Holoholo: Heeia Fishpond Fundraiser for Mauna Kea – Heeia trial nine

September 18, 2019 By Scott 5 Comments

This would be my ninth time fishing at the Heeia Fishpond, and I was hoping to take advantage of the rising tide for most of the time that I would be fishing there. When I got there, the conditions were pretty good for fishing, but it was also very humid due to the rain the night before, and no wind at all. Within an hour I was already soaked with sweat and it looked like I had actually fallen in the pond. I caught two Kaku on back to back casts on the Kastmaster, but then, after that I decided to go after some of the toau. Since both of my poles were occupied, I set up a handline. I had never handlined with a spool before, so unfortunately on the first toss I tossed both the bait and the $15 dollar spool of line in the water.

Luckily, I had brought my nine foot net, and I just scooped it up. But if the water had been deeper, it wouldn’t have ended so well. I learned how to successfully throw it and landed three Toau in short order. But that was sadly the whole school of Toau. I put on an oama and started whipping with it, and I was just about to take it out of the water when a Kaku came out of nowhere and inhaled it. I was tempted to set the hook right there, but I let it swallow it and then set the hook. I landed it, and it was a decent sized 16 inch Kaku, and really fat for its size. I started to dunk some oama and then I heard the bell ring. Someone had tangled my line and I reeled it in to untangle it. The line was still halfway in while I was untangling it. After I untangled it, I put it back in the pole holder.

Immediately after, the bell started to ring again and the reel started to scream a little. This time it was a real fish. I reeled it in thinking the whole time it was a Papio, but it fought differently than I was used to. Then I saw why. A really fat moi had surfaced with my oama in its mouth. I yelled for the net and my mom came, and she started recording instead of handing me the net. I took matters into my own hands and grabbed the net, and netted the real fat moi. It was only 13 inches, but it must’ve weighed a pound and a half or a little over because it was so fat. Almost obese fat. I tagged it and released it, and watched what could’ve been a real good dinner swim away.

I started whipping shortly after with a bubble and strip rig. I was worried because the leader was only six pound, because I forgot the 20lb I usually use at Heeia because of the Kaku. I just hoped there would be no more Kaku that would bite that day. I was wrong. Far out, I saw a Kaku take the lure and jump out of the water with it in its mouth. It then took off on a short 15 yard run due to my relatively light tackle, with an eight pound mainline, but not ultralight. I worried about the six pound leader the whole time, but somehow it came in close enough for netting. It saw the net and didn’t like it at all. It took off on another run, but that was its last effort. It came in reluctantly into the net after. It was the biggest Kaku of the day, at a decent 17 inches, but good on six pound line. I bagged all of the Kaku that day, as well as the Toau, and donated them to the Heeia Fishpond staff, which were asking for donations. After that, I had a real nice strike on my dunking pole that would not stop. The hook eventually popped and I was super bummed about that. I think it was either a big Papio or Oio.

Overall, that day was sort of a success, but it could’ve been better. Interesting that almost none of the dunkers hooked up at all, but a lot of the whippers on the wall had caught fish. Once again, whipping takes the vast majority, but dunking hooks the quality fish, as it has with pretty much all my fishing trips. I think I prefer whipping. Kastmasters and strips were again KEY in catching the smart Kaku in the fishpond. Scott has some Kastmasters in his shop, the exact same kind I have, for cheaper prices than in the stores. Oama are fully in, go gettum guys.

Whipping Lure Recommendations by Junior Angler

May 7, 2019 By Scott 10 Comments

Matthew: Over the past few years, I have been experimenting with lures, from bottom dragging lures to subsurface, to topwater. I found that topwater is generally better from around 6 am to 9 am and 4pm to 7pm. Subsurface lures still work well during those hours, but I feel that due to the low light the fish can see a topwater lure better because there’s less glare in their eyes. During those midday hours is when those subsurface lures work the best. Here is a list of some of the lures I like, although some I can only provide limited information about. I only use lures I have good faith in.

Editor: 3/8 oz gold Kastmaster was the Moana killer from the surfboard

Kastmasters: Kastmasters are good because like the name suggests, they cast very far. They also catch fish. I use Kastmasters in just about any type of water, whereas other lures are limited to certain conditions, tides, and water clarity. I cast them out as far as I can and burn it in pretty fast. You can also jig it like a jig or run it on the surface like a topwater lure, but I find it best to burn it fast. ¼ or ⅜ size is my favorite, anything over ½ is too big for my style.

Editor: This Sammy came from Japan in coloration not seen in the US market.

Lucky Craft Sammy: I like the Sammy as one of my favorite topwater lures because of the great walking action it has. However, it is a little too chubby to be the best lure, and due to the chubbiness, the Kaku often hit it and miss the hooks. However, it has some of the best walking action out there. Great lure to learn how to “walk the dog”.

Editor: Stainless steel Japanese trolling hook installed.

Shimano Waxwing Baby: The Waxwing is good because of its small profile (2.68 inch) and the great motion. The lure has “wings” that make it move from side to side, but I don’t rip it because in my opinion if it swings too aggressively it scares away the fish. The double hooks it’s supposed to be used with make it pretty snag proof, but 75% of the time the fish will miss it. I’ve been experimenting with treble hooks on the Waxwing and the hookup ratio has increased, but the snag ratio has also increased. Uncle Scott recommends using the stronger, shorter, stainless steel double hook used for small aku squid skirts that the tackle shops sell. They are expensive but the hookup ratio greatly improves.

