Innholdsfortegnelse for March 1986 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Spring is approaching according to the calendar but in Hawaiian waters winter type weather can still appear in March. But there will be more good weather days than bad weather days. There is always the possibility of the occurrence of any of the following severe weather events: cold front with strong Kona winds, upper trough with heavy rain, gusty trade winds and high northwest wave and surf. Trade winds should be present on more than half of the days in March with the possibility of about eight to 14 days of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity should be noticeably less. There may be about five days of high surf greater than 10 feet along the north shores. There’s still a chance of surf greater than 25 feet high at…

■ In Hawai‘i, where fresh fruits are plentiful and easy to get, it’s natural to make them a part of daily menus. Fruits are usually served as a salad or dessert course, but they are delicious as part of fish dishes. Citrus fruits can serve as tenderizers in marinades, and they add a tangy flavor that brings out the taste of baked, broiled or fried fish. Bananas, papayas and mangos have a sweet and cooling effect on the palate and turn an ordinary dish into something special. The following recipes use grapefruit or orange juice in marinades and sauces or incorporate fruit segments as part of the dish. Rahna’s Fruity Hapu‘upu‘u 2 pounds hapu‘upu‘u filletsSalt and pepper1 large orange1 tablespoon cornstarch1 cup orange juice¼ cup round onion, minced1 clove garlic,…

■ Lono was the only son of the Keawe-o-nu‘u family. He had five sisters, who he did not know too well because he became his grandfather’s hanai (adopted) son. The Keawe-o-nu‘u family was very sad to let Lono go, but, because of family tradition, it was their responsibility to provide the elderly grandfather with a male companion. The Keawe-o-nu‘u family tried to encourage grandfather to move with them to Nu‘uanu, but grandpa insisted on remaining in his fishing village in Nu‘u. The small sea villages in the Nu‘u area were grandfather’s favorite fishing grounds. Therefore, he felt comfortable remaining at home in Nu‘u and teaching the traditions of old Hawai‘i to Lono. Lono was only 5 years old when he was taken by canoe to Nu‘u to live with Grandfather.…

■ January saw the water continue to drop at a steady rate, reaching the 53-foot level by month’s end. That prevented most people except for a few hardy souls who braved the mud flats to drag their light boats to what water’s left, from using the boat ramp. It’s not so much the water level that’s responsible as the silt that has been built up by the flushing of the freshwater well near the park. If I were a boat ramp user, I would definitely be making a lot of noise to someone until the responsible department cleaned up that mess. For most of the month, the dropping water was a blessing for those of us who had a boat in the water. The bass were still easy to find,…

Hawaii Fisheries Coordinating Council Division of Aquatic Resources Honolulu, Hawaii Re: Letter to William G. Gordon dated January 7,1985 Gentlemen: I regret not having attended the HFCC meeting of December 13, 1985, largely because I was unaware of the meeting date. A responsibility I can accept. My presence may have alleviated the circumstances and avoided unfortunate references. Under the circumstances I feel I should be given the opportunity to defend myself and my views because of the action taken. The opportunity I now take by means of this correspondence. In layman terms, the lobster fishery actually began in the 1976 to 77 period, or the same period the fishery councils were established. Based on the effort and catch rates, the lobster fishery has shown a sign of decline. At the…

Advice Proves Helpful ■ After sending John Dawson the information from Stuart Simmons and Dr. Robert Skillman, we contacted John to see whether the advice had helped. He told us that sea conditions in November and Dec ember had hampered his experiments, though he’d had some successes. Some of his results were paradoxical given the information we sent him. “Some of the advice said the full moon was not a good time,” he told us, “but the day after the full moon I got six keepers in one trap and four in another—Iwo out of four traps I thought was Otherwise, John has followed the advice regarding depths, bottoms and baits, and he feels it has helped. “Right now, as you know, we have our north swells,” John told us,…

