The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Regardless of techniques used in the past, flyfishing has a place in Hawaii’s waters. The three main fly-fishable waters in Hawaii are offshore (both inshore and blue water), shore, and freshwater. Offshore big game fishing is, of course, boat dependent. Common bluewater species such as mahimahi (dorado), tuna, billfish, and ono (wahoo) are present in the islands, and the techniques for catching them are similar to anywhere else in the world. The most important step in catching these is finding a boat and captain that are experienced or amenable to fly fishing. A large portion of the fishing done from the shore is done in less than fifteen feet of water. Many of the techniques and concepts used by shore spin fishermen are easily transferable to flyfishing. In addition, freshwater species such as black bass and tucanare (peacock bass) are available to the angler willing to put in the time.

THE PLAYERS

Papio and Ulua

The papio (juvenile jack crevalle <10lb) is king in Hawaii along with the ulua (mature jack crevalle >10lb). You may notice that every spot I mention has these as the primary target. They are tough to catch, but not too tough. Hard fighting (you will overestimate their size when you hook up) and great tasting (C&R encouraged, but I’ve been known to show up at the beach with wasabi and soy sauce just in case), they are present everywhere. Papio and Ulua will eat anything that moves. I consider them the largemouth bass of the sea, but at 10X speed. (Actually, having grown up in Hawaii, largemouth are the papio of the freshwater, but at super slo-mo relative to the saltwater papio).

Kaku (barracuda)

Kaku are stealthy predators, just as they are all over the world. You usually are not fishing for them specifically, and the only indication that you’ve been visited by one is a sharp tug and a cleanly cut leader. Often, however, you’ll find larger ‘cuda up to four feet long sitting loglike in still water. You’ll find these predators hanging out in brackish streams and pools, along the shoreline and sometimes in deeper water. Kaku will tend to eat anything, but they seem to prefer movement.

Weke and Moana (two types of goat fish)

The weke and moana are highly prized as food in the islands. Actually, all of the fish mentioned in this section are prized for their eating quality. Along the shore they are most often found in sandy reef areas, ranging in sizes up to about a foot in length. As you get deeper, though, they can get to be up two feet in length and six pounds or so. Both species are mainly crab and shrimp eaters, but will also eat baitfish.

Oio (bonefish)

This prize of the saltwater flats leaves traditional salt-water fishermen puzzled in Hawaii because there are, generally, no flats. The oio are around, though, and they get huge! Take your Atlantic specimens and add two to five pounds and you’ll have an idea of the size of the fish here! They favor the sandy-bottomed water in between the reefs with easy access to deep water, and can sometimes be caught in the sandy lagoon like areas between the reef and the shore. As with everywhere else, the oio preys on crabs and shrimp, but will not turn down whatever meal is placed in front of them. Although they are infrequent, they can be found, and are considered a prize.

Moi (Pacific Threadfin)

The moi is the best eating fish, bar none, that you will ever sink your teeth into. Their Hawaiian name means royalty, because they were kapu (forbidden) for commoners to eat. The moi frequent fairly rough and wavy water near the shore, favoring sandy bottoms and white water overhead. Their natural diet consists mainly of crabs and shrimp.

Awa (milkfish)

The awa, sometimes called "Hawaiian Tarpon" are mostly found in brackish lagoons. They grow up to three or four feet in length. Although their diet consists of algae, and it’s a challenge for the fly fisherman to imitate a piece of algae and get the milkfish to eat the fly, the milkfish can put on a good show when hooked.

Others

Although the above species are the most popular with recreation fishermen, they are by no means the only fish you’ll find along Hawaii’s shore line. Along sandy bottomed beaches, you will often find a pakii (flounder) or ulae (lizard fish) at the end of your line. Many of the shores where you will find the aforementioned species will also produce the lionfish. Be very careful with these as their beauty belies the painful toxin in its many spines. Do not handle! Your best bet here is to donate the fly (i.e. leave the fly with the fish) to the ocean and re rig.

