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.

Day 11 was yesterday. The winds on the Kohala side of the island were very strong so I had to fish the Kona area. As expected, almost no wind. I headed out to the Ko'a grounds at 70 fathoms. The fishfinder was pretty silent as I made my way out, a sign that it look like it was going to be a long day with very little action. My goal would be to stick it out until high tide set in at 1:30 pm. I did not get my first stike until 3 hours into pedaling. Unfortunately, nothing on the other end of the line as my bait was stolen clean. I pedaled some more and was ready to call it a day and then the wind picked up. Since I knew combining the sail and the pedal system would make it easier on me, I decided to stay out there longer.

Just as I let out my bait 200 feet behind me and opened the sail, I took a solid strike on the surface with fish on the line. Not a heavy fish and not a epic battle. To my surprise, it was a gray snapper (uku). Realizing that my hook was embedded on it's side, I gingerly brought it closer to the kayak and then gaffed it with my kage. If this was to be so easy, I dropped another line and began trolling again. Time was getting closer to 1 pm so I decided to head in and call it a day. Then with a bizzzzzz, my reel went off again. With a quick battle, I saw a barracuda on the other end of the line. I brought it close to the kayak and did a catch and release. I know that my writing is a little boring today so please excuse me but most of the day was when there is not a lot of action going on. I am hoping in the near future to have a story about a pelagic being on the other end of the line. Until next time, Aloha!{mos_fb_discuss:5}