Innholdsfortegnelse for June 1999 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Recently, akule fisherman Carl Jellings and his three-man crew of Ale Tolentino, Dan Rackle and Paul Coronel used their own boat and equipment to remove more than 800 feet of abandoned gill net from the deep reefs off Ma’ili Point, O‘ahu. It’s not the first time they’ve marked and removed abandoned nets previously used by gill-netters who indiscriminately fish in leeward waters, and I’m sure it won’t be their last. Carl and his crew represent the kind of fishermen who, by their actions, show their aloha and commitment to taking care of Hawaii’s oceans for the long haul. Their deep respect for their generations-old fishing traditions and way of life compel them to act and react when others behave irresponsibly. Their actions are especially profound when compared to the…

■ It was Sunday evening when my home phone rang. “Hi, Chuck. It’s Gary Shirakata. You want another ulua to mount?” Gary, you might recall, earned entry into HFN’s famed 100-Plus Club in 1990 with a 105-lb ulua captured from Makapu’u Point on 0‘ahu. The fish was mounted and graced the walls of HFN and has made cameo appearances in trade shows ever since. I responded. “How big?” “It’s 146.” “How much?” “One forty-six.” “&?#@” I replied. “Where is it?” “In the back of my truck. I can bring it over now if you want it.” “Great. I’ll clear out my largest freezer and load the camera.” A short time later, I heard the familiar sound of big engines and off-road tires. Three truckloads of tired fishermen with the biggest…

■ Getting started in any new sport can seem to cost a small fortune, but you can hit longcasting distances without spending a lot of money. There are many good small-game poles on the market that will cast in excess of 200 yards. You can even use your favorite ulua rod. What about the reel? Do you have to spend $150 or $200 on a longcasting reel? No. The Abu Garcia 6500 C-3 is a level-wind reel that costs only $70 to $75. This is basically the same reel as the sport rocket, but it doesn’t have the extra adjustment on the left side of the reel. With some modifications, this reel will cast in excess of 200 yards while tournament casting. It will hold plenty of 15-lb test line,…

■ April 1999 was the Hawaii Tuna Tagging Project’s (HTTP’s) slowest tagging month to date. Large-scale tagging cruises on commercial boats were halted until the receipt of fiscal 1999 funds, which will hopefully occur during May. This was very disappointing, because bigeye were available on the offshore seamounts during the month and medium sized yellowfin were being taken around inshore FADs by Honolulu-based pole-and-line vessels. A few small yellowfin taken on handlines and sport tackle were tagged around the FADs, but catch rates were low with these gear types. A single tagging cruise was conducted around the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge during the last week of April. Tuna tagging at Midway takes place through a cooperative research agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Midway Sport Fishing…

■ I love scuba diving and spear fishing, but sometimes finding a dependable boat driver can be a real problem. “Dependable” is the key word here, because if a boatman falls asleep, gets seasick, lies down or simply doesn’t pay attention while you’re diving and loses sight of the marker floater that you’re towing or your trail of bubbles, it can lead to a heart-wrenching experience. I hope you can’t imagine how it feels to come up to the surface after a 40-minute scuba dive and find only a lot of rough water and no boat. Suddenly you feel alone in a very, very big ocean and far from any help. I love diving off of King’s Landing and the Ke’eau Bay area off of Hilo. The waters there can…

Pa‘akai Aloha no ho‘i! Ua ‘olelo ‘ia i ka wa kahiko, “Ho‘i hou ka pa ‘akai i Waimea.” I ka mana ‘o, e hele loa ke kanaka a e ho‘i hou. Kaulana ka pa‘akai o Waimea, Kaua‘i no kona waiho‘olu‘u ‘a‘ula. ‘Ike makou i keia mea i ka lawai‘a ana o ka pae moku. Aka, ‘a‘ole makou e‘ikei ka waiwai o ia. No laila, ‘o keia mo‘olelo e pili ana i ka pa‘akai a e a‘o ‘oukou i ka nui o ia i ka mea Hawai‘i. ■ Greetings to all. It was said in the old days, “The salt has gone back to Waimea,” meaning when someone starts out on a journey and then comes back again. The salt of Waimea, Kaua‘i, is known for its reddish-brown color. We see…

