Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2000 i Hawaii Fishing News

Certain achievements deserve a second mention. What Hilo shorecaster Josh Takayesu accomplished in a few days of fishing during the spring of 1998 was definitely one of those achievements. On February 26, 1998, Josh ventured to the Ka‘u coastline of the Big Island to do some shorecasting for the elusive ulua. Little did he know he was about to accomplish a feat that was unheard of. On that first evening, he landed a 107-lb ulua-an awesome catch. Just three days later, on March 1, 1998, on the very same fishing trip at the same spot, he landed his second 100-plus-lb ulua. This one weighed in at 116 lbs. This was an incredible feat that should get all the recognition it deserves. All shorecasters chase the ultimate dream of hooking and…

“I’ve never heard of ciguatera, have you?” “It doesn’t exist here. It’s a myth created by companies to make a buck off us poor fishermen.” “Five tests for $28.99? What, are you nuts? I’ll just give some fish to my cat!” Boy, do these statements sound familiar! I think I’ve heard every excuse why, “No need, brah!” Ciguatera is the most commonly reported nonbacterial seafood-related disease in the United States. Every year, there are from 5,000 to 10,000 cases reported. It is also vastly misdiagnosed as salmonella or flu. Just last November in Winter Park, Florida, a 50-year-old woman and 14 others were served kahala in a restaurant (a well-known chain) and came down with extreme ciguatera symptoms. The fish was sent to the FDA lab in Washington where it…

House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) #102 Requesting the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to close the Northwest Hawaiian Islands lobster fishery to protect the endangered monk seal. WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth and is found only in the Hawaiian islands; and WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal is the only marine mammal that lives its entire life in the Hawaiian islands; and WHEREAS, the Hawaiian monk seal, its ancient name being ‘ilioholoikauaua, is the kino lau (physical essence) of the Hawaiian god Kanaloa and an ‘aumakua (personal god) to the kanaka maoli (indigenous people) of Hawai'i today; and WHEREAS, there are only about 1,300 to 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals left on Earth, and WHEREAS, the largest Hawaiian monk seal breeding population at…

Kaulana Ua ‘Ano ‘ai me ke aloha. Pehea ka i‘a? Pela no, pono no makou e ‘ike i na mea o na kupuna. A loa'a ka i‘a me na no‘eau. Nui no ka i‘a, i‘a mau loa. ‘Ai ana makou, nui no ka i‘a. Hana no makou e ho'omau i ka ‘aina aloha. Fondest greetings to all. How’s the fish (fishing)? Perhaps, we should look to the works of our ancestors. Then and only then, with great wisdom, will we acquire the fish we seek. Plenty fish, fish forever. Let’s enjoy the plentifulness of the fish and strive to preserve these abundant resources. This month’s focus is on the ua (rains) that nurture our islands and seas. Without them, we would not be able to survive and prosper. I always…

Midway Opens 2000 Season The year 2000 looks like it could be one of the best at Midway. Aloha Airlines has inaugurated regularly scheduled service to the island, and in late February reports were already filtering back from the tiny atoll that the ulua were massed on the lagoon’s flats again-hundreds of them in tight, dark, milling masses. Since it was first opened to the public in the summer of 1996, Midway Atoll quickly became one of the Pacific’s most intriguing and desirable sportfishing destinations. Some 17 world records, some of them for monster ulua, have been set in just four short fishing seasons. Visiting fishermen, divers and underwater photographers have been astounded by the large number, the size and the fearlessness of the fish both inside and outside Midway’s…

Stand barefoot in a sandy bottomed Puako tide pool, and wait. Soon you’ll feel tiny tickles around your toes. The tide pool shrimp like your taste. They pick their way across your feet to nibble at the loose flakes and cells your skin continuously sheds. These Lilliputian crustaceans get very brave, considering the size of the Gulliver towering overhead. Once they have dined on miniature morsels of shed skin, they lose some of their natural wariness. In fact, if you use your hand rather than your feet as bait, you can catch palm-feeding shrimp with a quick snatch. The tide pool ‘opae are, in turn, perfect bait for any fish that feeds along the shoreline. Use a tiny hook with a light wire (say a Limerick in size 6, 8,…

