It's July... Where Have All the Fishy Gone?
Makahiki Day 12 and 13 Report.
Here I am, half way through the Aquahunter Makahiki tournament and I feeling like a newbie out there fishing. Second guessing where I am fishing, what I am doing in rigging and how I am tracking when trolling so that I will have the right opportunity to hook a pelagic. It's July, the premier month of pelagic action in the heart of Hawaii. I have spent countless hours prepping for the right moment of action, only to have these last two outings produce a blank. No bites, no nibbles and definetly no results.
What am I doing wrong? What can I do to improve a strike? After having success this last fall and winter, I felt like I could go out every time and catch a pelagic. But when I hit the month of March of this year, I have fallen flat on my face only to have a twenty-five percent catch to fishing days ratio with very few pelagics on the score book. I guess I need to continue doing what I did in the past and hopefully my luck will change. I still enjoy going out there no matter how much preparation I put into this sport. I truly love kayak fishing here in Hawaii, but I am feeling the biggest dissapointment of production... especially when having to write or shoot a video for YakHawaii.
Yes I do feel the pressure, but the passion is still there no matter what the outcome is. So for day 12 and 13, I have nothing to report but time on the water. Next week, maybe I will have a different story. On the plus side, an old fishing friend I met 2 years ago has arrived on the Island of Hawaii full of passion and the right attitude to catch the pelagic. Maybe his enthusiasm will put the fire underneath me to give me the momentum swing I need. Time will tell and I look forward to my next outing. Stay tuned and tight lines. Aloha!
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Re:It's July... Where Have All the Fishy Gone?
Jul 16 2010 21:31:57 I feel your pain, brother. I think we are just putting in our time to pay some dues, and then the thing is going to break wide open. I've lost track of the number of fishless days I've had for the past month, but I still love the feeling of just being out there. We'll find them again...
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#129 |
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Re:It's July... Where Have All the Fishy Gone?
Jul 17 2010 09:34:25 Gotta keep looking and trying different sstyles, rigs, bait, lures...they are around but just gotta match up with what they are eating!
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#130 |
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Re:It's July... Where Have All the Fishy Gone?
Jul 19 2010 14:51:01 I feel your pain. Getting a little distracted with the new sailing kayak and haven't really been scoring any pelagics lately. Yesterday's launch from Leleiwi proved unproductive fishing wise. But very productive sailing wise since I was able to launch from the rocks for the first time and able to successfully tack back to the Leleiwi launch site against strong winds. Much more comfortable now to take an opposite bearing away from the shelther of Hilo Bay.
I figure no sense forcing the fish to bite and focus on other enjoyments of being in the water. No worries beef curries, keep your lines in the water and the bite will come... cheers! c2y |
#131 |
Makahiki Day 10 and 11 Report
Kayak Fishing Maui and the Big Island
Had the opportunity to visit Maui last week and get out on the water thanks to the kindness of Maui Mark. Mark was a fantastic host as he picked me up from the airport and drove me straight to the launch site. He supplied me with everything to have a great day of fishing and I was very appreciative of that. This would also be my first opportunity to try the Hobie Pro Angler on day 10 of the Aquahunters (AH) Makahiki tournament. It was great meeting Mark and I felt like I knew him for years. As we were driving down the west side, I was getting excited as conditions looked primo. Mark had to work that day so I was on my own, but I was real lucky to see a couple of kayak anglers already out on the water. I knew my only challenge would be the afternoon wind that comes from the south and if the other kayak anglers headed in, so would I.
As I was pedaling out, low and behold I ran into infamous RajahDat (Denzel), one of Maui's youngest kayak anglers and his dad Mel. They were kind enough to give me the lowdown of the area and what to expect if the wind picks up. I saw another AH angler and shaka'd from the distance. I took an early strike with the bait cut in half, probably a barracuda. Then I saw the wall of white caps coming at me as the fishing poles behind me began singing the wind song. Being on the Pro Angler and feeling pretty heavy on the water, I made a dash to get closer to shore and head back in. I made it back safely but unfortunately, I had to call it a day because of the winds. Just to let you know, the tracking on a Pro Angler is not the best in comparison to my Hobie Revo. It's heavy and a pain in the butt to lift. It will probably be the last time I use one of those boats.
