Innholdsfortegnelse for May 1998 i Hawaii Fishing News

The Slider, Digger and Diver ■ Power drift with a slider, a digger and a diver, and then take bets on which one gets hit first. Some days, offshore game fish are most attracted to the sight of a bait fish sliding across the surface on its back as though trying to escape. At others, they can’t resist the crippled baitfish action of a “digger” breaking the surface on one side, tucking its head down for a few strokes and then swimming back up on its other side. And some days, they wolf down the “diver” bait swimming steadily 2 or 3 fathoms deep well back from the boat. Whichever bait they prefer, you always win the bet because you can fish all three simultaneously. Better yet, all three baits…

“The thoughts of an angler are long, long, thoughts, even if all the trout he catches are short.” Frederic F. Van de Water-author ■ Freshwater fishing is not something most Hawai‘i fishermen think of when they pick up their poles. However, I believe there are a number of you out there who would like to give it a try. According to the results of the fishing survey recently conducted by the Division of Aquatic Resources and published in the March 1998 issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS, 98 out of 863 surveyed said they would like to catch freshwater fish. That works out to slightly under 9 percent of the people surveyed. If that figure is applied across the board and multiplied by the estimated 260,000 anglers in Hawai‘i over the…

■ “Obsess: To occupy or trouble the mind to an excessive degree; preoccupy; harass; haunt.” “Compulsion: An irresistible impulse or tendency to perform an act. An act or series of acts so performed.” These definitions are taken from the “Standard College Dictionary.” Do they sound familiar? I was recently asked by someone to submit a biography of myself so they could get to know me before I did some work for them. I wrote it and left it on my desk. A few days later, I picked it up and reread it. I could not believe what I had written! I had no idea what fishing meant to me. I have always been around the water. I fished since I was 6 months old. I caught my first fish at…

Dear Chuck, Recently, a young man died while training for free-diving in a public swimming pool. He was an enthusiastic participant in the sport of free-diving, and apparently he was trying to earn a spot on the United States Free-Dive Team, to participate in international free-diving competition. He was diligent and dedicated to his sport, and consciously made an effort to motivate himself to train many hours per week in preparation of a meet that was coming up on the mainland. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and those close to him. The sport of free-diving should not be confused with or associated with the sport of free-dive spear fishing. About the only things that the two sports have in common is that they are both practiced…

■ The Oceanic Institute has increased the reward it is offering for moi to $10 per fish head. The reason for this is simple, according to Dr. Dave Ziemann, program manager. “We’ve made a major investment of time and money in stock enhancement research on these fish, and now we really need the fishermen’s help to determine which method worked best.” The institute has been working on moi enhancement for several years, first perfecting how to raise moi in a hatchery and then monitoring their survival in O’ahu’s coastal waters. The goal of this program is to advance the technology so a full-scale stock enhancement program can be implemented. Tagged moi-li’i have been released into O’ahu’s coastal waters on several occasions in recent years. About 200,000 were released in 1997…

■ There are those who have vigorously complained for years now about the depletion of our nearshore fisheries. Then there are those who say, “Hey, I’m still catching plenty, brah. There’s no problem.” Well, trying to determine who’s right and who’s wrong hasn’t been a problem for many of us who have looked at the situation carefully and at the reasons that each side can have such different viewpoints. All you have to do is sit back, have a beer and look at your choices. You’re sitting there, relaxed, with your son or daughter at your side, enjoying the ocean, the warmth of the sun-like a scene out of “Huck Finn”-with a small pole dangling a line in the water. The bobber gently floats up and down with the wave…

Offshore Action ■ Aloha nui loa! Greetings! I hope your fishing trips have been as productive as ours here on Lana’i. Because the offshore weather conditions were calm and ideal, more trips were made by the local mosquito boat trailers. The harvests were awesome, with abundant catches of aku, ‘ahi, mahimahi and ono. “Rapid Roy,” a local boat trailer, told me that he harvested four mahimahi, four ono, lots of aku and ‘ahi and one ulua during his weekend efforts. The TRILOGY, a snorkel/cruise catamaran, reported landing a 20-lb mahimahi angled by local boy Chad. Imagine, they caught it by sailing/trolling (motor not running)-a new method? Capt. Patrick DeVault and crew Dustin Kaopuiki and Angel Hernandez caught an 80-lb shortbill spearfish while trolling on the TRILOGY II catamaran. They said…

■ Ever since he can remember, Kahana Itozaki has loved to fish. From going after giant trevally to whipping for small game, his passion for fishing runs deep. Kahana received a call from his fishing partner, Ross Ohta. who resides in Los Angeles. Ross inquired when the next fishing expedition would take place. It was just a month before that Ross had gaffed Kahana’s second 100-plus-lb ulua. Kahana informed his partner that he had reserved their favorite fishing spot on the new moon phase in March. Although Ross had just been in the islands in February, he could not pass up the invitation to join Kahana and his fiancee, Phyllis Shindo. Ross called his father, Bennett, who resides in Kona, to arrange the procurement of bait. His father is one…

