Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1986 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Mariners are advised that the change from good to bad weather can be fast. The severe weather events that can occur, in decreasing order of frequency, are: gusty trade winds, high northwest swell and surf, cold front with Kona winds and The strongest trade winds are the winter-type trades that can occur in December. The number of trade wind days will be low—only about half of the days of the month—but gusty trades can occur on about a fourth to a third of the days in December. High northwest swell and surf will be frequent along the exposed northern shores. Expect about 20 days with surf greater than 6 feet high, and the possibility of surf greater than 20 feet high at Sunset Beach, O‘ahu.…

Hamakua Coast Hookup ■ On Friday afternoon, October 10, Rody DaSalla and his nephew Rodney Bohol, 14 years old, went fishing on the Kamakua Coast in an area called Papa‘ikou. After reaching their destination, Rody and Rodney set up Rody’s three poles and slid all tohei baits. The first strike came at 9:40 p.m. That fish only took the bait. Then a second strike occurred at about 9:45, just five minutes after the first fish cut the line. Rody had just recast his first pole and was fixing his second pole when the first pole was struck for the second time. This strike was a big one, and Rody fought the fish for about five minutes. This fish took out almost all the line on his 6/0 reel, and again…

In what the guides called “slow fishing,” I landed 12 fish that night on flies. At the same time, spin fishermen fishing nearby were even more successful using Mepps, Pixees and Rooster Tails. The take included rainbows, grayling and char. We fished until midnight, and, even then, the sun still showed over the horizon. With a group from Spokane, we flew out to the Alagnak and Nushagak rivers by floatplane to fish for king salmon. Along the way we enjoyed spectacular views of Lake Iliamna and the wildlife of Katmai National Monument (bears, moose and caribou). Though the group had come to relax as much as fish, they averaged 30 king salmon from 20 to 40 lbs each a day and too many chum salmon to count. A few rainbows…

■ Years ago, when the kupoupou (mongoose fish) fed among the lipoa (seaweed) off the Moana Hotel in Waikiki and when you could pole fish off the old pier, Ernie Steiner caught trolling bait for ‘omilu (blue trevally). He would double hook the bait by running his lead hook down through the head of the green-backed spindle-shaped wrasse and then use a rubber band to keep the trailing hook next to the tail. Ernie had a 20’ round-bottomed Crevalle with a 9.8 Johnson outboard, which he moored at the end of Ala Wai Canal. He would run this skiff out past Queen’s Beach and Diamond Head and then over to Hanauma Bay and back. Once, he said, he caught an ‘omilu (Caranx melampygus) over 25 lbs off De Russy Military…

Dear Jim, I read with interest your response to Mr. Choy’s letter. I share his concern about netting. My parents have a house on the water in Makaha, and netting has wiped out the sport fishing. I’ve seen people lay net in the same spot three nights in a row. I’ve also witnessed akule boats with spotter planes surround half the bay (Kaena Point side of Lahi Lahi Mountain). They would even come back and raid the pile again if they thought there were more fish left. I have given up ulua fishing because there are hardly any akule to bring the sport fish in. I used to catch an ulua every three or four times I swam a bait out. After twelve tries a couple of years ago I…

As the holidays’ draw near, some of us are plagued with curiosity. We begin to wonder what might be in all of hose colorfully wrapped packages. You know, the ones hidden in the closet underneath the camping gear. You can troll through that stuff all day and barely catch a hint as to what you might pick up. Just like with fishing, it’s the element of surprise that keeps you coming back. Anthony Arminio, age 6, had a look of surprise on his when I asked what he thought of his father catching a 210-lb marlin. Anthony quickly set me straight on the innatter: “Well, I helped him!” Anthony Sr. quickly agreed that it had been a team effort. Both father and son were fishing aboard the 30LDEN EAGLE with…

■ Please use our “Fishing Forecast” as a general guide to what is normally available this month. We won’t take the blame if Mother Nature messes up her grand design with poor fishing—nor will we take the credit for unseasonably good catches. Big Game Pacific blue marlin, low average. Last year’s slow billfishing continued right through December. Top blue of the month off Kona was a 691-pounder taken on the SEA BABY III captained by Butch Chee. Fishing improved toward the end of the month, oddly enough, during the full-moon phase. This year, the full moon is at midmonth. In Lahaina, top blue was a 401-pounder brought in on the ISLANDER II captained by Denny and Tim Putnam. Off the Windward Coast of O‘ahu, a 650-lb blue took top honors…

■ You’ve heard of wine tastings, cheese tasting, and even chocolate tastings, so why not try a fish tasting party as a simple, creative way to entertain? While I was working on my cookbook, I had three such parties, usually after my resident fishermen come home with a large catch. Rather than freeze the fish, I simply supplied friends with portions of fish and asked them to prepare a fish dish and bring it to a fish tasting at my house on a particular night. The result was a delicious supply of recipes for me to include in my columns and in the book. It’s also a fun, easy way to entertain friends, especially during the Christmas holidays when we are already pressed, because you all share in the preparations…

