Innholdsfortegnelse for January 1994 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ 1. Disaster Control. If you accidentally bump the drag lever when a strongly running fish is taking line, you have an instant nightmare. Your reel spool erupts into a mare’s nest. The tangle of loops and snarls is usually too complicated to get out in the seconds you have before the fish pulls the line tight and snaps free. There is nothing you can do. You might as well resign yourself to losing your fish. That is just what happened to Capt. Mike Stanford on the HOWDY DO while his deckhand was transferring the rod to the angler as a 420-lb blue marlin sprinted for the horizon. The good news: they got the fish. “It was a disaster that turned into a triumph of sorts,” Mike recalled. “The backlash…

■ The Coast Guard had a great day on Saturday, November 20. Everything worked the way it was supposed to. Four commercial fishermen survived, rescued after 12 hours in a life raft. The crew of the fishing vessel ISLANDER activated their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), broadcast a “mayday,” gathered survival gear and abandoned the vessel moments before it sank into the depths approximately 130 nautical miles south of Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i. The 14th District Joint Rescue Control Center (JRCC) was notified that a 121.5-megahertz EPIRB signal had been detected by a commercial aircraft flying high above the surface. The JRCC relayed the information to Group Honolulu, which diverted the 110-foot Coast Guard cutter ASSATEAGUE from patrol to perform the rescue. The vessel owner, Glynn Ross, was one of the…

■ Last month, I promised you more recipes from the Sam Choy Aloha Festivals Poke Recipe Contest. I’ve chosen three recipes, only one of which was a prize winner. The other two, which were in the final judging, are examples of how creative and delicious the final entries were. Over the past two years, the Poke Recipe Contest has drawn so much attention that it has “gone international!” It will expand in 1994 to include nonprofessional contestants from the South Pacific islands, New Zealand and Australia. (This decision was made after the Big Island of Hawai‘i was declared the “Poke Capital of the World” by Big Island Mayor Steve Yamashiro.) Poke, under many other names, is found in practically every country of the world. In Hawai‘i, it is a traditional…

Aloha Chuck, Hope your fishing expeditions, and endeavors are coming along fine. Jonathan and I (Yvonne) Quindica Sr. would like to express our greatest gratitude on your being the master of ceremonies for Weighmaster Classic V 1993. You certainly did a outstanding and wonderful Job in recognizing and dedicating the tournament to Mr. Ben Yuen, along time member of Atlapac Fishing Club. Most of all mahalo to you and your staff in supporting the Weigh-master Classic V Shoreline Fishing Tournament 1993 hosted by Atlapac Fishing Club. Enclosed you will find a photo of Jonathan Quindica Jr. (J.B.) with his very first ulua. J.B. was using a Fisher Kennedy graphite rod, Penn Jigmaster reel, 50 lb test mainline, 50 lb test leadline, 50 lb test hook line, and a size 26…

■ December 1993 marked the 20th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and congressional consideration for the reauthorization of an act that has been responsible for the restoration of the bald eagle (the symbol of our country) and the green sea turtle (honu), one of the ‘aumakua (guardian spirits) of Hawai‘i, among many other important species. The Endangered Species Act has been the basis for wildlife and habitat protection in the country for the last 20 years and has had some success. However, even with the act in place, it is estimated that some 10,000 species become extinct on this planet every year. Before man claimed dominion over Earth, only about one species became extinct every 10,000 years. Unfortunately, even as our planet’s biodiversity is producing some miraculous…

■ The weeks leading up to the 1993 Lahaina Jackpot Fishing Tournament, held during Halloween weekend, were very productive. The charter fleet brought to the scales 52 blue marlin, six striped marlin and one spearfish. They also tagged and released another 33 billfish. The North Shore of Moloka‘i off Halawa Valley and the backside of Lana‘i by the MC-buoy were the most productive spots. November saw the boats land 40 blue marlin, 19 striped marlin and two spearfish. Twenty-four other billfish were tagged and released. There was one yellowfin tuna weighing over 100 lbs brought to the scale. The North Shore of Moloka‘i continued to see most of the action; live baits trolled around the MC-buoy produced 99 percent of the fish. The two-month total of 177 billfish captured aboard…

