Hawai’i Fishing Fanatic

Posts Tagged ‘flyfishing in saltwater’

Happy Valentine’s & President’s Day Weekend! Yup, looks like this weekend is shaping up to be a great one! For those lovebirds and hopeless romantics like me, the very best to all. Make sure to spend some time with that special someone this weekend. Otherwise you’ll find yourself in the “dog house” for the rest of the year. LOL!

Here’s my Top Ten gift suggestions that might help you stay “pono” (straight, righteous) this weekend:

1) Order flowers whether down Maunakea St., your nearest florist, or online. A good online vendor and uses prompt Fedex delivery (even on Valentine’s Day) is ProFlowers. You can also call them at 1-800-580-2913.

2) Make a fishing gift basket with all his/her favorite lures, flies, hooks, lines, electronic gadget, etc.

3) Subscription to Hawaii Fishing News or a fishing magazine like Flyfishing in Saltwater.

4) Send an electronic Valentine’s Day card via my favorite web sites at Hallmark, eGreetings, eCards or American Greetings. Most have free ecards or paid ecards that can be further personalized.

5) Get an electronic gadget like an Apple iPhone (or iPad or iPod Touch), Google/Android phone, waterproof digital camera or fishing gadget (GPS device, fish finder, etc.) .

6) Specialized fishing pole like an ulua pole, fly rod or spinning rod coupled with a reel would do wonders for your favorite fishing person. Visit your local fishing/outdoor store.

7) Fishing videos from C4 Video Productions that produces a “Shorefishing Hawaii” series or get a good fishing book collection like Fishing Hawaii Style by Jim Rizzuto. These can also be found at your local fishing/outdoor store.

8) Setup a fly fishing trip for ‘o’io (bonefish) or ulua (giant trevally) with my Reef Rippas Guide Service. *I know shameless plug! But gotta mke money somehow! LOL!

9) If you can afford it, get a fishing boat from any number of boat dealers that can cater to his/her tastes.

10) Setup a fishing trip to the neighbor islands by flying Hawaiian Airlines and staying at an Outrigger Hotel.

BONUS: Get ‘um a pair of Maui Jim polarized sunglasses!

Hope that helps!

In any case, enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to spend your time wisely!

**I am not endorsed or sponsored by any of the aforementioned products. Although it would be nice, maybe, one day.

President Obama Fly Fishing in Montana

The President and his ‘ohana arrived yesterday to spend their holidays in Hawai’i for rest and relaxation. I’m hoping he’ll find some time to visit the other islands, especially the Big Island.  If not, he can go flyfishing with me and Reef Rippas Hawai’i Flyfishing Service as he did in Montana.

I’m a great admirer of the President and his policies. So here’s an invitation to you, Mr. President, that if you have the time during your vacation, we’ll gladly take you out to flyfish for ‘o’io (bonefish) nearby in Kane’ohe bay or out in Hawai’i Kai. We are a “green” flyfishing service, so you might have to paddle a little bit on our tandem kayak depending on the spot and conditions (although not more than 20 minutes). It should be fun and maybe you’ll hook up to a screaming ‘o’io at the end of your line. That should make your day!!! It does for me!!

Aloha,

Don Aweau

Kayaks, kayaks, kayaks! When I was younger I loved these things that made it easier to fish. I started off fishing with them after attempting to fish with my surfboard. But I had a short board so that didn’t work out. (the longboarders ruled on this one). I did catch a few papio or ulua, but a monster fish always got away because I would go out too deep or run out of line. I always wanted one but ended up borrowing one from a friend of mine who had a two-seater kayak. I later bought an inflatable kayak, Tahiti Classic, by Sevylor (now owned by Coleman), because it was more portable and I could use it when traveling the outer islands. You’ll laugh but it worked out great for me but wasn’t as good as a regular kayak.

Back then, the kayaks didn’t have rod holders or gear stowage bins and a lot of saltwater kayaks were too long and narrow. Now, you have your choice of saltwater kayaks. It just depends on what you want. There are kayaks with foot controls, rod holders, stowage bins, motorized, accessories and just about everything else under the sun. I envy those that can afford these but a regular kayak for me will do. A friend of mine, Bob Lathan, from Pennsylvania recently sent me his dream kayak called, the Manta Ray 12, from Native Watercraft Co., and I have to agree with him that this might be the one for me here too in Hawai’i. I was going to get a similar one when I was in PA but my inflatable kayak sufficed since the lakes and rivers up there weren’t too bad and it handled all the conditions I put it through up to Class II. I did try the inflatable a couple of times on Class III rivers but that wasn’t too fun and I had to tie down my gear too much.

