Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1990 i Hawaii Fishing News

This year’s Lahaina Jackpot Fishing Tournament saw a drastic decline in billfish from previous years. In 1987 there were 45 billfish caught. In 1988 the catch jumped to 133 billfish; and in 1989 there were 88 billfish caught. The total this year was 18 billfish of all species. During the three days of the event there were six blue marlin, four striped marlin and seven spearfish caught, and one marlin was tagged and released. The largest field of boats in jackpot history made it to the starting line on the first day. The 144 teams headed to all parts of Maui County waters and looked for the elusive marlin. This year the $25,000 fish was captured from aboard the MAUĨ MAIDEN, from Kailua, Hawai‘i, with Capt. Nano Fernandez at the…

October was Lahaina’s worst month for billfish catches in three years. There were only five blues, five stripers and one sailfish landed. The FINEST KIND broke the dry spell with a 3584b blue, Capt. Dave Hudson and Capt. Mitch Koss were trolling toward town on their way to the barn when, just inside the 100-fathom ledge 6 miles off Olowalu, they got their strike. The marlin had its bill out of the water as it chased a Soft Head Lure rigged on the short comer position. As the marlin ate the bait, it snagged itself in the top of the mouth with the single 14/0 hook. The marlin came out of the water, shook its head and tried to free itself. It skimmed the surface and ripped off 200 yards…

Looking out of the truck’s window at the ominous cloud cover and the continuous drizzle, I wondered out loud to my two fishing buddies, Steve Okumoto and John Ikeda, whether or not we would see any sun that day. When we left my home in Manoa very early on that Veterans Day holiday morning, it was raining; and when we arrived at the Wai‘anae Boat Harbor, it was still raining, although not quite as hard. We were preparing my boat, the POMAIKA‘I for launching when the groundskeeper walked by and asked, “Are you guys going out today?" We told him that we were, and he said, “You guys must be crazy!” Was his statement an omen of what was to come? There was very little wind, but the rain continued…

On the mainland, search and rescue has entered a controversial era. Long the realm of the Coast Guard, it has been hedging, since the early 1980s, into the private sphere. For instance, in San Francisco, the Coast Guard refers non-emergency search and rescue cases to one of several licensed and certified companies on a rotation basis, said Lt. Comm. Tim Beltz of the Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue (SAR) unit in Honolulu. That policy began as a result of an effort by President Reagan and Congress to balance the budget and keep the federal government out of competition with private industry. The policy still exists, Beltz said, but we don’t see the affect here in the Hawaiian islands. The Coast Guard recognizes that, because of the open ocean, hard coral…

Joseph R. Blum, Director Washington Department of Fisheries Dear Mr. Blum: We recently moved to the west side of Puget Sound and are appalled at the devastation taking place in the area. Commercial fishermen are dropping nets within 30 feet of our front porch. These nets, when used by two or three boats, stretch from our door to Vashon Island. Salmon, or any other type of fish, do not have a chance. My father was a commercial fisherman for years. He worked on the HELEN W out of Ballard. When I went on trips with him he fished 100 to 200 miles out of Neah Bay, their last stop on the way to the fishing areas. My father was proud of what he did, and so was I. He would…

Half a dozen rods were out and loaded with live ‘oama. Randy Usui and Bruce Tsuji had each ‘oama (juvenile goatfish) hooked through the upper jaw cavity and through one nostril. That style of hooking allowed the ‘oama to breathe, unlike hooking the goatfish up through the lower jaw, a method which slowly suffocated the bait. I preferred hooking the baby goatfish through the back and leaving the fish fully capable of inhaling and exhaling. My method worked well, but the nostril style of hooking proved to be stronger when casting the ‘oama. Because the ‘oama stayed alive and frisky, when the ‘omilu (bluefin trevally) came around, the small goatfish were totally irresistible. It was 4 a.m., and the wind was still blustery. The tiny brass bell on the far…

There were 54 teams that made it to the starting line of this year’s Lahaina Wahine Jackpot Fishing Tournament. It was the largest showing of boats in the event’s 13-year history. The MAGGIE JOE Team captured the $2,500 first-place honors with a 3O5i-lb blue marlin caught by Linda Conner. Linda’s teammates were Cathie Jones and Amy-Joe Loeffier. Capt. Mike DeRego was working the southwest corner of Kaho‘olawe in fishing area “India” when they got their strike. Linda’s marlin never jumped during the fight; instead it headed straight down and took out 300 yards of line. It took Linda 40 minutes to crank her marlin in on the 130-lb test line. She played the fish all the way to the boat, stroke for stroke, as the marlin darted back and forth…

Third Annual Keehi Boat Club Jackpot Tournament Each of the 100 boats that filed past the UHANE LOLINA displayed a card with the boat’s number, and Capt. Duane Kerr checked off the numbers on his master list. When it was close to 7 a.m., Keehi Boat Club President Ron Kiaaina offered, in Hawaiian, a prayer to bring everyone home safely. The 100 boats lined up, and the gun sounded. The shotgun start of the Third Annual Keehi Boat Club Jackpot Tournament was something to see. Not very many tournaments have 100 boats in line, and all the Keehi Jackpot entrants were anxious to start fishing. At the sound of the gun, all 100 teams headed for their favorite fishing spots. By noon only three mahimahi had been reported. The tournament…

