Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1992 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ I had just dragged a hard-fighting 8-lb white papio through the small surf when my other ulua bell sounded. “Clang! Clang! Clang!” came the sudden ringing in the distance as Hal Higuchi dropped my fish in an enclosed tidal pool. “Darryl! Strike, I think. Your pole!” Hal blurted out as he pointed toward my second ulua rod. I pointed my headlamp at the reflectors on my rod and noticed it shaking as if a puhi was taking care of my stainless leader. I walked over to my rod, quickly slid it out of the stainless rock spike and began to take up slack. I was almost sure it was an eel. After I cranked the reel several times, my rod lurched forward and line hissed off the Shimano reel…

■ The world’s largest marine trade show provided the setting for presentation of the 1992 Innovation Awards to Bennett Marine Inc. and Henri-Lloyd Ltd. Chosen from among 70 companies introducing new products at the International Marine Trades Exhibit and Convention (IMTEC), the winning entries reflect the latest advances in marine technology. The Innovation Award in the domestic category went to Bennett Marine of Deerfield, Florida, for the Bennett Auto Tab Control, an automatic trim tab system that keeps a boat running at optimum attitude. Engineered for easy retrofit, the device simplifies boat operation by continually monitoring and maintaining proper trim of a boat for improved efficiency. Adjustments for weight shifts, changes in speed, wind or sea conditions are made automatically by the system’s direct interaction with the boat’s trim tab…

Cougar Cat Lightwin’ Fiberglass, P.O. Box 268, Kilauea; Kaua‘i Hawai‘i 96754. Phone (808) 828-1583; Kevlacat International Pacific Boat Sales Inc. P.O. Box 4010, Kailua Kona, Hawai‘i 96740. Phone (808) 325-5000 Nelson’s Yacht Brokerage, 74-425 Kealakehe Parkway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, 96740. Phone (808) 661-3349 SeaCat Power Catamarans Windward Boats and Outboard Sales, 789 Kailua Road, Kailua, Hawaii 96734. Phone (808) 263-6030. Ultress 27 Ultress Boats, P.O. Box 7115, Hilton Head, South Carolina 29938. Phone (803) 757-5790.…

FISHING TOURNAMENT BOARD GAME The Perfect Christmas Gift! The HAWAIIAN GRAND SLAM FISHING TOURNAMENT BOARD GAME. A first of its kind, a truly unique board game that promises top-notch competition and fun between professional and novice anglers, children and adults. No waiting for the weekends to have fun fishing. Catch those monster marlin from your living room or next Bar-B-Que. Fashioned after big game tournaments in Hawaii, the angler who catches the most total weight of fish at the end of the tournament wins. But the real challenge is if you can catch a HAWAIIAN GRAND SLAM, three different species of MARLIN which makes you an automatic winner. Or maybe a clean sweep—one of each flag fish. Do you have what it takes to catch a 1,100-lb PACIFIC BLUE MARLIN?…

■ I can remember a time, not too long ago, when it was really something for a diver to catch a big uhu (parrotfish) and if a diver caught a big ulua it was the talk of the town. Then slowly stories of divers spearing uku and mu started to surface. It almost seemed impossible. Today, all that has changed. Now the stories focus on big ono, mahimahi and, yes, even mighty, powerful ‘ahi. While most of us still dive in the confines and safety of the inner reef, there is a small minority of divers who challenge the “blue water.” Among those hunters is Kona’s Richard Biven. This is the story of his biggest fish to date. During a day in late August, Richard decided to venture out in…

■ In recent years, the marine conservation movement has decried the killing of marlin for sport. Catches were dropping, and preservation of the species seemed important for many reasons. Many fishing tournaments that once supported the killing of everything hooked now promote tag and release of small billfish and the conservation of game fish in general. Even the government has gotten involved in protecting billfish, making it illegal to sell Atlantic billfish anywhere in the country. Throughout this recent history, Hawai‘i has been in a unique position. We have a long history of taking Pacific blue marlin (and most game fish species) for more than sport—we eat our catch here. Anyone who fishes for billfish, even those who have no qualms at all about eating them, would probably be shocked…

