Innholdsfortegnelse for June 1985 i Hawaii Fishing News

Author and columnist Commissioner for HawaiianInternational Billfish AssociationHead of Lower and Middle Schools,Hawaii Preparatory Academy 1. Slide baiters are always trying to find ways to keep their baits away from eels and still make them attractive to ulua. Dr. John M. Tsue of Kailua-Kona has a neat trick that helped him catch a 100½-ounder last September. I he diagram shows his rig. Pay particular attention to the twist of “Hawaiian Telephone Company wire” that serves as a stop. It is put on after the cast and before the pigtail slide swivel. The twist is pushed by the weight of the sliding rig and must be loose enough to move easily along the line. But it has to be small enough in diameter to catch on the tag end of the…

■ When the contests start popping up, you know that summer and the fishing tournament season are here! As far as anglers are concerned, this is the best time of year. It’s time to shift into overdrive, because the fishing gets very active and exciting. The season is on! The Annual Hobby Shop Jackpot Fishing Contest inaugurated the shore-fishing tournament season on Kaua‘i. In just three years, this tournament has become one of the most popular and eagerly awaited contests on the island. This is due to the tireless efforts of Roy and Marion Mikami, proprietors of the Hobby Shop. Not only do they provide some of the gifts and prizes, but they also keep careful records of the entrants, conduct the weigh-in, provide refreshments for both contestants and bystanders,…

■ The simultaneous screams of my two Shimano Triton trolling reels told me that we had another hookup; but, when I glanced aft from the flying bridge of the NOUAMAKE, I discovered we had more than a double hookup. All five reels were spewing line into the Pacific ocean at a rate that immediately spelled o-n-o. Jeanette Foster and I were fishing “Ono Alley” off Christmas Island from aboard the NOUAMAKE, a new well-equipped, 38’ twin screw charter boat, with Capt. Peter Edwards. We already had four ono and two ‘ahi aboard, and the day was barely two hours old. The stories about 18 ono being taken in one day of trolling began to seem plausible. This was obviously ono land! Christmas Island has a well-deserved reputation among Hawai‘i fishermen…

Grand Gathering ■ Big Island tournament fishing for the 1985 season commenced the weekend of April 27 and 28 with the Kona Mauka Trollers’ “Grand Gathering.” Thirty teams contested the right to claim $1,000 for the largest Pacific blue marlin boated. Team #1, led by Doug Victorino, collected the big check for a 380½-lb specimen. Victorino is a past-president of Kona Mauka Trollers, and he has fished a number of tournaments from his WIKI LANI. A gracious skipper, Victorino has offered marlin catches to other members of his teams in the past. But, early on the first morning of the tournament, he announced to mates Tyrone Young and his nephew Willy Makaahiki that he intended to fight any marlin hookups. The early starters (5:30 a.m.) were dragging live bait (south…

■ For Capt. Tom Casey and crew Curt Peterson April 8 began with what seemed like a normal fishing charter. They had a full-day private charter on the EXACT, and they were going out to work the “Factory” area just outside of Lahaina to see if they could raise any of the marlin that had been coming into the area lately. Jim and Irene Poquette from Long Island, New York, had chartered the EXACT. It was Irene’s birthday, and she wanted to catch mahimahi. Jim welcomed the opportunity to have another try at a marlin. Early in the morning, they snagged a nice 20-lb mahi for Irene; and, about 20 minutes later, they hooked up to an estimated 150-lb marlin, but it spit the hook. They continued to work the…

■ Blake Kazama told me that huge halibut could be caught while bottom fishing off Juneau, Alaska. In fact, he had caught a 109-pounder by jigging a Kona. Clay lure off the bottom in 200 feet of water. “We lost even bigger halibut,” he said, “because the fish either broke the hand gaffs or the gaffs pulled right through their bodies.” “What they need,” I thought, “is a flying gaff.” I bought a 4-inch stainless steel head and 30 feet of 500-lb test braided nylon rope from Steve Fountain at McCully Bicycle. Steve sold gaff heads for around $35, but he didn’t have any handles available. I decided to make a handle from an old Hawaiian style three-pronged gig that my youngest son had used. These gigs have long plastic…

■ Spring! That’s when a young man’s fancy turns to…what else?…bass fishing. April 1 was when the 15-inch limit was lifted; and, since then, we’ve started seeing a lot more serious plug pitchers on the lake. With the high water, boats of every description have no problem launching. The only problem is that someone forgot to inform the bass that they are supposed to cooperate. With the tough fishing, I can see where it would be easy for a beginner to get discouraged. My only advice is to hang in there because fishing has to improve soon. It better, because I’m having a hard time getting enough pictures to fill out this page. With all the bass fishermen out, the law of averages says someone should catch something. I did…

