Innholdsfortegnelse for March 1987 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Spring is approaching according to the calendar, but in Hawai‘i 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…

■ The illustration is our artist’s rendering of a photo published in a national magazine. It shows a surf fisherman retrieving gear from his tackle box while two surf rods are supported in holders stuck in the sand. The holders are round tubes, and the sand is saturated because it is within the reach of the waves. What do you think of the holders and their placement? 1. Sand has different characteristics in different parts of the world. In Carolina, where this picture was taken, the round holders may work well. They don’t in the sand here in Hawai‘i. When I fish with my dad in Florida, we have great success with holders made from PVC tubes. The sand along the Atlantic Coast allows easy penetration and seems to hold…

■ Well, rock fans, spring is almost upon us, and it’s time to get down those big guns for a quick D and C (dusting and cleaning). The weather is back to its normal trade patterns which could mean some high surf in some areas and some high wind days. At least two weeks of March should provide good shorecasting weather for preseason anglers who want to try out new rigs and warm up their casting techniques for more distance and accuracy. Mail Buoy The announcement in the last issue in regard to Mark Okihiro’s disqualified IGFA world record application was met with a wave of criticism in letters and phone calls to HFN. Here are three such responses. This letter regards the comments made by Chuck Johnston in the…

■ Aku, aku and more aku all over the Windward Coast and no end in sight. Aku in a variety of sizes are being caught, from buoy babies to otaru of 25 lbs or more. The amount of aku is very much like the amount taken during the summer season run, and it’s great fishing. Along with this great run of aku are various schools of mahimahi coming into the area, though the mahimahi are not as plentiful as they were in recent years. Even so, there are enough mahimahi to keep the trallers hunting for those fast-moving beauties. Mahimahi has been the Windward Coast’s favorite fish for many years, mainly because of its availability and its price at the auction. Almost any mahimahi is a prize catch, but when…

■ 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, poorest. Top catch for Kona last March was a 730-lb blue on the NO PROBLEM with Capt. Bobby Brown. For that month we counted 10 blues, each weighing more than 500 lbs, despite the fact that March is the “off season.” A 465-lb blue taken from Capt. Rich Newcomb’s KANOA was the top marlin in Lahaina that month. Top fish of the Kewalo fleet was an 850-pounder on the VIKING with Capt. Brian Preston. But O‘ahu’s Windward Coast produced the most spectacular fishing—two “granders”…

Sashimi for New Year’s Day ■ Since sashimi was so expensive around New Year’s Day, I was invited to go fishing at Road to the Sea with Scot Minemoto, Mel Hirayama, George Nham and Mathew Nham, George’s brother from Costa Mesa, California. The trip was scheduled for December 26, 27 and 28. George and Mathew were the first to reach there, and after setting up camp George set up his poles. He had two strikes; the first strike was at about 1:15 p.m. For that strike George used a tohei head. The second strike happened at 1:20 p.m., and this time George used tako. Both strikes didn’t hook up. At about 1:30 p.m. Scot arrived, and Mel arrived at 5:30 p.m. After dinner, about 7:15 p.m., Mel used puhi bait…

■ No matter how hard we cooks try to avoid it, boredom frequently anchors itself in our kitchens, especially at dinnertime. Of course, we get little help with this problem from our families. As the words “What shall we have for dinner?” leave our lips, we already know the answer will be “I don’t care,” or “Whatever you want to cook. Our friends aren’t much help either. They’re too busy scanning the supermarket shelves and meat counters, quietly muttering, “What am I going to cook tonight?” Next time boredom strikes, get those creative culinary juices flowing again with ready-to-use wrappers—taco shells, lumpia, and won ton dough—filled with a delicious and easy-to-make fish filling. Seafood Spring Rolls 1½ cups cooked, flaked fish (see Fishwife’s Tips) ½ cup cooked shrimp or crab…

Well-known “Let’s Go Fishing” co-host Stan Wright, PILI lure inventor and HFN feature writer Peter Dunn-Rankin and I visited the island of Kaho‘olawe to whip for papio and ulua. On this particular trip, Peter had brought some of his new big PILI lures for us to try. Knowing that hese big lures would bring “big” strikes, Stan switched to his heavy gear which consisted of a stout 7-foot rod and his trusty Penn 704Z. Noticing that his reel spool was only half-filled with 30-lb mono, Stan explained to us that he rarely gets monster strikes so there was really no cause for alarm, right? Wrong, ulua breath. We were pounding the water at our top secret spot when this big, black, ugly swirl came up behind Stan’s green-backed PILI and…

■ Have you ever discovered that there are times where your alternator is too slow to adequately charge batteries in a reasonable period of time? Most marine alternators are not designed for efficient and fast battery charging, especially where two or more batteries may need to be charged at once. A solution to this problem is to use a high output alternator that can recharge batteries in far less time. Higher charging rates are required most frequently on boats that have power-hungry demands, particularly refrigerators, freezers, bait tanks, electric reels, air conditioners, appliances, power tools, etc. When the engine is being used for battery charging, the running time should be used as efficiently as possible. This means that the alternator should produce the highest possible rate of charge that the…

■ Here it is March already, and how the time has flown. By the time this issue hits the newsstands, the 1987 HCDC Outstanding Diver of the Year Banquet will be history. However, because of publishing deadlines, banquet news will be included in next month’s column instead. This month, as promised last month, I will bring you up to date on club news. First, though, a big round of congratulations are in order for our new council executive board. Board members are as follows: Reminder: the council general membership meetings are the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Meetings are held at the State Hyperbaric Treatment Center on Ahui Street, across from John Dominis Restaurant. You don’t need to be a member of one of the council clubs…

