big black shadows swimming my way. I’m thinking these are GT’s so I cast out to my right to try and time it so my lure swims in front of them then BAM! One of them takes it and jets straight out into the deep. It rips my line out so fast and hard I thought I was gonna start seeing smoke coming from my reel. I tighten down my drag little by little just to try and slow him down a bit, but I don’t want to tighten it too much or I’ll break my line, so I let him continue to run and hopefully he’d tire out soon. After what seemed like forever he finally stops running but he’s waaaay out there, my spool is really low on line. I slowly bring him in and finally see something. It looks yellow. I think to myself “Is that a yellowfin tuna? Holy crap I need to land this thing!” Now all I can think is, “Awww man if I don’t land this thing nobody is gonna believe me.”

     The fish is finally in close and I have to go down closer to the edge of the rocks and water to try to keep my line from hitting any rocks so I don’t get it cut or snapped off. The waves start surging in and getting a little dangerous as they could suck me right into the strong current, but I want this fish badly. I decide to take a few poundings to attempt to stay close to the edge to keep my line from wrapping around the rocks. The waves knock me down and scratch me up pretty good and my line gets wrapped around a rock anyways. I’m panicking trying to get my line off the rocks before the fish tries to run again and cuts my line. I finally get it off and don’t feel any pressure, I thought I lost it. I start reeling in the slack and oh there it is, he’s still on, I was so happy. But it wasn’t over yet, I still gotta figure out how to land him cause I’m all by myself with no gaff or anything.

Finally another guy walks up to me and asks what I’m hooked up to, I tell him it’s a yellow fin tuna and he sees it right after. I ask him if he can help me land it and he doesn’t even hesitate. He jumps down onto the low ledge with me where the waves are dangerous and waits, I tell him I’m gonna try to get the fish up to the surface when a wave comes and he can try to grab it, I make sure to tell him not to grab the line because it will snap. First a big wave comes and we both grab onto the rock to try to hold on, the wave almost takes both of us in, I’m thinking “damn this is crazy” haha. Finally by the next wave I got the fish to the surface and tried yanking him up with the wave, he catches the fish and hugs it not letting him go, and works his way up the rocks with the fish while I’m dead tired trying to climb back up.

We celebrate, I’m happy as can be, adrenaline still sky high, some tourist spectators came to check it out too and gives me some video footage that they took of me fighting the fish. They ask if I was cut up from the rocks and I said no at first, then one of the guys say “but you’re bleeding.” I’m like “oh I guess I am.”

     

I get home and weigh the fish a few times to make sure the weight is accurate, he’s a steady 34.5lbs. I’m so stoked, and can’t believe what I just pulled off. Adrenaline ran high for the rest of the day. I don’t even realize all the cuts, scrapes, and bruises I have until I take a shower. It wasn’t until the next day that I felt all the pain in my body from falling on the rocks and fighting the fish. It was all so worth it though. I don’t recall exactly how long the fight was, but from the time I took the picture of the barracuda at 10:44am and the first picture I have of the shibi at 11:25am, I just estimate it around 30 minutes.

Ulua Fighting Championships

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We’re opening an online store!

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A lot of the really good gear we like and endorse isn’t available in the local shops. Some of the stuff we’ve bought from overseas online stores, catching sales and buying in bulk. We plan to share some items with you guys that will be inexpensive enough to mail out, so that the selling price plus shipping is still the best deal you can find.

Since most of the readers are inshore whippers, we’ll start with a couple whipping lures that our *team* has had a lot of success with. We’ll work out the kinks in our online store and fulfillment process, and then offer more unique items and killer deals.

Check out the store here.

What gear to use to fish light lures from shore

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Thad, our resident JDM tackle expert and land based whipper:

So you’re checking out Hawaii Nearshore Fishing, which is loaded with useful information on light lures, and wonder to yourself, what kind of gear should I be using to fish lures like those?  Here’s a short guide on some of the gear I use to whip these small lures in the 10 to 30 gram range, which equates to approximately 3/8 to 1 oz. The gear I like to use is based on my own personal experiences and preferences – it’s what I’m comfortable using.  Others may have their own techniques which are just as effective for them. 

Rod

Enlarge to see the rod specs

I prefer to use rods in the 9 to 10 foot range with 9’6″ rods being my favorite.  I fish mostly shoreline fish areas and often walk the shallow flats and will walk out to the break on low tides if conditions permit.  Longer rods will tend to give you better casting distances.  I find 9’6″ rods to be the perfect length for me because, in the event the line should tangle on the tip of the rod while I’m out walking the reef flats, I can still reach it without having to dunk my reel in the water – a big no no if your reel has no water seal. Rod action, or taper that I prefer is regular to regular fast. I find this action allows me to load up on the cast so the rod does a lot of the work in getting the light lures out.  I try to find rods rated for lures anywhere in the 5 to 35 gram range and avoid using lures at or above the rod rating.

