Feeling good about ending my bolo, I ventured to the Windward side for some shallow water kaku action. The tide hadn’t filled in at my dependable spot so I decided to wade around an area we’ve kayak fished in the past. There were a lot of 7 inch mullet near shore, much more than I see on the South Shore, so I was hopeful that an ambushing kaku would be nearby.
In 2.5 feet of water I spotted the purple-blue float of a Portuguese Man of War. The trade winds blow these stinging menaces into the Windward beach shallows, which is why there are so many sand turtles on the Windward side. The sand turtles love to eat the Man of War tentacles!
I walked about 12 ft downwind of the Man of War float and crossed its path. ZAPPP!! It felt like my lower legs received an electrical shock. I rubbed the areas in disbelief but couldn’t see much of a wound. Wasn’t sure if the pain would get worse so I headed into shore to text the guys. Thad, our resident wade fisher, turns out to be our resident jellyfish stingee also. He said the pain subsides very quickly so I drove to another spot but the kaku weren’t home.
By then, the tide had filled in a little at my dependable spot so I waded out into less than knee deep water. My first cast resulted in a huge eruption of water. Now that’s the kind of greeting I like! I turned on the GoPro and recorded 3 more boils in the next 2 mins and 45 seconds. Sadly none stuck. I did see another Man Of War float and kept one eye peeled for more.
On my slow walk of shame in I changed to a longer, heavier JDM sub-surface lure with 3 treble hooks, hoping to hook the sneaky kaku that hit the middle of the lure. I hooked something that had a lot of resistance but couldn’t pull that hard. It turned out to be a 6 inch omilu that attacked the 4.5 inch lure and was hooked in the mouth and the side. The side wound was just below the skin and he swam off fine. Omilu always seem to get foul hooked on the sharp trebles which is partly why I take those off if I’m not targeting kaku.
The next day my Man Of War sting got itchy and the following day was even worse. Cortizone 10 Plus kept the itch bearable.
At Day 4 it wasn’t itchy anymore but looked really bad! A friend said he welts up like that too and wears support stockings to prevent the sting from reaching his flesh! That might look a little funny but less odd than walking around for a month with this scar.
I’ve ordered “calf compression sleeves” from Amazon Prime for less than $10 that don’t look like old lady stockings and am hoping they will prevent further leg stings. Will let you know how they perform.
Windward side has more bait and predators but more chance of getting stung too. Is that price worth paying for a better shot at fish?
Maybe gotta use underarmour when whipping/wading … ?
Excellent idea Kelly. Layton at Charley’s Fishing Supply just told me today he uses support hose stockings!
He said he welts up the same way I do. Hopefully, if I get stung again, I won’t welt up as much.
Dude:
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/how-fix-jellyfish-sting/
That’s an excellent article Rich, thanks! I looked at where I got stung and didn’t see any tentacles but I may have lightly rubbed the area underwater by then. There were a few isolated sting marks above the main area and below so maybe some stinging polyps were scraped around by me.
It actually didn’t feel that sore, compared to the Box Jellyfish sting I got on my wrist before, but the welt area is very large.
Covering my legs with some kind of protective sleeve may be my best option. UnderArmor, as Kelly suggested, would look better than old lady support hose, yeah/
Very timely article. We were thinking of checking that side out on Monday. Last month when we went wasn’t too bad, I saw two and was fortunate enough to avoid getting stung. But this is making me think I should pick up some Under Armour as insurance now.
Jason,
I think I’ve only seen fly fishers wearing leg protection. Is that not something specifically marketed to fly fishers? I couldn’t find something like that online for fishers except for Daiwa brand leg sleeves sold overseas.
Just like fly fishers in HI were the first to wear UV performance shirts and neck gaiters, I think fly fishers were the first to wear protection on their lower legs.
Looks like next Monday may have 15 mph trade winds. What’s the max wind you can handle?
-scott
Yeah, companies like Simms and Patagonia do sell long pants for wading but a lot of guys (myself included) prefer board shorts. I think it’s personal preference. Or some guys might wear board shorts during the summer and then break out the pants (and rain jacket) for winter.
15 mph is ok, as long as it’s at my back or blowing left to right! Right to left or head-on, can, but gotta work harder. The spot we plan to fish actually allows us to face south, so we should be okay.
We’ll compare reports from the windward side. I hope to go within a few days. Thanks Jason.
LOL! Just for you:
https://www.to-hawaii.com/jellyfishcalendar.html
Thanks Rich, now that I’m back to wading and not on the kayak I better take that calendar seriously! But I’m hoping that tabis and the calf compression sleeve I ordered will protect me from most stings.
You guys got jellyfish in your area?
Never experienced it on my side (probably due to consistent trades/strong wave action). On the leeward (kona side), got a couple of mild ones.
Ah that makes sense. The different parts of the islands are so contrasting yeah?
A fellow surfer wears panty hose when the jellyfish come in on the south shore
Now that’s ballsy, or the opposite of ballsy, I dunno. 😉
I saw an even bigger Man of War float today and it definitely messed with my psyche. Hoping the calve compression socks prevent stings and don’t look incredibly odd in the water.