Along deeper waters, you will sometimes catch green or blue water species that have come in to feast on large runs of juvenile shore-oriented fish. Small (sometimes large) tuna, mahimahi, and snapper have been caught from shore and, while unusual, are not unheard of.

THE TECHNIQUES

One word of advice: speed!! Everything in the water in Hawaii is either predator or prey. Nothing dies of old age in the ocean! Sight fishing with accurate imitations can work from time to time, but usually, speed kills (or, catches fish, in this instance). You’re trying to cover a huge expanse of ocean, fishing for cruising fish that may or may not be hungry (actually, they’re always hungry). Even if your fly is not an exact imitation of what they normally eat, a quick-moving flashy fly will usually trigger the feeding instinct and cause an attack. Use a retrieve two gears faster than you usually use, and you’ll attract some fish.

That being said, there are times when a more conservative approach may be more appropriate. The basic idea, as with all fly fishing, is to match the hatch. Just as worms don’t swim upstream, crabs don’t race along on top of the water column at five feet per second. In all of my lure/spin fishing, I try to think like the prey. If I’m fishing a bait fish pattern I want to make it look lost, injured and scared. Fishing the edge of a big school of bait with an erratic retrieve is a good way to elicit a strike from a lurking predator. Similarly, fishing next to and around underwater structures like reefs or rocks can trigger hits.

THE PLACES

Beaches

The beach, any beach, can be fished. The main quarry here are papio, although weke, oio, and kaku are also caught.

Upon first arriving at the beach, a good practice is to take a survey of the water before fishing. Try to identify the structure areas off shore. Think like a fish. Where would you hide? Troughs in the sand reefs off shore and mid water rocks are all places to key in on. Any other form of structure are also key.

Closer inspection of the near shore areas will often reveal small schools of bait cruising parallel to the shoreline. Of course, you’ll want to fish the edges of these schools, because your intended quarry is usually lurking nearby. A typical beach in Hawaii has a brief shallow area that is accompanied by a quick drop-off into deeper water. The drop-off may be as little as a couple of feet or as drastic as ten. This is a good area to start on. Papio, kaku and other predators love to hang around the deeper water and make brief forays into the shallows, hoping to encounter bait moving in the shallows. Also, they are waiting for an unsuspecting prey creature to wander into the deeper zone or near their hiding spot. If there is no definable structure, good starting technique is to fan cast from one spot and retrieve as quickly and erratically as possible. After about five casts without any action, take a few steps down the beach and repeat.

When you come upon that rock or reef area along the beach, you will want to take a little more time to fish it. Try to run your fly over and around the rock or reef. Vary your retrieves to fish different depths. Don’t be surprised if you get slammed as your fly swims by the structure! Many fish ambush their prey this way. As mentioned earlier, observe what bait may be in the shallows, and try to ‘match the hatch’ as closely as possible. Try different imitations. Shrimp, crabs, fish and other small prey species hang around the reefs. Vary your retrieve to mimic the movement of the bait. Fish thoroughly here and you will often be rewarded with a smashing strike!

A second spot to investigate further are cutouts in the reef. You can sometimes find channels in the reef that open up to the sandy beach area. These serve as beach-access highways for the larger fish usually found in the deeper water. To the extent larger fish usually ear larger meals, baitfish patterns are probably your best bet. But, if they don’t produce, don’t discount trying the rest of your arsenal. Try to hit the mouth of the channel at every angle. Run your fly around and above the reef. The usual papio are your most likely catch, but don’t be surprised if an oio or ulua give you the ride of your life.

The main point to fishing beaches is to remember that there is more to them than meets the eye. The same beach where a hundred kids swim later in the day can serve up nice catches in the morning. Be tuned in to the conditions and you will be able to take advantage of the pot luck that is in front of you.