Overall, Maui looks like a great place to fish, but you have to get started early to avoid the 12:00 o'clock winds coming from the south. On the following day of my visit to Maui, I spent a couple of hours chatting with KayakingBob at his home. Bob is an avid Maui Hobie AI sailor and was kind enough to share some great information on Hobie, sailing and fishing as he has at least 7 sailing/fishing vessels (AI's & TI) he has aquired spending lots of hours on the water. He knows everything about the AI and sails them hard. I had the chance to see his newest Hobie Tandem Adventure Island and maybe we can get Bob to write a review about the TI. If you have the chance, visit his website at https://sites.google.com/site/kayakingbob/Home.
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2010 Paddler’s Papio Open
Over $2,000 in Cash Prizes to be Given Away to the Top Anglers
Just wanted to share a fishing tournament coordinated by Boogie-D of Coastal Kayak Tours. It's called the Paddler's Papio Open which will be held on August 7th at the Haleiwa Canoe Club in Oahu next to the Rainbow Bridge. If you are not familiar with this fishing tournament, here's what it is all about! The Paddler’s Papio Open is a Papio Fishing Tournament open to all paddlers. In this event, surfboards, stand up surfboards, paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, OC1-4, and dory’s may be used for fishing. As long as anglers fish from a human powered watercraft it will be allowed for use in this papio fishing tournament. Pedal power is also allowed but sail power and motorized powered fishing vessels are not. Keiki anglers 5 and over are welcomed but must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
$1000 dollars will be awarded for the largest Papio less than 10 pounds. $600 dollars will go to the second biggest Papio. $350 dollars will be awarded to the third biggest Papio. $200 dollars will go to the biggest Aha. Prizes will be awarded to the 4th -5th largest Papio. One prize will also be awarded for the biggest other fish. Ulua and Aha will not be accepted for the biggest other fish category. Papio must be between 13 inches and 30 inches long from nose to fork. Rope rulers will be provided. Let the small papio and the ulua go. It is possible for keiki to win any of the cash prizes or any other main prizes.
Registrations forms can be found online at www.coastalkayaktours.com then printed, completed and mailed to 59-444 Makana Rd, Haleiwa, HI 96712. To register in person, go to Windward Boats 789 Kailua Rd., Kailua 96734. Make Checks payable to Coastal Kayak Tours. Same day beach registration will be available at the Canoe Club from 4:45am till 9:00am.
For more information on this tournament, stop by Windward Boats in Kailua or visit Coastal Kayak Tours website and click on the tournament link.
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2010 Paddler’s Papio Open
Jun 26 2010 12:05:07 sweet thanks paul.. would be cool if some big islands guys could come over for the PPO.. I got 2 cobra fish n dives and a prolwer 15 anglers could use.. tried to PM you here but couldnt get that function to work... I will be back soon to post more in the safety section.. aloha
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#118 |
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Re:2010 Paddler’s Papio Open
Jun 28 2010 10:31:20 Sounds like a great tournament. I have never targeted papio before. So what would one have to do to go after the papio? And your invitation sounds tempting... not so much for the competition, but for the bonding with fellow anglers. Well worth the cost. I'll see what I can do to get a weekend off.
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#123 |
Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Kayak Fishing Hilo
Had an opportunity to join up with fellow Aquahunter and YakHawaii kayak anglers today in Hilo. A special thanks to our hosts, Pueo and DriftingSon for guiding us out and sharing their experience on the east side of the Big Island. Unfortunately, I ran into trouble right from the start of my launch. Again I snapped a rod in one of my turbo fins on my Mirage drive pedal system and I had to take the necessary steps to re-rig my kayak to accommodate paddling by removing my trampoline and moving in the stabilizers. One of the biggest mistakes I made today was not to have the mirage drive plug with me... let me share why.
The ocean condition today was like a roller coaster as we encountered 8 to 10 foot swells with some strong wind gusts. I did not even have the opportunity to drop a line in the water so I could fish today. With the power of the swells, the opening for the mirage drive was taking on water and filling the cavity covering the 8 inch hatch in front of my seat with ocean water trickling through the hatch seal filling the hull with about one inch of water. It was pounding out there and I feared that if I took the time to bilge pump out the water, more water would be engulfed into the hull. So I decided that it would be best if I streamlined back to the launch site.
