Innholdsfortegnelse for June 1998 i Hawaii Fishing News

Golden Aholehole ■ The plans were set. I was invited to join Doug, my high school classmate, and his diving partner to go spearing in the waters of the harbor after school. Both Doug and his friend were experienced divers and members of the high school swim team. 1 was a newcomer to the team and my spearing experiences were limited to the safe and shallow waters of Waikiki Beach, so this would be something different. It was a short ride from our Kalihi neighborhood to Sand Island Road and to their secret location. Our object was the deep-water aholehole. The surface of the dark green water sparkled in the early afternoon sun as we prepared our equipment. They entered the warm water, and, with a bit of apprehension, I…

■ The black scrounger was attached to a 7-foot section of 6-lb test as it zipped and spun through the rough surf. I worked the white water to no avail and finally decided to make a longer cast out past the surge zone and into deeper water. As the ½-oz lead hit the water, I noticed a large splash some 30 yards to the right of where my lead had landed. In an instant, I saw a long silver flash erupt through the water and dive several times before reaching its destination-which was my scrounger! It felt as if a freight train had hit my line as it was ripped out in long smooth spurts. It seemed like an eternity before the fish tired and began to slow down. My…

■ Once again this year, the Maui Trailer Boat Club (MTBC) joined with the Maalaea Boat and Fishing Club (MBAFC) to sponsor the Wahine Fishing Tournament. It was scheduled for Saturday, April 18, and it looked debatable as to whether it was going to fly. The weather had been foul all week with small-craft advisories being issued each day. The day of the tournament was no exception. Gary Vinge, the MTBC tournament chairman, and Kalie Luuwai, the MBAFC chairman, made the decision to let it fly, and a good decision it was. As the day wore on, the weather improved dramatically-at least on the south shores of Maui. The same could not be said for the north shores, where only two boats braved the strong winds and the swell to…

■ It was the last week of May. I could see the dramatic Aleutian Island chain littered with snow-covered volcanoes from the window of the Alaskan Airways 707 in which I was flying. At 12:30 a.m., it was still light enough to read. I started getting fish fever at 30,000 feet, while looking down at the lakes and streams of the peninsula before landing in Anchorage. After a four-hour drive on the spectacularly beautiful Seward Highway, accessing the world-famous sporting grounds of the Kenai Peninsula, we pulled up to the little trailer on the Ninilchik River that would be my base camp for the next month. A friend had left me the keys to the trailer and an old rusted four-wheel-drive truck to use while I was in Alaska. Besides…

■ Do we have integrity in the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)? On February 9, 1998, a new “Standards of Conduct” manual was issued to the Department of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) staff. The manual was mentioned in a “Letter to the Editor” from Gary Moniz, acting enforcement chief of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, that was published in the May issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS. In the letter, Gary also indicated that they are working on written “General Orders” that would “bring them up to the same standards found in similar law enforcement agencies.” If they are waiting for written orders to bring them up to par, where are they now? After observing the behavior of Mike Wilson, we need not look any further…

■ “What we have heah, is a failure to communicate,”growled actor Strother Martin in 1967’s award-winning Paul Newman movie, “Cool Hand Luke.” That famous line seems to apply to fishery conservation in Hawai‘i, too. In order for us to effectively conserve Hawaii’s sportfishing resources, we need to have more conversations about conservation. It seems that Hawaii’s fishermen don’t talk to each other until they are forced to do so by some dramatic incident or another. We were reminded of this crisis-only communication pattern when the issue of increased gill net restrictions was brought up. The first reaction was a lot of loud noise from various fishing factions. Then, after some communications in the local fishing community, it turned out that most fishermen in Hawai‘i basically agree that more restrictions on…

Capt. Dan Shaffer Leads the Fleet ■ Capt. Dan Shaffer, owner of the 31-foot Bertram DESPERADO, was the top captain among the 32 captains of the Lahaina Harbor/West Maui charter sportfishing fleet for 1997. Dan caught 75 billfish. The DESPERADO was the third-place charterboat for 1997 with 82 billfish. Dan weighed in 42 of the boat’s 43 blue marlin (most of any captain) totaling 7,501 lbs (highest total weight), 18 of the boat’s 23 striped marlin (most of any captain) totaling 1,341 lbs (highest total weight), seven of the boat’s eight spearfish totaling 252 lbs, and one sailfish weighing 70 lbs (largest of the year). The 68 billfish brought to the scales (highest total catch) weighed a grand total of 9,164 lbs (highest total weight). Dan also released four blue…

