Innholdsfortegnelse for April 1996 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ 1. Hooks That Hold. Start with a short-shank O’Shaugnessy-style “live bait” hook, and you can create an effective model for a wide variety of offshore purposes. We’ve used our modified “shorts” to rig small trolling lures, fish with strip baits and replace the treble hooks on casting plugs. As the hook comes from the box, its wide gap has some drawbacks. The biggest problem is that the point does not follow the direction of pull on the leader. Instead of forcing the point to penetrate, it just draws it sideways. As a result, you only get a secure hookup when the fish swallows the hook completely. We correct that problem by bringing the bend around farther and then rolling the point in slightly. Now the point will follow the…

■ As we went to press for last month’s issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS, the situation seemed to have improved for Capt. Mark Collins and his crew aboard the Mauibased commercial fishing vessel SOUTH PACIFIC, which had been seized by armed government officials at Christmas Island on the last day of January on the pretense that the vessel had been illegally fishing. As we related in a full story on the matter last month, Mark and his crew denied the charges from the start, arguing that they had been invited to fish Christmas Island waters by government officials and were doing so only to help the people of the area learn modern fishing and fish handling practices, not for commercial purposes. Mark’s side of the story was corroborated by many…

Dear Chuck, Attached is a photo of Lester Lau and his largest ‘omilu to date. In early August, Lester, Big Al Deai and I decided to go ‘oama fishing at a favorite spot on the Windward Coast of O‘ahu. We arrived, late as usual, at 9 a.m. and were told by a few of the returning ‘oama fishermen that the bite had been “hot” in the early a.m. and that currently it was really slow. The water was a bit rough, the sun was in and out of the clouds, and it was a rising tide. These facts led to a heated discussion on the merits of actually entering the water and walking the 1/4 mile from the cars to the selected spot. I was determined to go, without them…

■ It was more than an awards banquet; it was a celebration of friendship and camaraderie. The celebration also marked Hui O Ulua Shorecasters’ sixth year as an official shorecasters club. It all started as a yearning to have friends bond to be closer. And even with some of its original members departing from the club over the year, it still remains a club that welcomes its former members as if they had never parted. And with its new members, bonds are quickly formed. The bonds were evident at the Hui’s banquet held on February 10, 1996, at Victoria Inn in Kaimuki. Laughter was present throughout the banquet and every one of the club’s members, their spouses and guests were part of a memorable evening. After a year of pounding…

TV Times To Catch ‘Inside Big Game Fishing, Hawaii’ Saturday, April 6— This week, we’ll be fishing aboard the LAYLA with Capt. Bruce Evans. This episode is full of action, tips and a look at the lures that work for the crew of the LAYLA. We hook two striped marlin and a 500-plus-lb blue. You’ll see great jumps and underwater shots. Saturday, April 13— Check out how great chefs relax. In this episode, Sam Choy is fishing with us aboard the SUNDOWNER and pits his angling skills against a couple of hot blue marlin. Saturday, April 20— Kym Kiser, one of our “Inside Big Game Fishing, Hawaii” wahine team members, proves that ladies can hold their own against big fish. A couple of tough fish and a really determined angler…

■ In last months’ HFN, there was one letter in the “Mail Buoy” that caught the attention of the Hawaii Fishermen’s Foundation (HFF). The letter presented a point of view on the so-called “negativity” of many articles, in this person’s opinion, that have appeared in HFN. The author went on to claim that we should maintain control and act in moderation. All we at the HFF can say is the person who wrote this has probably never seen the inside of a Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) meeting or walked the halls of the state Legislature or participated in the management process. If he (or she) had, he would know that the role that HFN has played and the effect that many of those articles that he referred…

Mahimahi Aloha no! He u‘i no ‘o ka mahimahi! Aka, nui na po‘e e ha‘i, “Pupuka no he mahimahi.” ‘O ia paha, ‘a‘ole i pau i ka mana‘o ho‘okahi. No laila, le‘ale‘a ‘oukou i keia mo‘olelo pokole e pili ana I ka i‘a e lilo net ke kai a mau loa i Hawai‘i nei. Greetings and salutations! Handsome is the mahimahi! Although, many may say, “Mahimahi are ugly.” Perhaps (it is), but (that’s) one opinion and in the eyes of the beholder. So, enjoy this short story about a fish commonly found throughout Hawai‘i. April is said to be the best time for fishing for mahimahi. Mahimahi are magnificent fish to catch and often give fishermen a great thrill. H. G. Field in his book, “Gamefishing in Hawai‘i,” (circa 1917),…

■ I grew up in Long Beach, California, and I felt I made a wise choice in moving to Hawai‘i. I finally found a wise reason to return to Long Beach, if only for a short visit. It’s the annual Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show. Held every year around the first week of March, it sort of kicks off the West Coast fishing season. With the season’s change and the weather warming up, the fishing starts to warm up, too, and the fishermen start gearing up for the season. And when I say fishermen, I mean a lot of fishermen. The Long Beach Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show is the premiere show of the year, and it really packs them in. I have never seen so many crazy…

