Innholdsfortegnelse for October 1990 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Emerald arrows of light angled down, searching way below the water’s surface. Far in, several dark, gray caissons stood quiet like monoliths. Minute particles of plankton, dirt and sand drifted in the blue, obliterating my view of the bottom some 30 feet below the pier. I sat up and looked around. It was the beginning of a nice day in Kawaihae Harbor, and my family and I were out for the day. It was to be more of a picnic than a fishing trip. The day was a lazy one and my wife, Kathleen, had prepared a heavyweight lunch of musubi wrapped with nori, fried chicken, daikon, fried spam and an omelet designed for a king. But when I glanced below the pier I changed my mind and dug…

■ She could sense a low rumbling sound in the distance. The whistling and tittering sounds of beckoning porpoises, whales, feeding tuna and splashing and diving birds and the low-frequency sounds of panic-stricken bait fish also filled the water around her. It was a cacophony of sounds, but the big female, almost 20 years old, was able to interpret and segregate the sounds that constantly flooded the blue waterways. The constant droning 200 yards to her right was quickly picked up by her lateral nerve; her air: bladder resonated. The sound filled her with curiosity, and she turned; the male followed at a distance. As she drew closer to the sound she could also hear some high-pitched whistling and gurgling sounds that seemed out of place. There seemed to be…

■ Nearly 200 hundred years ago, the great warrior-king Kamehameha, who had conquered all of the Hawaiian Islands except Kaua’i, assembled one of the world’s great armadas for the conquest of “The Separate Kingdom.” Two thousand war canoes and 10,000 warriors were assembled on the Wai’anae coast of southwest O’ahu to cross the treacherous channel to Kaua’i and subjugate the last remaining kingdom in the islands not under the domain of King Kamehameha. The young king of Kaua’i, Kaumualii, informed of this massive invasion force by passing American and British sailing ships from O’ahu, prepared his badly outnumbered forces to defend the most ancient and mystical of the islands from the “lesser” royal lineage of Kamehameha. The full moon of August 1796 was chosen for the invasion. In the darkness…

■ A number of people who use marine radios have been surprised lately when they’ve called the Federal Communications Commission office for licenses, permits and renewals. In the past, these have been provided free of charge. But now, as with other federal agencies, the FCC is imposing fees to cover the costs of the services it provides. The new fee requirements came into effect on May 21. A vessel carrying marine radio equipment aboard is required to have a Ship Radio Station License. Citizens Band radios do not require a license. There are three classes of radiotelephone operator permits/license. The Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit, which is valid for the lifetime of the holder, is required for vessels making international voyages and to operate on medium and high frequencies (single side…

■ What started out five years ago as a small backyard tournament involving a dozen divers has grown to be what is considered by many divers as “the best” tournament of its kind. The Annual Northshore Spearfishing Competition has steadily grown and had 51 divers entered in this year’s competition. Divers from all over the state gathered at Shark’s Cove on the North Shore of O’ahu. Shark’s Cove served only as a starting point. Because the cove is a marine reserve, all of the divers were briefed on the area and strongly warned that anyone taking marine life from the preserve would be immediately disqualified. It was a warning that was heeded; considering the quality of the divers and their acute consciousness and respect of marine life, everyone knew that…

Dear Chuck, Every month, my brother Ryan looks forward to receiving HAWAII FISHING NEWS. Ryan is an “every weekend fisherman and diver.” This 3-lb kumu is the biggest he's ever speared. That same day, he speared two mullet weighing 1-and 24-lbs. He’d be surprised to see this photo in Holoholo Style. Thanks for giving fishermen a chance to show their catches! Mahalcs. Russell Ishikvua Kahului, Ma I broke the ice after five years. Mother Nature finally let me catch one. On April 20, 1990, a couple of my friends and I went out for a short fishing trip and I mean short. We got to our spot, set up, got our poles out, and opened our first beers, and it hit. At first, we all thought it was a small…