Palila Appeal Goes Forward, Part 1 The court papers were filed in San Francisco for an Appeal of the Palila Decision and Order. John Carroll of Ahualoa is representing sportsmen of Hawaii and the Wildlife Conservation Association of Hawaii pro bono. In the future, we’ll look at some of the issues at hand in this landmark case that could put Hawai'i hunters in front of the Supreme Court. “The palila (Loxioides bailleui, formerly Psittirostra bailleui) is high on the list of endangered species.” So begins Judge Samuel King’s Civil No. 78-0030 Decision and Order of October 13, 1999. In understanding the incorrectness of this sentence, we see the injustice of a decision that sentences game mammals to complete obliteration for purpose neither supported by law nor confirmed in fact. The…

Kahului Small Boat Harbor Last month, I reported the tentative schedule for improvements, which have been off and on again for so many years, at Kahului Small Boat Harbor. The schedule will be discussed in depth at the next monthly meeting of the Maui Trailer Boat Club (MTBC) where we will have some guest speakers. It is most important that every member of our club and their personal guests make a sincere effort to be present for this meeting. We will have the opportunity to provide our input for the final schedule of the improvements we have all been looking forward to. Please note the change of meeting time for this meeting only: Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2000; Time: 6 p.m.; Location: Maui Electric Building Auditorium. On April 1, we…

A total of three blue marlin over 500 Ibs were ‘recorded during the month. The first was a 579-pounder landed by Capt. Roger. Duquette’s AUKALANI. The boat headed out for a full day of fishing on the 12th. At approximately 8:45 a.m., the big fish entered their pattern and decided it was time for breakfast. They came tight, and angler Jim Cain from Sparks, Nevada, was in the chair for the next two hours and 10 minutes. The largest fish of the month was a 667-lb blue captured by the JACQUE-APITO. Capt. Gary Quam was at the helm of the 40-foot Silverton for the full-day charter. They trolled around all day without a bite, and at 3 p.m. they headed home. On the 1,000-fathom ledge off Kaiwi, the marlin entered…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS SENORITA’S TOURNAMENT April 8 & 9, 2000 Hawaii Yacht Club—Oahu (808) 949-4622 1739-C Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, Hl 96815 PURE JACKPOT MILLENNIUM 1 April 15, 20 00 Keehi Boat Club-Oahu (808) 841-7271 4 Sand Island Access Road, Honolulu, HI 96819 4TH ANNUAL KONA CLASSIC TOURNAMENT May 12, 13 & 14, 2000 Tropidilla-Kona (808) 325-7300 P.O. Box 2158, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 PURE JACKPOT MILLENNIUM 2 May 27, 2000 Keehi Boat Club-Oahu (808) 841-7271 4 Sand Island Access Road, Honolulu, HI 96819 PEARL HARBOR FISHING TOURNAMENT May 27, 2000 Rainbow Bay Marina-Oahu (808) 473-0279 AHi FEVER IN WAIANAE June 10 & 11, 2000 Waianae Boat Fishing Club-Oahu (808) 696-3399 P.O. Box 821, Waianae, HI 96792 AHi-FEVER.com BIG ISLAND INVITATIONAL MARLIN TOURNAMENT June 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18, 2000 Tropidllla-Kona…

Having the right equipment can enhance your ulua fishing experience, and having equipment that is just adequate can be frustrating when it’s really critical. One of your most important pieces of equipment is your headlight. If you’re a seasoned ulua angler, you probably already have a modified headlight that’s rigged with a dimmer switch, durable headband and a halogen bulb that burns bright white while it’s hooked up to a rechargeable battery. If that’s the case, then you will appreciate this “extreme” headlight that my friend Wally Rivera, president of the Extreme Shorecasters Club, has been field testing for a couple of years. He said it is the best that he’s used. Wally was so impressed by the performance of this light that he decided to bring it to the…