Reefs

The older islands (NW to SE, older to younger) have well-developed reefs. Often you will find areas where the reef extends miles out to sea, with a depth of only a few feet! These areas are as close to flats fishing as you will come in Hawaii, but you will need to employ a few techniques here that are slightly different than in traditional flats fishing.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you are unprotected from the elements. As you walk out onto the reef beds, you will often find that the wind noticeably picks up. This increase in wind brings about a couple of negatives as well as a positive. First, casting is obviously compromised. Deal with it. Ideally, you will fish down-wind and cast with the wind. You have to be able to cast in the wind in Hawaii, anyway, if you wish to fish. Second, you cannot sight fish because the wind disturbs the surface, and creates a glare. On the beaches and even here, much of Hawaii flyfishing is going to be blind casting. Choose your structure and present your fly around it.

The second negative can also be considered a positive: you can’t sight fish, but the fish can’t see you. You can get quite close to the structure you’re fishing when visibility is limited. Short casts with short quick retrieves are most effective.

The structures that you will probably find most productive on the reef are cutouts, pockets, channels and coral heads. Basically, similar to the beach, anything that will allow a larger predator to access deeper water or provide a place to ambush prey will likely hold them.

Cutouts and pockets are deeper areas in the reef. They often have sandy bottoms and can be identified from a distance by the change in color. They usually have a steep edge and/or a gradually sloping edge. The deeper edge is where you’ll often find papio, weke, moana and other predators cruising and looking for a meal. The gradual edge is where the predators access the pocket. I like to start fishing a pocket by casting across the gradual-edge access a few times, followed by running the fly along the deeper end, finishing with the middle, sandy area.

Channels are similar to cutouts except that they are usually wider and much longer. These serve as connecting highways to the deep water outside the reef, and this is where you will typically find the larger fish. Whereas the reef you’re walking on may be a foot or two deep, channels may drop off into six or more feet of water. Running your fly across the top of the water is a good way of hooking into papio or kaku. Dragging the bottom will catch papio, weke, moana, or oio.

Coral heads are structures within other structure. They are outcroppings of coral sitting in the deeper pockets and channels and can, again, be identified by the change in color. Coral heads serve as ambush spots for the predators and hiding places for the prey. When you come across one of these you want to fish it thoroughly, as fish can strike anywhere around the head, and predators are constantly coming in and out of the area.

A last structure to look for is the inner edge of the reef. Often, you’ll find a beach that is ringed by a reef. The reef edge is an excellent place to find fish, as the deeper water of the beach gives them swimming room and the shallow reef edge lets them herd bait. You can walk along the inside reef edge and cast towards the shore. Work the deeper water, perpendicular to the reef as well as the shallow water parallel to the reef.

One last well known trick is to watch for baitfish schools. The reefs, being shallow and well protected, are a nursery of sorts for juvenile fish. Often, when you see many bait fish schools near the shore there are likely lots of predators cruising in the deeper pockets nearby waiting for that convenient time to grab a meal. Sometimes you’ll see an entire school of baitfish jump once, twice, or more times. This usually means that a big papio or kaku made a pass through and will be returning. Cast to the edge of the school and hold on if you get hit.

Rocky shorelines

Rocky shorelines are also very productive. You often see fingers of lava rocks at the ends of beaches. Of course, the predatory papio will be hanging around these structures looking for an easy meal. Casting to deeper water and running the fly back towards you, parallel to the outcropping often works.

You can locate structure in the water and cast around it. If you look carefully into the water you’ll notice large rocks, sandy patches, and depth changes in the water in front of you. Fish these structures as you would any other, and make sure you give each depth and angle a proper chance to produce.

The area right next to the shoreline is a very good place to try if there is close access to deeper water. Papio will often hang back in the deeper water and make sudden forays into the shallows. A fly struggling through the white water along the edge looks like a lost baitfish and an easy meal for the greedy predators. Quick, erratic retrieves are best here, as you’ll hang up less and you’ll imitate a lost or injured baitfish perfectly.

One last place to try along rocky shorelines are the sandy coves that you find between the rocky points. The sand often holds shrimp and crabs, and the deeper water of the sandy bottom provides good hiding places for predator and prey alike. Here, a crustacean imitation, retrieved slowly but constantly, can be the key for moi, weke, moana, papio and even oio.