■ The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) met in Honolulu on December 13 to 15, 1993. At this meeting, the council took final action on the elements of a longterm limited-entry plan for Hawai‘i-based pelagic longline vessels. The new limited-entry plan will replace the current three-year moratorium on new participants that expires in April 1994. The Hawai‘i-based longline fishery targets primarily swordfish and tuna and supplies markets in Hawai‘i, the U.S. mainland, Japan, Europe and elsewhere. Three years ago, after discovery of abundant swordfish stocks in the North Pacific, the number of vessels in Hawai‘i increased dramatically, prompting the council to establish a moratorium to stabilize the fishery and allow scientists to collect information on the biological, economic and social aspects of the fishery. Prior to the December…

■ A big moana squirmed on Hal Higuchi’s hook as he twirled the pigtail swivel around his mainline. Hal figured that if this didn’t entice a monster ulua from the deep, few things would. Hal went back to catching mamo and nenue and hoped for the best. Several hours went by. Suddenly Hal’s line went limp and his ulua rod shook slightly in its stand. It looked like a darn puhi strike to me, and I just giggled when Hal began to pull and jerk to try to break the leadline. All I could imagine seeing was a large squirming ball of puhi being dragged in on the surface. It was just a question of how big this buggah really was. Several minutes went by before Hal finally got his…

■ Leon Panoncillo Jr. hooked and landed a 50-lb kaku early last year in the Enchanted Lake area. Tackle used: 9-foot Daiwa rod (medium); Penn 550SS reel; 12-lb test line; and a Kaku Lures medium-sized popper. Fight time: 45 minutes. Last year turned out to be a very good year for a lot of fishermen, as catch reports indicate. This is a very special story about one shoreline fisherman who beat the odds that were stacked against him. Every day for about a month straight, Leon, his dad, his sister, Sheri, and good friend Derek would head straight to their good-luck spot in Enchanted Lakes and spin for lai, consistently catching their fair share. What really caught Leon’s attention one day were big splashes that were occurring every so often…

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the portrait that was painted at the recent Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) meeting was a real work of art. However, the questions remain, “Was it worth the effort of the artists who painted it?” and, “What kind of mess did they leave in the studion” After the council meeting in September 1993, The Hawai‘i Fishermen’s Foundation (HFF) felt that the council had made major strides to combat overexpansion in the fishery and cap the harvesting capacity in the longline fishery. The council indicated that it wanted to cap the effort and make sure that they were erring on the side of conservation rather than expanding at a pace that might be detrimental to the fishery biologically, economically, or socially.…

(Reprinted from page 13, October 1993 HFN) Dear Chuck, I heard a rumor that the governor will be advocating fishing on Moloka‘i be restricted to that island’s residents only! Can this be true? If we on O‘ahu and elsewhere won’t be allowed to fish on Moloka‘i, then maybe those people there shouldn’t come here to go to school, or shop, or see our doctors, etc. Besides, don’t my taxes help subsidize many of the government services provided to the people of Moloka‘i? Can the state really accept my tax money and then prohibit me from fishing on certain islands in the state? If it’s a matter of Hawaiian sovereignty, then maybe it’s a different story. I suppose it is only fair that we allow the native Hawaiians (who by the…

■ He fished with big black reels, but he had a smile of international gold. “Ono” Jim Dixon, who fished out of Pohoiki on the Puna Coast of the Big Island, passed away on November 10, 1993. Jim was 43 years old and had a wife, Philo, and a son, Kyle. His ashes were flung into the north wind off Pohoiki at a seaside ceremony attended by 200 people. Suisan Wholesale Fish Company sent their head buyer to represent them. The Dixon fisherman’s funeral grinds included sashimi, ‘opihi and, of course, ono steaks on the barbecue. Jimmy was born in San Bernardino, California, and started fishing in the surf for corbina at 5 years old. At age 12, while fishing with Herb Buyer, a friend, Jimmy caught a 60-lb halibut,…

■ As the 1993 fishing year for the Maui Casting Club came to an end at the December 8, 1993, meeting, it was a time for all of the members to reminisce about the year’s fishing. For the 24 members of the club, it was a very good year. A good portion of the catch was caught during the months of May through August. We were blessed with no injuries or accidents during the fishing year, and that made it even better. I looked back on the night that Dean Hayashi caught an 81-lb ulua. The very next night Dean’s wife, Lei, caught a 40-lb ulua. Another time to remember was the night that club members Don Ginoza, Gary Hashizaki, Elton Sumida and James Sugimura picked up five ulua. The…

