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Big man o’ war, jumping kaku and $20 JDM lure lost

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Went back to the Windward side hoping to get a bigger fish on the 13 Fishing Concept Z reel.  Last week I got stung badly by a Portuguese Man o’ War so I wore wading socks that extended a few inches above my tabis but still left a 9 inch uncovered area between the socks and the bottom of my trunks.  At the first spot, I saw this huge Man of War getting blown towards me.  Freaked me out but this time I remembered to walk in front of the float, not behind it, since the stinging tentacles can extend pretty far.  I whipped the area cautiously for no bites but probably didn’t do it justice since I was constantly scanning the water for more Man o’ War.

Left the area and went to the spot I missed the kaku the last time.  Sure enough I got a hit on the JDM sub-surface lure right away. I felt the fish on and in a split second it went airborne with the lure in its mouth but shook it mid-flight. Here’s the short video of the little kaku acrobat.

I worked the area and moved down a ways, and when I returned I hooked that same fish or his brother.  I bumbled turning on the GoPro so I didn’t capture that action. And when I released the kaku that got tangled up in the leader, I ended up dunking the Concept Z reel for a couple of seconds. Ugh…

After draining the water, I made a cautious cast and backlashed because the wet casting brakes were slipping.  Adjusted from 3 brakes “on” to 5 brakes “on” (6 brakes are the max) and the reel casted great again.  Missed what felt like a papio bite and then my casts shortened as the brakes dried.  Readjusted the brakes back to their original setting but I must’ve had loose line on my spool ‘cuz I snapped off my lure at the FG knot on a cast. I had tied this sloppy FG knot on the water the last time and must not have cinched it down well.

My $20 limited edition JDM sub-surface lure couldn’t have gone far but I didn’t see it land and couldn’t find it even though it floats.  Took that as a sign to quit while I was unstung.  This is the second JDM lure I’ve left floating in jellyfish infested waters, although Portuguese Man Of War technically aren’t jellyfish.  If you find it, I hope it brings you luck.

I hadn’t opened up the Concept Z reel before so I was a little leery about losing flying parts.  The reel was actually a little simpler than bait casters I have serviced although there was a little spring loaded clicker pin under the star drag that fell off on disassembly.  The innards looked wet but free of grit, salt and corrosion.  The materials used looked impressively corrosion resistant and I verified that the stack of drag washers was made out of carbon fiber to produce an astounding 22 lb of drag.  Applied some Corrosion Block oil and Daiwa Blue Grease and reassembled it.  Reassuring to know that the Concept Z reel can be easily self-serviced.

 

 

“Fish finder fish” landed on the stronger hooks

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Erik had been nudging me to get out on the water with his detailed catch reports. He actually drew maps of where he caught fish, and met me on the water to tell me where they were sitting earlier for his epic tag and release session. I braced for a hit as I threw out the sub-surface lure with stronger hooks.  Something jumped on that pulled a little and had a lot of resistance in the water but came off on the papa. Big roi or foul hooked papio? I metered fish near the papa drop off, a few feet off the bottom but couldn’t get them to come up to identify themselves.  My guide, Erik, had to leave for work so I was left to find my own fish.

The kayak with reduced transducer drag glided easily in the sheet glass conditions so I ventured further out than I had ever fished in that area.  My lure got hung up deep in a hole at the papa edge and the main line broke off. Dang roi hit the lure on the surface and pulled it down deep.  That was an expensive loss.  I put on another modified lure and trolled a little off the papa edges but nothing hit so I daringly trolled on the top of the papa in a few feet of water.  Finally, I landed a 10.5 inch (FL) omilu that was hooked in the mouth and lightly foul hooked with the front belly hook.  The fight felt a lot like the first fish, so I suspect that was a foul hooked papio also that got off.  The omilu was tagged and released back to his two waiting buddies.