Cliffs

Cliffs are like big rocky shorelines and you’ll sometimes find one giving way to the other. Their structures are similar, but cliffs are on a much larger scale. The water is deeper and the offshore structure is farther out. Your best bet here is to concentrate on the water’s edge where the deep water meets the shallows. A good rule of thumb is to stay around the whitewater line. This is the area of white water that is generated when waves crash into the cliff. Not only does it serve as a good limit to shoot for, it also is a dynamite cover for large (sometimes really large) ulua and kaku waiting to ambush lost or dazed baitfish. By working this area, you are keeping your fly in the feeding zone!

One quick word of caution about cliff fishing. You must be ready for anything to hit your line. Cliffs are an immediate access to deeper water, and the predators are exponentially bigger. You may catch the same one or two pound papio that you caught at the beach, but you have an equal chance of hooking into something that wanted to eat that one pounder. Bait dunkers ("pounders" in local parlance) routinely pull in one hundred plus pound ulua (HUGE papio) from the cliffs.

That being said, you need to gear up a little. This will be discussed more in the gear section, but make sure your flies are meatier as well. You don’t need to use exact imitations, as the fish here don’t have the luxury of closely examining your offering. The constant surf surge pounding against the cliffs make this a game of quick hits. Rabbit hair streamers and other life-suggesting flies are tops here.

You also want to make sure that your fly stands out. You’ll be fishing across the top of white water, so the color doesn’t matter too much. However, the white water serves as an excellent background for fish in the deeper water. To this extent, darker flies have great silhouettes against the whitewater and seem, to the fish, at least, like an easy target. You’re trying to imitate a jumping jack (a loach, which is a tide pool fish) that got swept off of the cliff and is trying desperately to get back to safety. Another quarry, jumping jacks, are not strong open water swimmers, are dark in color, and have long undulating bodies. My best suggestion for a fly would be a five inch strip of black rabbit tied firmly to a stout, short shanked hook. The shank length doesn’t matter too much as the fish here should be able to engulf a whole jumping jack. Also, they tend to go for the head first, so the hook point will be in the predator’s target area.

Other Spots

Brackish lagoons and canals sometimes will hold fish. Usually this will be sight fishing, as you will have more visibility than in the open ocean, and the fish here are not as opportunistic and a little more spooky than open water fish. You can sometimes see papio or kaku cruising the waters here. Running streamers by them, near but not too near, will work. If you have a follow, speed up. They will be turned off if you slow down your retrieve, but will usually follow through if you speed up. You want to imitate a lost and hurt baitfish here, and a baitfish that is being chased will not slow down. The papio or kaku will get your fly if it wants it, anyway. They have that much speed. Remember, you want to trigger that feeding instinct!

The other main target in these lagoons are the awa. These have been called "Hawaiian Tarpon" for their exciting leaps when hooked. Unfortunately, they are mainly vegetarian. However, some people have caught them using a cork fly with dark green marabou. They cast it up-current of a previously spotted fish and let it drift like a piece of seaweed.

FLIES

Except for very rare situations (see "Other Spots") you probably need to carry only a few different patterns. These patterns will be dependent on the type of area you’re fishing more than anything else.

Streamers are going to be your workhorse. You don’t need anything too exact, as most of the strikes are going to be reactionary or instinctive. Ocean fish tend to be very opportunistic, and will grab a meal first and ask questions later. Sar-mul-macs can be productive, as baby mullet are a prime prey species in Hawaii. Clousers and deceivers are, of course effective also. Anything with the general sardine shape should produce. If you’re fishing beaches or calmer water, smaller sizes down to 8 or 10 can be used. Cliffs or rocky points tend to hold larger fish so going up to size 1/0 or bigger is not out of the question. General white and black are all you really need, but any color can work. Your main goal is to attract the fish’s attention, so exactly matching a mullet’s scale pattern is not necessary.

In general, your streamers do not need to be weighted. Your line and the basic weight of the fly should take it to the column that you mean to fish. A point to remember is that most of the predators that you are fishing rely on ambush, and a prey that is swimming higher in the water is easier to capture. From below, the predators look for a fishy silhouette, and are more apt to come up for a meal than go down.