■ When the fishing is slow and the boats can’t go, there’s always work to be done on them. Although some boats were lucky enough to pick up some decent catches, many were down for maintenance. Due to unfavorable weather conditions and slow trolling action, many skippers and crew channeled their energies and frustrations into bottom fishing. Skipper Doug Gray and crew on the MAILE KONIA headed for a bottom trip on January 4. Finding that their favorite spot was a little uncomfortable because of high winds, Doug headed for Haleolono. Just outside the harbor, the water was nice, so Doug decided to try their luck. After a short time with a school of nice-sized ta‘ape, Doug was able to load his fishbox. Harry Kitterman and son Bert, aboard Harry’s…

■ Aloha from Maui. Although it’s been a typically slow winter around most of Maui County, the south and west sides of our island have been producing some unseasonably good fishing this month. Nothing really big came in this past month, but many boats reported multiple catches of mahi, ‘ahi and, believe it or not, summer-sized ono. The Ma‘alaea boats led the way in January, so I’ll start off over there. A new charter boat on the Ma‘alaea scene is Capt. Nat Padgett’s 26’ Trophy, the HUCKS FIN. What the boat lacks in size is more than made up for by Capt. Nat’s experience and quality fishing gear. The boat is equipped with new two-speed 80 wide Internationals on bent butt 80-lb class rods. Nat reported several multiple mahi and…

■ As you read this, the HCDC Diver of the Year Awards Banquet will be history and the 1986 executive board will have assumed their duties. I would like to introduce each of the new HCDC officers to you and provide a little information about them. President Bob Purdie is a member of South Seas Divers. Bob has been diving here in Hawai‘i for three years. Bob is originally from California. He has been living in Honolulu since 1982 and is always looking for a dive buddy. Vice president Ann Hansen belongs to Na Mea Lu‘u Kei Diving Club and has been diving in Hawai‘i since 1974. Ann is from Erouston, Illinois, and has lived in Honolulu since 1970. Recording secretary Marsha Ellis is someone already familiar to most of…

Big Game Pacific blue marlin, poorest. This is a month you are likely to get fooled, as we were last year. A 20-year average for marlin catches puts March among the bottom three months on record. Yet, last year the March catch was among the best. We covered two pages of HFN with the Kona catch alone, 230 billfish in all. Because only a portion of the marlin caught was weighed and photographed, the actual number may have been 400 or more. Twenty of these weighed over 500 lbs. And if that’s not surprising enough for you, two of these were “granders,” a 1,188-pounder taken on the MIDNIGHT and a 1,111-pounder taken on the MOM I. And the scene was repeated on every island. But if blue marlin fishing turns…

■ Twenty international fishing teams from such diverse nations as France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Australia, South Africa, Saudia Arabia, Botswana and Angola and a home team from Mauritius competed in the Fourth Annual Marlin World Cup in early December. One-time Hawai‘i resident Pat Strader of Kailua was a member of the sole U.S. team. Rumors emanating from this tiny (about the size of the island of Maui) democratic nation located in the western Indian Ocean told of monster billfish and prolific fishing grounds. The tournament proved those rumors to be correct. Fishing aboard the combined fleet of charter boats from the island, tournament participants motored away from the Centre de Pesche (Center of Fishing) at the mouth of the Black River beneath the shadow of the monolithic peak…

The 13th Legislature of the state of Hawai‘i has been in session since mid January, and by summer your senators and representatives will have closed off another year of legislative deliberation and lawmaking. The only chance for Hawaii’s fishermen to effect any legislative change is NOW, while the lawmakers are in session. The early part of March is a particularly important time, as the deadline for new legislation falls early in the month and most critical legislation will be considered this month. Perhaps the most active place for legislation relating to the ocean is the Committee on Ocean and Marine Resources, chaired by Rep. Peter K. Apo. A call to Rep. Apo’s office (548-5730) or a stop by his office in the Hawai‘i Capitol (Room 439) is probably the quickest…

■ The illustration is our artist’s rendering of a photo that appeared on the cover of a winter issue of a leading outdoor magazine. Count the errors you see in the picture, and see if you agree with us. 1. Why is the transom door open? The transom door is used to haul in a big fish after it has been leadered, gaffed and stunned with a club or killing ax. Here, the open door is just hauling in a lot of empty ocean. Since the boat is backing down, the rear deck is swamped, creating trecherous footing and shifting the deck boxes around. Furthermore, because the door is protruding from the transom, it’s in a position to snag the leader and get in the way of the gaffing operation.…