■ Diving from shore is the most common way that skin and scuba divers start. A dive boat makes things a thousand times easier, and a fully dedicated “boat driver” is an even greater luxury. The reason that a boat driver is so important is because the alternative to a driver is anchoring the boat and leaving it during the dive. Trust me when I say that that’s a hazard waiting to happen. Many a diver has finished his dive and found the boat drifting away, or nowhere in sight. Anchors pull free or lines come loose or cut on sharp coral, and suddenly you’ve got a long, long swim home or a lonely drifting situation that may last long into the night. Shore diving is where it all starts,…

■ Gill net revulsion is a local disease that seems to raise the level of anger in the fishing community, cyclically. You don’t hear much about gill nets for a while, then there is a flurry of bad news about them. A bunch of concerned fishermen make noise about how damaging gill nets are to the environment, then we all go on about our lives and little is apparently done until another gill net scandal hits the news; then the community is aroused once more. The recent news reports about a length of unattended gill net on 0‘ahu’s North Shore that killed about a halfdozen honu (green sea turtles) in one set raised every responsible fisherman’s level of anger anew, as did reports of thousands of feet of gill net…

Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement 1151 Punchbowl Street Honoluolu, Hawaii 96813 April 14, 1998 Dear Mr. Johnston, The “E-Mail Buoy” article in the April 1998 edition of the HAWAII FISHING NEWS, written by Mr. Carroll E. Cox, relates to the alleged punishment of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Officers (CREOs) for failure to meet “tag,” or ticket, violation quotas. According to the article, punishment would be in the form of denial of new vehicles, transfers, or termination of employment. I would like to provide the facts to you as they exist. Let me state, for the record, that we do not have quotas for “tags,” or “tickets,” as alleged in Mr. Cox’s article. In general, each officer has the discretion to either educate and…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of May we’ll send you an HFN Holoholo Style Koolzie, HFN Cap and two official HFN RV or Boat Window Stickers…our way of saying thanks sharing your catch!…Hana Pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25040, Honolulu, HI96825 Dear Chuck, A couple of times each year, my wife and I come to O’ahu to visit with our relatives in Mililani. On a whim, we also went to Maui this time to go snorkeling. We booked a trip on a huge catamaran called the MAKA KAI. As luck would have it, the MAKA KAI was pulling some lures this morning. On our way to the snorkeling destination, the reel started singing. A 56-inch ono had struck and was now trying to escape with breakfast.…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS sKONA GOLD ’N BLUE TOURNAMENT May 1, 2 & 3, 1998 HIBA-Kona (808) 329-6155 P.O. Box 4800, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 MTBC OVERNIGHTER FISHING TOURNAMENT May 23 & 24, 1998 Maui Trailer Boat Club-Gary Vinge (808) 244-3304 P.O. Box 672, Wailuku, HI 96793 KONA CLASSIC TOURNAMENT May 23 & 24, 1998 Tropidilla- Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 MEMORIAL DAY TOURNAMENT May 23, 24 & 25, 1998 Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club-Kona (808) 325-7362 P.O. Box 3106, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 SIXTH ANNUAL WAHINE FISHING TOURNAMENT June 12, 13, & 14, 1998 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 AHI FEVER IN WAIANAE June 13 & 14, 1998 Waianae Boat Fishing Club-Oahu (808) 696-3399 P.O. Box 821, Waianae, HI 96792 http://www.stkhi.com/AHI_FEVER BIG ISLAND INVITATIONAL MARLIN…

■ One of the fine arts of fly fishing is properly tying the many different knots that are required to successfully fish with the long wand. More knots are used in saltwater fly fishing than in any other single form of game fishing, because of the mixture of line types required by fly fishing. Because knots can be the weakest link in any fishing rig, it is important to learn to tie each of them well. A typical saltwater flyfishing rig will include backing (the line connected to the fly reel arbor, generally 20- to 50-lb test Dacron or Spectra), the flyline or shooting head (the weighted line that allows you to cast), the butt section (monofilament of roughly the same diameter as the flyline, tapering to just larger than…

Spear Fishin’ Mem’ries ■ While driving along the waterfront recently, I saw a grandpa “fishing” with his young grandchild. The youngster was standing on the wall while grandpa embraced the child, both clutching a fishing pole and peering into the dark waters. It reminded me that most of us were introduced to fishing with the use of a pole. I fished the neighborhood streams and later ventured to the safe and shallow waters of the reefs along our many beaches. At those reef formations, I sought many fish such as mamo, ‘upapalu (cardinal fish), squirrel fish, goatfish, young aholehole and whatever took my baited hooks. While I fished. I observed the spear fishermen in the area and their catches as they returned to the shore. As I became familiar and…

