Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2000 i Hawaii Fishing News

The Other Guy’s Problems Hawai‘i’s marine environmental issues are fairly well-known to anyone who fishes island waters, and we cover them pretty consistently in this column. Sometimes, however, it is useful to look beyond our own back yard and become aware of some of the conservation issues impacting other parts of the world. Extinction Is Forever It takes about 10 million years for the living world to recover from large-scale extinctions and produce mature ecosystems, according to a study published in the journal Nature. “When we got that result, I was just stunned,” said study co-author James Kirchner of the University of California at Berkeley. Some biologists say that humans are driving species extinct at an accelerating rate that if unchecked will result in one of the biggest extinctions in…

Kaua’‘i’s westside ulua fishermen are a humble crew. Getting them to open up about the when and where of their shoreline catches is like pulling teeth. That’s why I knew my friend Joseph Sablan was really excited when he called to let me know about a big ulua he and his partner Bernice Young hauledin during the early morning hours of January 14, 2000. Joseph and I have played a lot of softball together, and we often share our fishing exploits. But little did I know that he is a dedicated ulua hunter, one of those guys who inhabit the beaches and rock outcroppings late into the night and early morning in order to hook and land that elusive 100-plus-lb fish. At 12:25 a.m. on this particular morning, he came…

“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. May 3 to 7-Tucunare and Largemouths on Kaua'i Mike goes freshwater fishing for largemouth bass and tucunare with Peter Silva and Haru Watanabe of Kauai Freshwater Aquatics Inc. They head out early on a windy morning and find the tucunare and bass by casting surface plugs like the Tiny Torpedo and buzz baits. Once the tucuanare are located, the guys start casting live tilapia and begin hooking up. This is a fun show for everyone. May 10 to 14-Papio, Uku and 'Omilu Moloka'i-Style Mike Holms, Mike Murakami and Ikaika Juario invite Mike to…

The Hawaii Tuna Tagging Project (HTTP) team took advantage of stable high-pressure cells over the main Hawaiian islands in February to tag small FAD-associated yellowfin from inshore fishing vessels. BO-, HH- and P-buoys south of O‘ahu; O, CC, K and MC FADs near Moloka‘i and Lana‘i; and the Kona buoys from XX to B were visited. It was interesting to note that the month saw small schools of yellowfin in the 34- to 40-cm range, later in the year than these small fish normally appear around our FADs. Few recaptures have been reported from these releases. The project team went offshore again in March, fishing approximately 200 miles south of O‘ahu; and tagged 492 bigeye and 24 yellowfin ranging in size from 8 to 107 lbs with an average estimated…

Preservationists To Torch Hunter Funds? Pittman-Robertson (P-R) funding, the cornerstone of Hawai‘i and national outdoor sportsmen conservation, is rumored threatened by preservationists. Reports surfacing at the last Hunters’ Advisory Council meeting in Hilo said that the Honolulu chapter of the Earthjustice Legal Defense has requested state conservation documents dealing with P-R funds. Hunters believe, through informed source details, that the preservationist group Earthjustice is laying groundwork for a lawsuit that will seek to stop P-R funds. The lawsuit, hunters claim, is to bar the state from harboring game mammals. Preservationists see game mammals as enemies destroying endangered plants and birds. P-R funds are received from taxes charged on firearms and ammunition. The taxes are placed in a conservation trust fund. This trust fund was established in 1937. To receive the…

Thirteen monster marlin hit the docks during the month. The-largest blue weighed in at a hefty 713% lbs. This giant fish was captured by Capt. Howard Whitcomb and crew on the BILLFISHER II. Lucky angler. Sam Wheeler from Mission Viejo, California, chartered the 44-foot Custom for a full day. Howard spotted a boat just outside of “the Grounds” and decided to join him. Once he got there, he noticed a bait pile with lots of birds. On his third pass around the aku school, a fish swallowed his Big Merlin lure that was set on the short corner. Sam was in the chair for the next 55 minutes with his first blue marlin. Eight blues over 500 lbs were found in Kona waters during the week of Monday the 20th…

Kahului Small Draft Harbor The Big news concerns what happened at the club's last regular meeting, held in the Maui Electric Building Auditorium on Tuesday, April 4, 2000. The 29 members present were honored with the presence of six distinguished guests who were there to inform them when the improvements to the Kahului Small Boat Harbor would begin and conclude. This was a first for the club whose officers and members have toiled for 16 long years to get this whole shebang done. Sen. Jan Yagi Buen, who was the catalyst in getting the project moving again, was accompanied by Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Chairman Tim Johns, Dave Parsons and Chuck Penque. The Corps of Engineers was represented by Paul Mitzue and Warren Kanai. These latter two…

