Innholdsfortegnelse for April 1987 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ April. weather-wise. is a transitional month between out winter and summer. This means that the surface cold hunt of winter and the upper trough of summer can “meet” over the islands in April. The result is a few days of bad weather with heavy rain and gusty winds. Bad weather doesn’t occur every April over Hawai‘i waters, but it happens often enough, or the potential is there, to warrant being aware of its possibility. Trade wind davs continue to increase—about 75 percent of the time we’ll have trades. Expect eight to 15 days of gusty fades. High northwest swell and surf action is tapering down. Expect only about two days of surf 10 to 15 feet high at Sunset Beach, O‘ahu. Southern hemisphere storms will begin to generate higher…

Proven Techniques of a Senior Fisherman ■ On February 3, I had the rare opportunity to “talk story” with a very experienced local fisherman. His name is Satoru Kodani. His son, Gary, who resides in Honolulu and happens to be one of my best friends, introduced me to him many moons ago. But I never sat down to talk to Satoru on a one-to-one basis before then. (By the way, Gary is also an excellent free diver.) Satoru had just returned from fishing when I interviewed him at his home. Satoru‘s 12’ boat, the WENDY LEE, was built more than 15 years ago by Satoru, himself. He gives lots of care to his boat because he’s out in Hilo Bay almost every other day. Seventy-five-year-old Satoru is well-known for his…

■ Malihini’s ask us if we miss the change of seasons. Akule tell us we have them. Look at the harbors in the summer and fall, and you’ll see schools of young akule, halalu, streaming back and forth to feed on small creatures or bursting apart like skyrockets to escape attacking predators. In late winter and spring, as adults, akule move out into shallow waters of the open sea to feed (mostly at night) and spawn to produce the next summer run. Since seasonal changes in Hawaii’s weather are rarely very dramatic, the pattern of akule runs varies a bit from year to year. The halalu run may start as early as June or be delayed until August. In some years (1969 is an example), halalu have been abundant in…

■ All anglers will agree that the best bait is a natural one. A natural live bait is irresistible to a predatory fish, and if the angler can catch enough live bait he will almost certainly go home with something in his box. Live baits are becoming harder to catch and find these days so many anglers are turning to frozen, preserved baits such as squid, shrimp, smelt and a dozen other varieties. Here in Hawai‘i I’ve found a most durable bait in a fish called “weke,” otherwise known as goatfish. These slender, streamlined fish can be found abundant along a sandy reef edge or sand channel, sifting the sand for small morsels to eat. Goatfish are bottom fish, and they will very rarely stray from the protection of the…

■ Hawaii’s shore casters are warming up for the seasor by attending dub outings. As we go to press, Atlapac members are heading out to Campbell for their firs: official club outing of ’87 at Malakole Beach. I’ll be dunkin’ my baits and totin’ my camera, so look for the results of this cash fish-out in the May Rock Hop’r column. IGFA Ruling, Continued The flap over the IGFA disqualification of Mark Okihiro’s 150-lb ulua on a gaff infraction just won’t die And so it shouldn’t, until Hawaii’s shore casters get equal treatment. We find interesting the letter (reprintec here) from Michael Leech, director of operations for the International Game Fish Association. Take into consideration that Leech’s letter was in response to the Rock Hop’n February column and he had…

Council and Club News ■ February was a full month for the executive board. Council members visited several area dive shops to put tank stickers on rental tanks. The stickers show the emergency telephone number for the state Hyperbaric Treatment Center (see HFN March 1987 issue). Following that campaign was the annual banquet at the Hickam Air Force Base Officers’ Club. Again, a big thanks to the Sea Lancers for sponsoring this year’s banquet. To all the rest of the clubs, here’s a reminder that now is the time to start thinking about hosting next year’s gala event. April 25 is Keep America Beautiful Day and the council is sponsoring a cleanup of Hanauma Bay. The cleanup will be from 9 a.m. to noon. The state Litter Control Office is…

Big Game Pacific blue marlin, low average. Last April was slow—even slower than the usual low rating for this month. Though the catch was sparse, a number of big fish were recorded, including at least a dozen 500-plus pound fish from Kona, alone. The top Kona catch: an 825-pounder taken from the SHADOW with Capt. Guy Terwilliger. Best fishing coincided with the full moon. Lahaina’s best catch: a 454-lb marlin on the ISLANDER II with Capts. Denny and Tim Putnam. As it was elsewhere, O‘ahu‘s fishing was slow. Kewalo Basin’s best: 510-pounder on the PACIFIC BLUE with Capt. Ray Conder. The Windward Coast (is it true they call it the “wind weird coast”?) saw lots of action with smaller species, but the ALOKAI notched a 530-lb blue for Harold Sexton…

Look forward to an improvement in the quality of the photos for this column. I have just purchased a new camera that works well for the avid fisherman: a Fuji HD-M 35mm all-weather camera with built-in flash and motor drive. This camera lets you take underwater pictures up to a depth of 2 meters. It is also designed to accept ultra-high speed ISO 1600 film and lets you take perfectly exposed pictures under all lighting conditions. Kick Off Classic The Hilo Casting Club held its Kick Off Classic for members only on January 30 and February 1. Participants could fish anywhere around the Big Island. Starting time was 12:01 a.m., January 30, and the tournament ended at noon, February 1. Weigh-in was from noon till 2 p.m. at the club’s…