Legislature 1998 ■ Advances made by the 1997 State Legislature to improve management of Hawaii’s aquatic resources may be dealt a serious blow as the current legislature struggles to find ways to reduce government spending. Last year’s Legislature supported the governor’s “Ocean State Initiative” by providing increased funding to the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). This money has been used to fund research initiatives and provide additional needed staff. But the House version of the state budget, which recently crossed over to the Senate, would cut the DAR’s budget by $176,233 and DOCARE’s by $507,932. This would mean the loss of 10 enforcement officers and two aquatic biologists hired as a result of last year’s initiative along with other significant cuts.…

■ Tombo ‘ahi showed up unexpectedly a few months early at a supermarket fish counter here in Waimea! July through September are the prime months for albacore, and its appearance in April may suggest that it will be plentiful this summer. Tombo is high priced in other parts of the world because of its delicate light pink flesh (white when it is cooked). But here in Hawai’i, stronger flavored deep-red tuna is preferred and tombo is usually priced lower than its more flavorful, ruby-colored cousins: yellowfin; bigeye; and skipjack. Because albacore does not have a high fat content, overcooking it will result in dry chunks of fish! You can avoid overcooking easily by watching the edges of the tombo steak. Remove it from the skillet while it is still pink…

■ As I write this, we are in mid-April and the weather here on the North Shore (of O'ahu) is still in transition. I guess Mother Nature hasn’t made up her mind yet (is it winter or spring?). This past winter has been the longest I can ever remember. In December waves of up to 40 feet pounded the shoreline, leaving even the strongest and boldest watermen (big-wave surfers) on dry land. Although we were in the height of our surf season, many believe the unusually high surf conditions were the cause of El Nino. These conditions left many of us on dry land, also. But with the subsiding of winter, conditions for free-dive spearfishing presented themselves, somewhat. In spite of rough conditions, the first of three (three-man) teams to…

LONO HARBOR (19353-4121) is 3.5 miles east of Laau Point; a Haleolono. Lono is the benevolent god for whom Captain Cook was mistaken. This mistake ultimately cost Cook his life. Haleolono means “House of Lono.” Lono Harbor is one of our very favorite places. Although large and uncomfortable swells sometimes occur in the harbor, it affords excellent and safe anchorage in all weather. The harbor is protected by two breakwaters. The entrance channel is 12 feet deep, with a 346° unlighted range; entrance is clear and easy. The harbor basin is 18 feet deep. The harbor has a 260-foot wharf and an anchorage in the east end. The facilities, all privately owned, are for the bulk handling of sand and cinders. They were once used by barges, but the operation…

■ Wind. wind and more wind. Wouldn’t you know it? When my boat’s in dry dock, the weather is great. The day I get her back in the water, winter finally arrives in a big way. How many times have you heard someone complaining about that? About a million? The only redeeming thing about my boat being in dry dock during such nice water was that there weren’t any fish around to speak of. Now. the mahimahi have shown up and so have gale force winds. Hey! “Fish happens.” The Hale’iwa commercial trolling fleet has been loading up on the dorado when they can get out there with a reasonable amount of certainty of getting back. The MARION B, DIAMOND S, KAN A NUI, SANAE O, KUULOA KAI and CHUPU…

■ For the second year in a row, the 35-foot Bertram REEL HOOKER captured the top Lahaina Harbor/West Maui Charter Sportfishing Boat title. The REEL HOOKER landed 60 blue marlin (the most among the fleet) totaling 11,042 lbs (highest total weight), 22 striped marlin (second most) totaling 1,408 lbs (second highest), nine spearfish (third most) totaling 317 lbs (third highest), and one sailfish weighing 42 lbs (second largest). The boat’s 92 billfish (most among the fleet) weighed a grand total of 12,809 lbs (highest total lbs). The crew of the REEL HOOKER released an additional 33 billfish (second highest amount released among the fleet) made up of 16 blue marlin (tied for most), six striped marlin and 11 spearfish. The boat’s 76 blue marlin (most among the fleet), 28 striped…

■ May signals better weather for Hawai’i waters—there is less chance of severe weather, like strong Kona winds, thunderstorms or heavy rain. There is still a small chance of bad weather in May, but normally it is a well-behaved month. Trade winds will blow about 86 percent of the time, and one should expect about four to 10 days of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity will continue to decrease. Surf at sunset beach, O‘ahu, will not rise above five feet on most days, but there is a chance that 10- to 15-foot surf can occur. Higher than normal swell and surf on the southern shores will be increasing through the month as storms in the Southern Hemisphere become stronger. Tropical cyclones do not normally occur in Hawai’i waters in May.…