Innholdsfortegnelse for March 1989 i Hawaii Fishing News

Heads Up ■ A reward for the return of a fish head? Posters have been distributed to fishing areas around the islands, and they look like an elaborate joke. But the National Marine Fisheries Service is quite serious. If you recover a marlin with a special tag bearing the notice ’ “$ REWARD $ FOR FISH HEAD,” the NMFS will buy the head from you for $50. A NMFS representative must witness the tag in the fish before the head is removed. (The Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources and the Pacific Gamefish Research Foundation will act as representatives, too. Phone numbers are given below for representatives. What’s so special about the heads of these tagged fish? They are part of a unique project on age-dating fish. When the marlin are…

■ Those of us who whip the shoreline with light spinning gear can relate to the story of David and Goliath. After all, it is not generally accepted that fish in the 7-to 15-lb range can be pursued with 10-lb test line. To tangle with these inshore monsters with anything less is usually considered foolhardy and futile. Most fishermen will tell you that, as a rule, only small fish can be taken with light tackle. I personally have not found this to be true and will tell you that with preparation, skill and a little luck you can meet most challenges on the reef and have a decent shot at landing a trophy fish on light tackle. Most of the successful light-tackle “dragon slayers” of today share one common thread…

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.…

Honokohau Catch Report ■ Many hands made light work of a major harbor improvement project recently when over 50 volunteers gave up a Saturday morning to spread over 300 yards of gravel along the sides of the Kealakehe Parkway, the entry to Honokohau Harbor. Gravel was being spread to level and beautify the rough lava and to highlight the over 400 palms planted in recognition or memory of various members of the Kona fishing and boating community. The first “Great Honokohau Rake-Off” was sponsored by the Hawaii Fishing and Boating Association, a Kona-based organization of boat owners and operators. HFBA President Pat Nelson said he was very pleased with the turnout and the amount of work accomplished in such a short time. It took five hours of manual labor with…

■ New ideas for preparing kawakawa were what I’ve needed for years. These critters were never at the top of my “most delicious” list, so I never spent much time with them. Thanks to my resident fisherman, I recently found myself with all the kawakawa I needed for experimentation, so I decided the time had come. My first goal was to mask the strong flavor of this fish, because I think many folks agree that kawakawa is too oily and “robust.” My second goal was to use only ingredients I already had in the house-a feat that is easy for someone whose refrigerator always has a little bit of everything in it. So, after discarding any refrigerated items that were experiments in themselves, I set to work. I hope you…

Send a letter and photo in the month of March and we will send you a Buzz Bomb casting and jigging lure. Our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch… Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25413, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 Dear Chuck, My boyfriend John and I, along with good friends Darren, John (7) and Debby were fishing “in the land of the giant trevally,” the waters of the Big Island. As the lightning yellow sky slowly faded to darkness, 1 noticed a long, dark, menacing shadow zero in on my lure like a heat-seeking missile. Without warning my rod was viciously snapped down as the line screamed off the now smoking reel. The battle was now on. Enclosed is a photo which clearly depicts my first experience with these…

■ Those who read my last article please accept my apologies for stating that 1989 could well be a slow year for ulua. On the contrary, the year has certainly started with a bang! Ulua Busters During the storm in the beginning of January, a couple of guys by the names of N.K. and Taz ventured out to catch the big boys in the Ka‘u district. After hiking about a mile, which took about 20 minutes, they found a new, virgin fishing ground and named it “Bruddah Ulua Spot.” There wasn’t a trace of old line, nails or even rubbish in the area. There was just heavily concentrated a‘a lava. To get a good fishing stance, they had to pound out an area surrounding each of their poles. With tremendous…

■ Greetings and happy belated 1989 to everyone from all of us on the Pineapple Island. It has been years since my last monthly report of fishy happenings, and I apologize for that. But sailing adventures and cross-country music tours have kept me from living the life I love over here. Now I’m back home to keep you posted on what’s up with our fishing folks. Back in October of last year I had finally returned home after my summer tour to find a message from the good ship INTEGRITY, the same yacht I crewed on while sailing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. (See HFN, June 1988.) They were desperate for help getting from Hawaii to San Francisco, so I unpacked my harmonicas, loaded up my fishing lures and other sailing…

■ Everyone knew him as “Lucky Larry” Burdick, and people would actually come up to him before tournaments just to touch him in the hope that the “luck of the Burdicks” might rub off. He was a man with a great love of the ocean, one who loved the feel of sea spray. His last request was to have his ashes scattered across the ocean. Larry first started fishing with Capt. Dave Rockett aboard the HALCYON during the 1978 Lahaina Jackpot Tournament. And he fished with Capt. Rockett in every Lahaina Jackpot Tournament after that. Capt. Rockett and Larry fished many times together aboard the HALCYON, and Larry finally landed his first Pacific blue marlin, weighing 371 lbs, in 1980. In the ensuing years, Larry continued a fishing spree that…

■ During the past few months, several people have told me about supernatural experiences that happened along the shoreline and on their fishing trips, and these stories prompted me to develop the following article. It is my opinion that most supernatural occurrences are land-based. However, on occasion, fishermen can take some supernatural powers with them when they leave the land. For the most part, I believe that many of the spiritual happenings that occur today are a result of man’s ancient past as well as the present. Just the other day, a Tongan boy who lives along the oceanside told me that his family has been experiencing spiritual visits. When I asked him to describe the visitations, he said his father just gets a feeling that something spiritual is around.…

■ In an assortment of foam pieces picked off the beach you’re likely to find several different kinds of plastic foam. The most common is expanded polystyrene (EPS) or styrofoam, the stuff that rigid packing, “cheap” coolers and most disposable foam cups are made of. It’s too brittle to be of much use to the fisherman, and fiberglass resin will melt EPS, although it can be coated with epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth. Polyurethane foam is a rigid foam with small-sized bubbles. It can be easily cut and shaped. It can be coated with paint, fiberglass or epoxy, and it usually shows up on our beaches in the form of busted surfboards. Last month’s Ocean ‘Opala column showed a sonic trolling teaser that I made out of surfboard foam. Various…

Third Trip-Big Catch’ ■ It was Monday, and after working all day Kevin Akiyama and Lowell Thomas decided to go fishing just for the night. Their destination was South Point. Arriving just before dark, they first checked out their spot, “The Lighthouse.” It was already taken by another group of ulua fishermen, so they went to their second spot; but that place was also taken. Because the night was closing in, they decided to fish between the two groups. After casting two poles each, they tried to put up their camp. The wind was blowing strongly, so after a couple of tries they gave up and decided to sleep out under the clear sky. The two went to catch menpachi for bait, but the fish weren’t around. They had two…

Honokohau Catch Reoorl 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.…