Fly Fishing Hawaii - The Kona Coast (pt 1)

Aloha!

I recently finished a trip to the big Island of Hawaii--my third and longest trip to the in the last six years. While all of them have theoretically been family vacations, there has always been enough time set aside for a little fly fishing. On this trip I pushed it about as far as I was able, and between dangerous surf conditions and howling gales I was able to make 14 outings ranging from about 2 to 8 hours over the three week period I was there. While Hawaii is not known as a significant fly fishing destination, I was still able to land a good number of fish and in the process ended up visiting some of the most stunning bays, flats and beaches in the world.

Geography:

I was based in Kailua-Kona on each of my trips. Located in the heart of the Kona Coast this has proved to be a very good starting point for fish hunting in the land of volcanoes. The Kona Coast as it is called actually is comprised of three rough geographic/political regions along the western shore of the big island of Hawaii: Kohala in the north, Kona in the central area and Ocean View in the south. Protected from the moisture laden trade winds by the island's two major volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, this is the driest region in the Hawaiian chain. Here most shore-based fly fishing opportunities are to be found along the northern Kona and Kohala regions as opposed the very rugged southern area, and it was in the north-central area where I spent most of my fishing time exploring as many different beaches and fishing areas as I could find.

Unlike some of the older islands in the chain, the big island has fewer beaches, more recent lava flows, less flats and generally underdeveloped coral reef systems. That said, there are still plenty of fishing opportunities over a variety of bottoms and depths. During my stay I managed to fish over almost every conceivable fly fishing water type that the area had to offer--sometimes successfully but often not. Typical waters include flats (lava, coral and sand), tidal pools, shore drops, surf zones and blue water. Unfortunately, while all these water types hold fish, it is rare to find them adequately protected from the wind and surf to be considered "quality" fly fishing waters. Often a great deal of exploring and gathering intelligence from locals is required in order to find the shelves and small reefs that provide enough protection for good fly fishing opportunities.

After the hunt for suitable water, the next hurdle to overcome is the weather. While fishing in paradise has it's advantages, wind, surf and sun offer a fair share of hazards for the shore-based fly fisherman. The omni-present wind is clearly the biggest obstacle to overcome once you have discovered where to fish. This is a common complaint in most tropical fly fishing destinations, and Hawaii is no exception. Luckily the strongest trade winds are really fueled by the heat of the day and so the early morning and late afternoon/early evening offer relatively calm windows in which to fish. It would be nice if the surf followed the same pattern, but as luck would have it the largest and strongest waves are generally encountered early in the morning. While a simple scientific explanation is not at hand, discussions with the local body-surfers will soon confirm this. The last piece of the weather triangle to be dealt with is the merciless sun. While remedies in the form of sunscreen and clothing are at hand, I can attest to the fact that fishing on a hot day while swaddled in clothes isn't exactly a good time--stick to the early and late schedules dictated by the wind and you should be fine.



Gamefish:

The gamefish of Hawaii are numerous, but with the very rare exception the fly fisherman will never encounter any of the big blue water species such as marlin and ono (wahoo). For the shore-based fisherman and the fly fisherman in particular the main target species are trevally and bonefish. Trevally (or jacks) have the widest distribution of all the gamefish and are found in the greatest variety of water types--including lava shelves, surf, drop zones, blue water and flats. They include three species: white (popio), blue fin (omilu) and giant (ulua). Of the three the most commonly encountered are the white and bluefin trevally, ranging in size from tiny 4" specimens to as much as 15 lb fish. A surprisingly hard fighting fish for its size, even 1 to 2 pound trevally will put a satisfying bend in most fly rods. These fish have a reputation of being "angler aware" and the smart fisherman keeps moving after a missed cast or a rejection.



The illusive bonefish or o'io is the other target species and a real prize for the inshore fly fisher. These fish have a wide range, but seem to be limited to calmer waters and "flat" bottom types. Generally these sorts of conditions are best found along the central Kohala coast. O'io can run from small 10" specimens as much as a reported 10 lbs. Unfortunately, the typical "flat" in Hawaii is very small and so many of the bonefish are encountered in deeper waters. On my most recent visit, I encountered only a single finning fish on the flats (which annoyingly swam at my feet for about five minutes before darting away as I moved my rod), yet in the deeper surrounding zones many fish could be seen jumping--including several huge specimens. In all I find hunting for bones in on the big island is a lot like hunting for coastal cutthroat--except of course that the February weather is considerably better in Hawaii.



In addition to the main target species there are plenty of other fish to be caught in the rich inshore waters of the islands. The peacock grouper and yellow bream can be good fun on a lighter rod, and the needlefish, while frustratingly difficult to hook are a nice diversion on a warm afternoon day. All in all I encountered ten different species ranging from sand flounders to the strangely shaped cornet fish on this journey--the most numerous being jacks and toothy little lizard fish.

That's it for now. In the next installment I'll cover gear, flies tips and suggestions.

Aaron