Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area

This is a nice small park right off H2 and Kamehameha Highway in Wahiawa to stop by and have a picnic or walk around. Usually plenty of parking and fairly quiet. Good views of Lake Wilson.

Well, I took some of the Boy Scouts out to this lake to work on the fishing merit badge. Here is what we found:
The Good:
— There is a lot of shoreline if you want to fish from the shore.
— There is a place to park your car in a park near the south end. There is also a boat launch.
— There are a few picnic tables around to sit and eat.
— There are fish in the water. We saw them.
— Fishing license and park entry permit is only $ 6 for military and residents, for a whole year. Go here to get one:

The Not So Good:
— Dirty water, land, trails. People have made the park filthy.
— Fishing is not so great. Out of the 12 people with lines in the water, NO ONE caught anything. We were trying all kinds of lures, spinners, bait, etc., during multiple times of the day. Nothing. We met a few other people who had fished there a lot more than we had, and none of them had ever caught anything. Not so great for kids who want to catch something when they fish.
— Park opens at 7am. If you want to fish before sunrise, you better find another part of the lake.
Bottom Line: I don’t think I’ll go here again unless I go with a guide, someone who knows the lake VERY well. Since everything is catch and release at this lake, the fun is in the catching, and everyone we ran into that day have never caught anything!

Excellent freshwater fishing. I’ll stack Lake Wilson up against many mainland lakes. Only place to catch Peacock Bass in the US other than south Florida. Since Catch & Release was adopted for peacock and largemouth bass the fishing has improved 10 fold. Just remember that peacock bass act different than largemouth… move your lure faster.

A nice park to visit with facilities. There are picnic tables, a short (¼ mile) hike and cycling trail, and a nice view of Lake Wilson.