Reel

I tend to use mostly Shimano reels in the 3000 to 4000 sizes with the 4000 being my go-to.  If you decide to use other brands such as Daiwa, be aware that the number sizing is not the same between brands.  A Daiwa 4000 reel will be bigger and heavier than a Shimano 4000.  I also prefer high speed reels with a gear ratio of 6.0:1 or faster.  

Line

I use braided mainline for its high strength relative to its small diameter.  It will allow you to get maximum casting distance without sacrificing strength.  It also won’t deteriorate as quickly as monofilament, which usually needs to be changed regularly depending on how often you fish. Monofilament will deteriorate and lose strength from sunlight and even from fumes if stored in a closet with chemicals.  The drawback to braid is its higher cost and low abrasion resistance.  I use 20lb braid on my Shimano 4000 reel and 10lb braid on my 3000. 

Leader

My preference is to use 25lb fluorocarbon leader but I will use 40lb on occasion if I’m seeing a lot of big kaku in the water.  Monofilament leader will also work and is much cheaper.  I use a little less than two arm lengths of leader and connect it to the mainline with an FG knot.  This will allow the knot to be just below the bottom guide when casting.  Some people have no issues with longer leaders which wrap the spool a few times but I find it decreases my casting distance considerably.  The JDM rods I use tend to have much smaller guides so having the FG knot between the bottom guide and reel will give the knot a smooth, straight-line path through the guides.  If you’re not yet comfortable tying an FG knot, you can also use a swivel to connect the leader and mainline, but you will need to shorten the leader since the knot will not and should not be cast through the guides. 

I tie a Tactical Angler (TA) clip to the end of the leader using an improved clinch knot or an Orvis knot. Orvis knots are very strong and the tag end points towards the lure so there’s less chance of catching limu on it but the knot can be difficult to tie on thicker lines. The TA clip is strong and makes it easy to switch out lures in seconds.  I like to switch lures constantly when I whip so I can’t fish without a TA clip.  I experimented using a small swivel between the leader and clip but found that the extra weight often affected the action of the light lures.  None of the lures I use spin in the water so I don’t need the swivel. 

So there you have it.  My preferred set up for whipping  small lures, small jigs, and bubble with fly or grub.  It works for me and fits the style of fishing I enjoy the most.    

Editors Note: No wonder Thad outfishes me, his rod is 1.5ft longer than mine, and his leader is twice as long as what I use!

Poll Results: For Shoreline Fishers

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Thank you to those who participated and helped us understand our audience a little better.

Most of the poll participants fish even when it’s not oama season, finding other fish to target.

Presumably, good size papio is the most popular nearshore target species, so taking that out of the choices, you guys rather catch a screamer oio than a trophy size kaku.

The vast majority of you either just whip, or dunk and whip. Less than 20% just dunk and chill.

And if you’re fighting a hard fighting fish and buss line, more than half of you are just stoked to have had the experience of hooking and fighting such a good fish. A third quickly shake it off and try again. 10% throw a mini tantrum and were honest about that!

You can see the poll results stats here.

Whipping Lure Recommendations by Junior Angler

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Matthew: Over the past few years, I have been experimenting with lures, from bottom dragging lures to subsurface, to topwater. I found that topwater is generally better from around 6 am to 9 am and 4pm to 7pm. Subsurface lures still work well during those hours, but I feel that due to the low light the fish can see a topwater lure better because there’s less glare in their eyes. During those midday hours is when those subsurface lures work the best. Here is a list of some of the lures I like, although some I can only provide limited information about. I only use lures I have good faith in.

Editor: 3/8 oz gold Kastmaster was the Moana killer from the surfboard

Kastmasters: Kastmasters are good because like the name suggests, they cast very far. They also catch fish. I use Kastmasters in just about any type of water, whereas other lures are limited to certain conditions, tides, and water clarity. I cast them out as far as I can and burn it in pretty fast. You can also jig it like a jig or run it on the surface like a topwater lure, but I find it best to burn it fast. ¼ or ⅜ size is my favorite, anything over ½ is too big for my style.

Editor: This Sammy came from Japan in coloration not seen in the US market.

Lucky Craft Sammy: I like the Sammy as one of my favorite topwater lures because of the great walking action it has. However, it is a little too chubby to be the best lure, and due to the chubbiness, the Kaku often hit it and miss the hooks. However, it has some of the best walking action out there. Great lure to learn how to “walk the dog”.

