Innholdsfortegnelse for May 1985 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ May signals better weather for Hawaiian waters—there is less chance of severe weather, like strong Knoa winds, thunder storms or heavy rain. There is still a-small chance of bad weather in May/but normally it is a well-behaved month. Trade winds will, blow about 86% of the time’ and one should expect about four to ten day’s of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity with continue to decrease. Surf at Sunset Beach; Oahu/will not rise above five feet bn most days, but there, is a chance that to 10-to 15 foot surf can occur. Higher-than-normal swell and surf on the southern shores will be increasing through the month as storms in the Southern Hemisphere become stronger. Tropical cyclones do not normally occur in Hawaiian waters in May. MM 1—SUNRISE: 6:00 Mt…

■ The sport of big game shore casting has been around for many years (Hilo Casting Club was started in the 1930’s). But wasn’t until 1976 that enthusiasts got the opportunity to test their skills and knowledge against others in open competition. That year, an ambitious group of club members headed by Roy Ogata initiated the first Big Island Fishing Tournament. There have been many great catches (and even greater stories) in the history of the tournament. Some years have produced truly large fish—ulua in the 90-to 100-pound-plus range. Other years were not quite as spectacular. Richard Arai’s 37½-lb ulua, which took all categories in 1979, proved without a doubt that any fish can win. 1979 is often remembered as a year of many puzzling occurrences: there were bright lights…

■ The Western Pacific Council, which manages the U.S. 200-mile Fishery Conservation Zone (FCZ), conducted a state-wide public hearing on its combined Draft Bottom Fish Fishery Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for the bottom fish and seamount ground fish fisheries. Hearings were held in April on Kaua‘i, Maui, Hawaii at Hilo and Kona and O‘ahu at Hale‘iwa, Kane‘ohe, Wai‘anae and the United Fishing Agency. The management plan essentially has three management measures: 1) To restore depleted armor head stocks by instituting a six-year moratorium on trawl fishing at Hancock Seamount, which is located northwest of Kure Atoll and has historically been a foreign fishery. 2) To establish a bottom fish permit system for the FCZ of the Northwestern (Leeward) Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) under which all fishermen fishing the area would…

■ Evidence “suggests the fishery for ‘opakapaka in the main high Hawaiian Islands is deteriorating.” So states a report, which was released in February 1985, prepared by researcher Stephen Ralston of the National Marine Fisheries Service and Kurt Kawamoto of the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council. The report indicates that ‘opakapaka brought to market in Hawaii in early 1984 were much smaller than those in market surveys conducted four and five years earlier. These findings suggest that the ‘opakapaka fishery of the main Hawaiian Islands is being overfished. ‘Opakapaka are not living long enough to grow to the size previously marketed. The report points out that fishermen who make a living harvesting this desirable food fish must increase the number of ‘opakapaka they catch to make up for the…

■ Hundreds of wahine anglers on the Kona Coast face a disappointing Lei Day this year. The customary Kona A‘Lure Tournament will not be held on May 1, according to organizer Alison Furbee. There is some good news, however: the popular women’s sporting event may be rescheduled for later in the year. For now, Alison encourages the ladies to organize an impromptu fish-off, with a potluck to follow. It will be difficult for enthusiastic supporters of this yearly fishing party to let May Day go by without some thoughts of gaily decorated boats and gourmet luncheons at sea, not to mention a chance to angle big fish and sample the fabulous banquet that followed each year’s tournament. Last year’s awards affair consisted of a feast prepared by, many of Kona’s…

May launches the malie half of the year. Weather conditions are routinely comfortable. Trades prevail. Storms are unlikely. Gusty trades occasionally do thwart fishing plans, but high surf is rare. This makes normally rough windward coasts much easier to fish from shore. But there’s a trade-off. Coasts exposed to southern swells kick up a bit more than usual. Improving conditions and warming seas are paralleled by increased availability of fish, both offshore and on. So May is a month that produces many good catches of nearly every species. Big Game Increased numbers of skipjack and yellowfin tuna are drawn by the warming trends. These “marlinfood” species, in turn, attract increased numbers of Pacific blue marlin. Marlin catches this month serve as an appetizer for the feast to come in July,…

■ Fortunately for us fishermen, patience is a virtue we develop early in the game. It’s a virtue that’s being well-tested in Hawaii’s offshore fishing set by the stillpending FAD deployment. Now, eight months beyond the original target date of October 1984, we have yet to see a single new FAD, or even a replacement FAD, leave port for the fishing grounds. In a detailed interview, Al Katakara and Glenn Higashi of the Division of Aquatic Resources presented the following progress and setbacks. The March deployment date could not be met due to a delay in the receipt of anchor lines from the mainland manufacturer (all lines are custom ordered by length according to the depth of the water at the intended place of deployment). Currently 31 lines have been…

■ As a result of final rules issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 4, leaded gasoline phase-out will be quick but somewhat painful for certain boat owners. Following its stringent proposals of last July, the EPA directed that the lead content of gasoline be reduced to 0.5 grams per gallon this July 1, to 0.1 grams by January 1, 1986, and, according to Washington sources, be completely eliminated by 1988. Call for the elimination came following studies that linked lead to mental retardation in children and circulatory problems in adult males. For the recreational boat user, however, lead phaseout may cause concern. Most marine engines, especially older models, were designed to operate on leaded fuel. Lead boosts the energy content of gasoline and helps lubricate valves and…

■ What is habitat enhancement, and what can it do for the fisherman? These are questions that are frequently asked of fisheries biologists who are involved in this exciting new area of fisheries development. To answer the first question, habitat enhancement is making a given location more attractive to certain fish species so that they will become more concentrated. This not only makes the species more accessible to fishermen, but it also enables the species to be more successful in growth and reproduction. What is “habitat”? In this discussion, and as far as a fish is concerned, habitat is the specific locality in which a specific species-of fish lives. Thus, for Hawaii’s reef fish, habitat is the segment of a reef in which the young and adult fish of a…

