An Introduction of sorts

This little contribution to the WWW is about fly fishing on the Big Island of Hawaii.

For the last ten years I've taken a rod (Sage XP 8wt 4 piece originally, and I have recently switched to a Sage Xi2 8wt) and a couple dozen flies every time I go to the Big Island and have spent my free time starting to learn the beaches and the fly-fishing ropes. Big Island shore fishing is fun, but not that productive. If you are heading there, take a rod for sure, but I don't think this will ever be a destination saltwater fly fishing location. The Hawaii waters are beautiful and there are many wonderful areas to be found with some exploring. Shore fishing is very popular among locals. At some of the beaches I go to, I do not always feel completely welcome, but being polite, respectful and talking fishing can usually keep things friendly.

Matt Sakai has an excellent general introduction to Hawaii shore-based fly fishing here .

A link with some light-tackle shore fishing advice is Bignami link

Here is a short article on bonefishing with Nervous Waters on Oahu bones link

And another article that showed up in 2005: another Hawaii bonefish link

Here is a nice site with local fish names: fish name link

It is fun to peruse the Hawaii record books. Hawaii records

Finally, I toss all the fish I catch back, but if you are looking for a meal, be aware that Ciguatera toxin is present in some Hawaii near-shore fish. This sounds like a seriously bad experience: Ciguatera link The poison is a micro-organism that grows in marine algaes associated with reefs and gets accumulated up the food chain. The larger barracuda, jacks and trevally are good candidate fish to avoid eating.

The Fish

Trevally

Blue-fin trevally from the rocks south of Hapuna Beach (click on the image for a larger version)

There are several types of trevally you can catch from shore. I've mostly caught bluefin trevally (`omilu) and they are a blast in any size. The big boys I've seen caught and sometimes seen nosing around in the shallow water are Giant Trevally (`papio' as juveniles and `white ulua' when grown up) The bluefin trevally seem to be at most every beach wherever there is some structure. They are most common in the size range between 1/2 and 3 lbs. At 3 lbs they are very powerful fish, not overmatched at all by an 8wt. I've caught them on shrimp/bonefish patterns, deceivers, bunny leeches and epoxy minnows. The key is speed of the retrieve.

It is common to catch these blind casting. Anywhere you can cast into water with a little depth (usually off the lava edges) toss out as far as you can, count down so you start near the bottom and two-hand strip like crazy. Fish will flash out of nowhere (seemingly). Another place to find them is in or just beyond breaking waves. I think an accelerating retrieve is most effective. Start out fast and then go faster. They seem to be visually sensitive to fishermen so keep moving. Even more fun is to keep your eyes peeled for singles and pairs of larger trevally cruising rapidly along the beach or nosing around in the rocks. Twice now I've seen 30lb fish right at my feet when I walk up to the shore line. Lead them and do the fast strip in their line of sight. Places where I see bigger fish are at Kona Coast State Park, the Kawaihae jetties and the A-bay `flats'. I have not quite figured out the time-of-year variable. It seems that summer is a little better for the larger trevally. Early mornings (unfortunately even pre-dawn) look like the best times.

Ulua

The brute of the reefs - Ulua (click on the image for a larger version)

I have twice hooked what feels like a freight train that I have zero chance of slowing down or turning. I'm guessing these are Great Trevally -- `white ulua' although it has been suggested to me that they might be manta rays (and they could simply be 10lb bluefin trevally). One day while fishing the bay near Spencer's State Park a bait guy next to me caught two ulua on some heavy tackle. One was maybe 15lbs, the other 20lbs and I would have had a very difficult time dealing with either with the 8wt. These fish seem most common where there is access to deeper water. A good time to catch them is when the surf is up and the water is murky right offshore. Fishing for big ulua is almost a way of life for some hawaiians. There is specialized tackle and techniques, legendary figures in the game and a WWW site devoted to the pursuit where you can get a flavor for the culture. Ulua talking

Papio (click on the image for a larger version)

Peacock (or spotted) Grouper (`blue-spotted roi').

Peacock Grouper from the rocks south of Mauna Kea Resort (click on the image for a larger version)

These are beautiful fish that get up to 5 or 6 lbs. Apparently they were imported and are having a negative impact on native fish in the reefs. They lurk in the rocks and if you pull a baitfish imitation in close to rocks they will dart out, grab it and then wedge themselves in crevases. I keep the pressure on and they will often make a sudden dash to another hiding spot and sit tight. They have a big jaw full of sharp teeth and also a nasty disposition. Be carefully handling them.

Barracuda

There are two species of barracuda in the near-shore waters. The Great Barracuda (Kaku) and the slimmer, smaller Heller's Barracuda (Kawele'a). I've seen some big boys (36") right there in Kona off the seawall but most commonly I catch juvenile kaku. Two good spots are the fish ponds just south of the airport and at A-bay. They lurk right next to shore. If you drag a fly behind as you walk along the beach you'll often be surprised with a strike and hookup. The biggest I've caught are only 18" or so. You definitely want to have a wire leader or at least a heavy bite tippet. I've discovered `Tyger Wire' -- a knotable multistrand wire with a nylon coating. It is thin enough in the 15lb version that you can use it pretty much all the time and be ready for the odd kaku.

Kaku from the rocks south of A-Bay (click on the image for a larger version)

Bonefish (O'io)

After many hours fishing the Kona Coast beaches, in Jan 2004 I had my first excellent shot at a school of bonefish. It was at A-Bay, just north of where the ancient pond empties into the bay. The tide was going out, I was stripping in a black bunny leech. 30 feet out I realized there was a group of about 10 big (8 - 10 lb) bones right behind it. A little twitch and two of them rushed over. The first one grabbed my fly -- I jerked it right out of the fish's mouth! Second one then grabbed it and I did the same thing.It is enough said that I had a few more shots and blew every one. But! it seems classic shallow water bone fishing is sometimes available in the Big Island! I'll work at this a little harder and update this section as I learn more.

Update Feb 2004:

Caught a nice bone there at the north end of A-bay!

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Update October 2004.

I now realize there are lots of bones along the Kohala Coast. All the sandy beaches have them. Incoming tide is the best time, early morning before alot of swimmers arrive is always better.

Got this little guy at A-Bay in October 2006.

Misc Fish

There are plenty of carnivorous fish out in Hawaii. I sometimes catch Lizard Fish that are typically not much larger than my fly. I get many strikes from needlefish ('aha -- sometimes the 1-foot small guys and much more rarely the 3-foot long giant needlefish) but have only one time hooked one. I discovered that a long bit of yarn will catch in their teeth. The various kinds of goatfish can be aggressive and fun to catch. This is a Moana Kali.

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lizardfish (click on the image for a larger version)

Beautiful Hawaii flatfish (click on the image for a larger version)

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Awa-awa, also known as ladyfish (they look alot like a larger version of the ladyfish I've caught in Florida). These are not the same as awa which are vegitarian milkfish. I caught this one at A-bay one evening in Aug 2005. Great leaper.

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The spots

I'm just starting to get to know the Kona/Kohala Coast. Send me information about other possibilities and I'll check them out! I've found that you need to be able to cast within range of water with some depth to catch things and some kind of structure is important. Here are the beaches/access places that have worked for me, starting just south of the Kona Airport.