On the ground and ready to fish in Hawaii

My wife and I arrived in Honolulu — on the island of O’ahu — this past Friday evening. The trip actually was one of the better long plane rides I’ve ever taken. The ride was smooth, the flight attendants were courteous and funny, there were no little people squalling the entire trip and, best of all, we arrived 20 minutes early.

While taxiing up to the terminal in Honolulu, the flight attendant announced that everyone who had taken off their clothing and shoes would be required to redress before leaving the plane. She further stated that all children must accompany their parents off the aircraft. Any kids found on the jet after the passengers had deplaned would be sold to cover handling costs. I thought it was humorous.

As I write this on Sunday evening, we’ve only done the “tourist thing” around Honolulu. My Hawaii outdoor adventures are yet to happen. However, I have been talking with a couple of locals about surf and bank fishing opportunities, especially on the Big Island, where both of them originally lived. While there is fishing available on O’ahu, we’re scheduled to travel to Kona, on the island of Hawaii tomorrow (Monday), and that’s where I hope to get serious about catching a fish or two.

Before I get to the fishing information I’ve learned so far, I want to comment on our small world. I was standing outside a shop in the hotel lobby when I noticed a very familiar face walking by. I called out a name and when the man turned around, I knew for sure. This gentleman had been our neighbor in Big Lake for more than 10 years before he and his family recently moved closer to Wasilla. In addition, a couple from Big Lake we know are vacationing in the Kona area and we might bump into them while we’re on the Big Island. The world isn’t as big as it seems after all.

Back to fishing Hawaii. From talking with the locals and reading on the Internet, apparently, a fishing license is not required for saltwater recreational fishing in Hawaii. I plan to confirm this with a phone call to the local Fish and Game office. As far as gear is concerned, I could have brought my silver salmon rod and reel and been properly equipped for most of the shore fishing and some of the surf fishing commonly done here.

I’m learning that to surf fish around O’ahu, a longer and heavier-duty rod, something in the 10-foot length range, would be needed because the water is relatively shallow for quite a ways out from shore. The longer rod allows for a greater casting distance to get the lure or bait out where the fish are found. Because the island of Hawaii has a more rocky and rough coastline, the water tends to be deeper closer to shore. My coho rod is seven feet long and, I’m told, would be perfect for the average conditions near Kona.

The reels should match the rods. A 10-foot rod needs a larger reel capable of holding several hundred yards of line of the appropriate strength. The seven-foot rod is served nicely by a reel that would hold a couple hundred yards of the correct line. For typical shore fishing, I’ve read that 10-pound test monofilament line is amply strong for most of the fish likely encountered using this method. Surf fishing will require a heavier line.

The terminal gear I’m learning should consist of an inline weight with four to six feet of leader tied directly to either the bait hook or the lure. For shore fishing, cast the line out and begin a slow retrieve about the time the weight hits the water. You’ll need to experiment with the retrieval speed, but properly done, this method allows you to work the entire water column with a concentration mostly near the bottom where the bulk of the fish are found.

Having a supply of weights, hooks and/or lures and the ability to break off the line will allow you to fish until you decide to stop rather than being forced to quit because you snagged the bottom and can’t break loose. Recommended bait is octopus, I guess because every fish species of interest feeds on them when available. I’m assuming octopus is available for purchase similar to the bait herring in our area, but I’ll find out for sure when I find a shop which sells fishing equipment.

There is a “trophy” fishery available to shore-bound anglers. The fish, known as “ulua,” can grow to be 150 pounds or larger. Fish over 100 pounds are regularly caught, but only by those knowledgeable in the fish’s habits and dedicated to long hours of patient fishing. Obviously, a much heavier gear setup is required. Heavy-action rods and large baitcasting-style reels with line weights of 80 pounds or greater are required to pursue this activity.

I’m just hoping to catch some fish to barbeque for a dinner or two, so I’ll stick with the lighter gear and the “easier” fishing. I’ll let you know how I did next week.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.