Dear Chuck, The fishing industry in Hawai‘i may very well be on the verge of extinction. With the banning of driftnet fishing by the United Nations and the overfishing of Guam, Japan and the Atlantic, more longline fishermen are turning to Hawai‘i. The longliners have proven to be a nuisance to the local fishermen. Their miles of lines and thousands of hooks have often fouled fishermen’s boats and gear. They have also entangled and drowned numerous birds, seals, dolphins, whales and turtles, many of which are on the federally endangered or protected lists. History has shown longliners can wipe out an entire fishing industry. The yellowfin tuna (‘ahi) fleet in the Gulf of Mexico is only a fraction of what it once was. The average swordfish caught off the East…

■ Christmas Island is back. That’s the opinion of Capt. Rick Gaffney after returning from a Christmas Island trip in which he set a new world record for ulua on fly tackle. For decades, Hawai‘i shore fishermen have revered Christmas Island as a mecca for worshipers of bonefish and ulua. In recent years, however, we’ve heard rumors that the ponds, reefs and lagoons of this giant atoll have been depleted by heavy fishing pressure. A late September week of continuous bonefish and ulua action convinced Rick that fishing may again be as good there as ever. An hour after beginning his attempt to break an IGFA fly-tackle record, Rick hooked a 44-Ib giant trevally. The ulua took a sailfish fly made by Terry Baird, a two-hook model with a “huge…

Dear Chuck, My 6-M Lamiglass pole had a deep bend in it as I struggled against the heavy, thumping weight of a big ulua. Unfortunately, most of the thumping was not caused by the fish but by my legs, which were shaking violently and uncontrollably due to the adrenalin rush caused by the strike. But let me start at the beginning. My brother Ross, my wife, Bic, and I were ulua fishing on the Pahala Coast, as we have done regularly for years. When we reached our campsite, we quickly unpacked and cast out our poles. This section of the Big Island is still wild and beautiful, and we marveled at the serenity of the litter-free grounds. We felt happy and privileged to be there. Ross decided to slide out…

■ The nation’s second oldest fishing organization, the Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club, presented its annual award for significant contribution to the sportfishing community to Capt. Robert “Haole Boy” Bean at the organization’s annual awards banquet held on Saturday, November 13. The prestigious Allen H. Perry Award is presented annually by the 84-year-old organization to the “individual whose unusual services and efforts throughout the year have contributed toward the betterment and preservation of the world of sport fishing.” Capt. Bean, operator of the Kona-based charter sportfishing vessel SHOWTIME, was given the award in recognition of his efforts to promote sport fishing in Kona. Capt. Bean lobbied the state government, rallied his fellow Kona charterboat captains and spent hours educating both groups on the promotional value of sport fishing to the…

■ The governor’s Moloka‘i Subsistence Task Force received good input at their November 23, 1993, community meeting. There were lively discussions regarding the Mo‘omomi Stewardship Plan. At the end there was support for the plan with the hope that the entire island of Moloka‘i would come under such a management plan in the future. An agreement will be worked out and signed to allow homesteaders management of the shoreline and the waters from Nihoa to ‘Ilio Point with Mo‘omomi Bay a sanctuary for kids to use and Kawa‘aloa Bay a sanctuary for fish breeding. “This will be a five-year demonstration project,” said Mac Poepoe. “If we don’t take care of our food, who’s going to take care of us. …we already lost our lands.” No commercial sale of ‘opihi from…

■ Windy, cold weather slowed the fishing off of the Windward Coast, but there were decent days when people got out and found some nice fish to put in their boxes. Bernie Bender got his new boat repowered, courtesy of A.J. Sales, and he is finally fishing aboard the new IVY II after two and a half years. On the first trip with the boat, Bernie and Mark Andrews caught five small mahimahi on a really rough day; they only went out 3 miles. On the next trip, they were trying to reach the T-buoy but hooked up to a 125-lb marlin, which was really tasty and a good test for the next trip when they caught yet another marlin. Bernie and Mark decided that the boat needed a rest…

■ When you see the jet ski daredevils on TV who jump 13 Bertrams and a Boston Whaler, they always tell you, “Now don’t try this at home. This is for trained professionals only.” They are usually right. Don’t try that at home, or anywhere else. And after you read my opening story, don’t try this at all. Here are the details. While at work at the Waialua Fire Station, my co-worker Phil Booth (owner of the 26-foot Radon GENERAL LEE, and an excellent deep-water scuba diver) got a call from his friend Colin Smith. Colin is from Carlsbad, California, and is an avid blue-water free diver. Blue-water free divers are skin divers who specialize in diving in open ocean water, such as diving around FAD buoys or near piles…