Kayak fishing at Punalu`u, with video!

Not far up the coast from Honuapo (where I hooked the shark), is a nice little beach park called Punalu’u Beach Park.  Famous for it’s black sand beach and basking turtles, it also has a public boat ramp and prime fishing territory only short paddle way.  Unfortunately, like Honuapo, the near constant barrage of the trade winds makes this place pretty nasty in a kayak on most days.  Always watching for the good Kona wind days (no trade winds) I’ve fished it a few times already- solo once or twice, with Paul, and twice with fellow Volcano Village dweller Grant.  The first time Grant I went out we mostly caught a few bottom fish (Moana) and I got a small Ulua on the paddle in.

At the time I recall Grant being frustrated with getting plenty of strikes but not keeping the fish on the hook, a problem which he appears to have solved quite handily.  He had gotten out last week and hooked into a few nice Omilu, which he tagged and released with tags from Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources’ Ulua Tagging Project.   This time he went ballistic- we found ourselves in nice looking water and the fish decided that Grant had nice looking bait.  Three varieties of Tuna (kawakawa, tombo ahi, shibi) and a kahala that hit so hard it broke off his rod holder leaving the rod dangling in the water by its leash.  It was unbelievable- every time I paddled away from him and looked back, he was fighting another fish!

Grant loves to video his trips and has been getting some great footage- check out the clip from tuesday’s trip below, followed by some video he made of my ulua I caught and released at the start of the day.

 

Be sure to check Grant’s YouTube channel for more great footage of his fishing.