Innholdsfortegnelse for February 1997 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Last month we reported on the 105-lb ulua caught by Kona resident George Handgis at Midway last September. The International Game Fish Association has just certified George’s fish as the new IGFA World Record on 30-lb test line, topping the previous record by 11 lbs. George’s fish is the first world record set at Midway. The fish was taken in about 70 feet of water from the 38-foot Bertram ENTERPRISE fishing in the lee of Sand Islands with captains Barry Robinson and Charlie Stuve and IGFA representative Roddy Hayes. The record ulua was caught on a chunk of frozen ono after chumming with both ono and kawakawa. George used a Shimano reel mounted on a Melton International standup rod to score his record fish in a 20-minute battle. It…

Ono ■ Hau’oli Makahiki Hou! Mamake au e pomaika‘i ai ia ‘oukou i ka makahiki hau’oli. No laila, i ka manawa hope e loa‘a na i‘a a mau loa. Eia kekahi, malama i kou mau kino i keia makahiki hou. I ka mahina mua, ua hele i ka hale ‘aina ‘o Sam Chop’s ma laila, ua ‘ai i ka mea ‘ai he ‘ono loa. Maika‘i loa i keia mea ‘ai. Pela no, i keia mo‘olelo e pili ana i ka i‘a, ‘o ka ono. Happy New Year! I want to wish you folks the happiest year. Further, in the future to obtain a bountiful harvest of fish. And to take care of your health in this new year. Last month, I was fortunate to go to Sam Choy’s restaurant to…

■ Aloha! It’s good to be back in Hawai‘i and to be writing “Aqualine” again after an 18-month stay on the mainland. Hopefully, we’ll publish a column each month to keep you advised about diving activities in Hawai‘i. HFN provides great coverage of fishing activities in Hawai‘i, as well as coverage of hunting in the islands. Diving is also covered, and divers are usually also fishermen. We have a common goal to continue to enjoy the ocean and its marine life in this very special place. I personally enjoy all kinds of fishing-trolling, bottomfish fishing, whipping and shore-casting-every bit as much as diving. Among divers, too, there are many different hobbies. These include fishing, photography, lobster and tako hunting, shell collecting and sightseeing. Sometimes, different divers find themselves in conflict…

We’re back, and do I have some stories to tell you! It started off on Wednesday, November 12, while I was fishing with my father-in-law, Burt Sabanal, and the rest of the boys. We had a special guest with us, Andy Garigan, a good man and once a great boxer. We started off catching bait and just getting ready for the night. The day and ocean were so nice and with the sun setting, they became even nicer. We got our first hit at around 7 p.m. My father-in-law caught a baby ulua, and a little after that on the same pole, he caught a good-sized awa. Wouldn’t you know it, Chuck, on the same pole he took another hit? He’d just cast it out, and the bait had hit…

The following is our list of award winners for 1996: In addition to the award winners, there were two outstanding achievements by club members that deserve special recognition: Sharon Handgis set a world record with her 28-lb spearfish captured on 6-lb test line, the sixth year in a row a club member has set a world record. Capt. Gene Vander Hoek and his crew on the SEA GENIE II received an award for their outstanding year of catches: 109 blue marlin; 17 striped marlin; and 23 spearfish, for a total of 149 billfish. …Robbie Englehard…

Dear Chuck, My dad, Kinney Louie, has been busting his ‘okole lobbying support for the tag-and-release program for the elusive ulua. He and the rest of his committee are making an effort to assure the future of the ulua, so that fishermen throughout this state can brag when they finally hook up to the “big one.” Maybe they’ll even get their picture on the front page of HAWAII FISHING NEWS. My point in writing to you is I’ve heard people say, “Who is this guy trying to save the ulua?” Then they make comments like, “I going eat what I catch; the heck with tagging and releasing ’em!” Or, “Brah, get choke ulua in the ocean!” and, “What dis guy know about ulua fishing?” In all honesty, I can see…