Editor: Stainless steel Japanese trolling hook installed.

Shimano Waxwing Baby: The Waxwing is good because of its small profile (2.68 inch) and the great motion. The lure has “wings” that make it move from side to side, but I don’t rip it because in my opinion if it swings too aggressively it scares away the fish. The double hooks it’s supposed to be used with make it pretty snag proof, but 75% of the time the fish will miss it. I’ve been experimenting with treble hooks on the Waxwing and the hookup ratio has increased, but the snag ratio has also increased. Uncle Scott recommends using the stronger, shorter, stainless steel double hook used for small aku squid skirts that the tackle shops sell. They are expensive but the hookup ratio greatly improves.

Duel Hardcore Heavy Shot: I like the Heavy Shot because it punches through the wind even better than a kastmaster and has a good sinking and swimming action. It is classified as a Heavy Swimmer. Only bad part about this lure is that it sinks pretty fast, so I don’t use it on the flats too often.

Ima Komomo Counter: I really like the Komomo because like a lot of other lipless minnows, it has a wide, more natural side to side action than traditional lipped minnows, and is also heavy yet floats, so it punches through the wind very well. All the color patterns on Ima are pretty fit for Hawaii if you don’t chose the Akakin (reddish orange) color.

Shimano Coltsniper 80F Twitch: The Coltsniper is a solid lure, like the Kastmaster, functioning in all types of water. The pink-silver color draws in the fish and on a choppy day, helps them zone in on the bobbing lure. I fish it by dipping its head, which drives the Kaku insane.

Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Vertice Z: The Vertice is a floating that dives to about a foot, with a very lifelike side to side wiggle that gets Papio to commit unlike other lures. When fished fast however, Kaku sometimes aim ahead and cut the line. Best to use a slow to medium speed retrieve for maximum wobble. It casts very well into the wind due to its weight transfer system and streamlined body, and comes in a variety of realistic colors. The slim profile matches mullet, oama, and all of the baitfish in our waters.

Shimano Flash Boost: This new product by Shimano has an interesting new feature – a vibrating metallic foil plate in the middle. When it shakes, it creates a huge flash that is supposed to increase the catch rate. It also has more realistic scales. It is 99mm and floats. True to its name, Shallow Assassin, it dives shallow and has a wobbling action similar to the Vertice Z. It does not come with a split ring, so I’ve found for certain lures I have to add the split ring to make the action right.

Note that my experience is limited to shoreline fishing no deeper than 15 feet deep, and only a few spots. All of these lures will work but each shines in its own conditions. I throw them on a Medium-Light spinning rod and a Medium baitcasting rod. I throw the heavier lures on the baitcaster for more distance and less tangles.

Holoholo: Using inexpensive level wind bait caster for shore whipping

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Matthew explains in very relateable terms how level wind bait casters have become a joy to fish, once he got past the learning curve.

Matthew: Yes, I use a baitcaster for whipping, but not the kind you would use for Oio or Ulua. Uncle Scott had done a review on level-wind baitcasters in 2017, but I thought it would be good to revisit the topic, especially with the success I’ve had with them recently.

The kind of baitcaster that Scott, a few others, and I use in Hawaii are the bass reels that are made on the mainland. He uses the Tranx 400 along with a few other baitcasters like the Concept Z. I, however, am not willing to pay the large amount of money it takes to get one of those better reels, so here I am with my Abu Garcia Blackmax. It still is a very good reel, but it has more tangles than the rest of the reels also.

I use my Blackmax for whipping for Kaku, Papio, and whatever else will bite the lures I am throwing. I find it really shines in sub-surface lures, but I find it really lacks in popper and walk-the-dog lure fishing. It is hard to reel up the slack fast enough to continuously fish a popper the right way, and in walk-the-dog lures, I have a hard time walking any lure at all.

I originally started with spinners, until I saw a guy fishing the shoreline with those bass reels I had seen on mainland bass fishing videos. It kind of started curiosity about baitcasters. I researched more about baitcasters, until I finally realized that Uncle Scott used baitcasters also. I purchased the cheapest reel I could find, the Abu Garcia Blackmax, which I bought for 48 dollars. At the time, I thought that was really expensive, but it wasn’t until later I started getting into better spinning reels, like the Ultegra, and that isn’t even close to the top of the line.


I spooled some line on it and tried to figure out how to even release the line into free spool mode. It took me a while to figure that out. When I finally did that, I couldn’t figure out why the line was bunching up on one side of the reel until I realized there was a hole I had to place the line through first. Duh. I finally got comfortable with the small five meter casts, and then I tried to bomb it as far as I could. Big mistake. At the time I couldn’t figure out why it kept tangling each time I casted. So, I tossed the rod and reel in the storage closet until I finally met up with Uncle Scott. He showed me some quick tips and how to fish it better. From then on, I fished it a lot more, and eventually got proficient at it.