Letter to the Editor: The netters did to Waimea Bay (O‘ahu) on October 8 and 9, 1990 what countless rod and reel fishers couldn’t do. The netters caught all the halalalu. Several years ago a petition—with several hundred signatures—asking that a law be enacted banning the netting of fish in Waimea Bay, O‘ahu was submitted to the legislature. The state administration convinced the legislative committee that the matter would be handled administratively, meaning nothing would or should be done. What the netters did appears to be legal although doing their thing within 50 yards of the shore directly tn front of the rod and reelers surely is not a way to make friends. I think the time has come to enact a law totally banning the netting of fish in…

On the weekend of October 28 and 29, the Maui Canoe Sailing Association hosted the Third Annual Maui/Moloka‘i/O‘ahu Canoe Sailing event. Canoe sailors from Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i and Maui joined together for the fun. Activities started on Friday evening with a luau at the Na Kai Ewalu canoe hale at Kahului harbor. Saturday morning, a very spectacular presentation of ancient hula and chanting was presented by Keąli‘i Riechel and his hula halau. Weather conditions were favorable for the crossing between Kahului harbor and Puko‘o, Moloka‘i. Winds were 10 to 15 knots with seas at 3 to 4 feet. Hanalei Canoe Club led the seven-canoe fleet all the way to Moloka‘i, but, since the team members were not sure of the exact location of Puko‘o harbor, the Maui team took the…

Our 1990 season was another successful one for both Shelter and Anchor Point Lodges. Forty-one new members were added to our Halibut 100 Club. Local angler John Mizuno from Wahiawa landed an Alaska Connections record king salmon on his first day out fishing! It weighed 58ļ lbs! What a catch! Halibut 100 and 200 Club We also inducted two new anglers to our Halibut 200 Club. Top honors went to Roy Yamane and George Tsuji. Roy Yamane set a new lodge record for halibut caught by clients with his 230-íb “barndoor.” George Tsuji also landed a huge “butt” that topped the scales at 212 lbs. Congratulations to both anglers for their noteworthy accomplishments! Shelter Lodge Halibut Tournament Shelter Lodge opened its season with a halibut tournament during the week of…

1. Finding the fishing tackle section in a large department store is easy. Just look for the tips of long rods sticking above the counters. The hard part is choosing the right one of those long rods once you get there. Which spinning rod should you choose for surf fishing? Your budget will decide factors like price, quality and materials—obviously, you will want to buy the best rod you can afford. That means your decision really comes down to length and action. These will affect whether you have the right rod for the jobs you want to do: (a) casting; (b) presenting a lure or bait: (c) fighting a fish; and (d) getting gear back and forth conveniently. Hawai‘i’s fishery is very specialized because of the unusual types of fishing…

The deep blue water of South Point glistened as I walked along the narrow, winding trail that snaked along the high cliffline. The strong winds reminded me to watch my step as I got closer to the cliff’s edge. As I peered over into the blue water I could easily see the boulder-strewn bottom as numerous yellow tang and palani danced lazily with each passing swell. I was in search of an area with deep water relative close to shore. Being familiar with the area, I searched for my favorite casting grounds that had produced so well during previous outings. Because of the high cliffline and windy conditions, selecting the right tackle was critical. I needed a reel that would allow me to cast over 100 yards with relative ease.…

Earl’s Biggest Catch After the Kolohe Easting Klub returned from “Smokin’ Rock, Road to the Sea” on Friday, September 7, Earl Fukunaga left Hilo at 10:40 a.m. to reserve the spot for himself and Neil Okumura. When Earl arrived at Smokin’ Rock, the wind was blowing strongly and the sea was smokin’. At 4:40 p.m., Neil arrived and they set up their camp. Eventually the wind died down, and they “put it to the lead.” Earl cast one pole, and Neil cast three poles. Because they had a limited supply of tako bait, they decided to use puhi and save the tako for the “dawn patrol.” Earl tried to catch some moi along the sandy beach, but after several “bankrupts” he returned to camp to assemble more leaderlines. At 10:40…

Catch Report Due to the limited space available and the large number of fish caug ht, 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.…

Dear Chuck, Had a pretty good night near the end of July at one of Eddie’s faνorite spots on Moloka‘i: four ‘o‘io ranging from about 4 to 8 lbs, and two ulua (or pa‘u as they say over there) at about 15 to 20 lbs. Guess we’d better inνest in a scale for next time! That’s Eddie, Dwight and me with the big smiles. Mahalos to Ed, Elaine, Ċy, Isaac, Cindy and especially to Mel for carrying all the fish back! Aloha, Bruce Hamakawa Honolulu, O‘ahu Hi Chuck, This 166-lb marlin was caught off the Kona Coast by Sherry Andrade of Lawa‘i, Kaua‘i aboard the fishing boat HOLIDAY. This was a March of Dimes benefit donation fishing trip sponsored by Harry Kojima and the Kona Beach Hotel. Sherry and her…