Two species of spiny lobster and two slipper lobster occur in Hawaii, but unfortunately none have commonly accepted Hawaiian or English names to differentiate them. One of the spiny lobster, Panulirus marginatus, is found only in Hawaii and Johnston Island, while the other species, Panulirus penicillatus, is widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific. These two species can be distinguished by examining the area between the eyes and antennae; P. marginatus has two main and several small spines while P. penicillatus has only four large spines. Another feature that distinguishes these species is the legs. Those for P. marginatus are solid colored while those for P. penicillatus have longitudinal white stripes. The color of P. marginatus is commonly brownish-red marbled with white, thus many people call it the red lobster; but it…

■ If everyone who owned a boat were an electronics expert, there would be no point in my writing this column. The response I have had to my columns in HFN reinforces the fact that the average fisherman needs advice and assistance in selecting from the multitude of marine electronic tools available to him. As a fisherman, I enjoy helping others understand what equipment will and will not do for them. Because a local dealer often has to explain why his prices are higher than those advertised in mail-order catalogs, it is obvious that many fishermen have not considered all of the pros and cons of buying by mail-order versus dealing with a reputable kama‘aina dealer that services what he sells. A company, in order to stay in business, must…

■ Aloha from Lahaina town. The marlin action for January was slim to none, but there were pounds and pounds of mahi and ‘ahi to keep Lahaina Town jumping. Starting the marlin action off in January was the AERIAL III. Capt. Bill Jenkins and angler Joe Foley landed the first marlin of ‘86; it weighed in at 171 lbs. They were fishing an afternoon half-day off of Olowalu dump, Maui, when they caught their fish on a lure after a hectic and exciting 40-minute fight. Capt. Jenkins was assisted that day by crew Bill Wheeler. The AERIAL III also landed several ono weighing from 35 to 47 lbs and half a dozen mahi weighing 10 to 20 lbs. Capt. Gary Bingham helped out Capt. Jenkins during the month. Capt. Craig…

■ The first charter boat to Kailua Pier on New Year’s morning had a spectacular catch. It really caused a lot of New Year’s Day excitement when the crew and captain of the SUMMER RAIN weighed in their super marlin. That fish weighed 1,229 lbs. It was a Pacific blue marlin that measured 15 feet 4 inches in length and 74 inches in girth. The captain of the SUMMER RAIN is Jack Prettyman; the crewman was his son, John; the angler was Richard Hartom from California. The lure the marlin was caught on was one of Rick Rose’s lures. Rick Rose is the captain of the AERIAL V in Kona, Hawaii. There was a large crowd at the Kailua-Kona Pier (where the big ones are weighed) during the weigh-in because…

SEND A PHOTO AND LETTER ABOUT YOUR CATCH, AND WE WILL MAIL YOU A FREE GIFT…OUR WAY OF SAYING THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR CATCH! …CLICK SEND TO P.O. BOX 25413 HONOLULU HAWAII 96825 Hi Chuck, My name is Aaron, and here is my first taste of big time fishing. My gramps, my uncle, my dad and I went fishing somewhere south of Kona on the MR. VEE. My friend here put up a real good fight before he retired. He was the first but not the last that day. HFN has encouraged and satisfied my curiosity about fishing. Now I am really hooked. Keep up the good work, and good fishing to everyone. Much aloha and mahalo, Aaron “Hanapaa” Vidal ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu Howzit Chuck, Here’s a picture of a…

■ It seems an overused adage these days is “good news and bad news,” and we’ve got both. The good news is that several reports from divers indicate that large colonies of schooling ulua have been spotted in waters off East O‘ahu and Makapu‘u. The schools, estimated to contain from 200 to 400 fish, signal the beginning of a good season for 1986. Past studies have shown that when these schools form in late winter they do not feed readily—presumably a phenomenon associated with a phase of breeding. As spring approaches and the schools begin to disperse in large numbers, shore casters have encountered multiple strikes with as many as seven or eight rods going off at one time. The thought of an ulua blitz like that can make a…