The current pushed me to the edge of the papa and the fish finder marked 3 larger fish suspended a few feet off the bottom that looked like a bunch of whites resting in the deep shade.  Sure enough one came up and took the sub-surface lure deep in its throat.  A larger white came up with it, eyeing me warily.  I had to use my long nose pliers to remove the rear single inline hook. Note that the front treble hook didn’t foul the fish like the stock trebles had been doing. I’m sure it would have survived after being released since the  rear single hook did much less damage than a treble would have, but I kept the fish since I had already tagged a fish. It went 14.25 inches (FL).

The wind had blown me far off the spot I had caught the whitey so I had to try and recognize where I had gotten the strike.  I used the fish finder to locate larger fish hunkered down in groups near the bottom and sure enough, on my next cast, a 15 inch (FL) white got caught on the front treble hook.  The free swinging rear single hook didn’t snag the fish at all.  Maybe that white was the fish that was eyeing me earlier.  The fish was tagged and set free.

Today’s whites were fat and strong for their size. They seemed to be eating well and the stronger replacement hooks didn’t stretch at all.  The reduced drag of the transducer mount let me expand my range and locate fish with the fish finder.  It was great to verify that the equipment modifications were actual improvements.

 

 

Sub-surface kaku action in light wind, slightly murky conditions

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Frank and I returned to the area that yielded a brute of a fish the first time out, and shark and kaku sightings on our second visit.  I did a  temporary repair of my Calcutta 200TE that allowed me to get into free spool and was back in business, learning the new grounds with Frank.

 

 

The tide was on the top 1/3 of the rise and the shallow flat was somewhat murky despite the light winds.  That actually helped our cause since the fish wouldn’t be as spooked by our presence.  We started in the area we saw kaku the last time, and sure enough we got follows.  Frank hooked a kaku that hit his JDM sub-surface lure, but it shook it off when it went airborne.  I hooked one not too far from him and tried walking it over but it shook off also.  We spent another 30 mins fishing a limu covered reef but didn’t get anymore follows.

There was another area that looked promising so we walked a few hundred yds in the opposite direction and entered the water.  A small school of mullet scattered, and we started snagging the hairy type of limu we find in brackish water.  A storm drain was dumping fresh water and some not so pleasant smells into the area, which created the brackish water ecosystem.  There was even a school of tilapia feeding around the mangrove roots.  Sure enough kaku started following our lures. They didn’t seem to mind being seen but didn’t commit. Maybe the moon was still too big?

Eventually we moved away from the shore and tried wading out to the drop off.  Halfway out, in hip-deep water, I hooked a fish on a heavier sub-surface lure. It thrashed on the surface and shook the lure.  From the size of the fish and fact were weren’t near defined structure, I assumed it was the awa awa we were targeting.  Shortly after, Frank said “I think I have a fish…”. He had felt some pressure on his line and then the fish made a few surges.

On closer examination it was a kaku.  Odd that they would be in the area between the shore and the drop off.  It was Frank’s first on a sub-surface lure and a nice, healthy one.  Frank’s whipping prowess improved greatly in just 3 outings.  The water’s depth was too deep to tag it without dunking our gear so he released it.

We fished the brackish water area on the way in and the kaku were gone. Maybe the ones we hooked mid-way to the drop off were those kaku leaving the shallows to sleep in deeper water?

I’m now wondering if the fish I hooked on our first outing wasn’t an awa awa but some other predator like a big jack or a shark.  I had thought it was an awa awa because I after that hookup I had hooked a fish that thrashed on the surface, but that could have been a transiting kaku.  More exploratory trips needed!

 

Extensive product testing in nearshore waters

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I was fortunate to go out on Erik’s small aluminum boat again and test some lures.  The wind was really light and swell was on the smaller size so we started up the coast, behind the breakers.  The water was pretty clear and maybe 20 to 30 ft deep in the sandy channels. The reefs looked about 15 ft deep. Erik used a casting jig to work the full water column and I used the JDM sub-surface lure I’ve been using lately on my inshore rod.  As  good as the spot looked, we didn’t get a single sniff so we drifted in closer to the back of the waves.

