Moving to Oahu in June

[rtre1979]

Hello All,

My wife is transferring to Tripler and I'm an avid bass fisherman with a few questions about Lake Wilson.

What are the fees to fish the Lake if you did not need a guide and wanted to fish from your own small 12 ft boat?

Are boats allowed to use a small 6hp motor or is it restricted to a trolling motor only?

How far is the lake from Tripler?

What are the hours the Lake is open and is it open seasonally or year round?

Are there any other lakes on Oahu that hold bass and are accessible for the general public with or without a fee?

I look forward to reading the responses and hope everyone has a lot of luck next time you're on the water!

Rick

[Stan Wright]

Rick,

All you need to fish Lake Wilson is a freshwater fishing licence.... $5 for resident and military. And a "lake access permit"...... free.

If the lake is 30 minutes from Kaneohe, I'm guessing it's only 15 minutes from Tripler.

We have a bass club that meets the last Wed of each month at Dot's Resturant in Wahiawa. We have a little tournament each month.

There is a 5 MPH speed limit on the lake, and I heard that boats over 18 feet are not allowed (except for fishing) Some of the big mainland bass boats are 20 footers. I don't think anyone would say anything as long as they are fishing boats. Lots of guys use small car toppers and kayaks.
No reatrictions on motors that I know of.

I think there is a lake map some place on the web site. If not, just let me know and I'll email you one. I also have driving directions to the lake.

When you get to Hawaii give me a call and I'll give you a tour of the lake and show you all my "Secret Spots". <grin>

Take care,
Stan
stanwright@hawaii.rr.com

[Stan Wright]

Rick,

I forgot..... the gates open to the boat ramp at 7:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM. Sometimes earlier on weekends when we have a tournament.

Last year in June the peacock bass were still spawning.... nice actiion.

Right now the water temperature is 69 degrees and all those "tropical" peacock bass are not too aggressive. They are making a half hearted chase and if you don't hook one on the first pass they are gone. Not like in June when 5 or 6 fish are fighting over you lure. If one guy gets a strike, everyone will cast at his fish and usually everyone hooks up.

Aloha,
Stan

[rtre1979]

Stan,

I appreciate the response and your offer. I have a really neat folding boat called Portabote that I fish out of. It's perfect for this type of water. I use a 4 stroke 6hp Nissan on the back and a foot controlled 50lb thrust trolling motor on the front. It's able to float in as little as a foot of water even fully loaded with people and gear.

I did find an aerial view of "Lake Wilson" It does look failry narrow in spots. I look forward to joining the bass club when I arrive and meeting everyone.

See you soon,

Rick

[Stan Wright]

Rick,

There are two other guys on the lake with those kind of boats. I don't they are as well tricked out as yours though. LOL

Stan

[kaapeha173]

I've been using my 12' Portabote for over a year and it works well for Lake Wilson. I have a 5hp 2 stroke Mercury and a 30lb trolling motor mounted to the back. My sonar is mounted on my trolling motor.

I took me about a year to figure the lake out and find out what lures work and don't work. I spent over a $1000 on terminal tackle & lures that are useless on this Lake. Most people are really secretive on techniques & tackle -- why, I don't know? There's absolutely no pressure on this lake, I've never seen more that 9 boats on any day.

January I attended the Bassmaster University held in California. I looking forward to trying out all of the new tips and techniques I learned during the next few months.

Good Luck!

[rtre1979]

Hey fellow Portaboter,

It's nice to know the boat works well in Lake Wilson. Once I'm there, I'll be happy to share a couple of modifications that work well and learn from yours as well.

Are there lures or tackle that that is easier to buy on the mainland and bring over or is everything I need pretty much available in Oahu?

Anyone willing to share this info on the forum? If not, perhaps you can email me at rtre1979@bellsouth.net

Rick

[Stan Wright]

I get all my stuff by mail order... You know your buying too much when you call Cabela's or Bass Pro and the operator recognizes your voice.............

Stan

[kaapeha173]

I purchase all of my terminal tackle on the west coast. I also use Bass Pros and Cabelas. Hawaii has a really poor selection of freshwater fishing tackle. I recently bought a low profile baitcasting reel in California because no one here stocks 'em.

Spinner baits, crankbaits, plastics, bullet weights, and hooks are not sold over here. Common hooks like EWG's and Drop Shot hooks I load up on when I travel to California. Most of the Hard & soft baits I've had success with are the smaller sizes, 2" to 3" in size. I left all of my 4" and 5" jerk baits & in California. They seem to large over here.

The bait fish are pretty small, that's why I think the smaller soft jerk baits work. Colors that seem to work well are light to natural.

Aloha

[rtre1979]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the word on tackle. I'll make sure to make a trip to BassPro and stock up on some stuff to try then order more of what works.

Also, what's the approximate population ratio of the largemouth bass vs. the tucs and what's an average size of both?

Rick

[Stan Wright]

Well, that's a tough one. Each species has it's own feeding habits...

Today, Chris took out a guy who fishes the pro bass tour. They got some nice largemouth, the largest, over 5 pounds. They were using plastic worms and targeted largemouth. I had his friend with me and we were fly fishing.... going for peacock bass and red devils. Caught one largemouth and about 5 peacock up to 2 pounds. We saw LOTS of BIG peacock bass.... 0ver 50.... but they ignored everything tossed at them..... they were not aggressive at all.

Water level has dropped 6 feet in two weeks and water temperature was 74 degrees. I think if that water temperature comes up a little more............
All and all it was a really fun day. We're going again tomorrow.

Aloha,
Stan

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

It seems like peacockbass outnumber largemouth bass 100 to 1, maybe more. Whatever the actual number is, peacockbass dominate the lake. Prior to 1990, the bass population was pretty healthy, although peacockbass were still more numerous. It was around that time when several exotic species like the jeweled cichlid were introduced. The mosquito fish or medaka used to be plentiful, then completely disappeared. The crayfish used to be so plentiful that at times they used to make worm fishing difficult because they would always grab on to the worm and cut the tail off. Now they are gone from the main basin. The largemouth bass and the pongee almost became extinct in the lake. Thanks to the stocking program, the bass are coming back, but the average size is very small. Don't expect to catch very many either. The tucs average about 1 to 2 pounds, 7 pounds is about the upper limit although there are probably bigger ones around. Keep in mind that peacockbass are not really bass, so you have to change your mind set when you are targeting them. They are strictly piscivorous. Also the big bait , big fish does not apply either. I prefer smaller size baits.

[Stan Wright]

I agree........ if you want to catch peacocks..... smaller minnow type lures and flys. The 2 and 3, even 4 inch Senkos fished in an eratic swimming action are killers.

Stan

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

Now that I have said that tucs only feed on fish, someone will say they caught a whole bunch flipping plastic worms or something like that. Opps! Normally, I do not target spawning fish, so I forgot to mention lure selection is not important for spawners. You can even catch them on bare hooks. This goes for all stages of spawning. When they pair up, they will protect their territory and nest. They will guard their eggs and later their fry.