Innholdsfortegnelse for July 1999 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Here’s a preview of what host Mike Sakamoto has in store for you. July 6 to 11-‘Opelu, Akule and Yellowfin on the JAX Daryl Wong takes Mike and John Matsunaga outside of Barber’s Point off of the island of O‘ahu to go after ‘opelu on bamboo poles. Then, they hook yellowfin tuna using the live ‘opelu as bait. Once the sun goes down, they launch out of Wai‘anae Boat Harbor and go night fishing for bigeyed scad (akule). This is a fun show. July 13 to 18-Free-Diving South Kona With the Rellins Mike goes free-diving with Aloha Airlines employee Mary Ann Rellin and her husband off of South Kona. They dive to 25 to 45 feet and spear all kinds of reef fish, including uhu, palani, surgeonfish and papio.…

Moi Bettah ■ The University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program is using an innovative aquaculture technique to grow moi. Once a meal fit only for Hawaiian chiefs, moi are now being grown a mile off of ‘Ewa Beach in an 80-foot diameter sunken cage. Later this year, 75,000 1-lb fish will be harvested with an anticipated retail market price of $5 to $7 per lb. The federal government funded the $250,000 project. A used aquaculture cage was bought in California for $60,000. Breeding stock for the ‘Ewa aquaculture project were Hawaiian moi supplied by the Oceanic Institute (OI), located at Makapu’u Point. Gary Karr, the education and training specialist at the Ol, relayed that the moi raising is being done with techniques started and proven with mullet. Gary stated that…

■ It was the Fourth of July. Dad and I had been trolling topwater plugs from our kayaks off and on for two months with some success. The fish we were after were the Caranx melampygus, or papio, an aggressive shallowwater predator. We headed out from the beach at about 2:30 p.m., aware that we were supposed to be home by 5:30 p.m. for dinner. The weather was marginal that day with gusty trades and a medium-sized swell, but nothing too dangerous. I left the beach first, heading out toward the reef, which was almost a mile offshore. I crossed the reef and set out my lure, a big floating plug, which gurgled and splashed along the surface like a wounded fish. I continued out past the reef for a…

■ EnviroWatch Inc. received several phone calls reporting an alleged incident involving electric shock equipment for taking aquatic life from Wailau Stream, Moloka‘i. The callers expressed concern that a cover-up was occurring in the investigation of a state employee and his son, a federal employee. This concern resulted in the request to EnviroWatch Inc. to check into the possible cover-up in the investigation. EnviroWatch Inc. was told that Wesley Wong, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), Maui branch chief, and his son Matthew Wong, United States Geological Survey (USGS), were suspects in the alleged shocking activity. EnviroWatch Inc. was also informed that the Division of Conservation arid Resource Enforcement (DOCARE), Maui Division, confiscated two electrical shocking devices. EnviroWatch Inc. submitted a request for information to Keith Keau, DOCARE, Maui branch…

Dear Chuck, I read Alan Yuen’s article on corrosion in a past issue of HFN [March 1999, page 19], Mr. Yuen shared a lot of useful information on the subject, but I want to comment on some of the points that he brought up. Corrosion has been studied since the early 1800s. Scientists now have a thorough understanding of the subject. Scientists have also come up with many ways to combat corrosion in a marine environment. There’is no’secrecy behind the prevention of corrosion. In most cases I see, corrosion is often the result of neglect. There are also many different kinds of corrosion, and most can be easily combated. I will attempt to share some of my knowledge on the subject with all of the readers of HFN. I am…

Fishing for a World Record ■ Hawai‘i residents are beginning to take advantage of the Midway summer specials by signing up for a once-in-a-lifetime Midway fishing adventure. Despite the strong interest created by the special kama’aina prices, including the companion flies free offer, there are still many weeks of fine fishing available this summer. Honolulu residents Michael Botha and his wife, Melissa, were among the first anglers to visit Midway this season. Their April visit produced the first two worldrecord claims of 1999 for Midway Atoll. Michael landed a scrappy lai, which weighed in at 4.4 lbs and nearly doubled the previous all-tackle record for the species, which was caught in Tonga. Melissa submitted a women’s 16-lb tippet fly rod record claim for her 14.6-lb ulua (giant trevally). The productive…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of July we’ll sene 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, Here is a picture of my two biggest fish I caught while staying with my uncle in Kihei, Maui. The ‘o’io weighed in at 8 lbs and the papio weighed in at 4 lbs. While camping on the beach across from my uncle’s house, at around 1 a.m. my uncle’s 12-foot Ugly Stik was going off and I was still sleeping, so my other uncle woke me up to fight the fish. That was my first big fish that I was…