One thing I find good about the baitcaster is if there is no wind, then you can cast it a lot farther than a spinner would. If there is a tailwind, like in one spot I fish, then you can cast farther than I would have ever imagined a cast can go. However, if there is a frontal wind, baitcast fishing sucks. You will get wind knots if you have braid, and almost certainly get tangled a few times. Another plus about baitcasters is the conveniency of casting. I can cast with only one hand if I really want to, even if it casts a little less than a two handed cast, it still is good if you need to rest your other hand for a short while before reeling it in. Baitcasters in general are just lighter than spinners too.

If you were to purchase a baitcaster, I would suggest that you ask Scott or any other guy you know that fishes a baitcaster. Look for the gear ratio, which if you read it right, it can tell you how many inches per crank it retrieves. I am currently looking for a high speed baitcaster. Another thing you want to look for in baitcasters is the line capacity. Most of the reels on the mainland only have 100 or so yards, because bass don’t run at all. You want to have a baitcaster fit for Hawaii’s hard running gamefish, so 200+ yards in case you run into a big Papio. If you have any questions for me, shoot me a question through my email, matthewikeda808@gmail.com.

Holoholo: Japan tackle shopping and fishing recap by Matthew

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Frequent guest poster Matthew was able to travel with his family to Japan during Spring Break and enjoy the food, tackle deals and fishing opportunities. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Matt, makes me want to go to Japan now!

Matthew: Warning: this is going to be a long one, so if you don’t have time, stop right here.

Over spring break I had a lot of fun. The day after I got out of school, I went fishing at my secret spot and got two Kaku and a Papio on some JDM’s (Japan Domestic Model products). I left for Japan, hoping to find more JDM’s and some fish.

We arrived in Osaka, stayed one night, then rode a local train to Kyoto, where we saw the monkey park and some other attractions. I found a Tackle Berry store, where I got some new used lures, even some JDM’s, some such as the Ima P-CE, and a lot others I will not name. However, the highlight of that store was a used Daiwa Sealine 250, which I got for only eight bucks. Must be a fake right? Nope, tried it when I got home and everything works fine, except for a few scratches and it being an old model.

In Tokyo, the food was so good, and one ramen place had the best ramen I’ve ever tasted. We visited Ichigaya Fishing Center, which has carp ponds. You have to pay to fish there, but it is worth it as you can catch up to twenty in an hour. I enjoyed fighting the carp on an ultra light handpole and a barbless hook. I was happy for my family, which all landed a fish. My mom and sister even landed one!

We visited the Joshuya in Shibuya, where I found the new Duel Hardcore shallow runner, which may be a limited edition, so get it while you still can. At a good price it should be 11-12 dollars in US conversion. For a general Yen price move the decimal two to the left. The shallow runner works very well, and is better than most lipped minnows, as it is not lipped, and has sort of like a built in lip, like all other Japanese lures. It is 90 millimeters and is floating, and has a knocker. Be careful not to get the mid diver, which looks exactly like it. It runs less than a foot below water when used correctly.

I also got a Pugachev’s Cobra, which is a lure that Uncle Thad likes so much. Now that I’ve tried it myself, I can see why. But for 90 millimeters it is highly priced at 19 dollars or up, some even going for 24 dollars on Amazon and Ebay. It walks very well, with a wide side to side motion. I also got a few more lures, but I have been warned to not mention their names. One works very well, with a slim nose and a nice surface action, moving around very erratically. We went to Shinjuku the next day, where we tried a fish foot spa. Some of you may have seen the video of me in the foot spa on my instagram – @shorefishing_oahu_style, but if you haven’t, then go check it out, it’s kind of funny. We went to the Tackle Berry there, where I found a used conventional for only ten dollars. Seems like Tackle Berry has good deals on used items. On research, I found out it was last made in the mid to late 1960s and was an Abu Garcia reel.

I picked up a lure that Uncle Thad had recommended, called the Daiwa Switch Hitter. It is 105 millimeters and has a neat S moving pattern 2 inches under the surface, which should drive the Kaku mad. I was lucky to find it marked off 30% of its original price, 17 dollars.

We went to a tonkatsu place next, where the chicken and pork tonkatsu was so soft, it melted in my mouth. I really liked that place.

