Fly Fishing Kona - Redux (Part 1 of 2)

Local Refreshment

When I first returned to the Big Island back in 2004 (after a 30 year absence), I had planned to do what most tourists do--lie on the beach, do a little body surfing and generally relax. Fishing was an afterthought--so much so that I didn't pack any gear or flies, hoping instead to purchase what I needed once there. Unfortunately any hopes of finding gear or flies were dashed soon after my arrival--the island has no fly fishing gear for sale at all. On that first trip I made do with a bamboo pole, a spool of 8lb mono, and a couple of pink hoochies I picked up at the local Walmart.

Local Colour

Since that first foray into fishing the local waters along the Kona and Kohala coastlines, I've returned four times. Each subsequent trip has brought improvements to my state of preparedness, with better and better gear, new techniques, specifically designed flies and most importantly--local knowledge. This last trip was no exception and prior to my arrival I tied well over two hundred flies, packed three rods, reels and a half dozen lines. I scoured the net for information on the Island, discovered new fly patterns used on Oahu, Pitcairn and Christmas Islands, and generally researched all I could about my target species for this trip--bonefish. Going in I was pretty confident that I had all the bases covered... or so I thought.


Details, Details:

This visit took place a little earlier than my previous ones, commencing in late November and lasting until the 19th of December. During that time I was fortunate to have about three dedicated "days" of fishing, three half days, and ten or so shorter outings. This was actually a little less than my previous trip, but the time spent on the dedicated days was much more focused on known locations rather than on exploring and scouting new spots.

Rocky Kailua Shoreline

The weather, as always, held few surprises. With the exception of two evenings and a single day of rain, the temperature remained reasonably constant at about 24 degrees Celsius with the winds and surf relatively low and calm up to the last week. I probably shouldn't say "few surprises" as the weather proved uncommonly good in terms of fishing conditions. Normally the biggest issue with fly fishing in the region is the oft-times relentless wind. With breezes peaking in the 10-20 knot region on most days, the need for heavy rods and aggressive tapers was reduced. In fact my eight weight Sage XP stayed dry for the duration of the trip and I opted instead to rely on my more moderate action seven weight Scott S3 for most fishing situations.

Coronet Fish

My shorter trips were concentrated around the village of Kailua, not too far from the condo I stay at. The shoreline in the area is mostly restricted to lava shelves, tide pools and rough lava outcroppings broken very occasionally by small sand beaches. All areas south of the main village are exposed to direct surf with the exception of the snorkeling beach at the far end of Ali'i Drive. I've had some success in the past fishing submerged shelves and ledges in the area on previous visits--taking both grouper and trevally--but on this trip this shoreline did not seem to have the same numbers of fish about. Spots that had fished well in the past produced fewer fish and none of the larger species I was hoping to catch. With the exception of one larger snapper that shook the hook, I was limited to catching smaller reef fish and the common coronet fish.

My three "day trips" focused on what are key spots to encounter bonefish: Anaeho'omalu Bay (also called mercifully A-Bay), Kiholo Bay and the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park.

Rough Trail

Kiholo bay was my first day trip. It was here that I caught my first (albeit tiny) bonefish during a previous visit. Kiholo bay is reached by a 20 minute hike down a rough lava based trail. Along the trail you will see flocks of feral goats an rough gnarled trees that narrowly escaped an eruption in the late 1800s. The trail emerges just to the south of the main bay, and another fifteen minutes of walking along the beach gets you to heart of the bay. Watch out for the turtles as the beach and bay itself are usually packed with them. Another warning: much of the land fronting the beach is private and although there is rarely any occupants about it is best to stick to the shoreline.

Black Sand Flats

Kiholo Bay has a large fresh/salt water lagoon formed by a natural aquifer at its heart. Flanked on one side by the rough shoreline and on the other by a finger of lava and beach, the beautiful azure lagoon is protected from the ocean waves. At the south end of the lagoon is a small island which guards its mouth. Between this island and the shore you will find one of the few natural sand flats on Hawaii. Its here you will see bonefish, milkfish, trevally, coronet fish, sea turtles and if you're unlucky the occasional 10' tiger shark. The water at the mouth is shallow and quite wadable, but the fish are easily spooked in the tight confines of the small flat, so patience and low profile casting is required. This isn't easy fishing, and all it takes are a few poor casts to put the fish off the flat and into the deep water outside the mouth.

Blue Fin Trevally

Unfortunately, during my visit I wasn't able to convince any individuals from the small school of bonefish I encountered to take the fly. I was also frustrated by the numerous lava boulders that seem to litter the small flats--losing flies on successive casts certainly tries the patience. The one or two individual bones I found cruising the flats were almost inevitably too close to me by the time I spotted them--and aside from a single large fish that followed, took and spit my fly before I could set the hook, I blanked on the bonefish. Luckily the deeper water to the south of the small island provided some consolation and I managed to pick up a few small trevally, coronets, and needlefish.This is an area I often leave until the end of a trip (mostly because you're casting blind), but it would be worth spending more time as there is a natural deep water slot that forms a travel lane for fish.

The second of my day trips was to Anaeho'omalu Bay, a beautiful sand beach surrounded by the Waikaloa Resort. At most times of the day this beach is packed with the well heeled clientèle from the hotel and hoi paloi from less exclusive spots along the coast, but in the early morning at sunrise the beach is generally deserted. I shouldn't be quite so tongue in cheek about the resort. They have restored and maintained at least two ancient fish ponds between the hotel proper and the beach front and they are also responsible for the construction and maintenance of the shower and change facilities at the south end of the beach. The bay is very popular with snorkelers and families playing in the protected waters, so any fishing trips need to take place either early in the dawn light or later around dusk.

Needle Fish

Schools of baitfish are common over most of the beach front and the blue fin trevally and even giant trevally patrol the drop off just out from the beach. At low tide it is easy to cast into this shelf zone and target the cruising trevally as they ambush passing bait balls, but it is a wide stretch of beach and being at exactly the right point can be a hit and miss affair. At high tide the sandy beach becomes the perfect place to prospect for bonefish, but the best spot to set up watch for them is an inlet channel built to allow water access to the fish ponds at the north end of the beach. Here the bones (usually solitary fish or pairs) will cruise along a regular circuit. The catch-22 about this position is that the water is deeper here and getting a fly in front of the passing bonefish is extremely difficult. Add to this a fly consuming lava shelf bottom as opposed to sand and you've got a recipe for real frustration. I think the best solution would be to have one person spotting the fish from the vantage of the inlet channel walls, and another further down the beach waiting to cast to the approaching fish.

Lizard Fish

I scored another bonefish blank on my trip here and the best I could muster was a few large coronet fish and a dozen of the vicious little lizard fish. I was told by a local guide in the waning days of my trip that the ponds (full of bonefish and milkfish) can be fished with a fly or bread bait, but I was not able to confirm this before departing. The bay is a lovely spot for bringing the family, but it has been regularly frustrating for me on each of my visits.

(continued)  Link to Part 2/2