Shore fishing Maui?

[Okotokian]

Going soon. Will probably take 8wt fly rod and a travel spinning outfit of about 15-17 lb capacity. Anyone got any experience/tips on fishing from shore in Maui? I know a license is not required and I will have a car to get around a bit. I've got some flies (shrimp, crab patterns, clousers, etc.) from past Mexican bone fishing trips that I assume will be useful. Less sure about spinning tackle. I just need to be pointed in the right direction geographically and a few tips would be nice. I'll be in the Lahaina and Kihei areas. First time there. Thanks in advance.

[honker_clonker]

To help expand your google searches, they refer to casting lures from shore as 'whipping' in Hawaii, if you include that in your search you should get more hits. As for equipment 20-30lb braid on a 4000 size reel should cover most of your situations. You want to make longs casts and retrieve your lure quickly for 'papio (trevally under 10lbs), omilu (blue fin trevally) and ulua (trevally over 10 lbs). Bright metallic spoons in the 1 oz range are typically fished fast on the surface to imitate a fleeing baitfish and the strikes can be savage. Crocs, castmasters, Mark white lures, shimano butterfly jigs and yo zuri crystal minnows are good choices. A common technique is also to use a casting bubble with 2-3' of leader behind it and a 1.5-3" grub in the root beer, firecracker, translucent grey or translucent pink colors. You cast this out and pop the bubble back to you at a moderate pace. Alternatively if the bottom is sandy or less snag prone you can use a 1/2-1 oz egg sinker and retrieve your curly tail back along the bottom making sure to make sinker contact periodically (called a basic whipping rig or its pretty much a carolina rig). The fish see the sediment cloud and hone into your presentation. You fish the egg sinker rig slower and you can catch bone fish, oama (goat fish), coronet fish and the above mentioned fish as well. Leader should be 14lb + generally as the environment can be quite abrasive and you never know what you are going to catch.

If you youtube Mark White Lures some videos will show up by user name whiteykuai. This fellow makes ceramic topwater lures on Big Island I believe for trevally and you can get tips on what kind of areas to target for certain fish.

[Vacation]

Go to the marina to fish, a rogue wave almost took away my son when we were fishing on the rocks. Much better at the Marina off the docks, safer and lots of fish. We used an extending rod from walmart along with a telescoping fishing pole we brought and some small hooks baited with kalamari. Fishing was awesome, all different kinds of fish, puffer, trumpet moorish idle, snappers (I think) and the list goes on. Even caught a Palani, gotta watch for the razor sharp dorsal on those. I was hitting a moray eel in the head with an airplane jig till he got ****ed off and then he hammered the hook, took off into the rocks and snapped my nylon braid...it was awesome. Also watch for turtles, they have a tendency to appear out of nowhere from under the moored boats and go for your bait...
The only large fish was the palani, but if you fly fish, you may have better luck with those. Either way, it was a blast.

[Spidey]

We hit a lot of beaches (Kihei, Wailea, and Lahaina) in Maui and I only really noticed people fishing in Kihei at Kamaole I Beach. From the north parking lot you walk down the path to the beach and you'll be at the rocks on your right hand side. You may have to get there early as the fishermen usually set up camp by 9am or so. There's enough room for half a dozen people to fish. They seemed to favor pickerel rig set ups with shrimp patterns and were bringing in 3-5lb tuna. If you're going with your family they could literally be 30 yards away from you playing on the Kamaole I beach and you fishing right next to them. Great spot for families. We stayed at Maui Vista Condos right across the street.

Also - you will love Maui. Great place for a holiday. If you like fish, make sure you get the fresh Tuna Poke (pronounced Poh-kay) at Costco or Safeway. Amazing!!!!! I liked the spicy sesame Poke.

If you decide to body surf or boogie board, make sure you watch out for shore break waves! My wife and I both had our bells rung until we figured things out (stupid landlubbers...)

[lakerman]

Saw some locals guys fishing next to sugar beach resort, Kihei,off the beach with bait on the bottom , bell sinker set up, and also A lot of them at the end of the road in Kihei the road that goes past big beach

[Okotokian]

Thanks guys. Kihei seems to be it. :happy0034: I'll be around there for a few days and then in Lahaina, which I think is not that far.

"If you decide to body surf or boogie board, make sure you watch out for shore break waves! My wife and I both had our bells rung until we figured things out (stupid landlubbers...)"

LOL yeah, I nearly got killed doing that on the North Shore of Oahu 35 years ago. I think I'm past it now. :)

[rugerjack]

Thought I'd bring this back up !

Never heard how the trip went ? Which worked better fly or spincast ? Has anyone else shore fished Maui this year ? Or planning to ?

Going to be in Kihei in Feb . and was wondering if it's worth taking a fly rod ?

[Calgaryguy1977]

I've been to Maui 4 times and have never brought my rod. I guess I will take it next time I go! lol
I only have a 8wt but its good for salt or freshwater.
Sounds like fun!

[Soab]

I leave Jan. 5th. To Maui. Want to bring my rods but went to Iceland in July and didn't get my rods waders and boots till last day. At least I have them back lol

[Sundancefisher]

Lots of goat fish along the beach areas. Saw them a lot around kehai.

That being said fishing is free. Big local past time. Heavy heavy fishing pressure from shore with areas that are major fishing spots.

If fishing around coral heads if you hook something a fly line will be shredded. Don't take a new line.

[Sundancefisher]

Best charter experience. 4 hours out of Lahaina straight out to see. Hit a fish collection bouy for 2 hours of constant action then troll back hooking into sails or mani mahi if lucky.

Loads of fun.

fishing with Captain Fuzzy (http://www.iwanttofish.com/app/dkfish/ViewBusiness.php?id=1004)

[maverick]

You can try Shark Pit Beach. It is south end of Lahaina between 505 Front Street and Launiopoko Beach Park. Locals surf out front off the reef but good fishing from shore. Learned about spot from a guide off a deep sea charter. Can catch the odd bonefish. They like rootbeer colored patterns if you take a spinning rod use rootbeer colored jigs on the bottom and twitch them back to shore. If you tip it with small piece of squid or shrimp you can pick up all kind of fish.

[Fishwhere]

I fished an area past kihei that was supposed to be a walking path that you need to go past an area that had lots of lava rock exposed. May be some sort of a park and then fiahed with a slip bobber and whatever i could find for bait on the rocks or buy some squid. I was catching beautiful small fish around a pound or 2 but when casting out i never really caught anything. I had a spinning set up that was medium and for what i was doing it was great. Lots of people fiah for giant trevally at night off the beach which is cool.

Good luck

[Fishwhere]

Oh ya. A second on the sharp fins as well as a blade near the tail on some of the surgeon fiah i think theyre called. They will cut you so bad if you dont realize it. And another thing about hawaii is the ciguterra poisoning of the fish. Do your reaearxh if you are planning on eating them....could cost you a lot of your vacation.

[Okotokian]

Loved the trip and Maui generally. Tried shore fishing from a rocky point once or twice... nada. I have to admit I wasn't as determined as I should have been. Too many other things to do. Didn't see any good flats for the fly rod.

But I'm going back again in a week or so. 10 days or two weeks. Not sure which yet. We shall see!