Last year we did our first composite Fall report and it’s interesting to see how 2021 compares to the mostly dreadful 2020. The contributing writers who didn’t submit a summary this year haven’t been able to fish the Fall sufficiently.

Jeremy, flats whipper and fly fisher:

After a decent fall last year, this year’s September catch report has been comparatively slow.  Topwater papio action was almost non-existent and fishing on the flats wasn’t very successful, so had to change tactics just to try to get bites again.  Switching it up to egg lead and curly tails or jigs helped save me from getting white-washed more than a few times.  Using the small curly tails work really good if you just want to get some kind of action.  Everything will bite those.  Hinaleas are your best friend when you’re just trying to get any bites, LOL.  

But, halfway through October, the action has been a lot more consistent.  Been working the jigs and flats hard, and have been landing some decent fish.  Working deeper in the water column has been the most successful.  Surprisingly, have been able to still find some decent sized papios around.  O’ios have been on the smaller side, but bites have picked up again.  

Matthew, shoreline whipper and fly maker:

So… The weather is starting to get a little nasty, it’s getting colder, and the bite has dried up in many places. Yep, winter is here. It seemed like just a few weeks ago when the fish inshore were plentiful. Now, many may be asking themselves, “Is there really much, if anything, out there?”. There have certainly been a few days where I found myself wondering the same thing. There have certainly been a few days where it felt like I was casting into a void. And there have certainly been a few days where all I wanted to do was go home and take a long shower because of how cold it is out there. 

Now that the Oama and Halalu runs have pretty much concluded, the number of Papio and other predators that are inshore has understandably decreased. The red-hot action of the summer is now just a memory. Even the number of big Oio on the flats has decreased, and most of the catch is now just rats. Catching a five pounder would be considered fortunate. Some spots that I used to frequent have gone eerily quiet. In fact, all but one of my Oio spots have gone dead. Fortunately for me, that one spot is consistently producing fish, but it is frustrating to know that other spots have turned into dead zones. When fly fishing (sight fishing) at one of those now “dead zones”, I only spotted four Oio in a couple of hours. That number, considering the amount of time spent, should be much higher. All four of those fish were extremely skittish and didn’t let me get anywhere near them. 

There is still some hope to cling onto, as there are some spots that have some sort of bait still around. There are a few spots with small schools of sardines and perhaps some small schools of Oama scattered around the island. If you can find one of those spots, you can probably assume that there will be a predator that is feasting on the now rare opportunity. 

Alongside the small glimmers of hope for bait populations, there is one other positive thing that comes with Winter: the surf on the south shore has finally calmed down a bit. While surfers may not see it the same way, it does make fishing on the rocks a whole lot safer and comfortable. Still, use caution if you are fishing a more exposed spot. 

Shore jigging is an option that you can use when the bite is cold in the shallows, as the fish in those areas appear to be present year round. Uku, goats, and other bottom fish could await if you find the right spot. However, note that jigging is a costly hobby. Losing braid and jigs to the reef slowly adds up over time. It is also demoralizing to break your line every time you get hung up, knowing you just lost another jig. Additionally, retying your FG knot is extremely annoying. 

Overall, it’s getting a lot slower. Sometimes you won’t catch fish, and that’s a fact that you need to accept even if it sucks. But the joy of the sport isn’t always in catching a fish. If you can find happiness in the process, you’re well set on your way to enjoying your trips, even in winter. If catching fish is of utmost importance to you, perhaps try other alternatives. Freshwater fishing is a year round option that will always be there for you. Flats fishing can be boring at times, but it is effective year-round. Whatever you choose, stay safe and most importantly, have fun! 

Good luck! -Matt

Scott, offshore kayak fisher: Another La Nina started this Fall and surprising (to me at least), the water temps haven’t dropped too quickly. We’ve had 5 weeks of at least one day of light wind, so the kayak fleet have been out pulling on pelagics and other deep water exotics before Old Man Winter shuts down the action. Opelu is getting a little easier to catch for the dawn patrol (not me), and the opelu in the market is the perfect size although at an all time high price. Very calm wind days have been easy on the body but hard to find biting fish without the right bait. Jigging has been slow unless the water is rougher or bait is getting attacked.