New to the Board

[bsp]

Hi all! I am new to this board and fishing in Hawaii (fresh and saltwater) in general. I fish alot in bothw water types in the states but am ready to try shore fishing Oahu on my next vacation. I have absoloutley no idea what I am doing so any types of advice will be appreciated whether it is tackle, location, fresh, or salt in nature. I hope to hook up soon and thanks for reading.

[Stan Wright]

Well, the freshwater is limited to one lake on Oahu. Lake Wilson. Should be very much like fishing where you are.

If you have any saltwater spincasting experience you should do OK. If your staying in Waikiki, the beach in front of the hotel is good, Go early and late and don't hook a swimmer.... LOL The Ala Wai Canal on the mountain side of Waikiki has lots of Papio and barricuda. I heard this week some guys were catching bonefish by fishing bait on the bottom. I wouldn't eat anything caught out of the Ala Wai.....

When you get here you might want to visit Brian's Fishing Supply on South King St. for some advice.

[bsp]

Well, the freshwater is limited to one lake on Oahu. Lake Wilson. Should be very much like fishing where you are.

If you have any saltwater spincasting experience you should do OK. If your staying in Waikiki, the beach in front of the hotel is good, Go early and late and don't hook a swimmer.... LOL The Ala Wai Canal on the mountain side of Waikiki has lots of Papio and barricuda. I heard this week some guys were catching bonefish by fishing bait on the bottom. I wouldn't eat anything caught out of the Ala Wai.....

When you get here you might want to visit Brian's Fishing Supply on South King St. for some advice.

Thanks for the advice and the warning about the Ala Wai. I was when it burst and remember not being able to go anywhere near it because of all the bacteria. What pound line do you reccomend for fishing the shore around lake wilson that could double as line for the Ala Wai? Also what size/model of reel and what action rod could I use for both? Finally what type of lures would also work in both areas (spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, dropshot lures, swimbaits, jigs (saltwater, bass, panfish), topwaters like poppers and stickbaits, jerkbaits, etc)?

[Stan Wright]

I see some of the shore fishermen at the lake using the Power-Pro line. The 50# test has the diameter of 12#test mono. When the peacock bass are spawning in and around logs and brush it kind of makes it tough fishing. Your standing on shore and the fish are on the spawning beds right at your feet.

Just about any bass lure works on our largemouth and peacock bass, so you shouldn't have any problems there.

[bsp]

Braided line.... that's what I use here in Calfornia for flipping! I guess the peacock bass aren't line shy then because out here if you use braid in clear water all the fish get spooked! What size reel do you use that holds a sufficient amount of line for fishing? Finally is Brian's Fishing tackle in Waikiki? I am visiting my uncle and since he lives in Waikiki I was curious about how far the drive is. Thanks!

[Dave Hennessey]

bsp,

Bring zara spooks. lots of them in different sizes in colors. i went with family over vacation for a week never having fished oahu in my life and caught tons of stuff. i didnt buy anything new for the trip either, just brought a variety from fresh and saltwater tackleboxes. you dont need crazy setups or anything, just something reliable.

where we caught/saw/had hits from fish -
ala wai (far up by hotels) - tourists got a kick out of me dragging barracuda up on to the sidewalk
Sand Island - I missed something HUGE on a plug just casting blindly.
flats near/around wailupe beach park in the southeast corner - i caught barracuda and saw a few bonefish.

and of course lake wilson. lots of big orange bass swimming around in there.

[bsp]

Thanks Dave. I have experienced the awe that tourists feel when you catch a fish right in front of them. Hopefully I can have as much success as you did. I cannot wait for my trip!

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

Howzit bsp, Stan has posted some pictures of lures that work on the lake. Check out the home page also. For saltwater fishing try Ulua-fishing.com and go to the forum. I use both mono and braid. The water in lake wilson is murky or stained. Fish can be line shy at times though. If possible go with someone with experience here, it will save you time. Saltwater fishing here is tough.

[bsp]

007:BASSINASSASSIN: I just checked out Ulua-Fishing.com and I looked at all of the gear requirements. It seems a little intense for me because I only go to Oahu once a year and it would be a little expensive (I have not seen any under $200) to buy a special whipping rod and reel combo. As for the part about going with somebody who has experience I know nobody and cannot afford a guide so that is out. Hopefully I can catch a few in the salt even though it is hard.

[Stan Wright]

If your going for those 100 pound ulua, yea you need some special gear. But if your just walking the shore line whipping (spincasting) for small game, your freshwater tackle and lures will work just fine. Because of the heavy fishing pressure on Oahu, you probably won't see many ulua anyway. More likely papio, barricuda, and assorted small reef fish. Under 2 pounds or so. Your light or ultra-light spinning tackle will be great. When I fish the Ala Wai I use 2# or 4# test main line and a 6# test leader about 6 feet long. If your dunking with cut bait like squid for the bonefish.... I wouldn't go much less than 15# test.

Mark sent this picture yesterday...

> Got this 6 lber today at shipwrecks in the white water. It was a
> wicked fight, maybe 5 minutes to the slide gaff. The bugger circled a
> big rock in the water in an effort to cut himself free, lots of line
> rubbing etc. m

[Ken]

Hi Stan, did Mark mentioned what pound test he was using when he caught that omilu?

I had a pufferfish cut my line on the reef before...and that was on 8lb mono. I wasn't using a rub leader though...maybe that is why I got cut off.

It must be some intense moments when that fish was wrapped around

[bsp]

If your going for those 100 pound ulua, yea you need some special gear. But if your just walking the shore line whipping (spincasting) for small game, your freshwater tackle and lures will work just fine. Because of the heavy fishing pressure on Oahu, you probably won't see many ulua anyway. More likely papio, barricuda, and assorted small reef fish. Under 2 pounds or so. Your light or ultra-light spinning tackle will be great. When I fish the Ala Wai I use 2# or 4# test main line and a 6# test leader about 6 feet long. If your dunking with cut bait like squid for the bonefish.... I wouldn't go much less than 15# test.

Mark sent this picture yesterday...

> Got this 6 lber today at shipwrecks in the white water. It was a
> wicked fight, maybe 5 minutes to the slide gaff. The bugger circled a
> big rock in the water in an effort to cut himself free, lots of line
> rubbing etc. m

Shipwrecks...where is that? Anyways now that I know I will need light tackle I won't have to worry about lugging my heavy reels on the plane. I will fish the Ala Wai but just how bad is the water? My uncle when I mentioned where I planned to fish said that I should wear gloves if I am going to touch the fish that come out of it. This strikes me as a bit excessive but I do not live on Oahu so I cannot prove him false. Lastly Stan, is 6lb test enough to not get sawed off by the barracuda? I have gotten bit off by the california barracuda and I was using 25lb mono. Thanks for all the help!
Ken you caught a pufferfish on a lure waht sort of lure was it?

[surfspot]

Hi everyone, I was using 10 lb. Fireline with a 20 lb. Seagar leader connected by a uni-uni knot. Shipwrecks is on the southeast side of Kauai. Aloha, Mark

[Dave Hennessey]

bsp,

The gloves are probably excessive. Ala wai isnt the cleanest place on earth, but if the water was that contaminated, they would have the thing completely shut down. Its funny that you mention this, because I coincidentally got sick a few days after fishing there. I was assured by two local doctors that the risk of some kind of bacterial contamination from the canal was extremely low. My doc back home said the same. Just dont eat the fish.

[Stan Wright]

The canoe paddlers practice there every day.