■ Where have I been? During the past two years, I’ve missed seven issues of a great publication dedicated to one of my favorite foods-pasta. Pasta Press is a quarterly “for connoisseurs of Fine Pasta…with a healthy twist.” I saw it mentioned in a magazine, ordered it for a pasta-loving friend, read through her first issue and knew I had to have my own collection. Not only have I subscribed, I’ve ordered all the back issues I’d missed! Pasta Press is definitely “user friendly” in its handling of healthful information, cooking tips and short cuts, recipes with nutritional notations, favorites from experts, three wine suggestions for each recipe, and more! In Issue 8, the “Angel Hair With Blackened Fish and Caper Salsa” recipe uses the blackening technique (“food is cooked…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS KONA MARLIN FISHING TOURNAMENT February 4, 1997 Mike Nelson-Big Island (808) 254-5944 PRESIDENTS DAY TOURNAMENT March 1 & 2, 1997 Hawaii Yacht Club-Oahu (808) 949-4622 1739-C Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96815 HE UE NO KOKUA TOURNAMENT March 14, 15 & 16, 1997 Maalaea Boat & Fishing Club-Maui (808) 572-4885 139 Kulalani Dr., Kula, HI 96790 SPRING FISHING TOURNAMENT March 15 & 16, 1997 Hawaii Yacht Club-Oahu (808) 949-4622 1739-C Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96815 APRIL FOOLS DAY TOURNAMENT March 29, 30 & April 1, 1997 Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club-Kona (808) 325-7362 P.O. Box 3106, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 LAHAINA SPRING WAHINE TOURNAMENT April 5 & 6, 1997 Lahaina Yacht Club-Maui (808) 661-0191 835 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761 SENORITA’S TOURNAMENT April 19 & 20, 1997 Hawaii…

■ The problem with fishing with bait is that sometimes you just don’t know if you have anything on your hook. And fishing with a bare hook, for some reason, just doesn’t seem to catch fish. This is especially true when using a floater and going for fish like mullet, nenue, mamo and palani. You can sit there, watch your floater and just about will it to go under or tip up, indicating a strike. But it just won’t. So, after a period of time you crank in your floater and find that you don’t have any bait. How long has the bait been gone? All this time you’ve been watching and straining your eyes and wishing with all your might, and, for all you know, the hook was bare…

■ Several world record holders are planning an assault on Midway Atoll this May. No, they don’t plan to take over the island, just to take on the massive ulua population that surrounds the recently opened Northwest Hawaiian Island. I have created a special Midway package and plan to lead a small group of dedicated anglers in an all-out assault on the ulua section of the world record book in early May. Both male and female anglers have already committed to the effort. Serious anglers are invited to call me at (808) 325-5000 (in Kona) if they are interested in joining the group from May 4 to 11,1997, at Midway. The special package price includes round-trip transportation from Kaua‘i to Midway, accommodations and meals, ground transportation. boats, tackle, bait, lures-everything…

‘Olelo hou: Ama-outrigger float of a canoe. ‘Ama‘ama-mullet, a very choice indigenous fish. ‘Ama‘amau-in rapid succession, as in waves or cars (traffic). ‘Amana-shaft of an octopus lure (luhe‘e). ‘Ami kai-an amphipod that clings to seaweeds; it has a long slender body and is the color of the seaweed on which it feeds. Amlo-narrow channel, as to a sea pool; to move through such a channel. Amoamo-to raise or mount high, as waves; high, raised.…

Dear Mr. Johnston, I am writing today in regard to two recent articles in your publication by Mr. Bob Duerr on the Natural Area Reserve System. After reading the first article in the December 1996 issue, entitled “NARS Ringing Ulua Bell” (page 22), I called Mr. Duerr and asked him if we could meet to correct some of the gross inaccuracies and misleading information he presented in the article. He gladly came in the following day, and we spoke for about an hour and a half, going over points I said were either inaccurate, or outright wrong. I thought it was a productive, clarifying discussion. Upon reading the January 1997 issue, and the article entitled “Ulua Fishermen Ringing NARS Bell,” with the subtitle “Narsians Strike Back” (page 13) I was…

Tag and Release Report Charter Services Report Due to the limited space available and the large number of fish caught, catch reports are limited to tuna over 100 lbs and billfish of any size, any species. (S) = Striped marlin and (B) = Black marlin.…

