Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Hawaii Fishing News

Cover Story Man, I felt stupid. Every person walking in or out of the parking lot was carrying a surfboard. A southeast swell had the waves pumping at the beach park, and I was the only lolo walking around with a 10½-foot Daiwa Salt Pro surf rod. Regardless, I readied my gear and made my way toward my spot. Once I was able to see my favorite rocks, I noticed that waves were crashing over the top of them. There was no way I could safely fish where I wanted. I considered scrapping the whole trip, but I had a couple of hours to kill while my wife and kids worked a road race. I decided to hike in to a sandy area. I walked across the lava path. As…

I was on the water by 5:30 a.m. to catch akule and hahalalu for bait during the first half-hour of my outing. Afterward, I headed farther out to catch ‘opelu as my primary baits. I always like to make sure I have enough bait for the morning. The water was a bit rough due to high surf. Small-craft advisories were posted. I managed to catch some ‘opelu, although it took longer than I wanted. As the sun rose over Mauna Kea, I pedaled out to deeper water on my Hobie Revolution Kayak. I dropped my first bait in about 150 feet of water, and it was mauled by an ‘aha. I went out farther and dropped my second bait, a 4-to 5-inch hahalalu, in about 200 feet of water but…

The Hilo Trollers Annual Awards Ceremony, held in October, highlighted the skills, determination and luck of the many members of the club who earned 2019 annual awards. I will share some great photos and highlight both old-timers and newcomers over the next few months until the club has new tournament results to share. Long-term loyal club member Capt. Jimmy Hiraki and the crew of the CARLA H, Steven Hiraki and Vernon Wong, landed the largest billfish of the season and took home the perpetual trophy for largest marlin. This was a notable catch for a captain known to avoid marlin and to focus on ono. After all, half the side jackpot in every tournament goes to the boat capturing the largest ono, and it’s a mighty tasty fish! Hilo Trollers’…

Hunting in Hawai‘i is special. From the species to the climate, pursing animals here is a unique experience. Unfortunately for Hawai‘i hunters, there is not a lot of literature to study and learn from. Most lessons are learned the hard way or passed down from kupuna. Sometimes what applies to a mainland-style hunt just doesn’t carry over well to the 50th state. Before I go any further, I want to be overt in saying that I don’t claim to be any type of expert in big-game hunting, in Hawai‘i or elsewhere. I have had successes and failures, both of which have taught me lessons and refined the way I approach a hunt. Here are a few takeaways I have learned that might make your next hunting trip more productive and…

On our annual anniversary trip this year, my wife, Myrna, and I decided to do a little plugging. We got up at 3 a.m. and headed out to the spot. I knew right away that I should have tied the runners on our reels the day before. By the time I had finished, the sun was already coming up. Our friend Harry Hanaoka had already caught and released two small papio (3-lb size) and was trying for something bigger. I finally finished rigging Myrna’s 10-foot Okuma Cedros pole and Stradic 5000 reel with a 125-lb test runner. She picked out the lure she wanted to use, attached a BKK 3/0 hook and swivel to the homemade plug and let it fly. After about 10 minutes, during which time I was…

I got a late start one Saturday morning and didn’t get to the harbor till about 8:30 a.m. After launching my jet ski, I headed out toward my spot to try to pick up some bait using Campania Lures Bloodworms. I managed to pick up five ‘opelu and went out to try my luck getting some uku. As I was heading to my spot, I noticed that something was chasing a bunch of ‘aha. I thought to myself, “There must be something pretty big chasing them around.” So I quickly sent out one of my baits on my 8500 spinning reel. After losing three baits, I sent out a fourth one. Bango! Fish on! The fish started jumping right away, and I saw it was a sailfish! I was shocked…

I first chased birds in `48Though memory’s dim, seems hunts were greatWhere once grew corn with tassels tallThe pheasants flew when it was Fall Up and down between corn rowsGun held ready on marching toesWhen least expected, … What the heck?Up jumps the bird with white-ringed neck I raised the gun, and bang it wentAlas, my aim was slightly bentI watched that rooster fly awayThere to be another day I’ve travelled hills in several statesAnd followed trails a hunter makesTime spent in each was always sameSearching for their birds of game. And so it went throughout my youthIt took some time to see the truthOn many a fruitless, endless slogBird hunting’s better with a dog Sam was the first in `76A Wirehaired pup just full of tricksHe chewed up stuff…