Erik switched to the Waxwing Baby to cover ground quicker and I switched rods to a GLoomis  8ft “Backbounce” rod that has a graphite – fiberglass blend to flex more on the cast.  I had the new Tranx 400 mounted and loaded with 50lb Sufix 832.  First time trying the Tranx 400 and first time using Sufix 832 as braid.  The heaviest swimming lure I had was a lip-less with a lead cylinder in its body.  It didn’t swim as well as the lighter swimming lures  but cast well on the Backbounce rod and Tranx.  I was impressed that the Suffix was coming off the reel smoother than the PowerPro I used in the past.

Still no hits so Erik changed to a floating gurgling type of JDM lure that had been very consistent in the past. Omilu came up to investigate but didn’t commit.  I was enjoying casting the 1 oz heavy swimmer but really didn’t have confidence in its fish attracting qualities.  Then a fish hit it about 10 inches below the surface, halfway to the boat and flipped its tail at us. Hanapa’a!  We were getting close to the back of the breaking waves so Erik started up the motor and pulled us away a bit.  The fish felt strong on its initial runs back to the safety of the reef but the Tranx drag was smooth and its gears brought the fish boat side after a few mins.  Electric blue Omilu!

Erik filmed the fight and landing and netted the fish with his other hand.  Not only did he put us on the fish but he captured the action and did post production on the pics and video.  Can’t beat that service! The fish taped out at 20.5 inches (FL). Not sure how many pounds that equates to but it was definitely bigger than the 4lb omilu that were my previous best.  I tagged and released it and it splashed me in the face in its hurry to get back home.

I broke one of the flimsy treble hooks when I unhooked the fish prior to tagging and releasing.  It seems like the JDM lure manufacturers choose light hooks so the lures swim as well as they can.  The US domestic lures have stouter hooks but don’t swim as well.  So we’ve been changing out the JDM hooks to larger Owner trebles that don’t adversely affect the action.

Back to the action: After seeing the omilu swim off strongly, we looked up and could see a wave building. Erik put us in gear and we scrambled to safety.  Whew. It’s definitely dicey fishing that close to the impact zone where the fish hang out.  The sinking swimmer’s broken treble didn’t dangle properly so I switched to another untested lure, a larger floating pencil style bait meant for small pelagics. It was lighter than the sinking lure so I backlashed the first cast into the wind. Ugh… the tangle looked bad but once I picked it off the Suffix cast fine. That was my only backlash of the day, much unlike my experience with PowerPro and a bait caster.  The pencil lure didn’t have much action on its own and I struggled to make it walk from my seated position on the boat.  Then there was a blow up but the fish hit just in front of the tail hook.  It left teeth marks but didn’t come back. We think it was a big papio/small ulua.

We moved away from the waves to the safety of the inner bay.  Erik put on a JDM walking top water lure he had success with in the past and some omilu too small to take the hook followed it in.  Going further inside, I threw the JDM sub-surface lure I started the day with.  A small omilu checked it out on the way back to the boat that was first attracted by Erik’s 1/4 oz Yozuri popper.  It eventually hit it but was too small to tag.  Erik got more papio to come off the channel bottom to investigate his popper but not commit.

We suspect the action was slow because of the mid-day sun and the mostly slack tide.  The fish weren’t aggressive enough to commit to hitting surface lures but did occasionally hit my lures that ran up to 1 foot under water. It was good to try such a variety of lures for comparison.  Sub-surface swimming action isn’t as critical as I thought if you run the lures over where the fish are hanging out in the impact zone.

I was really pleased with how the Tranx and Sufix performed.  Smooth casts and fast, powerful retrieves. 2 products I need to test again!

 

It’s the ones that get away that keep you coming back

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Frank and I tried a spot I had dunked before but never whipped.  The plan was to wade out on the very low tide and fish the drop off and reef shelf as the evening tide came in. We were both armed with the sub-surface lure from Japan that cast so well, floated and swum in an enticing wobble.  Two guys using a kayak as a floating tackle box were coming in.

The water was clear and there were enough small wavelets to oxygenate the impact zone.  We cast into the deep channel and brought the lure back. I hooked a small poopa’a which got us hoping for something better.  More casts… nothing.  Saw a tight school of oio cruising the impact zone on their way into the shallows to feed. Even more casts… nothing.