■ All winter I worked on a new lure—a super lure designed to catch ulua in the 40-to 80-lb range. The success of stick lures, pencil poppers and specials made me realize that the old adage of “the bigger the lure, the bigger the fish” contained a world of truth. A bigger lure can be seen more easily and can be cast farther. Like the original PILI, I made my super lure with an inner urethane core so that it would float and be stable. My new lures are big. They are 7½ inches long and over 1 inch in diameter. And they weigh between 3 and 4 oz each. The front is scooped out, and two number four, double-strength treble hooks complete each lure. I modified the shape from…

■ Aloha and happy springtime everybody! The month of March began with strong trade winds and ended the same way, thus providing marginal conditions for Lana‘i’s mosquito fleet. When the weather did cooperate, the boys from the Pine Isle were able to catch some fish and have some fun. Tuna schools began to reappear. A few aku, ‘ahi and an occasional kawakawa showed up in some coolers. There wasn’t much to get excited about, but things definitely started to look up. Kazu “Skipjack” Masada just kept bringing in the fat footballs. Jason Fujie caught ‘ahi and aku on his trips, aboard the HOLO NALU. Jason also brought in some good hauls of nabeta. Ralph Sakamura and Harvey Maioho also landed some aku and bigeye. Jim Stegmuller, skipper of the ARCHELON,…

■ Windy weather was the order of the day during the month of March, but the seas were still fishable by Windward coast standards. Rough water brought mahimahi in closer to shore than usual, and they were good strikers because they were hungry. Darryl Otaguro and Ray Dela Cruz of the HA WAIIAN decided it was better to go out after first light, so they enjoyed a hot cup of coffee at The Deli before starting their chilly wet day at sea. The fish were out there before dawn, but Darryl and Ray wanted to see the waves before going through them. When they finally got out on the water, the two spent the day skipping from one scattered bird flock to another. They got plenty of strikes and picked…

■ There’s more than one way to cook a fish, and this month’s recipes deal with the easiest way of all. Whether the dish is called seviche (Mexican), iota (Tahitian), or something else, the “cooking” method is the same: soak the fish in lime juice or vinegar until “cooked.” Through a chemical reaction, the acidity firms the fish flesh and turns it opaque. This signals that the cooking is complete. You can dress up the dish with any number of items—the most common being tomatoes and onions—or dilute the citrus bite with V-8 juice or coconut milk. Before you try these easy and delicious raw fish dishes, there are a few rules to remember: Fishwife’s Tips: 1. Use fresh fish for the best taste and results. I have used frozen…

■ The past series of articles on a contemporary pohaku man, Leslie Kuloloio, provided a glimpse into Hawaiian stone artifacts. Let us now explore Stone Age Hawaii together through selfexperimentation. Let’s try to construct an ancient Hawaiian structure using ancient Hawaiian methods. The first step is to fashion a cutting tool made from pohaku (stone). Next, cut a pou hana (ridgepost) from a hardwood mamane branch. Carve a notch into the end of the post so that small pole rafters can be inserted. To those of you who attempted and completed the experiment, congratulations! You probably learned that it was quite difficult to complete a simple task such as this using only ancient tools. Hawaiian Tools The ancient Hawaiian craftsmen did not attempt to make complex tools such as adzes,…

■ May traditionally marks the start of the tournament season, and 1985 is no exception. But, unlike the past seven years, this year May and the tournament season will not begin with the Kona A‘Lure Hawaiian Wahine Fishing Tournament. Director Allison Furbee Metzler said the tournament is not dead, it’s just temporarily postponed. The rigors of running both a growing fishing event and a bookkeeping business—during tax time—forced Allison to make a decision. And, rightly, business came first. Kona A‘Lure is a labor of love. So look for the A‘Lure later in the year, and look for a lot of loyal women fishing in that event whenever it takes place. The other big change in Hawaii’s tournaments this year also deals with management. George Molholm has taken over Western Sports…

■ Fishermen looking for a quality gaff can rejoice in the fact that AFTCO Mfg., well-known maker of aluminum rod butts and first-class roller guides, has entered the gaff market. Their new AFTCO Taper Tip aluminum gaffs are constructed of sturdy, gold anodized, corrosion resistant aluminum, which makes them both strong and light. They feature tapered shafts that are swaged onto a stainless steel gaff head. The taper makes the AFTCO gaffs easy to use in the water, and the swaging creates thicker walls where the hook rod is pressed into the shaft. This adds strength without increasing weight. The hooks cannot pull free of the handles, and they feature easy-to-sharpen triangular points. The good-looking gaffs are fitted with black hypalon hand grips. They come in a wide variety of…

FREE GIFT A COLLECTION OF FISHY-TOONS BY ALLAN TSUKAMOTO FOR LETTERS RECEIVED DURING THE MONTH OF MAY! SEND A PHOTO AND LETTER ABOUT YOUR CATCH, AND WE WILL MAIL YOU A FREE GIFT…OUR WAY OF SAVING THANKS FOR SHARING SOUR CATCH! …CHUCK SEND TO: P.O BOX 25413. HONOLULU, HAWAII 96823 Dear Chuck, Do you remember the record cold temperature during the last week of January? Well, out at Kilauea, Kauai, it got down to 52 degrees. That’s without taking into account the windchill factor. That didn’t stop Jack Gushiken from fishing though. He put on a T-shirt, a long-sleeved sweat shirt, a denim jacket and a raincoat and set out early in the morning to catch aholehole. However, in spite of being well insulated on top, on the bottom all…