The OC-1 (one-person outrigger canoe) is an integral part of our culture in the Hawaiian Islands. We use our canoes to train, race and simply explore the beauty the surrounding ocean has to offer. It’s no surprise that OC-1 fishing has become more and more popular over the years. Dragging a line can add excitement and resistance to your training sessions and, if you catch, provide dinner after all that paddling! If you choose to fish from your OC-1, make sure you have the right setup and are using the appropriate equipment for the species you are targeting. There is nothing more significant to us fishermen than to protect what we cherish. If you are new to OC-1 fishing, I would suggest a light setup for trolling near the reef,…

“My kids are showing an interest in fishing. What kind of fishing rod should I get for them?” “I’m buying my first fishing rod and reel. What should I get?” I frequently get questions like these. When it comes to fishing tackle, the more money you spend, the better quality equipment you’ll get. That being said, you don’t have to spend a bunch of money on your kid’s first fishing outfit. Let’s consider an inexpensive rod-and-reel combination. There are some good ones out there for the beginning fisherman for well under $50. That price includes the line, leaders, swivels, hooks, lures, floaters–the works. Glenn Yoshida and I recently chose a beginner outfit with terminal tackle for the kids in our Fishing Merit Badge classes at the Boy Scouts of America,…

As fishermen, we really try to be prepared for the adventure ahead, whether it is a day shore casting at the beach or dunking in a lake, or an interisland fishing trip on a fishing boat. We really don’t want to find ourselves unprepared, so we spend a lot of time trying to think of everything. A kayak fisherman friend called to let me know that he had spent an entire day setting up his kayak fishing gear for a fishing trip off the cliffs of Laupahoehoe. He had special hook rigs and baits, as well as two poles, two different shark repellents and even a specially designed pocketknife. His cell phone was safe in a Ziploc bag and another bag held his favorite sandwich. The following dawn he set…

Waikiki Beach Reportedly Heading Underwater A climate change report predicted that Waikiki will soon be underwater. In the last legislative session, state legislators took a page out of the legend of the little Dutch boy, a hero who held his finger in a dike to stop Holland from flooding, and passed a shoreline protection law to stop Hawai‘i’s anticipated shoreline flooding due to global warming. A pivotal 2017 Hawai‘i study by Shellie Habel and others claimed: “This flooding will threaten $5 billion of taxable real estate; flood nearly 30 miles of roadway; and impact pedestrians, commercial and recreation activities, tourism, transportation and infrastructure.” Aylin Woodward, one critic of the study, took issue with the claim that “Waikiki Beach could be engulfed by the ocean in 20 years.” Writing in Business…

My wife, Ina, and I had an incredible fishing trip with Scott Hazelbaker, my junior high school buddy, and his lovely wife Debbie. We fished in the tidal zone of the Alganak Slough in the Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska. We hiked 15 minutes off a gravel road into wilderness, armed with bells and firearms as precaution from brown bears, which are known to frequent the area. We were blessed with unusually good weather as we hiked through the beautiful bogs surrounded by mountains and glaciers. Seals greeted us in the river as they hunted for the same coho (silver) salmon we were after. Strikes were infrequent until the high tide brought the salmon schools upstream forming a “V” wake. It was “fish on!” as the coho chased our…

It was 7 a.m. on a Saturday in October 2019 in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Everyone aboard the DOUBLE BARREL was busy setting up to fish for bottomfish. The team included Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council member Ed Watamura, Council advisers Clay Tam, Kurt Kawamoto and Ed Ebisui III, Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center staff member Joe O’Malley and bottomfish fisherman Mickey Kitiona. The goal of this trip was to demonstrate to the local bottomfish fishermen the survey protocol used in Hawai‘i to quantify differences in catch per unit effort (CPUE) using a standardized fishing method. The standardized fishing survey is half the fishery-independent survey method and half the deployment of a camera system to take footage of the bottom fish in their natural habitat. On Saturday, the team…

THE STINGRAY AND ME It was a long drive to the North Shore. I was invited to tag along by classmate Doug and his friend Ed to go spearing on the reefs near Mokule‘ia. Doug was a strong swimmer, a member of the high school swim team and an experienced diver. His friend was also a swim team member. I had done some “spearing” in the shallow and safe waters of Waikiki’s San Souci beach with my homemade speargun, but now I had a chance to see some “real” action with my experienced friends. They had brought an extra set of equipment for me to use. Although the flippers were a bit too large and the mask didn’t quite fit, I was ready to follow, armed with a 4-foot spear.…