Turn ’Em Loose Healthy ■ Yes, we want to release billfish to help sustain the fishery for the generations to come. Yes, we want to use live bait or rigged dead bait because that happens to be what’s working lately. Problem: fish caught on live or rigged dead bait often have their belly stapled to their backbone when the hook is set because the bait is swallowed, which isn’t conducive to releasing a fish with a good chance of survival. Possible solution: circle hooks. Circle hooks aren’t a new deal. Longliners have been using them effectively for years. A number of us in the sportfishing business have been having extremely good results with them. My personal experience has been that when the proper technique is used, the hookup-to-strike ratio has…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS AHI FEVER IN WAIANAE June 12 & 13, 1993 Waianae Boat Fishing Club-Oahu (608) 696-3399 P.O. Box 821, Waianae, HI 96792 http://www.stkhi.com/AHI_FEVER BIG ISLAND INVITATIONAL MARLIN TOURNAMENT June 16, 17, IS, 19 & 20,1999 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 NORTH SHORE HANAPAA JACKPOT TOURNAMENT June 23, 24 & 25, 1999 Paul-Oahu (808) 637-8246 FIRECRACKER OPEN July 2, 3 & 4, 1999 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 PEARL HARBOR FISHING TOURNAMENT July 3, 1999 PHNSY/IMF-Oahu (808) 471-5358 401 Ave. E, Suite 124, Pearl Harbor, Hi 96860-5350 4TH OF JULY TOURNAMENT July 3 & 4,1999 Hawaii Big Gams Fishing Club-Kona (808) 325-7362 P.O. Box 3106, Kaliua-Kona, HI 96745 RAINBOW JACKPOT FISHING TOURNAMENT July 3 & 4, 1999 Kauai Rainbow Paint and Fishing…

Dear Concerned Fishermen, As a fisherman with kids, I was quite concerned about your “items of concern,” concerning the 1998 State of the Reefs report. It sounded a lot like anti-conservation propaganda. I mean, really, no fish feeding translated into no bait or chumming? Come on, now. Defending gill nets by criticizing some illustrator’s bad attempt still does not change the fact that gill netting is the most effective way to catch everything. I know ’cause in my younger days I fished commercially, including using gill nets. I remember dreaming about the tons of fish it was possible to catch and the money I would make with this diabolical, monofilament device. I hope the government completely bans this nasty device while there are still some fish left. Mesh sizes have…

Expensive Fuel ■ Jack is a Hilo fisherman who bought a Radon in Maui. He replaced the engines with new twin diesels. While Jack was home, the licensed mechanic putting in the engines had a fuel leak. Fifty gallons or so got into the soil. Enforcement officers promptly arrested Jack, threatened him with jailable felonies and finally accepted a plea bargain. The result was a $7,000 fine and 200 hours of community service. Jack’s mechanic went bankrupt. Any spill of contaminant is punishable by a $10,000 fine. The moral of the story? Don’t fuel around. Maui Reserve Fishing The Natural Area Reserve System Commission first denied and then approved a Hawaiian family fishing in ‘Ahihi Bay Natural Area Reserve. The Luuwai brothers, Bobby and Boogie, applied for the traditional fishing…

■ Are billfish treating you like a blind date with bad breath? Try mint-flavored dental floss. What it does for your lures, said Capt. Jim Cherry, will do a lot for your smile. Jim runs the Kona charterboat CHERRY PIT II and uses the floss to attach his lure skirts. He says the results are almost unbelievable because the stuff works in interesting ways. Check out this tale of an unusual blue marlin catch the inventive skipper made earlier this year. Jim was trolling one of his mint-flossed lures attached to a bird when a 500-lb blue came up behind it with its bill working back and forth like a windshield wiper. The marlin whacked the lure repeatedly before racing off with the lure. For almost a half-hour, Jim said,…