The last fishing store we stopped at was Sansui, which is very confusing. They have two different “parts” that are broken up into four different stores, all within 1000 feet of each other. It was a huge challenge to find the saltwater part, and although it is a great place, I would advise you to not come here unless you know exactly which store you are going to, and which kind of fishing you are looking for. I purchased a Ima Komomo, which also was 90 millimeters and a diving bait with a knocker.

After five days in Tokyo, we left for Hakone, by Lake Ashi. We arrived there when it was already cold, but I couldn’t resist but to throw some lures. We ended up catching 11 smelt, but no bass or trout. After, we ate a traditional Kaiseki meal, with nine courses, which made me think my belly was going to burst. We stayed in a traditional Ryokan, with even a real Onsen. An Onsen is a lava-fed spring pool with minerals that are supposed to help with relaxation and skin issues. Only bad thing is that you have to get naked to go in there. With strangers. It was packed too, which was not good for privacy. Overall, I enjoyed the Ryokan though. The next morning, the lake was so glassy, that I couldn’t resist throwing topwater even though it was only 30 degrees fahrenheit. I somehow got a bite on my switch hitter, but it missed and was too lazy to come back for it in the cold weather.

We left Odawara Station for Osaka shortly after. When we got there, we checked into our hotel, which was very nice and in a good location. The food in Osaka was very good, unlike the fishing. I had the best crab ever at a street vendor selling king crab, Kani as they call it.

We left at five in the morning for a place in Misaki, for fishing. It was supposed to be good, but I ended up not getting a bite for four hours, and just watched my bobber move with the waves. My mom bought live Halalu, or Aji as they call it, to try lure in the Hiramasa (Japanese yellowtail). I had one do a heart-stopping circle around it before watching it leave. Again. Back to bobber fishing. Waited for another hour and a half, until, finally, I saw my bobber twitch. I broke out of my trance and watched it more carefully. Sure enough, it started moving fast across the surface. I set the hook hard, and a screamer was on. What could it be? Finally done with the junk fish, I thought to myself, and for sure a new species. No. No. No. No. No. It seems like bad luck follows me everywhere. After 30 well-fought seconds, I pulled up a fully inflated… Puffer. A puffer. Not those same pests you catch all the time in Hawaii, these can sell for hundreds of dollars per fish. But still, I was happy to finally catch a fish, but sad that it was a puffer. I was so discouraged by that, so that we left shortly after giving the Tora Fugu to a local fisherman, who was enormously grateful.

We left for Hawaii the next day, thinking about the crummy fishing, but also about how good the food was. I didn’t have a single meal that tasted bad or even mediocre in Japan. Now, time to test the JDMs. I tried my luck with the Kaku and got very lucky. I quickly got three kaku within only 45 minutes.

Next, I wanted to try bass fishing. I went to a stream and casted my topwater lure. Almost instantly, a nice size smallie demolished my bait and put up a very nice fight. I later caught a smaller one that I trapped in a pond before taking pictures.

Overall, it was a very good break and I hope to get more action on my JDM’s, and more good food like in Japan.

Matt (who is too tired to complete another long bait report)

I will do a brief bait report.

Sardines: Few, rare at this time of season

Halalu: Two piles I know of

Oama: Starting to come in, seven spots I know of

Iao: Plenty, almost everywhere

Nehu: Same as Iao

Fred Hall Show 2019 – Part II

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Axel Valdez of Hotel Buena Vista

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

Felipe Valdez of Felipe Valdez Sport Fishing

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

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

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

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

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

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

This little pooch was just getting acclimated with the chill.

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

Fred Hall Show 2019 – Part I

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Holoholo: Heeia Fishpond La Holoholo – January 2019

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Our middle school Holoholo writer Matthew provided this catch report/safety tip/bait report to let us know we can still catch fish in January.

Matthew:
Heeia fishpond was having a fundraiser La Holoholo in January, So I signed up for it. When I got there and walked out, the first half of the pond was totally murky, with only 2 inch visibility. I was super worried, but when I got further out, the water turned clear (because of the water flow in the makahas).

I got there, with not a single bite for the first two hours, but then when the tide changed, I saw a big school of very small nehu. I put the smallest kastmaster I had, and casted outside of the pond. I got a few bumps, then looked and realized a school of Omilu was on the lure. I had a big one on, but it fell off immediately. As soon as the lure came off, a small one picked it up and I was on. It fought hard for just a little 11 incher, and I netted it after a short and feisty fight.

I kept casting it and landed a kaku on the inside of the pond, maybe around 15 inches. I then landed a kaku on the outside, around 13 inches, and tagged it. I started dunking in the inside. I then continued to whip on the outside, but got no more bites for around an hour. Then I got a blind omilu strike out of nowhere, but since I was not expecting it, I didn’t land it. I kept covering ground, and eventually got a 19 inch kaku on the outside that bent the only treble of the tiny hook I hooked it on. I changed the hooks then kept fishing.