■ The camp was quiet All the children were bedded down after a full evening of sand crab hunting and marshmallow roasting. Across the way, at the shoreline, however, things were far from calm. It began with the bell ringing, “Ding, ding, ding.” My husband, Jack, ran to get his pole. He had been standing about 10 yards away, and, just as he gripped the pole, he felt a sudden, hard pull downward. It nearly took the pole from his unsuspecting hands. The sand spike, which was not anchored well in the rough ‘a‘a rock terrain, broke loose. The fight was on. Jack held tight. He knew it was a big one. The fish started to run and peel line from his reel. “Bzz, bzz, bzz”—-it was music to his…

■ As everyone knows by now, Lana’i is changing in about every possible way. Those of us who love the island for its relaxed style can see and feel the effects everywhere. The changes are not necessarily in the best interests of the island or Lanaians, but they are here and we hope the folks responsible do the right thing. Among all the turmoil, one positive event has been the reinstatement of the Lanai Rendezvous Fishing Tournament. One of Hawaii’s favorite fishing contests, the 20th Lana’i Rendezvous took place on August 17 and 18 at Manele Harbor. The future of the tournament had been uncertain after Discoverers’ Day in early October, when the event usually took place, was replaced by Martin Luther King holiday later in the year. There was…

■ Hawai’i has a broad array of fishing regulations designed to protect our fragile ocean environment and the very lifeblood of recreational fishing, the fish we so ardently pursue. Many of the regulations make good sense, others are outdated and probably inadequate, a number are based on cultural dictates or historical practice, and still others are more the product of committee deliberation than sound reasoning. All the fishing regulations, which are part of the body of laws of this state, can be found in the “Hawaii Revised States.” They have been briefly and simply collected and detailed in a pamphlet entitled “Hawaii Fishing Regulations, July 1990,” published in July of this year by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources. There are a number of new…

Florida Bass Hearing ■ The Board of Agriculture (BOA) finally heard the Westin Kauai Hotel’s permit application to bring in the Florida strain bass for study in their freshwater lagoon. The hearing was held on Moloka’i on August 16,1990, and my good friends Dave Yingst and Faith Sumida accompanied me (Russ) to the “Friendly Isle” for the hearing. A Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine representative, Larry Nakahara, who appeared to serve in an advisory capacity to the board, stated that his subcommittees showed a majority vote in favor of the permit, but he strongly advised the board against acceptance of the permit that would allow the Westin Kauai to import the Florida bass for research in their lagoon. He conceded that the Florida bass would not be a detriment to…

■ On Tuesday, July 24, the Lanai Hunting Advisory Committee called a meeting at the Lanai Senior Citizens Center with state biologist Meyer Ueoka and a large group of local hunters. The purpose of the meeting was to dialogue concerns and input from local hunters on any subject connected with hunting on Lana’i. The two areas that highlighted the meeting were damage control and the Department of Land and Natural Resource’s lease agreement with Lanai Land Company. There were questions on whether the damage control permit that was issued to Koele Company was being utilized according to the provisions set for its use. The group was informed that because of the DLNR’s inability to negotiate a long-term lease with Lanai Land Co., it is unable to acquire funding for the…

■ As I promised last month, here are more scrumptious recipes I gathered this summer in Kona at Seafood Cuisine Night, a seafood extravaganza sponsored by the Gentry Sports Light Tackle Fishing Tournament. In case you missed last month’s column, this seafood tasting featured dishes prepared by chefs from seven hotel dining rooms and restaurants. The variety of offerings was exciting, and obviously delicious, and most chefs provided printed recipes for guests to take home. This month, I’m sharing recipes courtesy of three Big Island hotels. In my opinion, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel chefs George Gomes and Wendell Rodriques (who win the prize for the longest recipe names!) created the most dramatic dish at Seafood Cuisine night: ‘ahi bundled in nori and sitting in sauce that complemented it both visually…

