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You are here: Home / Archives for bait vs lures

Bait vs Lures, Round 3

December 12, 2014 By Scott 3 Comments

The tide was low and the wind was up so I wade fished a spot I normally board fish.  I started with cut bait and when the small papios started biting on every cast I switched to a Makata strip.  No bites on the strip so I switched back to bait.  The action was much better than I had expected. Besides the countless 5 inch omilus, I caught a large mongoose fish and had some heavier fish unbutton.  About an hr before sun down I hooked something that looked and felt like a small oio.  When I brought it closer I was realized it was a 14 inch plus white weke.

giant oama

giant oama

I had never caught a full grown white weke before, and it was weird to handle a fish that looked like an oama, just giant-sized.  I wonder if the white weke and obake weke are always on the shallow reef or if it’s the season for them now.  They’re fun to catch but I was really hoping for an oio that would smoke my reel.

 

weke of all sizes

weke of all sizes

Hopefully the adult weke plays nicely with the 5″ to 8″ oamas.

Summary:  On the shallow, bouldery reef, cut bait trounced the strip lure once again.

Bait vs Lures, Round 2

November 26, 2014 By Scott Leave a Comment

25 MPH, North – North East winds on the flats made it difficult to cast at times and the tide was rising in the overcast evening.  Made for some chilly wading.  The 4 inch omilus were bothering the baits again so I just stuck with

  • cut baitt
  • Makata strip lure (clear ice)

Like the last time I fished the flats, the little omilus followed the strip lure but didn’t take the hook.  On the cut bait I caught about 8 omilus, and besides a lizard fish, no other reef fish.  Maybe the omilus were faster than the expected hinalea and humus?

As the sun was setting, in 8 inches of water, I hooked a fish that swam in straight lines, unlike an omilu.  Turned out to be a 9 inch obake weke, about the size that Pete caught two trips ago.  Funny that I’ve never caught them before and now two were landed on the last 3 trips.  Maybe they’re part of the big “recruitment” bloom of reef fish?

obake weke

obake weke swimming against the water jet

I released all the omilus but kept the obake weke.  Here he is in quarantine waiting to meet his oama cousins and the bigger weke caught a month ago.

Summary: In tough conditions with pesky baby omilu, cut bait trounced lures once again.

Tungsten Jigs

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