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Hawaii, Kauai and Oahu shore spots?

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Killian

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Hi all I searched the forum and could find no answers to my question. I hope there is someone who can help me out.

 

My wifes work is sending her to Hawaii. We will be there for 2/weeks.

I'm going for the fishing. Neither of us has ever been there before.

 

We will be going in either April, May or June. Her work has not given us the deffinate dates yet.

 

As far as I know the first 5 days we will be on Kauai around the Lihue area. The rest will be on Oahu around the Waikiki area.

 

I am looking for some spots to shore fish.

 

Thanks to all that reply.

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I suggest you take a charter and go trolling instead of shore fishing. It's kind of fished out in the Lihue area and definitely fished out in the Honolulu/Waikiki area. Waikiki has the added problem of a million tourists on the beach. Book a charter out of Nawiliwili Harbor (Kauai) or Kewalo Basin (Honolulu) and hope for relatively calm seas. Your chances of catching something worth taking a picture of will be a lot better than shore fishing the areas you mentioned.

 

If you really want to go shore fishing, try the far ends of Kauai. Chunking with squid or shrimp is one option. Whipping with clear/glitter or black grubs or gold kastmasters also works. Most areas are very reefy, so expect snags on almost every cast unless you use a bobber. Fishing just at daybreak, dusk, night and at the tide changes definitely increases your chances.

 

Bring lots of SPF 50 sunscreen, a good bucket hat and good footwear. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than a bad sunburn or a nasty cut on your foot.

 

Good luck and have fun.

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Your chances of catching something worth taking a picture of will be a lot better than shore fishing the areas you mentioned.

 

depends on what you want a picture of. reef fish are pretty, exotic and a bunch of fun on properly scaled tackle. you'll definately have your hands full with a 1 lb papio (jack) on an ultralight rig.

 

 

If you really want to go shore fishing, try the far ends of Kauai. Chunking with squid or shrimp is one option. Whipping with clear/glitter or black grubs or gold kastmasters also works. Most areas are very reefy, so expect snags on almost every cast unless you use a bobber.

 

you can pretty much find fish wherever you go. a month ago I got into a papio blitz ten feet from where I parked my car and fifty feet away from a road where thousands of tourists ride by each week. they were chasing baby mullet, and picked them off as the tide swept them out to sea on the outgoing. I've also picked up 6 lb oio (bonefish) within sight of a 300/night hotel just outside of waikiki, 3 lb papio at honolulu's most popular beach, and 1-2 lb papio and kaku (barracuda) inside waikiki (albeit, in some of the nastiest water I've fished in a long time).

 

when you fish reefy areas, you're going to lose rigs. luckily, whipping rigs (leader to swivel with an egg sinker on the main line, 6' of leader, an AH hook and a curlytail) are cheap. also, luckily, salt water fish in hawaii are usually speed demons, and stop and twitch techniques are usually not needed. ive had sucess bouncing a lure on the bottom, but I usually only do this when I'm targeting a specific species (goatfish like moana, or moi). with papio, rip it in.

the bobber whipping rig is a killer too, and can catch fish over reefy areas, transition areas, drop offs, or just over open water. it's the same basic rig, but with a snap swivel instead of a two-way and no egg sinker. snap on a wooden egg bobber and you're good to go. snap on a torpedo sinker (after taking off the bobber) and you can get deeper.

 

Fishing just at daybreak, dusk, night and at the tide changes definitely increases your chances.

 

Bring lots of SPF 50 sunscreen, a good bucket hat and good footwear. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than a bad sunburn or a nasty cut on your foot.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

this is very very good advice. add that waterproof sunblock is important. I've found that tide changes are less important in hawaii than they are in california because they're so small near the equator. water movement is good, though.

 

bottom line is the fishing isn't bad. it's not what it once was, or even what I remember it to be, but the fish are there for the catching. they're where you expect them to be (think structure), and give a good account of themselves when hooked.

 

also, add to my previous questions: will you have a car?

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I would kill them with a 3/8 - 1/2oz Rainbow Trout Kastmaster. I used a 8'6" Lami Kenai Special with 20lb PP. You need long casts because in the shallow water the fish will see you from far away. I would also do good with white, chartruese, and black curly tail jigs. Early morning and evening should be best.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is my Saltwater gear:

 

 

The rods and reels I have are:

 

1- 5'6" medium heavy action.L ined with 30lb spiderwire.

 

1- 7' medium action. Lined with 15lb.

 

1- 7' medium heavy rod. Lined with 20lb

 

1- 10'6" Tica (surf rod) heavy, fast action line wt. 12-30lb. Lure wt. 2-8oz.

Reel Osprey GY 9000. Not lined yet.

 

My tackle is 6"-8" crankbaits. Several jigs and spoons. Sabkiki rigs.

 

I have alot of freshwater gear. Ultra/lites to Medium heavy rods. Several tackle boxes full of gear.

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I would use this rod (7' medium action. Lined with 15lb.) with 10lb line. Get some 3/8 - 1/2oz kastmasters in rainbow trout & orange/chrome. Make long casts around structure and drop offs, and crank it in fast. 3/8oz jig heads with curly tail (white/chartruese/black) work well too. If the water is clear and shallow, wear a white or light blue shirt, those shallow water fish are really scary. Good luck!!!

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