■ One of the fascinating things about fishing in Hawai‘i waters is that an angler is never quite sure of what might be tugging on the other end of his line. Every once in a while, anglers submit pictures of rare catches to HFN to share with our readers and to have us assist in the identification of these strange critters. Here are some of the recent unusual catches that crossed the editor’s desk: At first glance, this one looks like a world-record menpachi. Weighing 7 lbs, this fish was 2 feet in length and bright pink in coloration. Angler John Matsumoto, who works as a mechanic at Piikoi Union Station on South King Street in Honolulu, gave this account of his catch. “Capt. Steven Kimura, his father and I…

■ Everytime you buy a new piece of fishing tackle, you are taxed. You may not see the tax, but it is there. The monies raised by the taxes we all pay to enjoy the pleasures of fishing are supposed to support what has become known as the Dingell-Johnson Program (named in honor of the legislators who originally developed the fund and the taxation concept to support it. The Office of Management and the Budget (OMB) announced earlier this year that $66 million in funds raised through these excise taxes are being deleted from the budget of the Department of the Interior where they were destined to improve recreational fishing and boating opportunities across the country. The Sport Fishing and Boating Enhancement Fund, which was created by the expanded Dingell-Johnson…

■ The tournament season has just begun, and already the talk is of “granders,” or fish that weigh more than 1,000 lbs. Kona anglers have captured three 1,000-plus-lb marlin since the first of the year. The latest was a 1,168-lb Pacific blue marlin landed on Capt. Robbie Englehard’s NO PROBLEM in late April. That fish took only 53 minutes from hookup to gaffing. Taken in the right tournament, it would have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash prizes and a shiny, new, bright red Ferrari 308 GTS. “Oh, I want someone to win that car,” agonized George Molholm, creator and major-domo of the Golden Marlin Tournament (Sept. 9 to 11), which offers Hawaii’s largest cash purse and that shiny red car. “I could sure cut down on my…

■ At the recent blessing/grand opening of Capt. Alii’s Charter Locker at Kona’s new Honokohau Harbor, local skippers and crewmen, all big blalas and haole boat operators who looked as if they could wrestle a. 500-lb marlin into submission in minutes, were assisting the girls who were pouring champagne in removing the plastic “corks” from the bottles. The grimaces, grunts and groans emitted as they labored for two or three minutes with each bottle and used every possible method to keep a solid grip were almost frightening to hear. Chester Kaita, a well-known lure manufacturer from O‘ahu who is not large in stature and is not as bronzed and hard-muscled as most of the boatmen, quietly watched from one end of the table with his usual gentle smile. He embarrassed…

■ Where are the mahimahi? Recently they’ve been aboard the MARY I! During April, Capt. Russell Tanaka and mate Dirk Britton experienced a kind of holoholo week that dreams are made of. On Tuesday, they took 18 mahimahi and a 150-lb marlin. Thursday they brought in nine mahi that weighed an average of 35 lbs each. And on Aloha Friday, the two fishermen hit the jackpot. Between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. they captured 141 good-sized mahimahi. Their total catch weighed over 2,000 lbs! Finally, on Saturday they brought 68 mahimahi and a 190-lb Pacific blue marlin to the pier! That should squelch the mahimahi “shortage” rumor for awhile! Capt. Darol Britton and mate Kenny Corder on the ILIMA V brought in their share of mahimahi during the month…An outstanding…

JUNE 4-30 Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays LIFE ON HAWAIIAN REEFS This four week course introduces the biology, natural history and identification of Hawaiian reef and shoreline organisms, including corals, molluscs, crustaceans, seaweeds, invertebrates, and of course, fishes. Dr. Carol Hopper of the Aquarium’s Education staff will conduct lectures, demonstrations and three weekend fieldtrips. JUNE 5 & 12, 19 & 26 Wednesdays FABLES, FACTS & FILMS FILM SERIES Jules Verne’s science fiction classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is the first feature in this film series sponsored by the Aquarium. The Disney production will be screened June 5, with discussion at the Aquarium on June 12. A terrifying rogue shark stars in the second offering on June 19. Jaws and its underlying themes will be discussed a week later by a…

■ On May 15, a group of concerned citizens met in the Hawaii Kai Public Library to discuss the planning of the Maunalua Bay Boat Harbor. It was their third meeting; and, according to the agenda chalked up on the blackboard, the night’s topics of discussion would include Navigation Aids, Traffic, Parking and Launch Ramps. At just about 7:30 p.m., Kevin Cook, a member of the Army Corps of Engineers and the ad hoc chairman of the Maunalua Bay Citizens Group, began the meeting. The Maunalua Bay area has been the center of attention for many organizations for the past several years. In 1965 a plan was authorized to construct a 1,200-boat harbor and dredge a new channel in the area. However, over the years, the project was abandoned in…

