Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Hawaii Fishing News

On June 22, Dana Susina decided to charter a boat as a Father’s Day gift to her husband, Brett Kodish, and her father-in-law, Craig Kodish. It was a special Father’s Day as it was the first for Brett and Dana, having welcomed their daughter, Cora, to the world nine months earlier. “We were set to head out at 7 a.m., and, of course, my daughter decided she wanted to sleep past 5:30 a.m. for the first time in her life, so we had to wake her up, throw on her Sundot pink marlin onesie, and get to the harbor.” The Kodish ‘ohana left Honokohau Harbor with Capt. Marlin Parker of the MARLIN MAGIC II. “It was a perfect day on the water,” Dana said. “The four anglers drew straws to…

Virtual Tuna, Ulua and Mandatory Permits Hawai‘i shoreline and small-boat fishermen were invited as stakeholders to an unusual fishing outing. On August 27, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (the Council) held the state’s first Virtual Fishers Forum, which was attended by more than 100 fisherfolk. The two topics for the online forum were fishermen as science partners, exploring options for mandatory permits, and reports for Hawai‘i’s noncommercial small-boat fishermen. Tuna Pop-Up Tagging The “fishermen as science partners” discussion was led by Molly Lutcavage of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group and Large Pelagics Research Center. Molly, an Atlantic bluefin tuna expert who splits research time between the East Coast and Hawai‘i, has also done work with sailfish, bigeye tuna and swordfish. Molly’s message highlighted how fishermen have helped identify…

While a boat’s name can be as varied as the owner at the helm, some themes do stick out, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS). The national advocacy, services and safety group issued its annual list of Top Ten Boat Names, compiled from those using the services of BoatUS Boat Graphics to design and purchase boat name graphics. “It’s always a challenge to decide on a boat name because the options are endless,” BoatUS Vice President of Public Affairs Scott Croft said. “However, after 28 years of offering a boat name graphics service to our members, we’ve found that certain themes stand the test of time.” Scott noted some distinct patterns of popular boat names, each focused around main themes: relaxation (SERENITY, ISLAND TIME, SANCTUARY,…

One of the reasons I migrated to the Big Island almost three decades ago was its friendly people, whose courteous, thoughtful and accepting attitude is not a widespread behavioral trait elsewhere. It would be incorrect to say, however, that this was the only reason. As a lifelong hunter, I found the island’s plentiful game resources, particularly its diverse huntable bird populations, an equally strong attraction. This series of three articles will look at each of the island’s current game-bird species in some detail, concluding with my personal observations and comments. To begin, some basic background information may be helpful. Game-bird hunting is regulated by Hawai‘i Administrative Rules, Title 13, Chapter 122, “Rules Regulating Game Bird Hunting, Field Trials, and Commercial Shooting Preserves.” Listed as occurring on the Big Island are…

I live on the west side of O‘ahu in Wai‘anae Valley, and grew up reading my grandpa’s copies of HAWAII FISHING NEWS. My grandpa was a longtime O‘ahu fisherman who passed away on an overnight menpachi fishing trip on his boat in 2001. I was named after him. It would be an honor if you could publish the story of my recent catch in HFN. My grandpa, watching down from heaven, would be proud. On August 21, 2020, I had my first double-ulua catch from shore. My nephew Riddick Aguinaldo, my boys, Kainoa Piekanski and Jericho Leedy, and I got to our spot on the west side of O‘ahu at around 4 p.m. We set up our area and then started catching live bait from the rocks. The action was…

For letters, with photos, received during October we will send you a NEW SURPRISE gift made especially for HFN — our way of saying “thanks for sharing your catch!” … Hana pa‘a, Carrie Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 or e-mail: <hawaiifishingnews@gmail.com> Hi HFN, Just wanted to share a few of my ‘oi‘o catches that I’ve landed ever since June 30th, 2020, when I caught my first ever ‘oi‘o. Ever since then its holoholo action for me, providing lomi ‘oi‘o and fish cakes for my friends and ‘ohana to kaukau! Anyway, mahalo for letting me share and big shout out to my fishing partner Roy T. for teaching me how to set up my rigs and for them secret spots. The set-up I use is the 13’ Nitro…

