Went for a 4 hour charter today and booked the whole boat for an extra $100...totally worth it considering it can fit 12 guests and only 5 can fish at a time. So the 3 of us and the two crew are all working together as a team.
Using sabiki rigs Captain Johnnie immediately hooked up with two Oama bait fish...these are the most prized live bait and not always easy to find. Very lucky indeed.
This baitfish will virtually guarantee Mahi Mahi, Ono, or large trevally. He hooks it up and drops it to about 10 feet off bottom...immediately there's a strike! Big fish will bite the tail off first then return to finish the rest, so he delays any retrieving. It nibbled a bit more then we drifted too far off the structure that we were fishing.
One thing about this charter that is irritating is that you only get to fish in 7-10 minute intervals before having to reposition after drifting. We are fishing in 100-160 feet of water on sandy humps...kind of like
Halibut fishing from my experience. This activity was repeated dozens of times.
So back at it with the second and last bait fish...again instant action and this time after waiting for a return...fish on! Funny, Johnnie even called it...he said to me to reel up my line and get ready after the first nibble.
Even they were impressed, both Captain and Mechanic took there own pictures...Here's Johnnie! With a very nice 6-7 lb Omilu.
Then with the excitement over its back to bottom fishing using Sabiki rigs cut down to two hooks per rod with squid. Several different species were caught, and in multiples...I even got a double header on both hooks.
Some of the types were Ladyfish, Goatfish, Trigger fish, and Pog fish.
Also, on the live/whole bait line we would let frozen Chad soak for a big one...a reasonable possibility, but not again for us. The bait would need to be replaced due to it being chewed on, but nothing large hit. Also funny is all the baits used here are from the freezer section of the grocery store.
One thing I was not impressed with was the squid...they were using old red gelatinous bait! I suggested that fresh bait is best from what I researched, and they didn't seem to think it was a problem? I requested some fresh to be cut up, and Mechanic Cody did so even removing the membrane as I suggested.
Well, perhaps the increased action afterward was just a coincidence...but I did hook into something special!
This is a Nabetta or Peacock Wrasse...it's a Hawaiian delicacy fish that is not commercially available. It's somewhat rare as it can't be located on a sounder because it sits in the sand. This one is considered large and the guys were pretty happy to see it.
Check out the teeth on this one! We had to be careful as it will bite you, and can also touch its tail like a shark. Actually, most of these fish have some way to stick you if it's not spines, barbs, sharp fins, or even gills that have poison.
Oh, and for those that are interested...both of these keepers make the best Sashimi! Johnnie said that they will routinely take these types of fish back to the office and immediately eat them raw...maybe I should give this a try too? Well, maybe after freezing them first...just in case.
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Topic: Maui Surf Fishing 101 (Read 15844 times)