While camping at Kahuku with the family over the President’s Day weekend, I caught a hogi and a small tiger shark. The shark really had me fooled by the way it fought. I thought for sure I had hooked an ulua. I guess you never know till you see ’im! We met a great bunch of guys that fish in a group called The Ulua Stalkers, including Rick Berasis, Mark Idiri, Carlton Lum and Peter Paulino. Mark caught a 5¼-lb ‘o‘io. As we were talking tackle, Robbie and Randy (sorry, I did not get your last names) returned from down the beach with a nice-sized bag of nenue. Keep on pounding, guys! That big one is out there somewhere. Atlapac Fishing Club members Dan Meheula and Shelton Sugai had a…

Hawaii’s long history as a productive year-round sportfishing mecca and international tournament venue led the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) to chose Kona as the site of the first ever Olympics of sport fishing, an event called the Rolex/IGFA Invitational Tournament of Champions (ITOC). This premier event, fished March 4 to 12, drew 38 angling teams from around the globe, the winners of Rolex/IGFA ITOC qualifying tournaments in all the oceans of the world. Thirteen countries were represented including Finland, Spain, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Panama, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada/West Indies, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Ecuador and the United States. After four days of fishing competition on Kona’s top sportfishing charterboats, the team representing the Allied Marine Sailfish Hoedown Tournament in Florida had taken top…

Our Pleas For Help Fall on Deaf Ears After several years of excellent service, it’s sad that we have to dust off our Slowpoke Award and once again present it to the U.S, Post Office Honolulu Bulk Mail Division. Not all, but a significant number of HFN’s neighbor-island subscribers did not receive their March issues in a timely manner. Many complained that home delivery was not made until two weeks after the February 28 mailing date. Walter Yamamoto, who we were told is the U.S. Post Office customer service representative for the HAWAII FISHING NEWS account, did not have the courtesy or professionalism to return my several requests that he call. He did, however, speak with our bulk mail handler at Hagadone Printing. Now, four weeks later as we go…

Page Rogers’ Slim Jim Proves Irresistible to Kaku After I had been standing in total darkness for nearly a half-hour, the lazy sun began to open its weary eyes upon the new day. The winter air blew straight through the thin fabric of my shirt and into my bones. As the light increased, I noticed that the water was a cloudy tan color due to the wind and the high tide stirring up the bottom. I had known about the Slim Jim for sometime and had always thought that it would be a good fly for Hawai'‘i, but I had never fished it. I tied on the slender fly, stripped out line and began roll casting. Roll casting would be the order of the day because there was no room…

Charterboat Moratoriums Hawai‘i’s charter sport fishing industry has generally led a relatively unregulated life, but it sure isn’t that way in other parts of the country. Tighter restrictions seem to be in the cards. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Charter Vessel/Headboat Advisory Panel is currently developing recommendations on a proposed three-year moratorium on new charterboat fishing permits in the Gulf of Mexico. The reason? They think there are too many boats taking too many people out to catch too many fish from a limited area. Granted, the Gulf of Mexico is a much smaller area than the Pacific Ocean, but if they restrict charterboat sport neti there, it could happen here too someday. In mid-February of this year, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to recommend that…

On February 18, 140 sixth-graders from Kalakaua Middle School enjoyed a day of catch-and-release fishing at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Park in Kane‘ohe. After several weeks of classroom instruction and practice, the students were eager to test their new skills in the real world of fishing. An interdisciplinary unit introduced the students to fishing techniques through their PE classes- and allowed them to explore fish anatomy and fish characteristics in science. After the trek to Ho‘omaluhia, the students composed written narratives in language arts to share their fishing experiences. Special thanks to Knud Lindgard and the helpful staff at Ho‘omaluhia who helped make this trip successful and safe. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) allowed the team to borrow fishing poles for each student to use on this learning trek.…