Yellowtail After a few months of fishing the cliffs, chasing pelagics, I got my dream fish when I least expected it. I had this weird gut feeling to go fishing close to home, and that’s exactly what I did. My girlfriend, Jocelyn Tamashiro, and I decided to go on a last-minute sunset fishing trip to the North Shore. When we got to the beach, it was miserably hot so we jumped in the water to cool off. About a minute later I noticed a big school of hahalalu swarming in, jumping out of the water and almost beaching themselves on the sand. I quickly set up my whipping pole to try to catch them for bait. After losing the first few, I managed to catch some. I threw one bait…

“Dust and cobwebs.” That was my answer when a friend asked me about what’s been on my hook recently. “How can?” he replied. “You said you’ve been seeing choke ono fish!” After a bit of joking around, I sent my friend a link for the “Hawaii Fishers Feeding Families” Facebook site and watched his reaction over Skype. I could see his facial expressions as he scrolled through the site: a huge smile; a grin; then a pause. I could see that his eyes were starting to get watery. He was trying to hide it, but I could tell that he was getting choked up. “Brah. These guys are amazing! I couldn’t agree more. All of the fishers who have been posting their catches and the number of people that they…

Publisher’s Note: This is a reprint from the Sept. 2003 Vol. 29 No. 8 of HAWAII FISHING NEWS. Part One Sinkers for Beginners Why use a sinker? Basically lead sinkers have one single purpose: to get the bait down to the level where the fish are holding. As a result, there have been numerous inventions and attempts to make sinkers that will more or less meet any situation. Because sinkers, for the most part, are to be in direct contact with the bottom of the fishing venue, there are many factors to take into consideration. The most important is the topography of the bottom: whether it is rocky, silty, gravelly or sandy. However, when you go to the store to buy sinkers, you will not find much of an array…

I love catching giant trevally (GT) on big poppers while using spinning gear, but to sight one of these big GTs and get in range of it on the sand flats with a fly rod is the ultimate challenge for any fly fisherman. One of the most epic fish I have ever caught came from Christmas Island. We were walking down a ledge and following a nice-sized bonefish when my guide, Patrick, spotted a big black shadow coming down the ledge. We quickly climbed down the sharp, brittle ledge, and I started stripping out some fly line for a cast. As soon as the GT was in range, I flew out a cast with my Sage Xi3 12 weight fly rod. Strip; strip; strip — nothing. I quickly cast again.…

After high school, I attended the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and worked part-time at Liberty House. It was there I befriended one of the delivery drivers, Mike Iwamuro. One weekend Mike had me over to the Kona home he grew up in. We spent the weekend catching menpachi and hage. We also picked ‘opihi that, when shelled, filled a gallon container. Now Mike and his wife, Mildred, live in Kona, where they are coffee farmers. While we were working and going to school on O‘ahu, we would fish almost every weekend, mostly at Alan Davis, where we often stayed overnight. Memories came flooding back when I found a photo of me holding a moi. I am pretty sure it weighed about 7-lbs. It is hard to find a moi…

Kila left me to chase game birds in a place other than here. She departed on her terms, at home with her hunting partner trying to ease the journey. Kila and her still alive litter sister, Loki, are two of the best gun dogs I have ever hunted with, over my 70 years afield. What a team: Kila hunting close while Loki ventured farther afield. Not many birds escaped that dynamic duo. Kila was a one-person dog. Unlike her sister, she would hunt with me but no one else. When I arrived home, she was always the one to greet me at the gate. I consider myself the luckiest person on earth to have had a partner like her. It’s always hard to lose a domesticated animal you’ve become so…

My brother Arnel and I got on the water by 4 a.m., joining us on my two-man kayak were my daughter, Alexia, and her boyfriend, Elisha, for a last kayak trip before heading to college. My partner was already out catching akule to use as bait. We managed to catch enough fish to use as bait and to take home. Then as the first light appeared, the akule bite dwindled. I headed to a place where I’d caught mahimahi the week before. It took me two hours to pedal there with no bites on my live akule bait. Waves started to form offshore, so I decided to head back. An hour after, the winds picked up. Halfway back and three hours into my troll, I finally got my first bite.…

