Think of Hawaii and you think of usually think of beaches, bikinis, sun and surf, Pacific trade winds, perhaps a little fishing. Think of fishing and you usually think of offshore trolling, deep water big game angling, the Kona coast of the Big Island and the Kona head lures that have become famous for their catches of marlin, wahoo and other offshore fish. But you usually don’t think of bass fishing.

Bass have long been in the islands however, with largemouth introduced in 1897 or 1908, depending upon which report you believe and smallmouth introduced in 1953. Today, despite the fact that fresh water angling is overshadowed by the offshore world, the largemouth is still the most popular of the inland sport fish.

Today, according to records of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, Lake Wilson holds the state record for smallmouth bass with a 3 pound 11 ounce fish caught in 1982, along with state records for a host of other species including channel catfish (43 pounds 13 ounces), Chinese catfish (15 ounces), carp (12 pounds 12 ounces), oscar (2 pounds 6 ounces), snakehead (7 pounds 8 ounces), and talapia (13 ounces).

Located in the Wahiawa Public Fishing Area in the center of the island of Oahu, the lake is one of only a few public bass fishing areas in the islands. Shaped like a ragged “V” with a dam at the apex of the “V” the lake was formed from two streams these streams dammed up nearly a century ago to provide a reservoir for irrigation of sugar cane fields owned by the Waialua Agricultural Company. While this is responsible for the lake, it also presents one of the problems, according to members of the Hawaii Freshwater Fishing Association, Inc, of nearby Wahiawa, since the irrigation of the fields has priority over everything. As a result, dry spells on the island can result in drawing down the lake rapidly and severely, the water used for irrigation.

There is a good concrete boat ramp and parking area on the southern side of the lake and at the access to it from H2 highway. There is a five mile-per-hour speed limit on the lake, so that most anglers fish with small johnboats, aluminum boats, mall outboards or even electric motors. The small size of the lake even makes the tiny one-man pontoon boats ideal for fishing, and a popular craft for some members of the Hawaii Fresh Water Fishing Association.

While the long snake-like serpentine lake is relatively small, it is very deep, up to 80 or 120 feet in the center in spots, with a rapid drop off of the banks. The banks are often grassy, the shoreline waters filled laced with weeds, with some blowdowns, felled trees, underwater timber. Bass can be found along the grassy banks as well as suspended in the center.

While Lake Wilson is perhaps the best known of the public bass waters, there is private water both ponds, small lakes and streams (principally smallmouth) on both Oahu and also other islands. Bass guides, equipped with standard mainland bass boats, often advertise in the free shopper newspapers on the other islands, particularly Kauai, where they have gained access for their guided fishing trips through local landowners and pineapple or sugar cane plantations.

But the best and easiest fishing for most is at Lake Wilson. Though it might seem to get too much pressure as a result of the limited public access to other waters, such does not seem to be the case. No, it doesn’t get a whole lot of pressure. The Hawaii Fresh Water Fishing Association has about two tournaments a month on the lake, but the rest of the fishermen are just weekend anglers or bank fishermen.”

Incoming search terms:

• hawaii freshwater fish recipe