Innholdsfortegnelse for December 1998 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ The akule is one of our most important fishery resources. Since 1948, the state government has been collecting harvest data to monitor this fishery. Thus, what we have are about 50 years worth of data. In addition to Henry Sakuda’s akule study conducted some 35 years ago. the state has considerable observation data. Unfortunately, the information has never been released. Thus, based on Henry Sakuda’s work and my observations as a fisherman and a fisheries biologist. I provide the following story. Akule/Halalu The akule is frequently called halalu (or hahalalu), and for this reason, some of the information becomes confusing. The halalu is the young stage of the akule, as a papio is the immature stage of an ulua. For the purpose of this story, an akule will be…

Fishing in Turtle-Ville ■ The big stainless bell on Kurt Ganiko’s ulua pole lazily clanked away in a strange rhythmic pitch: “Clank, clank, clank.” It was definitely a puhi strike, and everyone was convinced it was a real lunker probably tied up in its hole and giving Kurt’s leader a thorough bashing. It had been only a few minutes prior that Kurt had caught a live moana and slid it down his line, hoping for some monster of the deep to engulf it whole and give him a run for his money. Kurt’s bell clanked away. Strangely enough, it began to clank in a different, more intense tone. The clank turned into a “ka-bang,” and line began to slowly rip out of his reel. This was no free-swimming puhi! Ail…

Howzit Chuck, On Thursday, July 9, 1998, we set out to go trolling off Wai’anae Harbor early in the morning. The past four to five trips trying to catch the “yellow guys” were very disappointing because we would see other boats hooking up and we would not even get any big knockdowns on our outriggers! This morning was very different. Half an hour out of the harbor, we spotted a big bird pile on the outside, and no other boats were in sight! Aku were busting out of the water all over, and the bird pile was all over, too. Going to the pile, we had our big lures out, but Capt. Ron said to change the two corners to aku lures that had lighter leaderline so we could pick…

■ Forty years ago, my father-in law, Dr. Ken Ozaki, first taught me how to catch ‘o‘io, papio, moi, kumu, weke, moana and the other fish you can reach with a cast from shore. In those days, we fished the sandy channel openings in the reefs off Kuli’ou’ou, the sandy bottom stretches from Sandy Beach to Makapu’u and similar spots on trips to Moloka‘i. Often we’d dunk with one rig in a sand spike while fishing a slow-moving bait on another line. I say a “slow-moving bait” rather than calling it “whipping” with a bait because I think of whipping as working a bait more rapidly. Dad would cast his baited line, let it settle to the bottom, reel a few turns to straighten the leader and draw the bait…

■ Scientists from the University of Hawaii (UH) and federal and state agencies are cooperating to study onaga (‘ula’ula koa’e, Etelis coruscans) and ehu (‘ula’ula, E. carbunculus) and to try to answer some questions about these deep-dwelling and often elusive bottom fish. Since 1997, the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has been funding most of the research projects focusing on bottom fish around the main Hawaiian islands. The DLNR projects were made possible by Gov. Cayetano’s Ocean Initiative, which increased the budget for aquatic resources. The submersible and remotely-operated-vehicle dives were supported by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL). which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is a quick summary just to let you know what’s going on in the research side…

■ Ah, Christmas again. Already. ’Tis the season to entertain family and friends as we all get together to share the joys of the holiday season. In the islands, we are all aware of how one of our favorite pupus, fresh sashimi, doubles and triples in value at the local fish market. Expect to pay upward of $15 per lb for premium-grade ‘ahi blocks. However, to stretch already strained holiday budgets, there are alternatives. One such option includes two sea life delicacies, squid and octopus, which share a chapter in HFN’s new seafood cookbook, “Fresh Catch of the Day,” by Shirley Rizzuto. Squid is more popularly marketed as “calamari.” It is very economical (less than $1 per lb) and readily available in the frozen food section of your supermarket. It…

■ Winter is here, and with its arrival comes the need for greater awareness of quickly changing weather conditions. Large waves and strong winds pose the greatest danger. Before you leave the house, listen to the latest weather forecast. Upon arrival at the harbor, take a few extra minutes to observe the conditions at the harbor entrance before launching. Check the flag pole to see if the black flag is posted. If it is, then it indicates that there are waves breaking in the harbor entrance. If conditions are questionable, go home. You can always fish on another day. Winter also signals the transition from trolling to bottom fishing. Remember, there are new rules that are in effect for anyone fishing for deep-sea bottom fish. These rules require everyone that…