Ono of a Catch Robin Vye, who is the first mate on the HO-ONANEA catamaran, called me one day with great excitement. The HO-ONANEA catamaran does charter cruises out of Hale'iwa Harbor, and this time of year they do a lot of whale watching cruises. Whenever they have a charter, Robin always sets out a pole just in case. On one such charter, he got lucky. About 1 mile out of Hale'iwa Harbor, he hooked up to something pretty big. His 6/0 reel on a light rod with 30-lb test line started to scream. The fish took about 150 yards of line in seconds. Robin quickly started to fight the fish with great difficulty because the reel overheated and parts started to freeze up. But, within 30 minutes he finally…

Weather-wise, this is a transitional month between our winter and summer. This means that the surface cold front of winter and the upper trough of summer can "meet" over the islands in April. The result is a few days of bad weather with heavy rain and gusty winds. Bad weather doesn't occur every April over Hawai'i waters, but it happens often enough, or the potential is there, to warrant being aware of its possibility. Trade wind days continue to increase-about 75 percent of the time we'll have trades. Expect eight to 15 days of gusty trades. High northwest swell and surf action is tapering down. Expect only about two days of surf 10 to 15 feet high at Sunset Beach, O'ahu. CIGUATERA FISH POISONING CASE REPORTS Department of Health Howard…

The following is the first of a series of experts from a paper on Hawaii’s ulua fishery developed for the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) by the author. This excerpt deals with the economics of Hawaii’s ulua fishery and presents some rather astounding figures with regard to the size and value of Hawaii’s sport fishery for this important species. Recent studies suggest that there are 32,000 ulua fishermen in Hawai'i and that they spend about $31 million annually in pursuit of their passion. By 1958, the lack of data on the impact of recreational fishing prompted the Hawai'i State Division of Fish and Game to begin to survey anglers, which eventually led to the first analysis of the economic impact of sport fishing in Hawai'i. However, it was not until…

On March 2, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) voted to amend the Pelagics Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) to include the following restrictions on the take of sharks by the Hawai'i longline fleet: • a one shark per trip limit for all species except the blue shark; • a finning ban (i.e., sharks must be landed whole or dressed) for all non-blue sharks; and • a 50,000 quota for blue sharks, to be adjusted periodically based on population assessments and other indicators of the health of the stock. In October 1999, the council also initially approved a ban on the use of demersal (i.e., bottom) longline gear to catch sharks, a measure that is expected to be included in the final FMP amendment. The council’s action recognizes the…

Shots Across the Bow Mike Nelson, marlin tournament promoter and fish analyst, called “Splash!” about U.S. Coast Guard shots across the bow. He said the U.S. Coast Guard is boarding boats on O‘ahu to check for life rafts and making dock visits in Kona regarding safety training class rules. At the core of fishermen’s grumblings is the Hawai’i commercial fishing license. Having a commercial license is a ticket to strict mandatory safety regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard’s position is that commercial fishing is a dangerous job. Commercial fishermen are required by law to have a 406 EPIRB, which has a vessel-specific distress call. This costs $800. They are also required to have a life raft. Life rafts run about $2,000. Mike said that the less expensive life rings that some…

It was difficult for me to come up with a specific theme for an article for this month. As usual, I have been fishing, but there have been no real stories to be told-no nail-biting dramas, no epic battles won or lost, just the camaraderie of my family and friends fishing with me and sharing time together. So, instead of boring you with stories of the few kau kau fish we’ve caught, allow me to share a few fishing tips that hopefully will teach you something new. Pole Fishing Tips When I say pole fishing, I don’t mean fishing with a spinning or casting rod. I am talking about fishing with a bamboo or fiberglass handpole. There are many handpoles to choose from. You can get tiny poles to catch…

“Fishing Tales®” airs five nights a week (Wednesday through Sunday) at 7 p.m. on Channel_16 on O'ahu and on the neighbor-island cable systems. Here’s a preview of what host Mike Sakamoto has in store for you. March 29 to April 2-Free-Diving with Tommy and Hinano The water is clear and clean outside of Hilo, so Mike heads out with Tommy Randall and Hinano Delgado to do some free-diving and spearing. They spear uhu, papio and a mixture of reef fish. Their average dive is to 30 feet. April 5 to 9-Bottom Fishing With Ben Mori on O'ahu Ben Mori and Stanley Kitagawa take Mike for a day of bottom fishing outside of Hawai'‘i-kai, O'ahu. They use bait and have a good time hooking into moana, papio and ‘o‘io. Ben even…

