Spring is Here!

[lawaia]

OK, OK, we don't really have winter in Hawaii but our fishing conditions and target fish do change, with most pelagics declining in relative abundance during the winter and returning in the spring, at least here off the island of Oahu.  During the winter we target the tasty bottom fish, mostly snappers such as pristipomoides filimentosus, locally known as opakapaka.  Here's one of our best catches this past winter:


Oh, but for those who love the sound of a reel singing, spring brings hope and anticipation.  It also brings strong winds and rough water but if the fish are biting, who cares?  Such was the case when we recently ventured out in forecasted 20-25 knot winds, 9-15 foot wind waves, and 9 foot swells (those deskbound forecasters always exaggerate a little).  No small craft advisories posted, so it was a typical Hawaiian fishing day, albeit on the rougher than normal side.  But the fish were biting:


That made the roller coaster ride enjoyable and nothing beats fresh fish on the table!

Aloha,
lawaia

[Tightlines667]

That first day yielded a full load of nice Paka there.  Nice to see you removing those invasive blue-striped grunts too.  Those Kawakawa in the second pic make good bait, that small one would be a perfect live bait.  Nice Ono too.  Glad to hear someone is catching.

[ChileRelleno]

Very nice catches. 
I'll bring some nice side dishes, what time is dinner?

[lawaia]

That first day yielded a full load of nice Paka there.  Nice to see you removing those invasive blue-striped grunts too.  Those Kawakawa in the second pic make good bait, that small one would be a perfect live bait.  Nice Ono too.  Glad to hear someone is catching.

Mahalo, John.  The trolling/pelagic bite should start picking up as we approach the summer months but you know that Spring is the onset of mahi and ono season.  The 'paka and other BF are a Fall/Winter pastime and, yes, we're not putting the ta'ape back into the water so they can take our baits again before the 'paka can.  The little kawakawa were like kamikaze, attacking lures half their size and getting snagged through the eye socket or in the gills such that they'd just be bloody shark bait if we put them back in the water.

Very nice catches. 
I'll bring some nice side dishes, what time is dinner?

John, out here all we need is some wasabi and soy sauce; those fish make terrific sashimi!  Thanks for the offer and the kind words.  Aloha.