Shore Fishing Big Island Hawaii / Surf Fishing Big Island

This was my second trip to the Island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. It's my favorite island out of the bunch - I love the pristine beaches, the relaxed pace (no thanks, Waikiki), the scrumptious food, and the fishing.

On my first trip, I caught loads of reel dwellers - many of the same fish you see snorkling, in addition to a nice cornetfish. Swam with dozens of papio, but never hooked one. Really wanted to tie into these freight trains on this trip. Packed several topwaters, grubs, jerkbaits, and kastermasters.

We were greeted with a High Surf Advisory on the first day - and this persisted through the entire trip, frustratingly. The stretch of ocean in front of our condo looked absolutely superb for fishing, but the 8ft+ waves made fishing nearly impossible. Further north, in a variety of protected bays, I was able to fish with a bit more control. A small cut in the lava rocks ended up resulting in the majority of my catches -- all on grubs fished whipping style or just on a jighead, except for a few on shrimp and on a jerkbait.


Stocky Hawkfish


Sergeant Major fish

Final tally for the trip ended up being 15+ stocky hawkfish, 1 tiny peacock grouper, 2 colorful wrasse, and one aggressive sergeant major fish. The hawkfish appear almost comical - large bellies, rotund, with plenty of teeth to prevent lipping. I released all the fish to be caught another day.


'Cuda country

I also tied into a couple of needlefish, didn't stick, and had a few swirls at my poppers but no hookups. Spotted an enormous peacock grouper  while snorkeling too, as well as a nice 2ft barracuda patrolling the depths.




My poppers barely even showed up in this chop

Unfortunately, the main predators - papio- that I was interested in, continue to elude me. I've tied into what was likely one on the Island of Kauai - drag screaming run and all, but never landed one. My game plan for fishing next time on Hawaii will be (1) larger reels with heavier line to get beyond the breakers (2) larger poppers and jerkbaits to attract predators attentions, even in choppy surf and (3) plenty of backup lures --even a simple popper cost $10 at Kona's WalMart, something I would pay a couple of bucks for here at Bass Pro Shops. Shrimp as bait didn't work nearly as good as it does here in SoCal.

For anyone interested in shore fishing and/or surf fishing on Big Island, you have two options. Either pack a travel rod and tackle, or stop by WalMart in Kona - Kailua and grab everything you need.

Picked up the Matzuo popper locally. Looks very cool

If you just want to cast plastic grubs and bait, WalMart has you covered. I'd recommend bringing your own lures though, and bring plenty, as the coral and rocks will claim many of them. Getting snagged is basically going to happen, so avoid popular snorkeling spots - you don't want to leave hooks around where people are swimming. Respect the environment and the locals, don't crowd other anglers. Anywhere you can find some depth, you'll find fish, catching is another thing.


Someone got nice sunrise footage with a hexacopter - not mine

There are plenty of fish hanging around the coral reefs, but many of these are not interested in your lures. I found the following websites to have the best tips for shore fishing Big Island:

1. https://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=434106  

2. http://www.alohacottages.net/shore_fishing.html

Be sure to check the state regulations too, some of the above locations may not be legal to fish from updated regs.


Another hawkfish

All in all, high surf advisory notwithstanding, fishing while surrounded by jaw-dropping beauty and snorkeling amidst coral forests was amazing. I'll definitely be back. Mahalo.

Video:

Author : iWalton

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