A second category of flies to carry are the crustacean patterns. A simple weighted shrimp pattern should be enough, but anything that looks buggy or like that something that lives on the bottom will do. These will be fished slower than the streamers (ever see a shrimp go whizzing by?) and usually near the bottom. Effective places for these are in the sandy patches and channels on the reef and in the sand pockets near rocky shorelines. I’ve found that fishing these patterns over reefs or rocks may not be your best bet. For one thing, you have the obvious tendency to hang up more when fishing over rocks. For another, I think that fish will usually opt for the easier meal. The reefs and rocks, with all of the holes and crevices provide too many hiding places for a small crustacean to hide. Short erratic retrieves are best here, and the takes can be subtle, so keep contact with your line and be ready to hang on as everything in Hawaii’s waters seem to eat shrimp.

EQUIPMENT

Most shore flyfishing in Hawaii can be comfortably done in the top few feet of water. A good suggestion is to use a shooting head system to facilitate a quick changing of lines. Your main head will be a floater, but you may need to go to an intermediate sinker if conditions demand a fly fished deeper in the water column.

You should expect to need a stout rod, both because of the windy conditions as well as the potential size of the fish. I believe an eight weight is the minimum you would want to fish on the beaches, reefs and rocky points. Using shooting heads will help your casting in the sometimes stiff winds, but it’s good to have as much backbone in your rods as possible.

For cliffs and stiffer winds, a nine or ten weight rod is probably more practical. As I mentioned before, you have the potential to get into some really big fish off the cliffs. There’s nothing you can do if a big ulua decides to hit you, but even a five pound papio will blow up your eight weight tackle. If you’ve never fished for papio, imagine a fresh salmon twice the size of the papio, with unlimited room, and gear up accordingly. And, although most papio will be in the single-digit pound size, you may tie into one that may approach one hundred pounds!

You want to fish a reel with a strong drag system and some saltwater resistance. A spool that can be palmed is another good feature. Make sure that the reel you choose not only balances your rod, but also provides enough backing capacity to handle the potential long runs of the fish you may catch.

I would stick to 30 lb backing for Hawaii, not for the extra strength that it provides, but because you may frequently find yourself with your entire flyline out. The slightly heavier backing is a little more resistant to tangling than a thinner one, and the thicker line will not cut into your fingers as easily when you are reeling a fish in. Given the salt water, this is not a minor consideration.

As for flylines, the saltwater tapers are good when fishing a whole line. You want to be sure that you are not using a cold water line, as it will be too limp in the tropic temperatures. I usually fish a shooting head assortment for its distance and quick change benefits. Using this system I give up a delicate presentation (very minor negative) but can change from a full sink to a floating line instantly.

If you are fishing shrimp patterns on the reef, and do not expect to make many long casts, a double taper may also work. This will aid your presentation to tight holes in the reef. The double taper can also be turned around when it is worn, effectively doubling the life of the line.

For tippets, don’t go light. Since this is attractor fishing, the fish are not going to be line shy, and will hit aggressively. Since you’re going to be using larger flies than you’re used to, you want to make sure the tippet will turn over the fly. Stiff mono is usually preferred. Also, the reefs and lava rocks can shred mono. Use enough strength and change it frequently.

A casting/stripping basket is considered mandatory by many experienced shore fly fishers. A lot of your casting will be off of lava rocks that can tangle or rip your line. The casting basket also helps when you’re waist deep in the water and the current is trying to take off with your line.

I find that a vest is a good place to hold your stuff, but a fanny pack may often be your best option. Your stuff will get wet, but don’t discount the fanny pack for this reason. Vests can get too hot to wear in the mid-day sun. The fanny pack provides easy access, and forces you to minimize your gear. All you often need, anyway, is a spool of tippet, shooting heads, your flies, a hemostat and maybe some splitshot.

Be very prepared to be out in the elements. Sunblock, a hat, and sun glasses are mandatory. Of course, you want your polarized glasses to help identify underwater structure. Make sure that they have UV protection.