Dear Mr. Endreson: Thank you for sending me copies of two letters, one from you and one from scientists of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, that were recently published in the HAWAII FISHING NEWS regarding the WESPAC LIDAR Project. I do not care to comment on LIDAR, but I would like to clear up an error made in the letter by C. Helsley et al. of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics. Please publish my reply below in HAWAII FISHING NEWS. A recent letter by C.E. Helsley et al. of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics (HFN, November, 1992, page 21] attributes a result to me. Namely, they state, “The best models presented…could explain about 18 percent of the variation in tuna abundance.” I did not make such a statement because it…

■ There was an inside bite after Hurricane ‘Iniki throughout the Kealai-Kahiki Channel area between Lana‘i and Kahotolawe, also known as the “Factory.” Nine blues came from this area. The MC-buoy came alive a few weeks later, and eight blues were taken there. Twelve stripers were boated, and eight other billfish were tagged and released during the month from six charterboats. Angler Flips for Year’s Largest Billfish Capt, Tom Casey aboard the SILK PURSE brought a big blue marlin to the Lahaina scales. Tom, boat owner Hoss Atkinson and Eddie Wendell assisted angler John Ward with the 770-pounder. They were testing the deep waters off the North Shore of Moloka‘i before the Lahaina Jackpot Fishing Tournament. Tom watched a marlin jump completely out of the water as it charged a…

■ 1. Whipping Ultra-Right. Conrad Ama whips ultralight tackle for reef fish and has had a great deal of luck using plastic ‘opae This realistic-looking artificial lure frustrates some anglers because it. seems to defy efforts to put it on a hook in a way that will keep it from spinning the leader into a tangle. Conrad thinks the answer is to embed the hook in the midsection so the shrimp bends and straightens with each jerk. “When rigged as shown and worked through the water in very short but quick twitches, it emulates the natural movement of a frightened ‘opae,” Conrad said. “If you’ve ever tried scoop-netting ‘opae, you have probably noticed that their bodies tend to coil up. And they seem to dart backward in an attempt to…

■ This year’s 16th Annual Lahaina Jackpot Fishing Tournament was held during Halloween weekend. There were 143 teams fishing for a total of $69,500 in jackpot money, Penn reels, Fenwick rods and a Magellan Global Positioning System (GPS). The MARY I from Kewalo Basin captured first place in this year’s tournament. Angler Herman Jones battled a 398.2-lb blue marlin on the first day of the event and netted his team $25,000. Capt. Russell Tanaka and the team headed out to the deep water past the MC-buoy on the southwest side of Lana‘i. As they pounded around in the 8-foot seas and 30-knot winds, they had a blind strike on the longrigger position. The marlin snagged a Dennis Odagiri “Fish Head” Lure that Dennis had made for the tournament. After the…

■ With just two strokes of his pen, President Bush deep-sixed two controversial federal taxes affecting millions of recreational boat owners. On the day after the elections, the President fulfilled his “No New Taxes” campaign pledge by vetoing an omnibus tax bill, H.R. 11, that would have imposed various new taxes, including a 20.1 cents per gallon federal tax on diesel fuel used by 400,000 recreational boaters. Just one day before the elections, Bush signed legislation that would totally repeal a boat “user fee” tax affecting 4.1 million boaters over the next two years. “The good news is that millions of boating consumers have been spared over $500 million in new taxes that would have further crippled this price-sensitive and highly discretionary recreational activity,” said BOAT/U.S. President Richard Schwartz, whose…

Bite the Bullet! ■ Just like everyone else who is involved in the fishery or utilizes our ocean resources, I’ve followed the controversy surrounding the recent shark attacks with great interest. The situation is very difficult for those who have to address this problem, and I don’t want to pretend the solutions will come easily. However, I am concerned that the state’s and the Shark Task Force’s inability to take preventative measures will almost certainly lead to drastic solutions and possibly cause serious injury to those who believe that it’s safe to go back into the water. I’ve seen shark attacks and increased shark populations close beaches for months at a time in some areas of the country while fishermen wiped out everything and anything they could see with a…