In Search of the Strike Zone ■ As groundhog day rolled around, the groundhog caught sight of his own shadow before hastily retreating to the safety of his burrow. According to prophecy, this signifies six more weeks of winter, and it wasn’t very long before an icy north wind began lashing at the islands and continued for most of the month. A few diehard anglers who bundled up and shrugged off the cold reported that the strong winds made positioning their boats properly and casting accurately a challenging proposition at best. The sudden inclement weather seemed to put the tucunare in a state of suspended animation, and, for the most part, the fishermen’s efforts were in vain. The water in the South Fork took on an unusual chalky brown coloration.…

FAD Survey and Questionnaire ■ The Hawaii State FAD Program is finally ready to begin a new lease on life, coordinated through the University of Hawaii instead of the Division of Aquatic Resources (see February HFN article). The fiscal uncertainty that plagued state agencies last year placed the DAR FAD program in limbo, and all FAD construction, deployments and new gear purchases were put on hold in June of 1995. This has meant that the new program faces a difficult start-up period with at least 14 FADs already reported missing and not a single FAD ready for deployment. Most of the raw materials are on hand, such as the round buoys, loose chain, rope, concrete anchors and some hardware. However, the counterweights and light mast must be welded to the…

Hi Chuck, I noticed your posting on the tuna page showing your “FISHING Hawaii Style” books. I have all three volumes and the “Fishwife” cookbook. What is your opinion of the Marine Patrol? Recently, I got a $25 citation for not displaying my trailer license registration while in the truck, when the boat was gone. I have a note saying that if he [the patrol officer] cannot see the decal, he assumes I have an expired decal. Boy, am I mad! I am paying the fine, but I will write a nice letter along with it. Any suggestions on who to write to? If you’ve got any good ideas, let me know right away. I was just going to send the letter, along with a Xerox of my current registration…

■ Writing a monthly column on fish cookery satisfies a certain, creative need, and it guarantees that you get your fill of fish on a regular basis. However, after 10 years, it is also a challenge to come up with “new” dishes for HFN readers. Let’s face it. Most of us tend to stick with the tried-and-true recipes made with familiar ingredients our families enjoy, especially at the end of a long day. Why risk whipping up some trendy dish that may cause your family to turn up their noses and reach for the peanut butter and jelly? Besides, new isn’t necessarily better. Simplicity is best. I asked several friends, all working moms and dads, how they solved the “What? Fish again?” problem while keeping it simple. Most of them…

Deer Hunting On If you were one of the lucky ones who drew a lottery number, you were or will be able to enjoy one of the great American deer hunts. Hunting Lana‘i axis deer is not only fun, it can be tasty. This year there were three ways offered to “cook” your venison. The archery hunt was held for eight consecutive days and finished on February 24. Muzzleloading season ran the first two Saturdays in March, and the rifle season runs for 11 consecutive Saturdays beginning March 6 and ending May 25. For all hunts, the bag limit is one axis deer, either sex, per hunter for the season. Ninety-five archers shot 22 deer this year, which was up from last year. They shot 11 bucks and 11 does,…

Dear Mr. Lindgard: After receiving your letter requesting fishing at Ho‘omaluhia Park, I asked my executive assistant, Paula Loomis, to get the fishing program going. I think it’s a great idea and should be done if there are no significant conditions to prevent it. Paula will coordinate action with the Parks Department and keep you posted. Thank you for sending me your idea. I look forward to fishing soon at Ho‘omaluhia! Sincerely,Jeremy HarrisMayor Dear Mayor Harris: Thank you ever so much for your enthusiasm and support for opening the 32-acre pond at the Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden to public recreational fishing. I have pledged my support to Donna Hanaike, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, on this new, exciting opportunity for the public. Almost 70 percent of today’s sport fishermen…

■ Weather-wise, this is a transitional month between our winter and summer. This means that the surface cold front of winter and the upper trough of summer can “meet” over the islands in April. The result is a few days of bad weather with heavy rain and gusty winds. Bad weather doesn’t occur every April over Hawaii waters, but it happens often enough, or the potential is there, to warrant being aware of its possibility. Trade wind days continue to increase-about 75 percent of the time well have trades. Expect eight to 15 days of gusty trades. High northwest swell and surf action is tapering down. Expect only about two days of surf 10 to 15 feet high at Sunset Beach, O‘ahu. April 1 - Sunrise: 6:24 am, Sunset: 6:46…

■ Aloha. My focus this month is on the current U.S. Coast Guard drug testing requirements and recent events that have brought the U.S. Coast Guard into the limelight. “Do I Need A Drug Testing Program? A prevailing question smaller commercial operators (employing only one or two employees) often ask is, ‘Do the drug regulations apply to me?’ The answer is a big ‘yes.’ The chemical testing regulations apply to most commercial vessel operations regardless of the number of employees. “Generally, if a license, Certificate of Registry (COR) or Merchant Mariner’s Document (MMD) is required by at least one person on a vessel, that person is required to be tested, and all of the drug testing regulations apply. Additionally, any other crew member who performs a safety related function on…