■ If TV Channel 2 ever ventures to Alaska, don’t be surprised to see Shelter Island Lodge on Pamela Young’s “Mixed Plate.” Why? Because nowhere in the vast array of fishing lodges that dot the Alaska waterways will one find the variety of fun, food and fishing that awaits there. The 1985 season marked my third trip to Shelter Island Lodge, and yet I was still to be introduced to new and different experiences. Much has been written in the pages of HFN about the exciting, bountiful waters that surround Shelter Island Lodge. But, if our longtime readers will bear with me for just a moment, I would like to give a short overview of the lodge and the fishing potential for those readers not familiar with Southeast Alaska’s waters.…

■ The Kaneohe Junior Fishing Tournament was held January 18 under ideal conditions. The tournament originated as a vehicle to introduce youngsters to fishing in a tournament atmosphere. It was also intended to get families and friends together for a day. This year, Shirley, Mimi and Sharon of the tournament committee were expecting 50 to 60 entrants for the tournament, but after the briefing and late registration on Friday night, there were 97 contestants signed up to fish. Green T-shirts, Coca-cola visors, Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen and red apples from Mr. and Mrs. James Swoish were issued to all the entrants. Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m., 34 boats left He‘eia Kea Pier with small green tournament flags attached to their poles or outriggers. On the pier, 10 shore anglers got their…

■ We have field-tested the Mildrum “lites” roller guides for two years and like them very much. Frankly, we didn’t think we were going to. That’s why we’ve given them extensive testing on four trolling rods subject to very heavy use for a long time before reporting on them. Our scepticism resulted from the design and the finish. The guides we’ve tested have a beautiful, classy gold finish. Our past experience with plated finishes left us cautious. The gold flaked off from use and corrosion. But that has not happened with these. They are as healthy looking as the day we wrapped them. Mildrum says the material is “a new metal to the fishing rod guide field.” They explain it as follows: “The frames are cast of Herculoy (R), a…

■ Aloha fishing friends! 1985 has to go down as the slowest year in Lana‘i history for bringing home the seafood we all need and love. I am happy to report that the drought appears to be over! The first month of ‘86 was better for our mosquito fleet than all of last year. Finally, it looks like we have a FAD that is working well, attracting lots of mahimahi, ‘ahi and aku and pumping plenty of the much needed protein into Pine Isle fish markets. The first indication that things were picking up was when Wayne Jack pulled out of his slump on the JACK IN THE BOX and cruised into Manele harbor with multiple mahimahi in his fishbox. Kazu “Skipjack” Masada still reigns as king of the Pineapple…

■ Berkley and Company extended their reputation for making practical products for the fisherman with the introduction of their Outdoorsman Knife Combo. This practical tool features a graphite handle and four interchangeable attachments of specially hardened stainless steel. The Outdoorsman Knife Combo includes a 4½-inch hunting knife blade, a 6-inch fillet knife blade, a saw blade and a multipurpose blade that includes several wrench sizes, a screwdriver, a bottle opener and a fish scaler—virtually any tool a fisherman might need while in the field or traveling away from home. The Berkley Knife Combo comes complete with a nylon belt sheath that carries the handle and the four attachments in one neat package. For details, contact your nearest tackle dealer or Berkley and Company, Trilene Drive, Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360. Daiwa…

■ When winter swells wash over the Big Island’s leeward side, the parcel known as Honokohau appears well-defined from points mauka. A protective reef that extends some distance offshore catches each new mountain of water from the deep and tips its crown into lines of white froth. When the surf is large enough, it breaks across the mouth of a relatively new feature to the area. In 1968, the Army Corps of Engineers exploded the heart out of an ancient lava flow from Mount Hualalai. This area became a small boat harbor and, eventually, the focus of Kona’s noted sport fishing. Lying just north of a generally protective Kaiwi Point, the man-made refuge bears the same name as the beach and pond of Honokohau. The area has long sported a…