■ The day Suzanne McNaughton and her family moved into the house next door was a lucky day for me. I didn’t know at the time that we shared many interests, including cooking. Once we got to know each other. 1 learned that this Canadian transplant had raised five step-children in her “first life,” and her daily challenge back then was creating wholesome main dishes that would feed seven, using only 1 lb of meat. When the family eventually moved to Seattle. Suzanne was in heaven because fresh seafood was plentiful and. in a pinch, she could feed the family for under $10 at the Chinese restaurant around the corner. Her life has changed markedly since then. She met and married husband David while she worked for the Red Cross.…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of June 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 for sharing your catch!…Hana pa‘a, ChuckSend to: P.O. Box 25040, Honolulu, HI 96825 Howzit Chuck, My brother and I went to throw net at our favorite spot near Hana. I was looking for black crab when my brother saw a nohu in 1 foot of water. I grabbed my spear and shot the nohu without getting my feet wet. We brought it home and it weighed 5½ lbs of great tasting fish. Mahalo,Mathew Gold, age 13Hana, Maui Dear Chuck, Howzit, I would like to share a little unusual story with you. One day, I, my brother Davey…

■ The weather outlook in Hawaiian waters for June is good except for gusty trade winds and higher-than-normal southerly waves and surf. It is unlikely that strong Kona winds, thunderstorms and heavy rain will occur. Although it is possible for a tropical storm to appear in Hawaii waters as the warmer months approach, the odds are against it. Gusty trades have made their presence felt since March and are expected to continue in June. With trades on almost all the days of the month, gusty trades are expected on 5 to 10 days. Their occurrence may be more frequent if this pattern for stronger trades persists into June. Although refreshing for their air conditioning effect on land, surface water conditions, especially in the major channels between islands open to the…

■ The largest black marlin boated off New Zealand in 20 years was hooked on what many “Kiwis” considered an unlikely looking contraption. The 933-pounder was caught last February on a “circle” hook. That’s not such a big surprise either to island fishermen or commercial longliners. Both have been using circle hooks for generations to catch everything from ‘o‘io and ulua to ‘ahi and billfish. Though the hook has been around since the first Pacific islanders drilled early versions from bone and shell, the round style is only just getting attention elsewhere. These days the circle hook is replacing the standard “J” hook (as commercial fishermen call the more common types) to catch fish as different as Alaskan halibut (with what some call “barndoor keys”) and Caribbean tarpon (“can-opener hooks”).…

‘The Secret’ ■ What is it that a handful of successful skippers in every harbor know that others don’t? Why do some guys always seem to end up the year with impressive numbers of tagged or caught fish? (We’re talking real numbers here, not the ones that include the fish that pulled the hook 50 yards out.) What is it that they do differently? If you check out their lures or bait rigs, they’ll probably look like everybody else’s. Their rods and reels won’t appear to be anything special. They buy their line and leader at the same place that you do. Their boat has the same engines as a dozen other boats that don’t seem to catch nearly as much. So what’s the secret? What club do you have…

The Final Elimination ■ In the world of competitive free-dive spear fishing, the term “guaranteed shooin” does not apply. Eliminations to select Hawai‘i’s teams never cease to amaze me, and this one was no exception. It was the closest (point-wise) I can remember. On April 19, 20 of Hawai‘i’s best spear fishermen hit the waters off of Waimanalo Beach. All had high hopes of securing a berth on one of two (three-man) teams to represent Hawai‘i at the U.S. National Freedive Spearfishing Championships, which are to be held on July 30 and 31 at Kings Beach, Newport, Rhode Island. In 1996 and ’97, Hawai‘i placed second, coming very close to clinching a national title. This is attributed to the fact that the eliminations are doing exactly what they’re intended to…

■ 1 feel it coming on like a freight train! It starts just about every April and lasts the entire year; but the brunt of its fury occurs during the summer months-‘ahi fever! 1 try to anticipate its coming, but 1 am never exactly sure what form it will take. These are the precautionary measures I take. I ready my reels with new grease. I check that the rollers on my rods are working properly. I check my lines for any frays or signs of weakness. 1 make sure my swivels are strong and swiveling. I check my leaders and crimps to be sure of their strength. I check my hooks to see if 1 finally used metal, instead of rubber hooks, which have plagued me in tears past-excuse me,…

Hilo Trollers Tournament ■ Fourteen teams participated in the Hilo Trollers Tournament held on April 19. The weather report indicated there would be a few showers with the wind blowing variably, 5 to 15 mph. One of the highlights of the tournament occurred when Capt. Leroy Tavares and angler Elroy Pauline on the MAILE II hooked up to an ono weighing 49½ lbs. On the AILINA, Capt. Ben Marantan and angler Karl Kahoonei landed an ono weighing 39 lbs. The TUTU LADY with Capt. Glenn Mayeda and angler Joshua Mayeda also landed a nice-sized ono, weighing 38 lbs. In this tournament, a total of one ‘ahi, 20 ono and eight mahimahi reached the scales. This was the club’s first tournament of the year, and weighmaster Dave Raabe would like to…