You may want to consider wearing a long sleeved shirt if you’re going to fish out on the reef. You will get wet, and it will be windy. Out on the reef, you can get cold very quickly and the long sleeved shirt will help insulate you a little. For shore fishing, you may not want to wear long sleeves. You’re more protected from the wind here, and the occasional spray will be a nice respite from the heat. However, make sure that you have dry clothing nearby in case you do get cold. Another bonus the long sleeve shirt provides is protection from the sun.

Footwear with good soles are very important. You’ll find yourself walking on sharp lava rocks, and live coal reefs, so protecting your feet is mandatory. An old beat up pair of tennis shoes should be ok, but they probably won’t last more than one or two trips. Also, they can be slippery on wet lava rocks. A better option is a pair of tabis, which are sold in fishing stores in Hawaii. These are similar to aqua socks, with felt on the bottom. They will protect you from sharp rocks and sea urchin spines and the felt provides good traction on slippery rocks. Aqua socks (without the felt) are also fine, but they are more slippery on wet rocks.

WHEN TO FISH

Low light fishing is usually best, so early mornings and dusk are usually good producers. However, the tides seem to be a better indicator of good fishing than the time of day. You generally want to fish a moving tide, and a rising tide is often the best. A high tide provide predators better access into shallower areas, and the current of the tide seems to kick up the bait activity.

Surprisingly, you do want some surf activity (often caused by wind) when you fish, and dirty water can be helpful, too. These conditions seem to bring out the bigger fish because of the added cover that they provide. Casting is, due to the wind, of course is compromised a bit. Expect some wind when the surf is up, and use added caution when near the wave impact zone. Also, because of the surf remember that your offering will be harder to detect. Use bulkier flies that displace more water (think lateral lines), flashier colors, and more movement in your retrieve. These allow the fish to target your fly more effectively.

CAUTIONS

No primer on fishing in Hawaii would be complete without a section on the dangers that you may face. The obvious and most prevalent danger is exposure to the sun. Make sure that you have adequate sunscreen, and easy access to fresh water. Drinking fluids often will allow you to fish longer and more effectively.

A second danger is the ocean itself. You may find yourself fishing in rough surf conditions. Be mindful of the wave action, and try to always face into the incoming surf. Rogue waves are quite common, and, as their name suggests, can hit unexpectedly at anytime. These waves can be dangerous, so always be mindful and watchful of them.

Wear adequate footwear. I touched upon this in the Equipment section, but it is very important. Not only will proper footwear help you keep your footing on slippery rocks, but it will also help protect you from sharp objects in the water and on shore. Unfortunately, broken glass on the rocks can be a problem, not to mention the sharp lava rocks themselves. In addition, the lionfish, nohu (stonefish), wana (seaurchin), and eels can provide painful punctures that are sometimes poisonous.

CONTACTS

There is currently one flyshop in Hawaii. Clayton Yee runs it and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . He is very helpful and willing to answer questions via e-mail. If you wish to tie your own flies while there, materials can be found in any of the numerous fishing tackle shops as well as the larger sporting goods stores. Many of the offshore trollers make their own lures, and their materials are easily transferable to flies.

Hawaii Fishing News is the main magazine dedicated to fishing in Hawaii. Clayton Yee writes a column, and there are frequent articles written by other writers also. In this magazine you’ll also find spinning techniques for Hawaii’s waters that can, with a little imagination, be adapted to fly fishing. Local knowledge goes a long way.

LAST WORD

Hey, have fun! Hawaii is not considered a world class shore fishery, but it can produce good catches of little known, hard fighting fish that are a blast to catch. The conditions can be rugged, though, so be observant, aware, and fish safely. I would suggest fishing with a partner as an added safety precaution, or to snap a picture of your prize catch.

Please catch and release if you don’t intend to eat your catch. Alternatively, give your catch to another fisherman if they express interest. Many of the shore fishermen you’ll find are fishing, at least partially, for their meal rather than for fun. Respect the ocean and the people of the land, and you will find that your experience is enhanced.