The day dawned bright and beautiful. This was the day that co-chairmen Clyde Sasaki and Sonny Tanabe had worked so hard to see happen. All the months of planning and organizing were coming together on this day. At 6:30 a.m.; the saisiucs began arriving. at the Elk’s Club. Soon, the upstairs rooms were buzzing with activity as the vendors and distributors set up their displays and showed their wares. Excited by the events of the day, people began arriving even before the 10 a.m. starting time. A tour around the lodge room revealed artist Naoki Hayashi’s handsome gyotaku fish prints. One of Naoki’s fish prints was selected as the logo for the exposition and appeared on the official Hawaii Freedive Spearfishing Exposition T- and tank-top shirts, which were sold at…

Murphy’s Law Strikes Again Ho‘omaluhia had the usual contingent of 250-plus family anglers enduring both bad weather and good. Then Murphy’s Law hit. The Kalakaua Intermediate students, all.140 of them, trooped up one day, and the fish did not really cooperate. The smallmouth bass were stacked near the shoreline, and the small fish became skittish. It got so bad that we donated a Zebco rod and reel to the school with the understanding that it would go to the student who wrote the best essay. (On these pages you will find student descriptions of the outing.) The deserving winner was Arlyn Ramos. Where did the time go? It was five years ago that we covered the first outing of the Kalakaua Intermediate School to Ho‘omaluhia, and they have been coming…

“Beautiful” best described the month. “Lockjaw” best described the behavior of the fish and most fishermen. Bird piles were everywhere. From Ka‘ena Point to Kalaeloa (Barber's Point), aku schools were easily found. Some schools consisted of small aku weighing from 1 to 2 Ibs. Others contained the big aku that we all seek, the otaru weighing in excess of 20 lbs. But, getting them to bite was the challenge. Conversation after conversation rang out on the CB radio about the aku, “jumping out of the water right next to my lure, but no touch. I went to light lines. I even got.my spinning rod out and still no bite.” It almost seemed to fishermen that the aku were conspiring to frustrate them. Many fishermen went from pile to pile, hoping…

I run a charter fishing operation out of Kona, Hawai‘i. I use a variety of fishing methods including ' deep-water. jigging. My. main clientele for the deep-jigging charters are Japanese. Jigging is a big sport in Japan, and the main target species is kahala. I’ve been the main boat in Kona catering to these. sportsmen for over three years now. My jigging anglers have caught a variety of interesting by-catch over the years including. one world- and state-record Randall's snapper, three state-record striped bonito, marlin on a jig and even a female killer whale (orca), released, of course. Two of.my recent anglers had a good laugh while out jigging. We were catching and releasing quite a few kahala, and’ one of the big ones snapped the angler’s line at the…

Hawai'i Divers Honor Two Long-Time Contributors to the Sport Saturday, March 12, was a busy day at the Elks' Club in Waikiki. Members of the local diving community, and free-divers in particular, gathered to hear a series of interesting presentations on the sport of free-diving and blue-water hunting, to take a chance on great door prizes and to look at the latest offerings from local and mainland vendors. Before the exposition, Frank Farm expressed some concern about whether they could equal the first expo two years ago, when the speakers talked to a standing-room-only crowd. Based upon what I saw, I think this year's expo was even bigger and better. The displays were still crowded at 9 o'clock that night! While the free-dive event schedule continued upstairs, the members of…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of April 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, Chuckh Send to: P.O. Box 25040, Honolulu, HI 96825 Aloha Chuck, Here is a photo I wanted to share with you and your readers which captures the pride and achievement of catching that first ocean fish. The young angler is Jake Lehew of Longmont, Colorado (age 4). It was a pleasure to share the experience aboard the AHI with Jake and his family who are regular visitors to our island. Thanks to two-speed reels, we can get more youth involved in our sport. Capt. Mike HolmesHa/e-o-Lono, Moloka'i Howzit Chuck, Aloha. Howzit…