■ Tell Hawaii’s reef fishermen that you know a place where the density of fish equals more than 5½ lbs per square yard and your story will either be scoffed at or it will start a stampede of historic proportions toward the boat ramps. There is such a place in Hawaii’s nearshore waters. Dr. Richard Brock, fisheries specialist with the UH Sea Grant Extension visits it regularly to take fish counts. In fact, the place is an experimental high-tech artificial reef that Brock built, located off the south shore of O‘ahu in 60 feet of water. The assembly of the experimental reef was completed last November. The reef is made from more than 40 open-framework, concrete cube modules. They are arranged in two layers so that the top of the…

■ When 1986 closes her chapter in history, a few paragraphs will be etched in the memory of the Honokohau community. Thousands of game fishermen conquered a wide variety of challenges taken in Kona waters during the year. Large numbers of a‘u (billfish) and ‘ahi (yellowfin tuna) hung from weigh stations at Kailua Pier and home port. Several catches to be remembered were honored at the annual. membership meeting of the Hawai‘i Big Game Fishing Club (HBGFC), held in the New Pavilion at Old Kona Airport Park. The event took the form of a lu‘au and awards celebration. Kai Opua Canoe Club cooked the feast to honor Gil Kraemer (1,062½-lb Pacific blue marlin; 50-lb test line; IHUNU1 Capt. Freddy Rice), Michelle Spalding (149½-lb Pacific blue marlin; 121b test line; KEALIA…

■ Fall fishing was very good on the Windward Coast, especially for those who found the floating rubbish of logs, discarded cargo nets and various other objects surrounded by iridescent blue and green mahimahi. Bullfish varying in size from 20-lb spearfish to huge marlin over 600 lbs were also caught in many areas. Kane‘ohe Bay became especially active from the large schools of ‘o‘ama that enticed many papio into the area. Awa and ‘o‘io were present to provide lots of exciting fishing for those who wished to stay in the bay. Veteran fisherman Charlie Lee caught a 40-lb awa. Now that’s a giant fish! The amount of fish available in Kane‘ohe Bay has really increased over the years, and I hope this trend continues as conservation measures and scientific studies…

From the HCDC Executive Board ■ First, the 1986 executive board wants to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make 1986 a successful year for the Hawaii Council of Diving Clubs. The past year has been a busy one for the council. In February, we gathered together to recognize Dan McNally as our Diver of the Year at our annual banquet. In May we sent a representative to the Underwater Society of America Board of Governors’ Meeting in San Diego, and our annual picnic dive in August was a big success. Throughout the year, we have participated in TORCH, the Ocean Recreation Council of Hawai‘i, meetings and helped out with TORCH O‘ahu‘s first fundraiser, the Windward Biathalon. The HCDC was also active in sponsoring the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum…

■ Last month in part one, we concentrated on the equipment and accessories used in the sport of shore casting for the giant ulua. This month we will concentrate on terminal tackle and how to assemble it. Next month in part three, we will head for the shoreline and put it all into practical application. Lead On the subject of terminal tackle, let’s start from the bottom and work up. Shore casters use anywhere from 8 to 11 oz of lead to get the required casting distance with big reels and heavy lines. You’ll probably end up somewhere in the middle when you choose the weight that works best with your rod, reel and line combination. A teardrop lead with four wires protruding from the bottom is almost a unanimous…

□ Longtime bluewater fisherman Buster Andrews would take his boat out in the waters off Leeward O‘ahu. On one particular trip, in addition to inviting my dad, Buster asked his visiting nephew to accompany him on the outing. It turned out to be one of those days when you couldn’t even buy a strike. They went the whole day without an incident, until at the very end, when they were near port, my dad’s 14/0 screamed a scream that only spelt one thing—marlin! After 20 minutes of tug of war, it was determined that the marlin was good-sized, approximately 175 lbs. Well, my dad, knowing that the battle was nearing its end, shouted to his good friend Buster to, “Get the gaff!” Buster, who at the time was busy working…

■ Whipping the shoreline is where it all starts. At one time or another most fishermen have owned a dime-and-nickel fishing outfit and dreamed of catching the “ultimate fish.” Fishing the shoreline may seem to be the easiest method of fishing around, but to the serious shore caster or whipper it can get quite complicated. Today’s gear is getting more and more sophisticated to meet the anglers’ needs, but that is another story. Shoreline whipping varies from place to place. If you’re fishing sandy beaches, long leaders and light lines can be used comfortably On the other hand, a rocky shoreline requires shorter leaders and bigger lines. The whipper must also be able to “read” the bottom and the terrain around him. Fish can be found in the most obvious…

■ As usual, the second week of October was very special here on the Pineapple Island. That is the time when quiet Manele Harbor is invaded by a fishing flotilla with hordes of folks aboard who are hungry for good fishing and ready to party. This year marked the 16th Annual Lana‘i Rendezvous, and conditions were ideal with light trades and clear skies. Even though attendance was down and no records were set, there were plenty of fish brought to the ke‘awe tree weigh station that kept the competition intense—well, as intense as it gets on Lana‘i. There were five marlin caught, and honors for this year’s top schnozola went to the REMLE. The 260-lb Pacific blue was angled by Lance Molina while Capt. Doug Barna, Greg McDonald and Steve…

Due to the limited space available and the large number of fish caught, catch reports are limited to tuna over 100 lbs and billfish of any size, any species. (S) = Striped marlin, (B)-Black marlin.…