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Home › Waters › Hawaii › Kawaikoi Stream
Creek · Kauai, the Kokee highlands above Waimea Canyon on the edge of the Alakai plateau · Hawaii

Kawaikoi Stream Fishing Guides

The centre of the only wild trout fishery in the Hawaiian Islands, a small clear stream in the Kokee highlands of Kauai with a short, tightly managed season.

Sunrise over a winding river cutting through open farm country
Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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About the Kawaikoi Stream

Kawaikoi Stream runs through the Kokee highlands on Kauai, above Waimea Canyon and along the edge of the Alakai plateau, and it is the centre of the only wild trout fishery in the Hawaiian Islands. Rainbow trout were introduced to these streams early in the twentieth century and have persisted in the cool, high water ever since, which makes this small stream in the mountains of a tropical island one of the strangest and most appealing pieces of trout water anywhere in the United States.

The setting does most of the work. Kokee sits several thousand feet above the coast, the air is cool enough for a jacket in the morning, and the forest is koa and ohia rather than anything a mainland angler would recognise. The Alakai above it is one of the wettest places on earth, which is the reason the stream runs at all, and the same rainfall means the water can rise and colour quickly and then drop again just as fast.

The stream itself is small, clear and pocketed, dropping over basalt into short runs and plunge pools with heavy streamside vegetation crowding both banks. The trout are not large. They are wild, wary and hard-won in low clear water, and fishing here is a matter of short casts, careful footing on wet rock and staying out of sight. A light rod and a handful of small attractor patterns and nymphs is the whole kit worth carrying in.

The fishery is tightly managed. The season is short, historically opening in high summer and running on limited days, and the rules do change, so the current regulations should be read before a trip is planned around it. Access runs through Kokee State Park and the trail system on the plateau, and the walk in is a real part of the experience. The gauge reads flow and stage only, with no temperature, and after heavy rain on the Alakai the stream should be left alone.

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Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

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Posting to Kawaikoi Stream.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Flow alert

Tell me when the Kawaikoi Stream cfs

Now: 52.5 cfs, read 5:20 pm CDT, Sun Oct 18, 2026 (USGS 16010000, Kawaikoi Stream nr Waimea, Kauai, HI).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Kokee State Park - the park the stream runs through, and the base for any trip to this water.
Waimea Canyon State Park - the canyon country below, with the main road up from the coast.
Waimea - the west-side town at the bottom of the road, and the nearest full services.
Kokee Road - the long climb from the coast, and the only practical vehicle approach.
Alakai Swamp - the high plateau feeding the stream, and the source of its flash flooding.
Kawaikoi Stream Trail - the streamside trail giving the most direct walking access.
Lihue - the island's main town, with airport, tackle and lodging.

Seasons

Spring: generally closed to fishing, with wet conditions on the plateau and unsettled stream levels.
Summer: the traditional opening, and the only reliable window for trout on this stream.
Fall: limited days where the season extends, with cooler air and steadier water on the plateau.
Winter: wet and often unfishable, with heavy rain on the Alakai and flash flooding a genuine hazard.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Kawaikoi Stream?

As of Oct 18, 5:20 pm, the USGS gauge Kawaikoi Stream nr Waimea, Kauai, HI reads 53 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Kawaikoi Stream?

Anglers target Rainbow Trout on the Kawaikoi Stream in Hawaii.

Where can you access the Kawaikoi Stream?

Kokee State Park - the park the stream runs through, and the base for any trip to this water. Waimea Canyon State Park - the canyon country below, with the main road up from the coast. Waimea - the west-side town at the bottom of the road, and the nearest full services. Kokee Road - the long climb from the coast, and the only practical vehicle approach. Alakai Swamp - the high plateau feeding the stream, and the source of its flash flooding. Kawaikoi Stream Trail - the streamside trail giving the most direct walking access. Lihue - the island's main town, with airport, tackle and lodging.

When is the best time to fish the Kawaikoi Stream?

Spring: generally closed to fishing, with wet conditions on the plateau and unsettled stream levels. Summer: the traditional opening, and the only reliable window for trout on this stream. Fall: limited days where the season extends, with cooler air and steadier water on the plateau. Winter: wet and often unfishable, with heavy rain on the Alakai and flash flooding a genuine hazard.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Kawaikoi Stream?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Hawaii agency site: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/fishing-regulations/