So What About Tournaments? ■ The voice of tournament control booms through the VHF, “Start fishing…. Start fishing…. Start fishing.” The competing boat skippers immediately respond with the nautical version of “putting the pedal to the metal.” Supercharged with optimism, the sportfishing teams race out of a cloud of their own diesel smoke, headed for what is calculated to be the most productive area, and the tournament has begun. We have folks from all over the world aboard our charterboat, the SUNDOWNER, here in Kailua-Kona some 200-plus days a year, every year, year after year. Usually at some point during the day, when we aren’t solving the world’s economic problems or discussing the pros and cons of politics or various religions (naturally being careful to remain politically correct at all…

(United States Coast Guard) EPIRBs ■ Last month, I investigated unsolicited open ocean boardings and inspections of vessels by the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii. I hope you folks got an insight into the subject matter by way of that article. 1 unfortunately was unable to schedule an interview to further pursue the matter due to the holidays and conflicts. I’ll try to update you as soon as possible in subsequent months. Recently, a rather alarming matter involving the fishing vessel LADYAUD gripped headlines and is the main study of this article. I feel the time is ripe to educate readers on their emergency equipment aboard their vessels. Much information was submitted with the help of Lt. Paul Albertson and MST1 John A. Maurer of the Fishing Vessel Safety, Marine…

■ Hawaii’s 1997 spring turkey hunting season is conning, and you can thank the Volcano Island Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) for a generous two-bird limit. This bigger limit was a response by the DLNR’s Wildlife and Forestry Division to the chapter’s successful field studies and habitat enhancement projects. Now, here’s how you can thank the Volcano Island Chapter. Attend their Fourth Annual Super Fund Banquet on March 29, 1997, at the Keauhou Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona. The Super Fund Banquet boasts an all-you-can-eat buffet with a prime rib bar, dessert bar and no-host cocktails. There will be door prizes, too. Persons who wish to stay at the Keauhou Beach Hotel can call toll-free (800) 367-6025. Because you’ll be dining with a room full of turkey hunters…

■ Well, 1996 is over, and no one caught a “grander,” or marlin over 1,000 lbs, off Kona during the year. But there was definitely something huge caught. Back in March, Capt. Doug Pattengill was all the news with the tiger shark he boated while fishing with angler Pat Thomas of Kona. This shark proved to be the biggest fish weighed at the scales this year. The weight was 1,001 lbs! If there were a contest for the fish that generated the most photo sales, Capt. Pattengill’s catch would have won it. The angler, his friends, his family, people who live in the same condo, and almost everyone got a photo of Pat and his fish whether they knew him or not! Kona’s largest blue marlin of the year was…

■ You’ve got questions? I don’t have answers. The most frequently asked question is, of course, “Where are the fish?” My most frequent answer is, of course, “I don’t know!” If I knew, I’d be there. My guess is that the water is a few degrees colder than it should be for this time of year, most likely due to the storms we’ve had lately. Fishing is generally slow this time of year anyway, but it never seemed to be this slow. Some shibi-ko have been showing up at the buoys, but none too large and not too many. And if you’re really lucky, you just might stumble onto a striped marlin. Stripers seem to be the main game in town for the moment. Let’s hope that changes soon. Like…

■ The blue marlin-to-striped marlin ratio began to change during November. Out of the 48 billfish caught, 26 blue marlin and 16 striped marlin were brought to the scales along with one sailfish. Another five billfish were tagged and released. Half of all fish were caught on baits. The deep-water ledges off the west and southwest sides of Lana‘i saw two-thirds of the fish action. During December, the billfish numbers dropped dramatically. Of the 26 billfish caught, three were blue marlin, 13 were striped marlin and five were spearfish. There were five billfish tagged and released. The bite was spread out across the backside of Lana‘i from Ka‘ena Point to the MC-buoy. Marlin on the Inside An ono run off the west corner of Lana‘i produced a 586-lb marlin for…

■ It’s still winter but February’s weather is normally less severe than January’s. Good weather will prevail during the majority of the days in the month, but bad weather periods can cause problems: gusty trade winds, upper trough and Kona low with thunderstorms and heavy rain. The fast and sometimes unexpected appearance of these strong winds in local waters should be considered by those planning activities in the water. Wintertime high northwest swell and surf action is gradually winding down. At Sunset Beach, O‘ahu, expect about four days of surf higher than 10 feet but less than 20 feet and surf heights between 6 and 10 feet on about 12 days. Trade winds are expected on over half of the days in the month with gusty trades on about four…