■ OK, I give up! This month’s column is for all of you who’ve asked, “Why don’t you give us some recipes for shrimp?” Shrimp are the nation’s most popular shellfish, easy to cook, and wonderful to eat, but I’ve rarely written about them because they didn’t fall into the category of “fish caught in Hawaii waters.” Now that prawns are being cultivated in the island, shrimp qualify. Don’t be too concerned about the color of your raw shrimp, because they vary in color depending upon where they are from. They can be white, pink, brown and gray-green. Whether you shell them before or after cooking is up to you. Some say shrimp are tastier and juicier if cooked in the shell, while others disagree. Many folks don’t de-vein their…

■ A boat isn’t a fishing boat without an electronic fishfinder. A fishfinder reveals the bottom depth, indicating underwater structure where fish seek protection. What’s more, it actually spots fish, individually and in schools, stripping them of their ability to hide under the cover of the great blue mass of sea between them and the boat. That’s the truth—except when the wrong fishfinder has been selected for the job. You won’t necessarily straighten out your confusion by reading through catalogs that extoll the virtues of each product. Some of the claims made in the ads simply can’t be supported by the ability of the equipment itself. How do you choose the right transducer? Vince Thompson of Techsonic Industries came to our rescue with a full explanation of the factors you…

■ Kona is blessed with one of the largest bases of billfish research data anywhere in the world. Long-term scientific data collection by the Hawaiian International Billfish Association (HIBA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Pacific Gamefish Research Foundation (PGRF) and associated scientists has proven invaluable in terms of creating a data base from which important details about Hawaii’s most valuable sport fish can be gleaned. A couple of years ago, billfish biologist Dr. John Mark Dean of the University of South Carolina recognized that this body of data might be large enough and spread out over enough years to be able to provide some important facts about the state of the fishery. But the data that were gathered to that date lacked in several key areas. First, they…

■ There are big changes at Kewalo Basin, with my returning as reporter being the least of them. Aloha to Gwen Shaffer who has left the solitude of the Basin for a military career. I’ll miss her articles because she has such a wonderful way with adjectives. Her reports about Kewalo were lyrical and enthusiastic and showed her distinct sense of humor. Gwen is well-liked by Kewalo inhabitants. I remember the love and effort that went into the dozens of hand-decorated cupcakes she made for a Christmas party one year. She sometimes served as deckhand on the VIKING in addition to her saleslady and dock photographer duties. An accomplished songwriter and prankster, she will be immortalized for a little ditty called the “Beefeater Blues.” I, along with everyone at Kewalo,…

Kailua-Kona Catch Report 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 and (T) = Tag and Release, weight estimated.…

■ Before the war, when there were many taro patches in Manoa Valley, Herb Leong and his friend Ed Hosaka would look for dojo in the mud under the taro leaves. The dojo or loach, an eel-like fish, was easily caught with a small dip net. Herb used dojo for catching kaku (barracuda). Now just a step slower at a youthful 70-plus years of age, Herb still goes for barracuda, but the dojo are harder to find. Generally, Herb fishes the reef off Hickam and casts ‘oama (small goatfish) or smelt. He hooks the bait through the head with one hook and through the tail with another, and then casts without lead, making a slow retrieve. He always uses a short stainless leader of about 3 inches in front of…

■ The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that Nu‘uanu Reservoir No. 4 is scheduled to open for weekend fishing beginning Saturday, May 9, 1987. Thereafter, fishing will take place on consecutive weekends (Saturdays and Sundays only) until all anglers with assigned fishing times have been accommodated. Only anglers with valid state freshwater gamefishing licenses and entry fishing cards will be permitted to fish. Prospective anglers may pick up application cards which are available now at the main office of the Division of Aquatic Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, and from various license agents. The deadline for submitting applications is 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, 1987. A drawing will then be held on Wednesday, April 22, 1987, to assign each card holder’s fishing date and time. All…

Keehi’s Katches ■ Mahimahi was definitely the fish of the month for the Keehi Sportfishing Club. Their catches were impressive. Presidents’ Day Tournament One tournament winner was Rick Hong, who boated a 35-lb mahi aboard his boat, the JUDY H, to win the side jackpot. The Berts, Audrey and Art, brought in mahi weighing between 22 lbs and 26 lbs while fishing aboard the AUDIE TOO. Richard and Jean Watanabe found a log, and the fun began, with mahi to the right and mahi to the left. The Watanabes usually don’t fish with live bait, but since they had a few small fish aboard they decided to go for it. They cast their first rig, and when the mahi struck, they were able to rescue the bait and use it…

■ It is a sad fact of life that the world of fishing is permeated with drugs. It is not something we talk about, but it is time we did. We can no longer lollygag around, pretending the problem doesn’t exist; it does, and it is the duty of every single one of us to make ourselves aware of these tendrils of evil creeping into our once proud sport, and to stamp out this pernicious epidemic that threatens to: lay to waste this country’s impressionable youth, our mothers, apple pie, the American flag, truth, justice, The American Way, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, International-Harvester Scouts, J. Edgar Hoov— I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I get carried away sometimes. I had a cup of coffee this morning, to jump-start my brain,…

■ Do you have an interesting fish story? We invite our readers to share those stories that are both humorous and unusual. Stories submitted should be as factual as possible and limited to 500 words. Pertinent photos are more than welcome. As our way of saying thank you for sharing your unusual tale, we’ll send a complimentary HAWAII FISHING NEWS cap to readers whose stories are published in this column. Send your humorous or unusual fish story to HFN/Sounds Fishy to Me, Attn: Jeff Konn, 2474 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1703, Honolulu, Hawaii 96826. □ A few months ago I wrote a story about Eddie Currie of Christmas Island. In that article, I reported on his infamous handline which could only be described as a meathook attached to a chain. Well,…