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Slow action following good day

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Pete and I went back to the spot that was unexpectedly good one day after the full moon.  We found out that two days after the full moon wasn’t so good.

Pete caught a couple 6 inch omilus on his blue sardine Waxwing Baby, and I got a few kaku hits and misses on the same lure. This time I used a 25lb fluorocarbon leader that got nicked by one of the kaku but not cut. That saved me $15.  Once again, Pete didn’t get any kaku hits and I didn’t get any omilu hits that I know of.  The fish didn’t hit with much vigor, which is what normally happens when the moon is big and the predators can feed at night or be chased around by even larger predators.

We did see a school of baby mullet porpoising out of the water for at least 50 yds.  So some predators made a passing appearance.

Unexpected Waxwing action 1 day after Full Moon

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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.

Pete's omiluThe 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.

 

 

Pete w omiluI 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.

WW chrome top-right 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!