■ For the last two and a half years, I’ve been field testing Gary Yamamoto Premium Saltwater Baits with AI Yamamoto, brother of Gary and also the distributor of the baits. Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, based in Page, Arizona, and known worldwide for bass and freshwater baits, is currently working with Al to perfect their saltwater baits. We just received an all-new (#40) 4-inch grub that we’re testing and will soon be available at local tackle shops. Using the 2-, 3- and new 4-inch curly tail grub, we tried many different types of fishing with excellent results. From shoreline whipping, shallow-water jigging (10 to 150 feet), deep-water jigging (200 to 500 feet) and even trolling, these grubs have yet to fail us. I returned to Kona to visit Al the…

‘Alone With the SA‘ULELE’ ■ Three-foot seas, a 5-knot wind, and a sea temperature of 83°F is not uncommon for the seas surrounding the tropical island of Tutuila in the U.S. territory of American Samoa. What is uncommon is a 20-foot Grinnel fiberglass monohull (it is over 30 years old), which I had refurbished and named the SA‘ULELE (short version of the Samoan word for sailfish) and a one-person crew. Many in the islands frown at the thought of someone leaving the green shores for the open ocean alone. Local history provides too many unfortunate lessons for lone fishermen. The idea is usually not too appealing anyway until the urge to ply the calm waters, coupled with insomnia, conspire against a fisherman’s better judgment. So, one day, because no one…

■ The Internet explosion of the last few years has provided access to data that previously was not readily available. In some cases, it has made obscure information easier to find. This blossoming of information hit its stride when the World Wide Web made navigating the Internet accessible to computer novices by creating a point-and-click graphical interface similar to the Windows or Mac operating systems. When I began using the Internet, all the screens were text-based. Every navigation command had to be typed in after logging onto a site. In addition, it was the user’s responsibility to read and understand how to navigate that particular site. At that time, there were no standard commands one could use at all sites. And all of this came about only if you were…

■ For all that was said and done at this year’s Legislature, I’m still not sure how to best describe the “nature” of the “beast.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must know by now how contentious the Senate got this year. Former news anchor Bob Jones wrote, “The only way the Democratic party of Hawai‘i can be saved is through total dismantling at the hands of the voters in the elections of year 2000.” Dan Boylan wrote, “The state Senate’s been coming down with a case of it (a malady scientifically named Senatus stupidosclerosis) about every three or four years now, and its primary symptom is the delusion that the Senate’s petty power struggles are more important than the welfare of the state.” Maybe now you can…

Wahine Tournament Winners ■ Once again the Maui Trailer Boat Club (MTBC) and the Maalaea Boat and Fishing Club (MB&FC) sponsored a successful tournament in which the gals showed their men that they could take some rough seas and come home with some fish, too. Fishing took place on Saturday, April 25, and one great barbecue and awards lunch was held on Sunday, April 26, at the MB&FC facilities at Ma’alaea Harbor. And the winners were as follow: Wahine Tournament Results Each of the above winners collected a trophy plus a cash prize. Speaking with Luci Ogata at the luncheon, I was told that the big mahimahi was caught at the M-buoy. She even showed me the line burn she sustained while pulling that 36½-lb mahimahi aboard. That’s the way…

■ 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 Hawai‘i 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 Texas State Longcasting Championship was held at Gregory Park, Crystal Beach, Texas, on March 20. This tournament was sanctioned by Sports Cast USA, therefore, their rules were used. This information was provided courtesy of “Big Lou” MacEachern, also an avid longcaster. Conditions were perfect for the tournament with winds ideal for casting. Lou mentioned a lady entered the competition. From the score she had, it looks like she did really well. Brenda Hood had a cast of 335.22 feet! So ladies, get your rods out and start practicing for the upcoming Atlapac Longcasting Tournament to be held in September. Roger had the longest cast, but because he is not a resident of Texas his score did not count. He enjoys competing in tournaments and at the same time…

■ More and more Hawai‘i anglers are becoming intrigued by the sport of fly fishing. Some of this blossoming interest may be attributed simply to the growth of the sport. Some local anglers may have become interested as a result of the series of stories being published in HFN, and some seem to have become interested because flyfishing tackle is starting to show up in their local fishing stores. (McCully Bicycle now carries it, as does Charley’s in Kaka’ako and Kona Fishing Tackle in Kona.) Another reason may be that flyfishing classes are starting to become available all over Hawai‘i. (Trout Unlimited starts classes this month on O‘ahu. For information, phone (808) 254-4130 or E-mail timing@pacinfo.net. Classes also will be held in Kona later this summer. Phone (808) 325-5000 or…

