Well, I trolled some live oama on my surfboard again. The first couple got scratched up and the back hook bitten off. I was retrieving a wounded oama to replace it and a silvery white, short but thick fish shot up to take a bite. What do you think that was?
After paddling in a big circle I returned to that spot and finally stuck a fish. Turns out it was the fattest 10 inch (head to fork of tail) omilu papio I’ve ever seen. So that’s what the silvery white flash was. The predators are gorging on the baby fish bloom and getting downright chubby.
The omilu was released after the picture was taken. Does its capture end the bolo head or do I have to catch one I actually keep?
It’s bite pattern matches the parallel bite marks of the top oama in this picture.
10 inch fatty
Scott, you and all other fishermen today will have an eternity of bolo head time until you experience the epiphany that comes to only a few of the chosen: that catching fish with modern-day technology is unfair, unsustainable, and simply, murder…. I will elaborate for the unchosen ones in future (and they are legion) but I really wanted to address the size limits in place today regarding the papio family. Yes, defend the juveniles but surely 11 inchers or less are not of optimum age inre reproduction? When are individuals most fecund? Two, three, four pounds and up? When are they less fecund or finally, barren, if ever? If, as I suspect they are reproductive into old age–oh my. No more silly pictures of century fish, eh? I envision a more enlightened time when threshold weights are species specific; when you can keep papio for instance, between the weights of 1 to 2 pounds…and release all the rest. A golden age where there are no stainless steel hooks and monofilament material that will last lifetimes. And, no barbs. If God intended for us to catch fish to live, he would have given us swim bladders. Larry
Hi Larry,
You weren’t kidding when you said you tend to write incendiary (to use one of your Webster’s Dictionary words) comments.
I agree with you that the large papio/ulua should be released. They can produce far more babies and don’t even taste good.
“Slot limits” of a certain size work on the mainland where it can be enforced better, but our problem here is that the DLNR is undermanned.
There’s no bite to the laws/regulations if offenders aren’t caught, or if caught, aren’t fined in a way they wouldn’t want to offend again.
Thanks for reading and sharing your opinion.
-scott
Hi Larry,
I agree with some of what you said. Some modern day equipment can be unfair to fish with. What older techniques of fishing do you recommend? I don’t sustain myself by eating fish but I do like to eat fish from time to time.
Thanks,
Justin