■ Fishing was as bad in August as it had been good in July. Keehi Boat Club members reported only two marlin, a 209-lb blue caught on the 5th by the LANI KAI crew and a 161-lb marlin caught on the same day by the KAI O PUNA crew. Pearl Harbor Trollers The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament was about the only thing Joe O’Neil hadn’t tried. He regularly enters all the tournaments on O‘ahu, and he was Fisherman of the Year in 1989 in his club, the Pearl Harbor Trailers. When Joe is out there, fish run scared. The GIRLIE T, her crew, Gary Canite, Noel Keoho and Gary Largo, and Capt. Joe O’Neil spent 19 hours at sea on the trip to Kona. They pulled into Manele Bay and…

Santa Vs. Schwarzenegger ■ A Hilo reader wrote to ask about a formula for converting linear dimensions (length and girth) to weight. First find (in inches) the fork length (measured from the vee of the tail to the bottom of the lower jaw) and the girth (distance around the fish) at the widest point, being sure to flatten the fins so they don’t count. Multiply the length by the square of the girth, and divide the result by 800 for an estimate. The true weight will differ slightly from this estimate. And, of course, the shape of the fish will affect how well the formula works-an eel or flounder will fool the formula more than a tuna will. As a matter of fact, try it on yourself. I’m 6 feet…

■ Here’s a simple-to-make popping plug that looks fancy and catches most types of surface-feeding fish. Despite its intricate appearance, it can be constructed easily without special tools and by the least-skilled of all craftsmen. (That’s just another way of saying that, if a fumble-fingered fellow like me can do it, anyone can make it.) The distinctive feature of its silhouette is its flat-sided, vertically elongated shape, which is more fishlike in appearance than casting plugs made with round cross sections. The big eyes are striking and amazingly simple to assemble, and they actually contribute to the ease of construction. The lure has a wire-through construction, which is normally enough to discourage many home craftsmen. But the openings for the big eyes make it easy for you to bore the…

from Ae U.S.C.G., Marine Safety Newsletter ■ Federal regulations prohibit the discharge of plastic garbage anywhere in the marine environment. Plastic includes but is not limited to plastic bags, Styrofoam, cups and lids, six pack holders, bottles, caps, buckets, shoes, milk jugs, egg cartons, stirrers, straws, synthetic fishing nets, ropes, lines, and “bio-or photo-degradable” plastics. These regulations also restrict the disposal of other types of garbage within specified distances from shore. The Coast Guard has issued these regulations to implement Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973, commonly known as Annex V of MARPOL (Marine Pollution) 73/78. These regulations apply to all U.S. vessels wherever they operate (except waters under the exclusive jurisdiction of a state) and. to foreign vessels operating in U.S.…

She Finally Did It ■ Remember my July article about Neil Okumura’s first ulua and his wife, Myra, catching only puhi and tohei and getting aches and pains? Well, she finally caught an ulua. It all started on August 11 when Neil, Myra and Earl Fukunaga left Hilo at 4 p.m. and went to their favorite fishing spot in Kona. Arriving at 6:30 a.m., they quickly set up camp and “put it to the lead” before the sun went down. Neil cast two poles, while Myra and Earl cast one each. The bait they had was very limited, so they used whatever they could catch. Luckily, catching ‘aweoweo and menpachi wasn’t a problem. Myra caught her first ‘aweoweo, and guess what she did. She made sure no one was looking,…

This months Holoholo prize is a Luhr-Jensen 5 oz. Krocodile Flutter Jig, perfect for working the FADs or big game whipping from the Cliffs… our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! … Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25413, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 Dear Chuck, Here are two nice ulua my friend Michael Schneider caught off the South Shore of Maui in June of 1990. After countless trips to try to catch ulua, he hooked up with a 28-pounder with his 10-foot Ugly Stick using a Penn 850SS reel on 25-lb test line at 8 p.m. Then another strike at 9 p.m. landed a 32-pounder with his 13-foot Eagle Claw using a Penn 4/0 reel and 40-lb test line. After fighting each fish consecutively, he felt a little…