Bad Way To Start a Weekend, Good Way To End a Tournament ■ Thursday night, Stephen Lichter finished tuning his 19-foot Ali‘i Kai boat, the SLASH, the final preparation for the 15th Annual Ali‘i Kai Fishing Tournament to be held at Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor. Stephen’s problem was that before the tune-up, the boat ran and afterward it didn’t. Not a good way to start a fishing trip. On Friday morning, Stephen got a case of Td-rather-be-fishing” panic. Stephen wisely realized that his attempts at any further mechanic work could make matters worse, so he rushed his boat to a Hilo garage. “Da da bung ga.…” The distributor was on 180 degrees backward. Deserted and clueless, Stephen’s crew, Pat Arnold and Joseph Munoz, wondered if they were still going fishing.…

Catch Fish To Save Fish ■ Sometimes we have to catch more fish in order to save them. This is especially true of tuna, marlin, swordfish and ulua, because if we don’t catch, then tag and release more of these species, we may never know what we need to know in order to be able to more effectively manage these important recreational fishing resources. In our lifetime, there has been ever-increasing exploitation of the ocean around us, yet very little is known of the life history of these fish because they don’t come to shore on their own and they are not easily recaptured once they are tagged and released. The simple “spaghetti tags” used by fisheries researchers for over four decades have told us little more than where a…

■ To my good fortune, I was invited on a fishing adventure by HFN’s Chuck Johnston, with “Mountain Man” Brad Deffenbaugh and the very talented president of Hawai‘i’s Atlapac Fishing Club, Paul Okouchi. More than just a fishing trip, we went to Juneau, Alaska, on a mission–to catch butterfish, or sablefish, a.k.a. black cod–the prize inside Hawai‘i’s famous laulau. They are found in deep, open channel water, requiring us to drop 4 lbs of lead over 2,000 feet, beyond a depth finder’s capability. We were also looking for halibut over 100 lbs. Silver, or coho, salmon were in season and more than willing to round out our catches at virtually every place we dropped a line, no matter what our quarry was, or where. We rallied at Honolulu Airport. Our…

Kahului Small Boat Harbor ■ From time to time, this section of HAWAII FISHING NEWS has reported the progress of the upcoming improvements that will be made to the Kahului Small Boat Harbor (launching ramp). During the latter part of October, all of the members of the Maui Trailer Boat Club Board of Directors met with Charles Penque, Maui district manager for the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), to receive information relative to the $3 million project, which will redo and remake the Kahului Small Boat Harbor plus the turning basin and the entrance and exit channel. The good news is that the schedule for completion is on schedule. That schedule is as follows: 1. Bids for the work will be sent out in December 1998. 2. Work…

■ Gerry Iseri and his friend Ivan, who fish aboard the ULULANI, had been waiting for a chance to get out on the water. They had heard there was a lot of rubbish out there and that some of it had lots of mahimahi and shibi. So, after a leisurely 8 O‘clock start, they went out and started to hunt around outside the MM-buoy where they found lots of rubbish and debris but no fish. Finally, just before giving up and turning for home, Gerry spotted something in the water. Ivan went to work putting the baits out, and they began to fill the fishbox. The bite was steady from mahimahi, ono and a 60-lb shibi, all of which filled the port side fishbox almost to the top. What a…

■ This month’s discussion involves one of the most frequently asked questions regarding cavitation and the effects of cupping a propeller to try to reduce cavitation. To start, we will explain why cavitation occurs. We all know that water boils at 212° F (100° C) at normal sea level atmospheric pressure. But water also boils at room temperature if the atmospheric pressure is low enough. As a shape passes through water at an increasing speed, the pressure that holds the water to the sides and back of the shape is lowered. Depending upon the water temperature, when the pressure reaches a sufficiently low level, boiling (i.e., the formation of water vapor) will begin. This occurs most often on a propeller near the leading edge of the blade. When speed is…