■ My 16’ fiberglass boat. the WARRIOR. has. an 85 horsepower Johnson engine. The engine made the boat ride stern heavy, which made traveling difficult. But, by fabricating a trim tab from used plastic buckets, I was able to correct the situation. Now my boat travels easier and starts planing quickly with no squatting. This saves me a considerable amount of fuel. As illustrated, I used four plastic plates to construct my trim tab. Those with boats that are smaller than 16 feet should use fewer, or you should set the plates up ¼inch at a time. Slot screw holes on an angle to avoid drilling extra holes in the transom. Those of you with boats larger than 16 feet should add plastic plates until you acquire the right flexing…

Menehune Stone Builders ■ I’ve had many opportunities to watch well-built Samoan and Tongan stone wall builders work in several neighborhoods of Hawai‘i. Many people see building stone walls as a simple process of putting one stone upon the other. Those who work with stone know that this is not the case. The Samoans and Tongans, however, make it look almost this simple. They merrily go about their work, and they often sing, dance, whistle and laugh as they quickly build stone fences. Seeing them at work reminds me of the stories I have heard about the ka po‘e o Hawai‘i (people of Hawai‘i) who built their homes, temples and fishponds with stone. In several ahupua‘a (land districts extending from the mountains to the sea) today, the stone structures built…

■ Habitat enhancement is a method of making a given locality more acceptable to desirable fish species so that they may become more abundant for fishermen, scuba divers and others. Among the methods of enhancing inshore areas for fish, the best is probably the use of artificial reefs. Artificial reefs have been built by using almost every material imaginable. Reef programs in the United States began in the 1950s with the offshore dumping of unprocessed scrap materials such as old stoves and refrigerators, scrap metal, junked automobiles, tires, construction rubble and rejected concrete products. Not surprisingly, public officials viewed these early enhancement efforts as a simple solution for waste material disposal problems. As for enhancing an area for fish, the resultant reefs were sometimes successful and sometimes not. A number…

Author and columnist Commissioner for Hawaiian International Billfish AssociationHead of Lower and Middle Schools,Hawaii Preparatory Academy ■ No matter how long you fish (and 1 have fished for 40 years) you still find new ideas that radically alter your ways of doing things—even assembling your most basic rigs. That’s one of the joys of fishing with new companions. A trip off Kailua-Kona on the PAMELA with Peter and Toby Hoogs, Sol Perkins and Herman Gomez provided me with such an opportunity. For example. Sol showed me a rig that has since become my basic setup for dunking, whipping and bottom fishing with live bait. Sol is a veteran bottom fishermen, and he gave me the rig to use with live akule sunk in 90 fathoms to catch kahala. But the…

Sweetheart Tournament ■ On April 13 and 14, the Pokai Bay Boat Club sponsored a tournament for all interested sweethearts on the Wai‘anae Coast. This event gave the wahines a chance to capture some big game fish from our local waters. All entrants spent an enjoyable two days of fishing, and the catch results prove that the contest was indeed a very successful one. Wai‘anae Catch Report Sweetheart Tournament Results Marlin Action Off Wai‘anae On April 5, John Lane II captured a 140-lb Pacific blue marlin from aboard the BABE ALSO. After a 20-minute tousle, John’s prize was alongside the boat. Thinking that the marlin had expired, the crew brought it on board. Then the excitement began! The marlin got a second wind, began to flail about on deck and…

■ Popular businessman and world traveler Archie Komai arrived home late one night from a long business trip. He was promptly greeted by his son, Randy, who suggested they go fishing the next day. Archie at first refused, but at daybreak the weather and water was so nice he couldn’t resist. So, off they went to the Whiskey Buoy on Randy’s 20-foot KUHELA. W-buoy was very active. Father and son enjoyed the fishing immensely because mahimahi hit their bait right away. After boating six good-sized mahimahi, they decided to head out and finish the day at U-buoy. They were looking for a possible aku or shibiko. Archie had heard over the CB that nothing was happening at U-buoy; but, it was late, so one pass would suffice. But it was…

■ I am often asked to explain what a color video fishfinder will do for a fisherman that a paper machine won’t. Many feel that a color machine is just technological overkill and not worth the difference in price between it and a paper machine. The truth is that modern color recorders represent a decrease in cost, not an increase. Paper recorders capable of providing the same data as color machines have existed for many years; but, they cost many thousands of dollars, and they waste a lot. of paper. Hence they are also expensive to operate. Color recorders’ principal advantages over paper recorders include increased sensitivity, noise reduction circuitry, expansion capability and increased image speed capability. Note that I didn’t even mention color in the list. The color coding…