■ Aloha from Maui. So far, 1987 is shaping up pretty well for Maui fishermen. There were no spectacular catches reported to me. but nearly everyone who spent Some time out was rewarded with something for their efforts, and that’s prerrty good for this time of year. The large mahi schools that were passing through in December have apparently broken up and spread out, because lots of boats were coming in with anywhere from one to a dozen mahi per trip. The best news came late in the month, when shibi-ko weighing between 20 and 30 lbs started showing up. No big deal in itself, but usually when they show up, the bigger ones are not far behind. Last year, the schools of big ‘ahi showed up in early March…

■ The ray’s huge wings slowly pumped up and down in an easy rhythmic fashion. Fighting a sudden surge from a large wave, the ray kept its position and waited for the water to subside. The white water foamed as the wave drew back, and in an instant the ray made his way to the ‘opihi-encrusted lava shoreline. Hugging the lava walls with its huge wings, the ray quickly pried off an ‘opihi from its foundation. Until then I had only dreamed of seeing a stingray eat in this fashion. It was pure coincidence that I was able to see this happen while whipping off the rocks in Miloli‘i. Since then I have hooked and landed many rays. They are fantastic fighters and will give any angler many thrills when…

■ Chuck Johnston has given me the opportunity to represent HAWAII FISHING NEWS on Hawai‘i, the Big Island. In the coming issues, I will be reporting on shore casting, boat fishing, diving, fish stories and other subjects related to fishing. I am not claiming to be a fishing expert—I am a fishing fanatic, and I enjoy learning new styles and techniques from the experts. If you would like to share a fantastic fishing experience, call me at 961-4488 or tell Mike at Tokunaga Fishing Store and he’ll pass the information along to me. Popular Check Spots During January, fishing action was pretty much on the slow side. With poor weather and sea conditions, it was hard for fishermen to whip the coastline for small game. It was just as difficult…

Bear Facts ■ You can store your valuable fishing reels the right way with handsome carrying and storage cases from Sampo®, a leading name in top-quality angling accessories. Sampo® offers three different sizes, each with a zippered closure to keep out dust and damaging moisture. These cases are available in two different materials—heavy, soft-tanned glove leather for fishermen who desire the very best, and vinyl for anglers who want top quality yet a more economical alternative. The small reel case—No. 40—is best for small- to medium-sized spinning and casting reels. The medium case—No. 42—is best for medium- and large-spinning, casting and trolling reels. The large reel case—No. 43—accepts the bigger saltwater reels. What do you do when the mesh on your landing net becomes frayed and weak? Sampo® has an…

■ A brisk breeze whistled past my Polaroid glasses as I peered intently through the aquamarine wavelets. On the bottom of the lagoon, shards of coral on the white sandy bottom added more shadows to the already confusing landscape. I was hunting the gray ghost, the wily bonefish, and I was getting impatient with myself. Four of us were moving slowly downwind across a thigh-deep flat located in the dead center of the world’s largest atoll—Christmas Island. To the right of me, an oil geologist from Wyoming stopped dead, like a bird dog that had just caught a scent. Smoothly and deliberately he false cast once. He dropped his “Crazy Charlie” fly 15 feet to his front left and locked up like a statue. Time stood still. Then he uncoiled…

■ Relatively fresh in my mind are the past nine months of my wife’s pregnancy. When I first courted my wife, Debra, I found out that she was a lacto-vegetarian who ate fish as a supplement to her diet. With a great desire to make an admirable impression, instead of presenting her with beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers, I delivered to her the best-tasting lomi ‘opelu (concoction of different goodies mixed with mackerel scad) my two hands could make. Although the approach was quite unorthodox, she took the bait that has led to a very happy marriage. Her fondness for all kinds of fish seemed to be something that would last forever. Such was not the case during the time of her pregnancy. Her rejection of red-meat fish such as her favorite…

■ The month of January howled into the harbor at Kewalo Basin. Windy days and choppy seas scared off many of the would-be. anglers normally roaming the docks. Fishing was slow, and some of the charter passengers found themselves drifting into restless slumber,, interrupted by dreams of catching the ever-elusive Pacific blue marlin. Gary Terry from Clinton, Missouri, opted for the fighting chair as the most comfortable place for his little siesta aboard the ELO I. Each of his fishing companions, John Vickers, William Foster and Marty Snider, found his own separate niche to doze off in. As the foursome slept, a soft, barely audible, clicking noise filtered through their subconscious and erupted into a long, loud scream. Gary snapped awake, thinking that the terrible scream would end along with…

■ The other evening my phone rang, and I picked it up. I had been rereading Shogun, so I said, “Moshimoshi?” “…er…is this Wayne, ah…er….” “Yes, this is Wayne ah er.” (Foreigners, mostly those from The Mainland, seem to have trouble pronouncing my last name. I first became aware of this 20 years ago in boot camp, where our bulldog-jawed drill sergeant was rendered speechless as he pondered my name each morning at roll call. It got to the point where I’d raise my hand and shout, “Here!” at the slightest hesitation on his, and subsequent instructors’, part.) Today I no longer call out, but my right arm still twitches with the last vestiges of a classical Pavlovian response. So when the phone rang I picked it up, listened and,…