What a Drag ■ When the day comes that all your efforts pay off and there’s a big blue marlin jumping away with your favorite lure and all of your, string, one of the many things that needs to be considered is the fact that as the spool diameter decreases, the drag will automatically increase. So at some point, you’re going to have to back the drag off or risk breaking line. On the SUNDOWNER, we use all lever drag reels, and to aid our anglers we put back-off marks on the reels. I simply use a black marker to indicate tine spot on tine reel where I want the angler to position the drag in case of emergency. And, if I want to change it, a little 409 takes…

■ Seeing an ono 20 feet to his right and 5 feet under the surface, he didn’t have much time to think. When the ono headed straight down, the diver took a quick breath and stuck his fins in the air to try to stay parallel with the ocean’s fastest predator. About 35 feet down, the fish leveled off and turned toward him-maybe out of curiosity, maybe to grab a bite of palu. The fish was well within range. Picking the kill shot, the diver decided to take a quick look around to see what might be seeing him. Lucky for this ono, he spotted another, larger one just above and behind the first, swimming in the opposite direction. After swinging his speargun around, and with a few slow kicks,…

Game Area Approved ■ Nearly 64,000 acres of land at Pu’uanahulu on the Big Island were transferred to the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) as a game management area. The Pu’uanahulu Game Management Area is a section of the larger Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Wildlife Sanctuary, sized at 84,000 acres. The Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a region is currently leased by F. Newell Bohnett as the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Ranch. Last year, former Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) head Mike Wilson lobbied hard to have the area turned over to The Nature Conservancy, a leader in the effort to eradicate game mammals. The Game Management Area designation is a signal that The Nature Conservancy has lost the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a lease contest. During February, the newly created Hunter’s Council met at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a. Attending the meeting were 14 statewide…

Ho‘omaluhia ■ We counted 252 people that trooped up for the open fishing weekend at Ho‘omaluhia Reservoir. The weather was pleasant, and if it had not been for the closeness to payday, we may have maxed out. The funniest catch of the day was a turtle that took a salmon bait. It really bent the rod, much like a catfish. We are not experts on turtles, but this was the first time one of this particular species came up. It is safely back in the pond to do whatever turtles do. Another strange fish, which we have noticed before, hit a small lure. The fish looked like a cichlid with dark diamond stripes and a red spot by the ear. I had an opportunity to inspect the biting equipment. Judging…

Dear Chuck, The article by Carroll Cox in the May 1999 issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS contains inaccuracies and misleading statements that this letter aims to address. First, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to manage fisheries, including resources and species that affect and are affected by the fisheries, such as monk seals. For example, the council adopted a 50-mile closure for longline vessels around the islands of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) because of seal-longline interactions. It has also adopted limited-entry programs for the lobster and bottomfish fisheries in the NWHI and for the pelagic longline fishery around ail of Hawai‘i, including the NWHI. In making management decisions, the council solicits and considers comments, research and recommendations from fishers, community members, scientists…

Invasion of the Alien Species ■ On tiny Christmas Island (the one in the Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia), the annual spawning migration of some 100 million red crabs, from the forest to the sea, is an event of such magnitude that it attracts tourists and television news interest from around the world and leaves local residents in awe, no matter how many times they have witnessed the spectacle. Last year, the migration was disappointing to many seasoned observers. It seemed to many that there were far fewer crabs scrambling over the island’s roads, taking over much of the open space on the island, then gathering on the beaches and laying their eggs en masse. The. annual march of the red crabs was just not what it usually was.…

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, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25040, Honolulu, HI 96825 Dear Chuck, We wanted to show you this picture of the day we caught four ‘o’io (ranging from 3 to 5 lbs) in less than two hours on the North Shore. When we got to our fishing spot, the surf was pounding. We set up our poles and waited patiently. Suddenly, the first bell went off and from then on bells kept ringing. It was our lucky day and we had so much fun. Mahalo to our fishing partner Matsu Nakamura for taking…