Check out Bob’s dream kayak and mine too:

I like to go more “green” on everything but I like to look at all my options. Here’s another one I was thinking about and might be easier to get around but cost a little more too, including gas, is this little number called, the Mokai , a jet-propelled kayak manufactured by Mokai Manufacturing, Inc. I think this would be great for trolling or flyfishing and more affordable than getting a boat. Most of the times we go by ourselves anyway. I also remember the beginning of the “Let’s Go Fishing” show with Ben Wong in one of these but I’m not sure it’s the same one. The video below shows, the Mokai, in a river. It looks pretty cool! Check it out:

Maybe if these manufacturers see this, I can do a review for you folks someday. As always you should check out the individual company’s web site for more information as well as fishing-related uses. Let me know what you think by leaving comments on either the blog or Facebook Fan Page!

By the way, if you’re still wondering, I still have that Tahiti Classic!!!

A Prep for the Upcoming Weekend

Aloha Friday! to everyone!

I’m not sure what will work this weekend as the moon phase may brighten up the night skies. I’ve heard the good and bad of both. Fish tend to stay out on the shoreline later as it’s more lighted. Night fishing for ulua slows down as prey are able to see predator. Offshore fishermen may have more chances at ‘opelu and tombo ahi but the winter conditions may make it difficult to stay out.

In addition, watch for changing conditions. Safety should come first again as in last week. Windy days and large surf continue to pummel open ocean and shoreline areas. Wear your safety gear, take extra time to fasten down your fishing gear and look out for your fishing buddies.

Weather

Weekend forecast looks like scattered showers (50% chance for rain), high surf till Sunday morning and high winds. See right sidebar for Weatherbug’s latest forecast!

Tide Information

Again tide information has been provided by HawaiiTides.com Daily Tide Predictions and weather information by Weatherbug for updates before heading out to the “ka nahele or forest”. Click on links in the right sidebar for Hawai’i Island & O’ahu forecasts.

Fishing Forecast

Offshore:
Ahi (Big-Eye Tuna)
A’u (Marlin)
Kamanu (Rainbow Runner)
Mahimahi
Hapu’upu’u (Sea Bass)
Lehi (Snapper)
‘Opakapaka (Pink Snapper)

Inshore:
Ulua/’Omilu (Trevally)
‘O’io (Bonefish)
Hahalalu (Baby Scad or ‘Akule)
‘Opelu (Mackerel)

Info courtesy of Hawaii Fishing News

Tournaments

No scheduled tournaments this week.

Have a safe weekend and don’t forget to share your fishing photos!

I came across these finds over the past few days and hope Hawai’i Fishing Fanatic Fans will enjoy the following:

I found this article while researching environmental issues. Cigarette butts found toxic to saltwater and freshwater fish, that spotlights its effect on fish. If you smoke, this might be something you might want to think about when smoking at your local fishing spot. It may be killing the fish in the immediate area and your chance of getting that “hanapa’a” feeling.

Ever wonder where the fish might be biting somewhere in the world or curious as to how to fish somewhere you’ve never been before? Well, the Flyfish Map (beta) is a special online fishing tool that includes user-driven videos, maps and pertinent information of a fishery on a global map. This isn’t exactly an all-encompassing fishing map and more for flyfishers but this at least gives you an idea of what to expect when fishing unfamiliar waters. I haven’t quite finished checking it out but there are four markers on the Hawaiian islands. Check it out, it might just help you catch fish!

For flyfishermen or whippers looking for a cheap alternative for imitating our local ‘opae or shrimp, a recent article in Flyfishing in Saltwaters, “Steamed Straw Shrimp” , will keep you busy for the week (a how-to link is provided). I think this will work on the flats or as “damashi” as it gives a profile of the shrimp not easily imitated by other materials and it costs less to boot!

Stay Informed with Hawaii Fishing Fanatic!