| The following was forwarded
to us by Rob Sims:
Hawaii has both fresh and
saltwater opportunities. Saltwater opportunities
include Trevally, Bonefish, Barracuda, Ladyfish, and
numerous other reef
species that can be found on all the islands.
Freshwater opportunities
includes Bass, Peacock Bass, and Bluegill on the islands of
Oahu and
Kauai and limited trout opportunities on Kauai. The
saltwater fly fishing is
generally pretty tough as you can expect 15 to 30mph.
trade winds 90% of the time.
Because most locals catch and keep everything the numbers
of all species
of fish have declined dramatically over the years.
The freshwater fishing is a
little easier as the reservoir on Oahu is catch and release
for the bass
and the peacocks. You do need a license to fish the
freshwater but for whatever
bizarre reason, you do not need a license to fish
saltwater.
If you intend to fish the salt an 8 to 10wt rod with a
saltwater safe reel
will do. Remember the winds! We are not kidding about them.
So evaluate
your casting skills and gear up accordingly. A
floating line will work in most
situations but it is also good to have an intermediate and
sinking line,
however depending on where you fish you may or may not need
more than a
floating line. A good saltwater reel with at least
200yrds of backing, and
10 to 15lb. leaders and tippets. Leaders from 9 to
12ft are fine. Good flies
to search with include #2 and #4 Clousers, deceivers, reef
specials, hula
shrimps, bend-backs, and standard bonefish patterns.
Fishing smaller flies
are easier in the conditions and allow you to catch a wider
range of fish.
Other gear you will need include a stripping basket, flats
boots, Polaroid
glasses, sunscreen, and appropriate sun clothing.
Freshwater tackle include standard trout gear 4 to 7wt.
Reels do not need
much backing. Small streamers and poppers work well
for bass, peacocks,
and bluegill. The lake has limited bank access
and is better fished by a boat.
The lake can be fished from shore effectively but this
involves a lot of roll
casting as much of the bank is grass and tree lined.
Nervous Water Fly Fishers offers guided bonefishing trips
on the island of
Oahu. Our rates are $275 for a full day and $195 for
a half day. The full
day trip includes lunch. Both trips include
transportation to and from
fishing. Trips are all walk in. Gear can be
provided if needed. There are
also guided trips for bass and peacock bass on Lake Wilson,
Oahu. We will be
happy to give the contact info for these guides if you are
interested.
These guides are not affiliated with Nervous
Water Fly Fishers.
As far as we know there are no guides on any of the other
islands except
for a couple of offshore operations on Maui and
Freshwater guides on Kauai.
Thanks.
Clayton C.Y. Yee
Kevin Faucheux
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