Duel Hardcore Heavy Shot: I like the Heavy Shot because it punches through the wind even better than a kastmaster and has a good sinking and swimming action. It is classified as a Heavy Swimmer. Only bad part about this lure is that it sinks pretty fast, so I don’t use it on the flats too often.

Ima Komomo Counter: I really like the Komomo because like a lot of other lipless minnows, it has a wide, more natural side to side action than traditional lipped minnows, and is also heavy yet floats, so it punches through the wind very well. All the color patterns on Ima are pretty fit for Hawaii if you don’t chose the Akakin (reddish orange) color.

Shimano Coltsniper 80F Twitch: The Coltsniper is a solid lure, like the Kastmaster, functioning in all types of water. The pink-silver color draws in the fish and on a choppy day, helps them zone in on the bobbing lure. I fish it by dipping its head, which drives the Kaku insane.

Daiwa Shoreline Shiner Vertice Z: The Vertice is a floating that dives to about a foot, with a very lifelike side to side wiggle that gets Papio to commit unlike other lures. When fished fast however, Kaku sometimes aim ahead and cut the line. Best to use a slow to medium speed retrieve for maximum wobble. It casts very well into the wind due to its weight transfer system and streamlined body, and comes in a variety of realistic colors. The slim profile matches mullet, oama, and all of the baitfish in our waters.

Shimano Flash Boost: This new product by Shimano has an interesting new feature – a vibrating metallic foil plate in the middle. When it shakes, it creates a huge flash that is supposed to increase the catch rate. It also has more realistic scales. It is 99mm and floats. True to its name, Shallow Assassin, it dives shallow and has a wobbling action similar to the Vertice Z. It does not come with a split ring, so I’ve found for certain lures I have to add the split ring to make the action right.

Note that my experience is limited to shoreline fishing no deeper than 15 feet deep, and only a few spots. All of these lures will work but each shines in its own conditions. I throw them on a Medium-Light spinning rod and a Medium baitcasting rod. I throw the heavier lures on the baitcaster for more distance and less tangles.

Tackle test in less than ideal conditions

May 7, 2015 By Scott 4 Comments

The wind and surf were up and the solunar activity was down. Not the best time to wade out and fish the reef.

baby omilu under the float

To avoid having to re-tie rigs I tried drifting cut bait on an adjustable float. I didn’t snag anything but found it hard to cast such a light float in the windy conditions. I caught a few small omilu but didn’t like the slack line required to drift the float in the current.

When the waves started hitting me at the neckline I gave up and headed for shore. I switched to a rainbow trout pattern 3/8 oz Kastmaster just to throw something that would go further than a few yards.

The power handle I added to my bait caster did its job and I could retrieve fast enough to burn the lure in. Small papio were chasing the Kastmaster a few feet from the beach so I varied my retrieve and hooked up. Finally, after two outings with no bites on lures, I caught something. The papios turned out to be 6 inch white papio, and they were following the lure in from the deeper, cleaner water and ambushing it in the muddy water near shore. It was great to get back into the rhythm of casting, retrieving in a crank-crank-crank-pause tempo and feeling the occasional hits. The single, siwash hook I had on the kastmaster is sized for larger fish so I missed a lot of the bites. But the baby white papio I caught helped bring some lure casting mojo back.

Here’s how I customize my Kastmaster hooks to reduce snags.

Unscented Lures: Kastmaster, the flashy casting lure

April 30, 2014 By Scott 10 Comments

modified kastmasters

Kastmasters are an old school favorite in Hawaii. As the name implies, the lure’s streamlined profile casts really well, even into the wind. Its shiny, machined surface is beveled to cause it to flash as it swims enticingly. If you pause and let it fall, it flutters to the bottom like a dying fish.

The stock treble hook it comes with is notoriously weak and prone to snagging the reef so a suggested modification would be to replace that hook with a single “siwash” hook. I use Gamakatsu “open eye” siwash hooks that have an eye that can be slipped over a split ring and then crimped tight. I’ve heard that the kastmaster sinks with the printed side up so I position the siwash hook such that the point is facing up not down. In theory this minimizes snags.

If you want to add further modifications, you can purchase the kastmaster with the trailer attachment, and add a stick on eye to the front of the lure. I can’t tell you if those mods increase my catch rate but they don’t seem to hurt.

I get way more bites dragging cut bait than on the kastmaster but if something hits the kastmaster usually it’s a good one. I try to start with the kastmaster and if I do get a hit on the kastmaster often that’ll be the only hit in that area until I switch to bait.

moana on 3/8oz gold kastmaster

Use the kastmaster when you’re fishing near the water’s surface, to impart the right action. If you’re fishing too shallow, say shallower than 4 feet of water, you may end up getting snagged a lot. The blue/silver version attracts papio, kaku and awa awa, and the gold and rainbow trout version attracts moana and other reef fish. Use the smallest size you can cast since the prey you’re imitating is often pretty small. The 3/8 oz size will get more hits than the 1/2 oz size, and anything larger will lessen the number of hits but may attract a monster fish.

Click here to see how effective the gold kastmaster was on the He’eia Fishpond kaku.

For a summary of other bait and lures you could use, click here.