Beach fishing in Kauai

Okay, so in Kauai last week it was mainly a trip to hang out with the family, but you know I couldn’t be surrounded by all that water in Kauai and not wet a line!

Generally, the the inshore fishing there didn’t seem all that hot, but there were enough critters around to keep things interesting.

Most mornings before the gang got up, I’d head down to the beach and see what was happening. On the reef near our place in Princeville, I used GULP! worms to catch a whole bunch of brightly-colored critters like this blackspot sergeant, which was the poster child for the most recent Name that Fish Contest entry.

Mostly, however, the fishing was just an excuse to get out enjoy the awesome, Jurassic Park scenery of Kauai…

Speaking of rainbows, the trout season on the island opened early while we were there (yes, there are rainbow trout in some of the higher elevation streams on Kauai), but I just couldn’t get really fired up about trying it somehow. Peacock bass were also in season but, again, it was tough to pull away from the view at the condo…though when I learned there were bonefish down on that beach to the right, I got motivated to put down the cerveza and grab the rod again!

Well, the bones didn’t want to play, but fellow river rat guide Mike Moore and myself hooked a few decent fish off the beach in Hanalei in the early mornings. Mike got a nice barracuda on a Kastmaster one morning and I hooked a something huge on a Fluke the next that would have spooled me had I not broken it off. We didn’t have much of a chance on the big stuff with trout tackle, but jacks like this were about the right size. This bad boy ate a DOA C.A.L. jerk shad right at my feet.

We didn’t get offshore, but did enjoy some seriously good raw maguro (ahi) a few nights. Overall, not a really fishy trip, but a good time was had by all.