Returned to kayak the SE side, the usual winter suspects were there including the Beast. Uku catch and cook.

‘Tis the season to fish the South East side since the North swell is sweeping through the Windward side spots now. Woke a little earlier and got to the bait spot before 8am, and it made a difference. 🙂 Got 3 opelu in the tube, my best effort ever, and paddled them out to 220ft per Big Island Hammah Shea’s recommendation to avoid the shallow water bait stealers.

Let the first one out and it got picked up but the fish didn’t run hard with the bait. When I applied a little pressure I heard a splash behind me and the bait was dropped. The opelu came back mortally wounded and looked like it had been grabbed sideways by something other than aha and kaku. I put on a lively opelu, dropped it back and went out to 500ft and back inside 150ft and nothing bothered it. Decided to try for uku so I weighted it down with a 1.5 oz bullet weight and it got nibbled on when it got near the bottom. The nibbles turned to a screaming, unstoppable run. 300yd were out and I tried to slow down the Beast but my Strike drag setting had no effect on the run. I inched up to max drag and the braid backing shattered! The same thing happened last November in the same general area. Check out what happened that day.

My 70ft fluoro shock leader and 6ft fluoro leader was taken so I had to retie a leader directly onto the braid. No longer a stealthy setup, I just hoped a not-so-smart uku would happen by. Instead I got another fish that ran out 70yd and slowed. After a tough battle with a lot of vertical yanks, a 5ft to 6ft sandbar shark was pulled up from the depths and cut free. That shark really fought above its weight class compared to other sandbars that size. This made me think that the previous beast was a very large, fast running shark, not the ahi I hoped it was, since both times it bit near the bottom.

Finally I felt the telltale bite and jerky fight of a small uku and I landed my first one since January. I love catching uku. They’re easy to handle on the kayak and very versatile to prepare. I was hoping for a few more since it was small (3 to 4lb) but the winds picked up and water got choppy. The few boats out there left and I couldn’t get my bait down near the bottom anymore. It’s funny, I’ve never gotten more than 1 decent sized uku on a trip.

A friend was in town with his wife, visiting in-laws and he and his wife’s family had never eaten uku before. They wanted to dry age the uku but Christmas dinner arrived 4 days after the fish was caught and they couldn’t wait any longer. They wrapped the uku in foil and baked it at 450 degrees for 20 to 30 mins, intermittently checking on it after 20 mins. Ginger slices had been stuffed into slits in the body and after it was done “steaming” in the oven, a sauce of shoyu, sugar, sesame oil, mirin and oyster sauce was poured over the fish. The seasoned fish was eaten over a bed of rice, with a side of zuccini and kale, and from the looks of the photo, the bones were picked clean. When I pressured my friend for a review of the steamed uku he said “it was nice and meaty, medium-fluffy, not too oily, but not dry, not really fishy. It was fresh tasting, and a great base for the sauce that was poured over it.” What a descriptive, easy to relate to review!

Better Oahu kayakers are getting ono, mahi, and kamanu (rainbow runner) in the Winter so I’ll be out again when the weather allows, but won’t be disappointed if another uku bites the bait.