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First Rainbow Runner off the yak, followed by an ulua!

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The lighter winds of Fall have arrived and the warm-ish water (78 degrees on the surface) is still holding baitfish and pelagics. This short window of a few weeks is the best time to kayak fish before the cold water of Winter shuts everything down.

I started at my favorite Windward spot’s drop off and couldn’t find any opelu. Finally a small moana came up on the damashi so I dragged it around for 30 mins with no bite. Gave up, since live moana has rarely worked for me, and put on a fresh, very expensive ($3.50 each!!!) store bought opelu. Resumed jigging and the opelu got taken on the bait rod a few minutes later.

The fish ran fast like a pelagic but also had head shakes like a jack. After a spirited fight, I saw what looked like a mahi tail at color, but on closer examination, it looked more like a small yellowtail (hiramasa). Turns out it was my first rainbow runner ever. Also called kamanu, it was a stunningly beautiful fish.

Slipped it into my fish bag, on 10lb of Arctic Ice, and dropped down my second fresh opelu. It got hit in a few minutes also, by something the didn’t run quite as fast, but pulled me further out. It never tried to rock me, and because of its strength, I was hoping it was my first shibi (small yellowfin tuna), but it turned out to be a 15 – 20lb white ulua. It’s swim bladder was partially filled with air but it strongly kicked down when released.

I only had brought 3 of the $10/lb opelu since I hadn’t gotten many bites off frozen opelu at this spot, and dropped the last piece down. That one got hit a few minutes later but taken. On this day, very fresh opelu worked almost as well as live opelu.

The 8.5lb kamanu was packed with two bags of ice in the cooler overnight, like I did the 13lb kagami ulua that I caught on the previous trip, but by the next afternoon a third of the ice had melted.

Th

Maybe because that day was humid with low wind? The meat separated and tore when I fileted it because it hadn’t firmed up in the cooler. Much softer than the ultra firm kagami.

While it looked a little slightly bloody, it didn’t taste fishy at all and made for some tasty, soft, mild sashimi. Hope I get another shot at one even if I have to use high-priced bait to catch ’em. I gotta do a better job icing the fish on the way home from fishing, and pack it in more ice overnight.

Baby Beast and Mini Feast from the East!

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Surf was booming on the north and west shores and surf on the south side was projected as high as 5ft so we went east to a new spot Erik, our small boat buddy, had recommended. Erik provided all the intel as far as where to launch, where the opelu were, where the nabeta were, and if he were free he would have met us on the water! How many guys would share their secret spots like that?

Frank and I made it out to where the opelu were supposed to be, but it was after 9 in the morning and we couldn’t find a good mark. We paddled over to a deep reef and Frank damashi’d up moana and taape on ika strips while I bottom fished with frozen opelu. I was surprised how few nibbles I was getting so I went all the way out to 200ft and had a hard thump that took the whole fish. I put my second to the last opelu on and dropped again. Thump, thump and a strong run. I was thinking shark but soon there were really hard head shakes. Not as quick as uku head shakes so I assumed it was ulua. The fish took out a lot of line so I buttoned down the Avet SX Raptor 2-speed to stop it, and after struggling to gain line in high gear, I dropped to low gear and man what a difference! The fish didn’t make another sustained run again and it floated so quickly it came up on the opposite side I was expecting and scared me!

I debated keeping the white ulua but had always said I’d release my first kayak caught ulua so I did. Looking at the photos again, it was probably just a bit over 10lbs but at the time I thought it was much bigger because of the bullish fight. Nothing else bit the last opelu in the deep so I went to look for nabeta.

Tipping the damashi with ika strips Frank gave me initially yielded hagi until I moved off the deep reef and onto sand. I dragged the weight instead of bouncing it and could feel fish lightly tugging at the ika and not hooking up. Finally I hooked a yellow nabeta (deepwater gold!). I had to wade through little puffer fish and nunu before I got 2 more nabeta in the deep, then I went a little shallower and started getting reef fish. By then it was time to go in so I turned up the Bixpy motor to contend with the offshore wind, and could sustain a 3.5 mph pace by paddling along with the jet. Without the motor I’d be struggling at 2 mph and be hurting the next day.

Usually I don’t do well the first few times out at a new spot but we were productive because of Erik’s accurate directions. We left a few stones unturned so we need to go back!