■ The year is winding down, and the marlin fishing is picking up off the coast of Central O‘ahu. There are those who say these are the best months for marlin, but because El Nino is gone and very few marlin were caught around here during 1992, there was some cause for concern. Only sporadic catches were reported off Central O‘ahu, and even the Kewalo charterboats had very few marlin flags flying this year. Until recently, Wai‘anae seemed to be the best place to fish for marlin. Keehi Boat Club October’s jackpot tournament was a good one. Only 63 marlin had been caught all year by club members, but 16 marlin were captured during the event. The winning billfish was taken right outside the Ke‘ehi buoy by Capt. Jeff Jenson…

■ There were 55 teams entered in the 15th Annual Lahaina Wahine Jackpot Fishing Tournament. The wahines were angling for $10,000 in prize money. Eleven teams weighed in 15 billfish during the two-day event. Four teams had double catches. There were four blue marlin, nine stripers and two sailfish captured Only 24 lbs separated the stripers. The winning marlin weighed 233.8 lbs and was captured by Donna Beuttell, who was fishing aboard the DA HOOKER from Kona. Capt. Dee Bradford and crewman Dave Heeney raised the fish on the 1,000-fathom ledge just past the MC-buoy. They had been there the day before, and the area had looked good, even though it was rough and windy. Dee spotted birds and bait as they trolled the waters. They had a blind strike…

■ I would like to take a moment to say mahalo to all the people who recently lent a hand to the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Division of Aquatic Resources FAD project in the wake of Hurricane ‘Iniki. First, a sincere mahalo to Victor Rapoza of the RAPO II, Leslie Cansibog of the SHADELLA S and Clarence Labone of the HANDLINE for their help running needed supplies to DLNR staff on Kaua‘i. Supplies included propane fuel, which otherwise would have been difficult to transport. I would also like to thank the fishermen who helped confirm the status of the FADs after the storm. I would like to especially mention Kevin Yamase, Robert Kutkowski and Kauai Rainbow Paint and Fishing Supply on Kaua‘i for their efforts to…

14 Oct. ‘90 Hanale Bay, Kauai Greg Filtzer Crescent-shaped bite 13.50 inches by 7.25 inches taken from tail section of 9-foot surfboard while Greg Filtzer was lying on it about 225 yards from shore at 3:15 p.m. Suspected a 12-foot tiger shark bumped the board, pulled it backward under water in a circle with Filtzer hanging on, then shook the board in the process of ripping off the piece, Filtzer’s brother-in-law, Robert Dube, was surfing with him and witnessed the attack. Both men paddled to shore after the shark let go and disappeared. Four days earlier, on 10/10/90, Rob Thompson was surfing at sunset about a half-mile away when “a large shark made several fast approaches and then circled his board as Thompson crouched on top. keeping his hand and…

Dear Mr. Johnston, We have followed with some interest from this side of the Pacific the debate, both scientific and otherwise, that seems to be raging regarding the WESPAC LIDAR Project. Although we at the South Pacific Commission (SPC) have no particular axe to grind in WESPAC, we feel compelled to respond to some of the ill-informed assertions written by tuna scientists from the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics (Helsley et al.) in your November issue (page 21), which dragged our organization (reluctantly) into the debate. They seem to believe that the image of their LIDAR project will somehow be enhanced by discrediting more conventional avenues of fisheries research. In particular, they focus attention on the tuna tagging projects of the SPC, claiming that the results of these projects have never…

■ Poke is a palate pleaser, according to HFN readers! Based on response from last month’s column of prize-winning recipes, I’d guess that poke tops everybody’s favorite food list. So, this month I’m sharing more poke recipes and two seafood recipes from the Mac Farms Aloha Week Big Island Recipe Contest, which was also part of October’s Aloha Festival held in Waimea, Hawai‘i. Roy Kaneko, who placed first in the LocalStyle category of the Poke Contest, was the grand-prize winner in the Mac Farms contest and received two nights and three days at the Turtle Bay Hilton and round-trip air transportation. Jeri Gertz placed second and won an underwater tour (for two) on Atlantis Submarines. In some cases, the creators of the recipes didn’t include serving amounts, which would vary…