Digging in and paddling hard, I had fear building up as when I was see sawing up and down. When my bow faced down on the swell, the water inside the hull rushed to the front of the kayak and I felt like a torpedo heading into the ocean. Then as nose of my kayak was pointing up, you could fill the water sloshing back to tail of the kayak. It definitely was a scary feeling. But with patience and keeping my cool, I was able to make it back to shore safely with the other kayakers.
Here is what I learned today. It is very important to carry spare parts for the mirage drive system. Secondly, I must bring my mirage drive plug with me at all times instead of keeping it in my garage. It is a vital piece of equipment and will prevent the cavity in front of the seat from taking on water. I thought I would share this to all Hobie kayak owners who have a mirage drive system so that it would prevent this experience from happening to you. The plug has a purpose and you never know when you will need it.
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jun 25 2010 15:58:56 I used to bring parts for the Mirage Drive out with me, but finally decided to just bring a spare Mirage Drive. Working on the drive in the conditions you were in didn't work for me. Too easy to loose little parts (nuts, rings, pins, etc) out the Mirage or daggerboard holes. Now, when a drive breaks (which isn't very often) it only takes about 30 seconds to retrieve the spare from it's leash place, back near the rudder and pop it in. Later I put the damaged drive back away (in calmer conditions) or I'd bungee it up near the front hatch and aka x-brace (AI) if too wild. I does seem to break at just the wrong time and under poor conditions.
I've broken the drive less with the newer V2 drive, and since I stopped landing with the drive in. I pull the drive out before entering the shore break and paddle the last few feet in. |
#108 |
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jun 25 2010 23:22:49 That may be the solution... to bring an extra mirage drive and carry it in the front hull. I would have never been able to fix it in those conditions. The rod broke as I was paddling out after I launched. I must have tweaked the rod by hitting the rocky bottom surface as I started out. Does not take much to damage that rod. I'll take your advice, but really I'd rather make an investment into a TI. The sail in those conditions was useless as it made me lean and drive into the water which made the cavity flood. Bob... do you carry your mirage plugs with you when you sail? How about you Maui Mark?
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#111 |
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jun 26 2010 06:11:44 YakHawaii wrote:
Bob... do you carry your mirage plugs with you when you sail? How about you Maui Mark?I haven't carried the plug on my AI, but started carrying one on my TI for solo or of a drive breaks. I haven't carried the spare drive on the TI, because it has two. The TI (as far as I know) is the only Hobie boat that can carry a spare Mirage drive in it's closed front hatch without some dis assembly. The best would be to remove a pedal... if they were removable. 
I don't used the plug in my AI, because I actively use it in most conditions to help control the boat. |
#113 |
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jun 26 2010 08:15:42 The mirage drive fits in the front hatch on the Hobie Revolution. So carrying a spare is possible. After my experience on Thursday, I really feel that I need to go to the next level and get a TI over the AI. I want the space if I solo to operate from the rear seat and have space in front of me. I like the added protection of the larger amas and the stability it brings to the water. I will be in Maui on June 29th and 30th. I would like to meet you if possible. I will be staying in Kihei. Let me know?
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#115 |
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jun 30 2010 07:21:08 Of course, that brings up another question: Would you have opened up your front hatch to get the spare drive out in those conditions?
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#124 |
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Re:Swells, Challenges and the Mirage Drive Plug
Jul 14 2010 18:57:27 YakHawaii,
Thanks for the info regarding the drive well plugs. Been out in 8'+ seas outside of Leleiwi on a P15. Tried going back to the launch site but the water was covering my hatch and seating area way to often as I headed back into the waves. Hatch seal had some tears and my scuppers were the older and smaller diameter ones and not draining water as fast. Not feeling comfortable with the situation, I decided that it was best to ride the swells back into Hilo Bay and call the wifey for a pickup. I was initially thinking that an empty drive well would work as a big scupper hole and allow the water to drain faster. But it now seems like another way for water go the other way and flood the seating area. Adding drive plug to the safety bag. Shaka, c2y |
#125 |
- Makahiki Day 8 and 9 Report
- Total Confusion Under Sail
- My First Sail on the Hobie Revolution
- Makahiki Day 4 and 5 Report
- For Members Only Section Now Working!
- Rigging a Hobie Revolution with a Furl System
- Makahiki Day 2 & 3 Update
- A Book by Jon Shein - Kayak Fishing
- How to Get Started in Hawaii Kayak Fishing
- Members Only Coming Soon!
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