Posted by Fonzie from 12.250.45.157 on December 05, 2001 at 19:19:59:
In Reply to: Hawaii Fishing posted by JimA on December 04, 2001 at 12:09:32:
Jim, I lived on the Big Island for two years and did a fair amount of shore fishing but only on the Windward {Hilo} side of the island.Here are a few pointers from memory. First get a cheap 10-12' medium action rod at Bass Pro Shops they always have cheap ones there.That would be better than paying big bucks for something like the Ugly Stick that I had. Besides all the sharp lava just destroys your gear.In terms of a reel get one of those oversized Catfish type reels at K-Mart, don`t spend more than $30 on it because the salt spray is gonna wreck it.Make sure you when your done fishing to rinse your gear off with fresh water or it will rust up quick.Nuts and bolts wise I would use maybe 17lb mono and hooks that are not too large {#1 or smaller}.Get some 1oz or slightly larger weights and some giant bobbers.Bait you can buy at the local supermarket go with fresh medium to small squid and cut them lengthwise 3 times taking special care that each piece gets an equal amount of tentacles.You will catch Yellow-lined Snapper and Nenue {A giant Blue-gill type fish}.Oh yeah cast out as far as you can and with the big pole you can fish 5-8' under your bobber.With the shoreline being so irregular though you can also look for those deep cut-outs close to shore and toss it ther too.Bring some big Rooster Tail jigs with and throw them around too.In terms of places to fish take the hwy East out of Hilo that parallels the shore, sorry but I forgot the name. It dead ends at the place where the lava crossed the road, a good photo op, anyways park your car and there will be plenty of spots to fish.Also on that same hwy between hilo and where the road ends, do some exploring because you can find some good spots that way too.You can bottom fish as well but be prepared for plenty of snags and you`ll catch different fish than bobber fishing, just watch out for the razor sharp teeth on those eels when you catch them.One final note take that rent-a-car sticker off your vehicle first thing,the unsavory types use them as a beacon to choose which cars to break into.Thankfully an unlikely event either way. Sorry this wasn`t organized better but Ken G. I`m Not.Hope the info helps.