■ Several months ago, I had a chance to fish with Howard Araki, who owns and operates Kilani Rod and Tackle in Wahiawa, along with some visitors from Japan who wanted to do some bass fishing. Somehow, between my limited Japanese and their broken English, we managed to carry on some simple dialogue. I found out they were avid bass fishermen and would fish quite often whenever time would permit. They also told me bass fishing in Japan is very popular at the moment and there are a number of lakes where they can fish. Their tackle was very similar to what we have in the United States. Naturally, they also had some lures from Japan tucked inside their tackle box. One of them was using a plastic worm, which…

Hey Chuck, First off, I never had the slightest thought that I would be able to do what I did on July 5, 1998. That was to spear an ‘ahi with a three-prong spear without even getting wet. It happened at Kona’s Honokohau Harbor. I first saw this ‘ahi cruising in the harbor on Friday of the Fourth of July weekend. Just about everyone who saw it swimming around in the harbor was trying to catch it, either by pole, net, spear or whatever, but all failed in catching it. We happened to be in Kona to enter a fishing tournament on Saturday, the Pau Hana Fishing Tournament. My mom’s team, fishing on the FORCE PLAY, won the largest fish of the tournament with a 165-lb marlin while my dad…

■ Team Deloitte and Touche from Saipan won this year’s Mobil All-Micronesia Tournament, unseating teams from Palau, which have won the tournament the last two years in a row. Team Saipan with Capt. Chris Wolseley boated three marlin (179, 179 and 108 lbs) and one yellowfin (60 lbs) during the two days of fishing, leading all teams with 527 total points. Team Saipan also caught the first-place barracuda. Second place went to Team Chuuk and Capt. Rudy Aliven, who boated marlin of 209 and 113 lbs. Team Chuuk’s two marlin struck at the same time, making this the first-ever reported double hookup, double landing in the six years the “All-Mike” has been contested. Team Mobil with Capt. Tim Glath (the president of Mobil Oil Micronesia) from Guam came in third…

Open Letter to the Governor ■ Gov. Cayetano is realigning the cabinet heads in his administration. I sent him the following letter: Dear Gov. Cayetano, First of all, congratulations on your recent re-election as governor. I know you’re busy, so here it is. I am an outdoor writer and member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. I have been censored and “gag ruled” by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. I have had letters not answered. Calls not returned. A few years ago, pig hunters told me about the attitude of the DLNR. At first, I didn’t believe them. However, I have seen it firsthand. In one word: arrogant. The Bishop Estate of state government. My neighbor is Sen. Lorraine Inouye. The Sunday before the election, I drove…

■ The Kona Coast saw three blues weighing more than 500 lbs come to the scales during the month. All three females were caught on scheduled morning half-day charters. Starting the month off was the KRIS-TARA-JO’s 548-lb blue weighed in on the 2nd. They got the bite at 11 a.m., and angler Ed Gavaldon of Manhattan Beach, California, was in the chair with his first blue for an hour and 17 minutes. According to Capt. Bob Roller, his angler did an excellent job! Exactly a week later, lucky lady angler Pat Cardoza of Binghamton, New York, scheduled a half-day charter with Capt. John Jordan aboard his boat, the KONA CONCEPT. The Cardozas had fished on the KONA CONCEPT last year, and Pat’s niece had boated a 200-plus-lb blue marlin. They…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of December 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, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25040, Honolulu, HI 96825 Dear Chuck, My girlfriend, Iris Saito, caught this papio with her new rod and reel. She was using live ‘oama on a floater. After a while, she wondered where her floater went. Nearly five minutes later, she hooked her first-ever papio, a 1-pounder. Kevin JakahiHilo, Hawai‘i Hi Chuck, I wanted to share this picture with pour readers of my 25-lb ono that I caught trolling outside of Kane’ohe on August 30, 1998. This is my first big fish, which I fought…

■ Weather in Hawaii waters will play a more important role in any marine activity during winter. Mariners are advised that the change from good to bad weather can be fast. The severe weather events that can occur, in decreasing order of frequency, are: gusty trade winds, high northwest swell and surf, cold front with Kona winds, and Kona low. The strongest trade winds are the winter-type trades that can occur in December. The number of trade wind days will be low—only about half of the days of the month-but gusty trades can occur on about a fourth to a third of the days in December. High northwest swell and surf will be frequent along the exposed northern shores. Expect about 20 days with surf greater than 6 feet high,…