The area looked so good but there were no bait fish around to draw the predators onto the shallow reef shelf.  The sun got lower, sky got a little darker and it looked like the witching hour was about to start.  We reversed and whipped the reef edge walking in the opposite direction.  The water level was too high to walk to the edge so we tried to reach the drop off with our casts.

Suddenly my lure got grabbed and the fish went past the drop off and kept pulling straight out.  I had a 14 inch 40lb fluoro leader connected to 17lb Trilene XL mono.  Line steadily pulled off my reel despite a tough drag setting.  I began to wonder if I’d get spooled when the line suddenly went slack.  Arrgh, I was standing maybe 20 yds from the reef edge so it wasn’t the dropoff that cut me off.  The fight lasted less than 15 seconds.  I reeled in and the mono was cut with a slight curl. It cut past the fluoro leader and it wasn’t the knot that became undone.  I didn’t feel any rubbing at all but the Trilene XL is so soft I don’t think it can hold up to much abrasion.    Because I had seen oio earlier I was thinking it was a very big oio with a taste for fish that took my lure.  I didn’t feel the typical papio/ulua headshakes and my previous 4lb papio couldn’t pull against the drag that long.

Frank witnessed the short battle and was pumped up to try to get one on his lure.  I rerigged quickly and tied a sloppy uni to uni knot to connect the 40lb fluoro to the Trilene XL.  I put on that same type of lure in the gold/yellow “ayu” pattern.  I tightened my drag a bit and cast out. On the 3rd cast I hooked up again!  This time the fish couldn’t get to the dropoff and flopped around on the surface before the hook pulled. Awa Awa I think, because oio don’t flop around like that.  I’ve hooked 5lb plus awa awa in deep water on the kayak that ran deep and straight and never jumped.  We see more awa awa in the Winter and Spring than during the other seasons and they’re my favorite inshore fish for the way they fight and how good the flesh is in fishcake and lomi.

Frank’s old school Shimano spinner began to generate wind knots in the braid so it was time to head in.  Turns out he was having occasional bail and wind knot issues but didn’t want to complain and slow me down.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a fish on that I felt I might spool me. The risk of losing the fish and the hard to get JDM lure woke me up. I’m eager to try again, with a better line setup and with a true whipping reel for Frank.

Are the Winter Doldrums over?

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The inshore bite has been so slow for me that besides outings where I bolo-headed throwing lures, I even got bolo-headed the last time I trolled oama.

I had recently been hearing reports of more fish activity and was hoping that the inshore Spring season had started. Today was just 3 days before the full moon, normally an indicator of poor fishing, but I checked a new fishing calendar and it said the outlook was pretty good.  Armed with a brand new JDM lipped sub-surface lure, I waded out on the rising tide hoping to reach the break.

I’m still trying to figure out what speed and tempo to fish this lure and was doing some test casts about 50 ft from the break. Something hit pretty hard.  There was a lot of resistance and the fish took drag so I was stunned and stoked.  Turns out the sticky sharp hooks snagged a 13.5 inch omilu on its side with none of the hooks in the fish’s mouth.  The fish had superficial scratches so I tagged it and let it go.

Near the same spot I hooked something that felt like I was dragging a 5 gallon bucket. It another foul hooked omilu, maybe about 8 inches, and when the back hook released I could easy pull it in and set it free.  It’s wounds weren’t too bad either but I was beginning to wonder how these fish were getting caught up in the lure’s hooks.

 

 

I moved inside to try a pretty reliable spot and sure enough I hooked another omilu that was initially hooked on both hooks.  This one just made 10 inches, so I tagged it. It was pretty winded so I had to revive it in the moving water for a while before it kicked free.

 

I was really happy with the way the new JDM lure attracted fish in the beginning of February, but concerned that the free swinging hook kept cutting up the fish.  I had pinched down the barbs so the hooks popped out easily but found their mark again and again.  Maybe I need to change to a hook with its point less exposed.