Pete, from NorCal, was back in town.  The nearshore fishing conditions weren’t looking good, with a big moon and lots of trade wind.  A tune up wading trip with cut bait yielded a few undersized omilus so we were off to the Windward side armed with Waxwing Babys, the 2.68″ 1/2 oz size.

We didn’t expect much since the full moon was last night, and the first Windward spot we tried was lacking in visible bait fish and predators.  I was using the black/chrome Waxwing, which imitates baby mullet well.  Pete was armed with a blue sardine Waxwing, which is my go-to color when I fish the inshore reef.  I missed a small kaku, then we both went 15 mins without a follow.  We were working our way back to the car when my lure felt like it ran into a floating log. I felt one twitch and the line was cut.  That must’ve been a decent kaku, and in its mouth went $15.  I put on a rainbow trout pattern Waxwing that, to me, mimicked an oama.

A smaller kaku hit and missed the hook, and a lizardfish followed that up.  Time to hit the next spot.

The next spot had a few schools of bait fish on the flats but nothing crashing on them.  Pete lined up to fish a dredged boat channel and I moved off to fish deeper water.  A minute later I heard his new Stradic CI4+ 2500 drag sing for the first time.  His parabolic 9ft light weight rod was bending under pressure as Pete brought the fish in.

I didn’t measure it, but it looked like a 12″ fork length omilu – very unexpected given the challenging conditions.  We admired the fish for a few seconds and let it swim free.

Pete fan cast the area and I worked the shallows for kaku.  He soon hooked another omilu, this time about 10″, and all I got was a stop and a miss.  The rainbow trout wasn’t doing the job and I didn’t have a blue sardine so I grudgingly put on the battle-scarred black/chrome Baby that was featured in the Lawai’a Waxwing article.  I had been sparing it since it had survived so many fish strikes but I really had nothing else to use.  Besides, I’ve never lost 2 Waxwings to bite offs in one day.

I managed just one weak strike and was heading back to Pete when I saw this brownish/blackish head appear 5 feet away from me.  It wolfed the Waxwing and poof, there went the lure that should’ve been preserved in a fishing museum.  RIP little black/chrome Waxwing Baby.

Pete had another fish pull line and come unbuttoned, then it was time to go.  Interestingly, he didn’t hook any kaku and I didn’t hook any omilu.  I’d gladly trade the lure stealing kaku for an omilu.  Think I’ll try the blue sardine pattern the next time!