■ Persistent trade winds will be the dominant weather feature. July is fair weather month-on land. Over the waters expect gusty trades on sixto 14 days of this month. Surf-wise, northwest wave activity is at a minimum with low surf heights of 0 to 5 feet at northern shores. Surf action along southern shores will peak in July and extend into September. Mariners are advised of the possible occurrence of two kinds of potentially hazardous weather: thunderstorms with heavy rain from an upper trough, and tropical cyclone invasions into Hawai‘i waters.…

■ In January of 1998, Ken Lee speared a colorful male parrotfish (uhu) nearly 20 inches long at night in 30 feet of water off Sandy Beach, 0‘ahu. It had a strange color pattern, so he brought the fish to me at the Bishop Museum. I took a color photograph, which is reproduced here. The size and shape of the fish match that of the spectacled parrotfish (Chlorurus perspicillatus), but the color is different, as you can see by comparing it to a photograph of a typical male spectacled parrotfish. I also have provided a photograph of the female color phase of the spectacled parrotfish, which was given a different scientific name, Chlorurus ahula. It is easy to understand how the early naturalists who named many of our fish never…

■ It was 1967 when my dad, Joseph Ting Sr., finally gave in to my childish nagging and introduced me to big-game shorecasting. Then, at only 9 years of age, the seed was sown, and it was sown at South Point on the isle of Hawai‘i. Not until much later, in 1984, did I become determined about searching out that same spot. With only vague memories and obscured direction from my dad, I finally found it. It was just the way I remembered it. Thirty-two years later, at that very same spot with own my 9-year-old son, I finally landed the most viciously sought-after shoreline game fish, the 100-plus-lb ulua. Here’s my story. On Thursday, June 10, we were two days into the Hilo Casting Club’s 24th Annual Fishing Tournament…

■ For long-distance casting, where should the reel seat be? I’ve been asked this question many times. For a high reel seat, you should put the butt of the casting pole under your right armpit, extend your right arm and grasp the rod in the manner that you would hold the reel. Now, add 1 inch. This is still very low to what we’re used to, but it will allow you to punch and pull to maximum efficiency at the end of the cast. If the reel is too high, you will not be able to puli the butt in far enough and you will lose some power. What about the reel on the butt of the rod? How do you perform the cast? When I first saw Big Lou…

■ Circle hooks are viable solutions to the dilemma of hooking fish on live or rigged dead baits and still having healthy fish to turn loose. With the proper technique, the hookup-to-strike ratio can be as good as or better than that of the standard “J”-shaped hook. The first thing to unlearn is setting the hook. Don’t do it. That’s easier said than done because of all the years of “socking it to them.” And if you didn’t, you probably didn’t catch the fish. With “J” hooks, when you figure the time is right, you set the hook. This triggers the fish to unload. If you’re successful and the hook has stuck, the fish can’t unload so the fight is on. If the hook hasn’t stuck in something solid, the…

■ This is the time of year all the old fishing cliches start popping up. You know the ones: “A jerk on one end of the line waiting for a jerk on the other end”; “Early to bed, early to rise, fish all day and make up lies”; “Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way.” Oh, wait, those aren’t the right ones! I must be thinking of something else. Oh, well, I am sure these apply to some of us. I have mentioned before that I love to catch ono. As most seasoned fisherfolk know, before and during the summer fun of ‘ahi (I mean summer run of ‘ahi), ono start showing up all over the place. So far, this year has been exceptional. Many fishermen I have…

■ Like most HFN readers, I have had my share of scary moments in the water. Of all of the marine fish, the ones that gave me the most frightening experiences were eels and sharks. I do not hate eels and sharks, per se. I do respect them for what they are, and if we can make use of them, the more power to us fisherman. First, I’ll share my experiences with moray eels. Once, while picking up lead sinkers, I received a slight bite on my hand from an eel. When the eel struck, all I saw was a blur coming for my hand. Fortunately, I was able to withdraw my hand before the eel got a good bite. I had couple of puncture wounds, and I called my…

Fire Blazes Palila Habitat ■ Thundering warnings that hunters killing sheep would fuel wildfires were not enough to stop a bolt of lightning from starting a fire that is burning persistently on Mauna Kea. The fire at the 9,000-foot elevation level has burned several acres of palila habitat and nearly 60 acres of Parker ranch land. Dry weather and thatch-like grass combined to fuel the fire. Firefighters thought they had extinguished the fire, but underground sparks reignited the blaze. The fire has been burning off and on since May 23. The fire is 4 miles north of the wooden Hale Pohaku astronomy center. More than 7,000 gallons of water are being doused on the fire by aircraft from the nearby Pohakuloa Army base. The latest court-ordered sheep kill was completed…

