Our shore-whipper Matthew is back with a quick update on the o’io whipping action this Winter.

Matthew: Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I last wrote, but I’ve been strictly whipping for O’io recently. The action was surprisingly great for January, which had been my worst month last year. I hooked a couple of very large fish, including one that I could not stop even with very tight drag. The weather has been finicky, with the winds seemingly shifting every few days. One day you might be dealing with a dead wind, glassy conditions, while the next you might be facing nasty 30 mph gusts. There also have been a few days where the wind was blowing from the southwest, which is uncommon and very frustrating for O’io fishermen because it’s a headwind on the flats. There haven’t been many days where sight fishing was suitable, so I’ve been mainly blind casting into areas I know the fish frequent. 

I’ve seen several large Oama schools and one Halalu pile, neither of which I have an explanation for. If you know where they are, go capitalize on this odd opportunity. I’m assuming it has some correlation with the abnormal weather but I’ve never seen large Oama schools this early. 

On another note, there has been an exponential increase in the number of fishermen targeting O’io with lures. The O’io fishery on the flats seems fragile, so I’m not sure how this will affect the numbers of O’io. If you’re new to flats fishing, please be respectful of the reef, the fish, and other fishermen. O’io are very delicate fish and cannot spend much time outside of the water. Please wet your hands, avoid grabbing by the gills, and try not to remove any of their slimy coating and scales. Lastly, if you’re shooting videos, keep the angle low and try to refrain from exposing spots. The long term effects of “burning” a spot are considerable. Have fun, but not at the expense of others or the reef. Stay safe out there everyone?.