Dear Mr. Lindgard: Thank you for your letter and for dropping off the article you wrote in the HAWAII FISHING NEWS. Your proposal that the city transfer responsibility for the Nu‘uanu Reservoir from the Board of Water Supply (BWS) to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to develop the site as a public park and freshwater fishing resource is an excellent one. I have advocated that the city assume responsibility of owning and maintaining all public parks on this island. I have asked my staff in the DPR to study its feasibility with the BWS and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. I understand that the state is interested in the reservoir for flood control purposes. Federal funding assistance is also certainly worth exploring, especially in these…

Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement 1151 Punchbowl Street Honoluolu, Hawaii 96813 May 14, 1998 ■ This responds to Mr. Tony Costa’s letter in the May 1998 issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS that expressed his views that regulation of the commercial fishing industry should not necessarily be through the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). While we agree with and support the Legislative process, we feel that certain matters could be better handled through the DLNR’s administrative rules process. Examples of these certain matters are the management of the state’s fishery resources and the fishers that utilize them. Your readers should also know that virtually ail other states have delegated management of their fishery resources to the administrative agency with the most expertise…

Dear Sir, According to the Hawai‘i Fishing Regulations dated July 1997 from the Division of Aquatic Resources, gear restrictions (from page 41) are as follow: Gill, lay, draw, drag, seine or other nets • Minimum size 2-inch stretched mesh. Minimum size for stationary monofilament gill nets 2¾-inch stretched mesh. Exceptions • All persons using surround nets with scuba may use nets of not less than 1½ inches to bag and transport fish captured with legal gear to the shore or boat. • See provisions relating to the taking of akule (halalu) and nehu and other bait fish, and provisions affecting particular areas. I called the Department of Land and Natural Resources/Enforcement Division and spoke with Officer Harken on April 30, 1998. My question to the officer was, “Can I use…

Victoria-Maui Race Celebrates 30 Years! ■ Starting from Victoria, B.C., on June 23, this year’s Coopers & Lybrand Victoria-Maui international Yacht Race could be the best ever. This ocean adventure was established over 30 years ago as an informal affair consisting of three boats! Organizers in the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and Lahaina Yacht Club are expecting over 30 boats and approximately: 280 sailors. Vessels will range in size from 36 to 65 feet and will be facing 2,308 miles of downwind sailing in blue water before reaching the greeting party that awaits them in picturesque Lahaina, Maui. For more information, visit the race website at http://www.vicmaui.org/ or contact Race Chairman Ron Ogilvy at (604) 551-9608 or Lahaina Yacht Club Race Chairman Bonnie Nelson at (808) 667-7795. …Ron Ogilvy Honokohau…

■ Mahimahi have been everywhere during the past few weeks, and lots of rubbish pointed the way to the fish. It’s been a very blustery couple of months, but if you and your boat can handle the weather, the flat yellow and blue-green mahimahi have been waiting for you. It looks like summer will be very late this year. Maybe “Mr. Nino “will explain it to us someday. Capt. “Bad Dad” Randy Marks has been busy and had some good fishing days recently with his buddies Keith Haraguchi and Reggie Kealoha. On one trip, Randy and Keith stuck and landed a 61-lb mahimahi just 3 miles past the head buoy. After that, the rest of the day was really easy. They rolled in over 300 lbs of mahimahi from around…

The First One’s a Big Boy! ■ On the morning of February 27, 1998, Cy Yoshioka, Eric “Buta” Hayashi, Kevin “Koji” Kojiro and Chad and Denise Hatayama left home to go fishing in the South Kona area to participate in the Hilo Casting Club’s Winter Classic Fishing Tournament, which was open only to HCC members. Cy was very excited about this trip because it was his first outing since November. After two hours of highway driving and another two hours of heavy off-road travel, the group finally reached their destination. They were greeted by typical awesome West Hawai‘i weather-clear, sunny skies, light winds and the ocean as flat as a lake. The group quickly unpacked their gear, set up two rods each and cast out their leads. After setting their…

■ After a while. Mike Kawamoto’s mind began to under. The warm sun lulled him. his eyelids drooped and his breathing became slow and steady. Hours had passed as he fished on the embarassement of the Wailoa River. The warm day showed Periodic signs of rain, for which some people, say hilo is known. Mike lazily looked up. He no longer saw the bright orange floater drifting with the light current that came from the Waiakea Fishpond. On the surface, his waxed monofilament line seemed to move like a gentle snake pointing to his lifeless bobber on the water’s surface. The water was as flat as a mill pond, although periodically a pointed tail of a feeding awa would pierce the surface, creating nervous rings before it gently disappeared. “Awa,”…