I came back to see my dunking line all slack and leading towards the rocks. I knew it was an eel, so I locked down the drag completely and boosted it in. It was a ticked off “green head puhi”, and a fat one too, around 3.5 to 4 feet long and maybe 10 pounds. I got a pic of it, and cut the line. There was a large portion trailing out of the mouth, and I felt bad, so I reached closer to cut it. A VERY fatal mistake. The surprised eel lashed out and bit me two times. It hurt pretty bad, and I was mad so I kicked the eel very hard into the water, and then washed my hand off with saltwater. In case of an eel bite, their teeth do not inject toxin, but they have lots of bacteria on it. It is best to put pressure on the wound after washing it off and removing any teeth if they fall off. You should then put hydrogen peroxide on it and bandage it up. Keep putting ointment on it, and if it gets infected go see a doctor. The easiest way to prevent it is not to put your hands near an eel’s mouth, as this is a dumb injury. The day wasn’t worth it, but in total I tagged four more fish, bringing my total up to 53 total tagged fish. I hope to reach 80 by the end of 2019.

Bait Report
Most bait schools are gone, although there is one halalu school I still know of that’s hanging around. Early/late oama are coming in, and are very small. Wait a month or so, then they will be catching size. Small nehu are showing up everywhere and it may be a good idea to pull out the small kastmasters. The spring hatch of aholehole is happening, and a lot of those are around. Shoreline fishing is very slow with large lures, and I am catching all my fish on smaller lures now. On one trip, I got no bites at all on the big lures that killed it during the summer, but they jumped all over my small kastmaster. Yet another option again is to try smallie fishing. I like to fish for them two days after a big rain. You should also try new techniques, and I may try fly fishing during this off season. I’ve tried it before and it’s very hard, but the fight is insane. Go gettum during these hard times guys…

Holoholo: Heeia Fishpond – Trial 7

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7th Grade Matthew’s mature, insightful writing style continues to impress.  This time he blesses us with a recap of his most recent Heei’a Fishpond Holoholo Day outing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew:
Note: I have fished this place six times before and this will be my seventh time trying it. In the past I have caught Moi, Kaku, Toau, and Papio over here. There seems to be an abundance of Toau and Kaku mostly though, all feeding on Ama’ama or Nehu. In the past I have had both good days and bad days, and found that the tide is a key factor.

I had signed up for a Heeia Holoholo day, because I thought that the old heeia story posted by Scott in 2015 was long outdated and needed another story to give more info on the pond. I got to the fishpond at 8:15am, where before the introduction I caught some opae with a net and put them in our bucket. We did a little introduction to everyone fishing at the event, then headed off to go fishing. I immediately got my stuff and fast walked the ½ mile to the fourth makaha. I set up, got my oama on, sight casted a kaku, and, screamer! Of course, it snapped the line after. I set up another oama rig and went to the third makaha. There I saw a school of around 10 kaku and a few good sized omilu cruised by once in a while. What were they there for? I soon saw my answer as I spotted some large nehu school in the deep section of the area. They all did not bite my oama at all, but that was about to change soon.

The current stopped and all of a sudden, the kaku started eating everything I threw at them, even lures. In that brief 20 minute period, I tagged 9 kaku and missed many more. The person next to me landed a few papio, and a few kaku in that time also. Then, like a magic switch, the fish all of a sudden stopped biting. I could still see them there, but none were even looking at my lures or oama. I eventually gave up, and this is where the opae came in handy. I used the opae and caught a nenue, kupipi, and many toau on the opae. It seemed like the less desirable fish were still willing to bite, at least. My friends that I invited, Jesse and Jayden, were having fun with the toau and kupipi also, who were also disappointed that the Kaku bite had shut down. We fished for the remainder of the time for toau, and then sadly, our day ended very quickly. We headed back and made a few casts along the way, but nothing came out of this last ditch effort for a Papio. We said our goodbyes to Jesse and Jayden, as well as the Assistant Executive Director, Kelii. This was a good day with many Kaku, and hopefully one of them will get captured.

Overall Fish Status: Oama are still here, but get them before they get big and move past the reef. It is best to find a new and “dumb” pile instead of the larger, smart ones. Sardines are still around, but are much less preferred than the oama, unless you are fishing around a sardine pile, which then live sardines would work. Halalu are around, but many spots have been netted, so keep your halalu spots as quiet as possible. Larger fish are coming to hit the piles, and even pelagics in some select spots. Akule appear to be hanging around in a few spots also. Nehu and Iao are littered around the shoreline, so if you see a small pile, it may be a good idea to cast right past the pile and see if a predator is waiting.