■ In my article on weke/‘oama (May 1999 HFN, page 6), i mentioned the ̴Hawaii’s State of the Reefs 19987” Report was an anti-fishing document, and I am providing this article to clarify some of the misleading information presented by the report. On page 28 of the report, there is a picture of the “top six inshore fishes commercially caught in Hawaii.” According to the names of the fish shown in the picture, the fish are the weke, ‘u’u, uhu, paiani, he‘e and manini. I do not agree with Clark and Gulko that these fish are the top six inshore species, nor do I agree the ‘aweoweo is an ‘u’u. Because these individuals cannot distinguish between a bigeye and a soldier fish, imagine how little the public knows about our…

■ On June 11 and 12, a conference was held at the Kokokahi YWCA, titled Hawai i Aquatics Conference. The conference included discussion on community-based resource management and the ahupua’a management strategy of traditional Hawai‘i. The conference had several panels discussing such topics as stream ecosystems, community-based management and traditional approaches to resource management. Timothy Johns, chairman of the state of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), joined the conference as the lunch speaker on day two. The chairman expressed his great concern for our natural resources and the need to manage the resources properly to insure the resources are available for future generations. Timothy cited information on the two Mau Zone Limited Entry Bottomfish Permits that were provided to Native Hawaiians for a community development program. Hawai‘i’s…

Inboard Propellers-Which One Is Best for My Boat? ■ “Do you still have the prop calculation you did for me in January? I want to size my propeller for my boat. Nothing has really changed…only the engine, the horsepower and the gear ratio.” This may seem a bit humorous, but at The Prop Shop HI, we get this type of request all the time. This month, we’re going to spend some time going over the basics of inboard propellers. I often get asked, “Which is better, three-bladed or four-bladed propellers?” and, “What’s the difference between bronze and nibral material?” o To answer the first question, we must first understand some principles involved. Contrary to popular belief, theoretical analysis models show that the lower the number of blades, the more efficient…

The Unsung Trumpetfish ■ My first encounters with fly fishing in Hawai‘i came in the early ’90s. I was attending college on the mainland and was fishing the shorelines of O’ahu during winter and summer breaks. Back then, I knew no other fly fishermen here in the islands and spent most of my time fishing alone or with friends who were spin fishermen. Knowing very little about saltwater fly fishing in Hawai‘i, I spent many hours watching my spin fishing buddies catch moana, papio and a host of other reef fish. All I was able to accomplish in those “early days” was to add credence to my friends’ belief that fish could not be caught fly fishing in Hawai‘i. I may have given up altogether were it not for a…

■ It was a great month for mahimahi, spearfish, and even a few big marlin. The beginning of the month was more productive for the big bills, but fishing all month was consistent and steady for all who participated. The weather was cooperative on the south shore, and the charter guys and weekend warriors alike were out in full force, looking for offerings from the sea. Small Skiffs, Big Fish On May 5, Ke‘ehi/Ala Wai angler Craig Mitchell was finally able to convince his father, Mitch, who had been under the weather for two weeks, that it was time to get up and go fishing. The weather was flat calm all over the state, so the Mitchells took their 16-foot Whaler, the TANDA MANZI, to the Penguin Banks to see…

■ Keep caps. Each plastic top forms the basic structure for a great-looking trolling lure that is simple to make and inexpensive. Better yet, you can fish them in a way that makes them more effective than lures costing 50 times as much. We’ll get to the secret of that supereffective method later. After all, you can’t fish a lure until you make it, so let’s make one. In the diagrams, we are starting with a cap from a shampoo bottle. However, we’ve made great lures from tops taken off cosmetic products and after-shave lotion, and even from lipstick tubes and medicine vials. The only requirements are that the item is a plastic cylinder with a hollow inside and a closed end. The steps are easy and quick and require…

■ Like I’ve always said, there’s more than one way to skin a tuna. And that was just the case when I had a chance to fish with David Itano of the Hawaii Tuna Tagging Project (HTTP) run by the University of Hawaii. David showed me a way to hook small- to medium-sized tuna that he’d learned while fishing and tagging in the Philippines. It’s amazingly simple, and my feeling is that it has applications for other types of fish such as kahala and weke-‘ula, which like to strike at lures that are racing off of the bottom. The leader system consists of a very heavy length of stainless steel wire in the 30- to 40-gauge size. My feeling is that lengths of stainless steel or brass arc welding rods…

■ Have you ever shared a bank account with someone who didn’t keep track of his or her expenses? It could end in a disappointing surprise for both you and your partner when the account is suddenly exhausted. In simple terms, Hawai‘i’s fisheries are operating under such an incomplete record-keeping system. Commercial fishermen are required to report their catch, but recreational fishermen are not. If the recreational catch were low, this system of partial reporting wouldn’t be a problem. But surveys of Hawai‘i’s small-boat fishermen indicate that approximately 28 percent are recreational and about another 40 percent are “expense” fishermen, who sell only a portion of their catch to cover expenses. In other words, about 68 percent of Hawai‘i’s small-boat fishermen currently do not report catches of unsold fish, information…