Dear Chuck, On the morning of April 4, 1998, 1 entered my secret spot in West Loch. It was 6:45 a.m., and the tide was 0.1 feet. You could see the oyster bed surfacing above the water. I got my gear set up and put on my wet suit. Then I strolled down to enter the water. It was a very windy and chilly day, but luckily my wet suit kept me very warm and comfortable. As I slowly walked near the oyster bed, I started to whip for whatever was out there, like papio, barracuda and awa. All of a sudden, the handle of my Penn 4500SS gold anodized reel cracked at the end. I managed to continue whipping because only the black torpedo-shaped plastic had cracked in half.…

Dear Chuck, I go fishing with spinners for mostly small game. Many times, a balloon fish comes up, and I usually cast it into the bushes. Reason: mainly, I am referring to the type that do not have spines; I am referring to the green-colored ones. Some people have said that these puffers are poisonous, and some others say they make good soup! I wonder if someone can inform me how to prepare it (taking out the guts and all, and if there’s something special to clean out)-also how to prepare the balloon fish and maybe several ways to cook it. To me, hooking it and just throwing it away is wasting something that we could be eating. I throw them away rather than throwing them back into the water…

Ho‘omaluhia ■ The clouds hung low over the Ko’olaus and the trade winds were stiff and blustery, yet almost 200 people showed up for some pretty good fishing, even if the wind did push away from the dam. Having fed the fish for a couple of days prior with “dock blocks” and compressed bread helped hold the fish close to the shore. A few catfish weighing from 6.5 lbs to 9.7 lbs found their way to the bank and were released to see another day. Some of the rods were not that lucky: two broke under stress; and one (a monster of course!) sawed through 10-lb “test” line. (See “T.S.” below.) A singular party from lolani School consisting of parents, teachers and children, all part of the “YES GROUP” organization,…

■ There is a time in a gun dog’s life when he gives up the trail. It’s a sad day when a beloved friend can no longer hunt. Stan Yasuda has been a hound to many cagey critters, the two-legged kind, the political animal kind. When he says he’s had enough, and he has said it, the Hawai‘i trail to outdoorsmen’s rights turns cold. Stan has been busy this legislative session lobbying for accountability of wildlife funds. He spearheaded an effort to audit the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). A bill was introduced and an inquiry held. He and Mike Wilson testified. The request for audit was held in committee. Stan related that Rep. Cynthia Thielen of Windward 0‘ahu and Ezra R. Kanoho also of O’ahu grilled him…

■ Hale-O-Lono Harbor is situated on the southwest corner of Moloka‘i and is the last pristine sheltered harbor in the state of Hawai‘i. It is a place where a person can be overwhelmed by the size and brightness of the stars and you can almost reach up and touch the planets on dark nights. This is the place that can let you go back hundreds of years in our past. For this reason, it is used by the Polynesian Voyaging Society for training young people in the art of navigation. It is used by fishermen as a refuge from strong winds and high seas encountered on the offshore fishing grounds. It is used by visiting yachts from other ports in the state and abroad who enjoy it for its serenity.…

Aloha Chuck, Backside Maui. What a weekend! The water was so calm that we picked up about 30 lbs of ‘opihi, did day and night dives, threw net and even caught three goats. We had lobster omelets for breakfast and steaks for dinner. As Rick, our service manager, would say, “You can’t get any better than this.” We really enjoy your articles in Holoholo, Style. Keep up the good work. ‘Till next time,Da Gang from Maui Disposal Company Howzit Chuck, Here’s a picture of three of my friends and me with our lucky catch. Left to right are Chinho Hsieh, Patrick Banda, Jerry Banda and myself. On this fishing trip in November, Chinho (who visits every year from Taiwan) wanted to catch a marlin. We got lucky with one pass…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS 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 TOURNAMENT June 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21, 1998 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kallua-Kona, HI 96745 NORTH SHORE HANA PA’A TROLLING TOURNAMENT June 24, 25 & 26, 1998 Hana Pa’a Hawaii-Oahu (808) 845-1865 611-D Middle St., Honolulu, HI 96819 RAINBOW JACKPOT FISHING TOURNAMENT July 3 & 4, 1998 Kauai Rainbow Paint and Fishing Supply Jim Nakagawa-Kauai (808) 335-6412 FIRECRACKER OPEN July 3, 4 & 5,1998 Tropidilla-Kona (888) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 WORLD CUP BLUE MARLIN CHAMPIONSHIP July 4, 1998…