to the hawaii angler summertime means one thing.  papio (trevally) fishing.  papio is the hawaiian name for any trevally under ten pounds.  fish that are over ten pounds are called ulua.  in hawaii papio and ulua are the number one target species bar none.  these fish are hooked with flies, lures, and bait, netted, and speared by local fishermen.  though present year round, there tends to be more of them around in the summer months and especially when the oama or juvenile goatfish show up.

being the number one target of most anglers here (and a favorite food fish for many) the trevally here are not like trevally that you’ll find anywhere else in the world.  they are much harder to catch than those found in other locations.  they don’t seem to have that same reckless abandon that they display in other less pressured fisheries.  it is almost like that mean streak that trevally are famous for has been dulled by years of being hunted by fishermen and their coolers.  they are the hawaiian version of trevally.  a bit more reserved and not quite as abundant.  still they are the same species so the right place at the right time and you can run into some crazy fishing fun.  the two most common papio species here in the islands are the giant trevally or white papio and the bluefin trevally or omilu.  other less common varieties include the yellow spot, big eye, barred jack, golden trevally, and kagami (threadfin jack).

reports indicate that there have been good numbers of trevally around the island (good by hawaii standards).  last week i had the opportunity to experience some of the summer papio fun.  on friday i fished my sage 691-4 one and abel classic and ran into a few little whiteys.  nothing big, a quarter to a half pound at most.  still these fish are scrappy and the six weight was the perfect rod for these young trevally.  it was also a nice change from the usual bonefish grind.  sometimes you (or at least i) need a little change of pace.

then on sunday doug, craig, and i went out to catch papio and barracuda using spinning gear.  i’m not that into spin fishing these days but have done it since i was a kid growing up here in hawaii.  every once in a while it is fun to take a break from fly fishing and spend a day reliving your youth with friends.

the papio were definitely around on sunday.  we all caught numerous fish using light spinning gear and assorted lures.  we horsed around (as usual) and teased each other about the lures we were using.  an absolute play around good fun day on the water... just as fishing should always be!

it’s june, it’s (unofficially) summer, there’s papio out there, it’s time to fish.  i’ll see you on the water.