First ‘Ahi for KAKALINA ■ It seems like each month our copy of HAWAII FISHING NEWS shows a picture or two of a big ‘ahi surrounded by happy fishermen. So often the stories are about a last-minute trip to a favorite FAD, an accidental blind strike in the middle of nowhere or a chance encounter with a porpoise school on an uneventful day. It has always seemed like everyone, but everyone, catches ‘ahi-everyone except us on the Force 25 named KAKALINA. The KAKALINA first took to the long swells of West Hawai‘i three years ago and was a lucky boat right from the start. She fishes the rich waters of Kawaihae, Mahukona and the great sea cliffs of Hamakua, where packs of mahimahi chase silver clouds of malolo up into…

Pillaging Hawai‘i’s Shark Population ■ While our legislators argued over whether Hawai‘i needed a law banning shark finning or not, and while every regulatory agency at both the state and federal level sits impotently, unable to do anything to stop them, one longliner has set about pillaging Hawaii’s near-shore shark population in a diabolical and cynical manner, but very carefully staying just inside the boundaries of existing laws and regulations. The white longline vessel ANNA C. has become the scourge of Hawaii’s waters as the crew systematically baits, sets and recovers longlines for sharks around each of the main Hawaiian islands. In so doing, the population of apex predators, animals critical to the health of our near-shore ecosystems, has been put under fishing pressure like never before. Despite numerous calls…

■ Ask any member of the Hawaii Freshwater Fishing Association (HFFA) who the best fisherman in the club is, and most would give the nod to Kelton Tanji. Arguably the most consistent angler of the club, he is always in the top 10 for the tournament standings. More often than not, his name is in the number-one spot. It is rare for Kelton to come to a weigh-in with no fish. On those days, you know the fishing is tough. Kelton’s credentials are impressive. He has 14 years of fishing experience with the HFFA. Last year, he was the first and only angler in the club’s history to sweep all four fishing categories. He took not only the championship, but also biggest bass, biggest tucunare, and angler of the year.…

■ On June 1, 1999, William “Bill” Devick was officially appointed as administrator of Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). Bill, a career employee with the DAR, served as acting administrator for the past four and a half years. For more than 20 years, Bill has been working to address concerns about alien species in state waters, such as armored catfish in Wahiawa Reservoir. He was also one of the first to raise the issue of alien species in the ballast water of cargo and military ships, such as the Navy’s floating dry dock, the “Machinist,” brought here from the Philippines. As acting administrator, Bill has withstood the test of time. Now, as permanent administrator, the department can finally move forward. With a…

■ The midday heat was penetrating. The ulua poles stood like statues, rooted into the lava rock. This wasn’t working out at all. I began to wonder how many bait changes it would take before I would get a strike. I grabbed my 6-foot HMG rod, which was already rigged with a BG 13 reel loaded with 4-lb test. Because the water was relatively deep, I added a ½-oz egg sinker and attached a 6-foot leader that was baited with a white pearlescent 1-inch grub tail. The grub tail had been working wonders for me all morning long, and I mentally thanked Keith Okimoto for supplying me with his great line of whipping lures. Keith’s “Deadly Whippin’” lures come in myriad shapes, colors and matching leadhead jigs that would boggle…

Spreader Bars An Effective Attractant For Tuna ■ For a long time now, I’ve been looking for a way to work spreader bars into our pattern. But until the Miami Boat Show last February, where I ran into the guys at Stalker Outfitters, I had not found a variation that would work for our style of fishing. We usually troll at 8 knots with a combination of lures with hooks out back, and lures without hooks up front, acting as teasers for “bait and switch.” The Stalker spreader bar consists of 14 5-inch squid skirts spread out behind a 3-foot long piece of stiff wire and one bullet-shaped head that has a soft texture and 8-inch skirts set 3 feet behind the pack. (This particular lure would normally have the…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS 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 Hawai‘i Big Game Fishing Club-Kona (808) 325-7362 P.O. Box 3106, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 RAINBOW JACKPOT FISHING TOURNAMENT July 3 & 4, 1999 Kauai Rainbow Paint and Fishing Supply Jim Nakagawa-Kauai (808) 335-6412 WORLD CUP BLUE MARLIN CHAMPIONSHIP July 4, 1999 1998 World Cup- (305) 551-0320, Fax (305) 559-8485 P.O. Box 2476, Miami, FL 33159 SKINS MARLIN DERBY July 8, 9, 10 & 11,1999 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 WORLD BILLFISH CHALLENGE LIGHT TACKLE SHOOTOUT July 11,12, 13 & 14,1999…