Find More Tournament Info at <hawaiifishingnews.com> SHORECASTING TOURNAMENTS KAUAI FISHING FOR CHARITY TOURNAMENT FALL 2020 TBA* OAHU OBAKE TOURNAMENT OCTOBER 26th, 2020 (CANCELED)* OAHU OIO TOURNAMENT APRIL 2021 TBA* OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS MAUI C.A.S.T FOR KIDS FISHING TOURNAMENT FALL 2020 TBA* HAWAII LAZY MARLIN HUNT MARCH 2021 TBA* HAWAII KONA KICK OFF JUNE 26th-27th, 2021* HAWAII FIRECRACKER OPEN JULY 3rd-4th, 2021* HAWAII KONA THROW DOWN JULY 6th-8th, 2021* HAWAII THE HAWAII LURE MAKERS CHALLENGE JULY 16th-18th, 2021* HAWAII HIBT AUGUST 7th-16th 2021* HAWAII SKINS MARLIN DERBY AUGUST 9th-11th, 2021* HAWAII BIG ISLAND MARLIN TOURNAMENT AUGUST 13th-15th, 2021* *Contingent upon COVID-19 Laws, Rules, & Guidlines Promote your event for free! Send all Tournament details: <hawaiifishingnews@gmail.com>…

During the Hawaii Marlin Tournament (HMT) Series each year, about 95 percent of all marlin caught are tagged and released. Through this year’s first three tournaments and into the final day of the fourth, 89 marlin were tagged and released. No big marlin were scaled until August. Three tournaments were held in July: the Kona Kick Off; the Lazy Marlin Hunt Returns; and the Lure Maker’s Challenge. Fishing started a bit slow but improved as the week progressed away from the full moon. Twenty-five teams tagged and released 13 blue marlin in the Kona Kickoff. Six teams in the Lazy Marlin tagged 15 blue marlin. At the Lure Maker’s Challenge presented by Kraken Lures, the catch got even better. Eighteen teams released 23 marlin, and the ‘ahi showed up. Nine…

Aloha, HAWAII FISHING NEWS family! This month I want to talk about small spearguns and how they can improve your spearfishing and stalking skills. I will also address how small spearguns are used for freshwater spearfishing, competition spearing and holoholo fishing. My son started spearfishing when he was seven years old. He was able to use a three-prong for many years before he would even touch a gun. I waited for him to reach the age at which he could learn to load a small 50 cm gun and pull the rubbers. It’s always a good idea for young “spearos” to learn all of the safety procedures for using a speargun. For example, never load the gun out of the water or bring a loaded gun to the boat; and…

The 16th Science Committee (SC16) of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC, <www.wcpfc.int>) met virtually in August 2020 to review science and conservation issues related to tuna, billfish, sharks and other species caught in tuna fisheries. The WCPFC is a regional fishery management organization (RFMO) that manages 60 percent of the world’s tuna supply, making it the largest tuna RFMO. Hawai‘i’s most important tuna species — bigeye and yellowfin ‘ahi — are managed by the WCPFC. The Hawai‘i longline fisheries operate primarily in waters under the responsibility of the WCPFC (west of 150° W), but some Hawai‘i longline vessels fish east of 150° W in waters under the management of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Hawai‘i’s small-boat fisheries (troll, handline, etc.) operate entirely within the WCPFC zone. At…

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) administers a statewide volunteer angler-based fish tagging program, which includes the Moi Tagging Project and the Goatfish Tagging Project. Volunteer anglers are asked to capture, tag and release all marine fish species known as Pacific threadfin (moi) and goatfish (weke). These species contribute and account for an integral part of the nearshore recreational fishery for the entire state. Yet, there is little information available regarding the status of these species in Hawai‘i. Utilizing local fishermen as volunteer taggers has proven to be the most effective arrangement to gather the much needed information. The combined tagging efforts of volunteer anglers produce a large volume of tagged fish information and provides the critical data needed to assess these fishery…

Ina and I were very fortunate to retreat to Alaska for several weeks where COVID-19 case numbers were low and fish counts were high. In Juneau, we hit the peak Chinook season in early July where daily limits were increased to four. We didn’t always limit out, but we sure had fun trying! We fish with a gang of regulars and have a blast cheering each other on when one of us hooks up. Dozens of eagles would congregate, and a few brave ones would sneak up to take the scraps while we cleaned the fish. In mid-August, we were in Valdez when the coho started to show up in decent numbers. The pinks were still abundant, and it was a challenge not to accidentally snag them. When you hook…

‘Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be’ I learned early on not to lend my expensive fishing rods and reels to friends and family. The first time I did so, I had a relative visiting the Big Island. I had fished with him before and he was, I thought, an experienced fisherman. He and some of his friends went fishing for menpachi and did a little dunking. When I got the reel back a week later, it would not work. I could not turn the handle. I took the reel to Donald Kida, who took it apart and showed me a coating of salt and rust. The edge of the aluminum line spool was all chipped and nicked, it looked like it had been dragged across rocks or sandpaper. Donald…