Akule and Halalu fishing etiquette

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If you know anything about whipping for akule and halalu from shore, you know it’s an activity potentially prone to tangles and conflicts.  Unless you’re good enough to avoid tangles or you don’t mind conflict, you stay away from this type of close quarter fishing like I do.

But, we are very fortunate to have a 30 year akule and halalu fishing veteran on hand to share some etiquette tips on how to greatly reduce group aggravation and increase your enjoyment. He chases these fish all over Oahu and even travels to Kona when the Oahu bite is slow, and would like to keep anonymous for now.

Mr X:

The main thing is that everyone needs to respect the other fishers. If it’s crowded, look around and watch how people are fishing. Don’t squeeze in and create an uncomfortable or unsafe situation. I’ve waited 3 hours before, just to get a spot to open up. Practicing casting is key, if you can cast straight with an overhead motion then you’ll be able to fish closer to the next guy without creating an unsafe situation. Beginners should ask a lot of questions. Normally you can tell who’s been fishing halalu for a while…. ask questions and you’ll get better faster.

  • Amount of side to side space – If you can’t cast straight all the time, give yourself more space between the other fishers.
  • Don’t stand higher up or in back of someone and cast over them, you’ll snag their lines on your retrieve.
  • It’s safer to use a long leader and keep hook in water during entire cast. If you have a short leader, make sure you have plenty of space  from the next fisherman.
  • Reserving spot – if you aren’t there don’t expect your spot to be held long.
  • Don’t cross lines on cast, fish in your “lane”. Try to practice before you fish. Casting straight allows more fishermen to fish and reduces tangles.
  • If you need to cast over another line, be conscious of others. Watch where they are casting. Try to rotate casting so you’re casting outside of others as they retrieve their lines in. Think of it as a rotation, as one person reels in, you can cast over that spot. If two people cast simultaneously at the same spot they will increase the chance of a tangle.
  • Use enough drag to bring your fish in relatively straight.
  • Just remember that everyone has the right to fish, be patient with beginners, but also if you start tangling other lines often, stop and think about why. If you need practice, go to a spot away from the crowd and practice casting.

Holoholo: Junior angler’s halalu season so far

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I met Issey 2 weeks ago, as he was relishing his last few weeks of summer before starting the 8th grade. He had been fishing for 2 years and was already a very accomplished, yet humble halalu whipper in that short period of time. I asked Issey to describe his second halalu season so far.

Issey:
It was a nice sunny, bright day with days counting down till school starts. I heard rumors about the sardines and halalu in one of my places so I decided to check it out with a buddy.

In the distance, I saw people fishing but I wasn’t too sure if they were just whipping for big game or sardines/halalu. I waded my way towards the anglers and the anglers were catching plenty sardines and halalu.

I quickly set up my pole with a strip and walked out to the pile. I had plenty of bites but somehow they broke off while reeling them in. Slowly getting stressed, I managed to pick up the trick and after that I caught plenty. I ended up with 18 sardines and 13 halalu which I think is pretty good with strips.

 

 

 

I went everyday after that successful day. Eventually I noticed that big fish were whacking the pile so I threw out a dunk and managed to catch my first hammerhead shark. Also had a nice screamer free-lining a halalu. However, it broke off soon after it screamed.

Please follow my IG – @issey.abae

Halau Season 2: Trips 2 & 3

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The halalu bite was so good the previous day, and the crowd was so excited that I figured I’d better hit the school again before the area was overrun on the weekend. No one could join me so I made my first ever solo halalu expedition.  I badly needed to improve my spinning gear casting technique without much of an audience. Since the previous day’s 6 hook damashi snagged too many sardines, and my gear, I cut the damashi set down to 3 hooks. Much easier to cast and unhook.

The pile was closer to shore, in about 4 ft of water and a few guys were casting from the beach side of the pile.  I started by whipping the larger CHL Purple Obake Minnow that we fished last year, to minimize sardine bites, on a 6 ft 3lb fluoro leader.  I didn’t get any sardines on it but had to fish hard just to catch 3 halalu.  Issey, an 8th grade friend of Matt’s, was whipping with a handmade fly and long leader, doing the side jigging thing.  When he connected, he’d reel his long leader in, and then grab the last 5 ft with his hand to slide the halalu onto the beach.  Issey is a very accomplished halalu slayer, and was catching way more than I was but the bite wasn’t as good as the previous day so I put on the 3 hook damashi.  I mostly hooked sardines on the small flies, but began to get more halalu as it got closer to evening.  In 2.5 hrs I got 9 halalu.  Most of the other guys had given up because of the slow bite.