Howzit Chuck, After reading [the article in] your February HFN on those giant ono in Fiji and those great blue-water dive stories in the March HFN, I thought I should drop you a line and a photo of some action back on O‘ahu. For some reason, there was an off-season run of ono in February that produced some impressive ono for some die-hard divers. In the first few days of February, I lost two large fish, a 40-to 50-lb thick-skulled kaku and a 35-to 40-lb soft-fleshed ono, because of poorly placed shots. To shoot large fish and lose them can be a very disturbing experience for a diver. On February 13, I got another chance. My dive partner, Ray Kamai, and I decided to go to an area where the…

■ I am writing in response to the article titled “Should Gill Nets Be Banned?” in last month’s HAWAII FISHING NEWS. I would like to offer an alternative point of view and also clear up some misconceptions. First of all, shoreline gill nets should not be confused with drift nets. The illustration that accompanied the article depicts a drift net. These nets are part of a large-scale operation, usually by foreign fishermen, in which nets float on the surface of the ocean and entangle various types of sea life. Gill nets rest on the ocean bottom close to shore and do not (unlike the illustration [suggests]) snare sea birds and dolphins. To get a different perspective on gill nets, let’s first take a look at who uses these nets. They…

■ A unique Honolulu-based fishing club began its new club year by giving back to the community. On September 23, 1995, the Kakaako Kasting Club volunteered their Saturday of fishing for a rare opportunity to participate in Hawaii’s National Hunting and Fishing Day. The KKC, the only fishing club participant, was asked on relatively short notice. With a few weeks to prepare, they pulled together and created spectacular visual displays including a fish tank with live reef fish and a layout of ulua rods with different leader systems. This national event, filled with hands-on activities and fabulous demonstrations, was enjoyed by families from all over O‘ahu. They dropped by Koko Head Rifle Range to partake in the festivities involving skeet, archery and muzzleloader shooting, as well as casting. The public…

■ “Fishing Tales®” airs every Saturday at 5 p.m. on KHON-TV-2. Here’s a preview of what host Mike Sakamoto has in store for you. Saturday, April 6-Ka‘awaloa Sushi With Troy Teruya Mike invites Troy Teruya, the sushi chef at the Pagoda Hotel, to the Big Island to fish for small game and to do some skin diving. Troy, in turn, shows Mike how to make sushi at the campsite. This is a good-fun fishing show featuring an impromptu sushi making session and underwater video of small-game spearing. Saturday, April 13-Kahua Ranch Rainbow Trout In this episode, trout fishing guide Charlie Campbell takes Mike up to the reservoir at Kahua Ranch where they go rainbow trout fishing with light fly rods. Also along is Honolulu boy Earl Matsuoka, who’s an avid…

Reprinted from the August 31, 1995 edition of Nature Fish Base A Biologicai Database on Fish Fish Base 1.2 Fishbase: A biological Database on Fish (CD-Rom and User’s Manual) is available from ICLARM, MCPO Box 2631, 0718 Makati City, Philippines. Telephone (63-2) 8180466/8189283/8175163. Email fishbase@cgnet.com ■ With more than 30,000 publications listed annually in the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts, knowledge of fish and fisheries is increasing at a prodigious rate. The difficulty lies in making this knowledge accessible to a wide range of potential users. The problem is particularly severe in many developing countries, where fisheries may be central to the well being of the population yet up-to-date information on their proper management may be unavailable. Motivated by these concerns, workers at the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources…

■ Tag-and-release charterboat fishing in Kailua-Kona, the blue marlin capital of the Pacific, yields more rewards than just the thrill of big-game action. On the occasions when a tagged-and-released fish is recaptured, these recoveries may provide information helpful to conservationists for developing management plans to ensure that there will be game fish around for generations to come. So, when a marlin is brought to the boat to be tagged and released and the captain, crew and charterer find it has already been tagged, that’s news! When it happens twice in two weeks, that’s real news, which was the case recently with two tagged and released marlin captured by Kona charter captain Peter Hoogs and commercial fishing captain Robert Leslie III. Capt. Hoogs’ marlin was brought in on his charterboat, the…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of April we’ll send you a HFN Koolzie, HFN Cap andtwo Official HFN RV or Boat Window Stickers…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! …Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25413, Honolulu, HI 96825 Dear Chuck, In January, we went out to the NL-buoy on the REEL FUN II and I caught this 14-lb aku while baiting. Right when I brought it up, I looked and saw the line was wrapped around the tail. When it was at the surface, I grabbed the tail and brought the fish in the boat. When I put it on the floor, the line unrolled. As we were drifting by the buoy, the boat next to us hooked up to a big marlin.…