The next day was Friday, and the crew of young anglers plus a buddy Jon I met through this website a couple years ago, were gonna fish the school hard before the weekend.  Jon was the first one there and spent a lot of time finding and following the school until it settled in relatively deep water.  The middle school crew of Matt and Hunter were next to Jon when I arrived, and there were two other adult halalu regulars off to the side.   I slid in between Matt and Hunter since Hunter was live lining, and started with the 3 hook damashi but only the sardines wanted to bite.  Those 3 hooks were prone to snagging someone in the strong winds and Jon told me to use a whipping rig with long leader to be more stealthy so I went back to the CHL Purple Obake Minnow rig.  The school moved to deeper water so we had to make a 50 yd cast with the wind.  Issey joined his middle school buddies and the pau hana regulars showed up.  At times 9 guys were trying to hit the pile.  With the strong winds, crossed lines and tangles ensued.

Jon was quietly sand bagging!

Jon was using various colored strips with a long rod, long leader and what looked like a 1 oz egg sinker.  He was the high liner by far and quietly stuffed his live bait bucket til it maxed out.  Matt hoped he’d get at least 25 halalu and that’s exactly how many he had when he had to leave early.  Hunter ended up with more sardines than halalu because he started with a damashi and spent a lot of time live lining baits.  Issey had 30 halalu despite his late start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just got 12 halalu but got bumped on just about every cast when I could reach the school with my 6’6″ rod.  I did get a small kine screamer on the light halalu rig that turned out to be a lai.  Issey carefully leadered it for me and Hunter took it home for grinds.

It was fun fishing with friends, but tough to fish in the windy, crowded conditions.  I think I’m gonna wait until I hear the school is closer and spread out!

 

Halalu – Season 2

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Last year was my indoctrination into halalu fishing, casting long leaders of 3lb fluoro in cramped quarters. I gave up after 3 trips, and on my best day, only caught 5 halalu.  Search for “halalu” on this website and you can relive my struggles.

Last month, the early season halalu came into an area that wasn’t being fished too hard so Matthew, starting 7th grade this year, insisted I try halalu fishing again.  The idea of fumbling around without too many people watching appealed to me.  Since the halalu were still small, and mixed in with sardines, Matt suggested using the smallest damashi set possible and casting past the school, then slow jigging through it.  I wiped down my corroded 6’6″ Daiwa spinning rod from the 80s and put on my dad’s old Stradic 1000 FH. It still had the 4lb mono I spooled on last year and assumed it was still good.

When I found Matt at the beach, he was fishing with guys whipping strips, jigging halalu flies and even bait fishing with long poles.  Not exactly uncrowded but the school spread out enough where we could have our own lane to fish. He made room for me and I cast my 6 hook damashi rig just past the dark pile and lifted, dropped and cranked my way through.  I felt the frantic pulses of life on the line and reeled in my first…sardine.  I kept it, not knowing if I’d catch anything else, and cast out again.  Second cast, another sardine hit but shook off.  Man, damashi fishing can be really effective with those 6 fish skin flies flitting around like tasty little critters.

I eventually got lucky and hooked something that pulled much harder but it ripped off the hook. Matt told me I have to fish a really light drag and that if I jig more aggressively, the sardines would be less inclined to bite.  Following his advice I hooked another strong pulling halalu that I eventually grabbed and tossed into my floating bait bucket.  The other 5 hooks snagged my equipment or tangled so I had to learn damashi hook management in order to stay in the game.

The bite really turned on as more people joined the perimeter. Word of biting halalu travels fast!  One nice guy was using homemade flies and didn’t want to keep the halalu since they were too small for his wife to eat, so he was putting the fish in Matt’s bucket.  Being a respectful kid has its privileges.

The school moved closer to shore as the tide rose, and the ratio of halalu to sardine increased as I jigged more erratically.  Everyone was saying this was the best the school has bitten this season and I felt so blessed to have a successful season opener.  Matt and I had to leave, and after fishing less than 1.5 hrs, I set my personal best despite spending a lot of time shaking off sardines and unhooking the damashi hooks off my gear.   14 halalu and some wounded sardines. Not a haul but much better than the 1 halalu an hour pace I had last year with Thad, Frank and Erik.

Much thanks goes to Matt for turning my halalu luck around. Matt wrote about the first time I fished with him, when he damashi’d up a bunch of sardines and halalu, and turned a sardine into an omilu.  Here’s that guest post.

Stay tuned for more halalu catch reports and “Halalu Fishing for Dummies” tips.