The regular spring opening of Nu’uanu Reservoir to catfish fishing will be delayed several weeks. In an effort to maximize the number of eggs collected from catfish spawning in the reservoir, biologists with the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) are making an extra effort to locate nests with eggs and to provide artificial habitats for nesting sites. "The number of naturally spawning catfish in the reservoir has declined over the years," said Dennis Shinno, aquatic biologist in charge of tile site. "A number of new fish have been introduced in the hopes they would start spawning, but they apparently aren't acclimated to Nu'uanu conditions." eggs collected from the reservoir are hatched at a state facility, and the young fish are grown and eventually returned to the reservoir. "Allowing our…

Hawaii waters weather May signals better weather for Hawai‘i waters—there is less chance of severe weather, like strong Kona winds, thunderstorms or heavy rain. There is still a small chance of bad weather in May, but normally it is a well-behaved month. Trade winds will blow about 86 percent of the time, and one should expect about four to 10 days of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity will continue to decrease. Surf at Sunset Beach, O’ahu, will not rise above five feet on most days, but there is a chance that 10-to 15-foot surf can occur. Higher than normal swell and surf on the southern shores will be increasing through the month as storms in the Southern Hemisphere become stronger. Tropical cyclones do not normally occur in Hawai'i waters in…

Marina Moans Fishermen say Ko Olina Marina is costly and rule-ridden. The marina says that liability makes it that way. William Aila Jr., the Wai‘anae harbormaster, ‘has jumped in the fray in the interests of the west side boat owners. William is concerned that a functional second ramp access is critical to relieve the Wai‘anae ramp congestion. William was quoted as saying that it can take up to five hours to launch boats at Wai‘anae’s seven boat ramps. during “‘ahi fever” season. Ko Olina is a private marina with a public launch mandate. The harbor cost $40 million and will have a double ramp with parking for 33 trailers. It is expected to open-in May. Boat slips at Ko Olina rent for $9 per foot, compared to $4.10 at Ala…

Dear Chuck, Saw your story on Marlin magazine and Florida fishermen, and wanted to correct a few items. Now, now, I can see that look on your face like someone just rubbed a turd under your nose. Nah, we’re not frumpy sticklers, brah. If you like to release the fish you catch-—cool. If you want to eat them-that’s way cool, too. Just wanted to point out that it’s not illegal to eat marlin in Florida if you’re a recreational angler. It’s illegal to sell them commercially to restaurants. Overfishing from commercial longliners has decimated the marlin population off Florida to the point that we don’t see them that often, so many anglers choose to let them go. If you want to keep it and eat it, that’s OK, just don’t…

An old sage, wise in the ways of fishermen and their tales, once told me the cardinal rule of fish stories: A fish never stops growing unless it has been weighed. That’s why the fabled “one that got away” doubles in size each time the story is retold. But what about a fish that was caught and weighed 30 years ago? Like the true legend it is, Capt: Cornelius Choy’s 1,805-lb blue marlin has continued to grow since it was hooked on June 10, 1970. A speculative piece printed in HFN’s March issue wondered if the fish was really a “tonner” and provided a calculation hinting that it might have surpassed 2,200 lbs. The seeds for Speculation were sown in (1) an error made at the time and passed on…

S. M. Kamakau’s description of live-bait fishing for bonito explained how early Hawaiians relied on sea birds to guide them to their quarry. When they approached a tuna school, they chummed live bait fish to attract and get the fish into a feeding frenzy. Then the fishermen caught the fish with a bamboo pole rigged with a barbless hook. S M. Kamakau further mentioned that the fishermen baited their hooks with bait fish, but when he accompanied a motorized sampan to hook aku, the fishermen used artificial lures for their hooks. Although it is not known when the transition from the ancient hook to the modern hook took place, back in 1947 a group of old-time Japanese fishermen familiar with canoe aku fishing provided the following information on how they…

Everyone has heard the mythical tales of Alaska’s fabulous fishing. Tales of streams so full of salmon you could walk across on their backs. Tales of huge halibut breaking rods, arms and legs—even sinking small boats. Tales of king and Dungeness crabs covering the bottom, just waiting for a baited crab pot to be dropped to them. And of course, tales of Alaska waters teeming with the fabled butterfish, which graces the menus of many of the restaurants in the islands. These aren’t myths. I am here to tell you that everything above is true—and within reach of anyone desiring a great adventure in Alaska. While you may not enjoy trying to cross a swift stream on the slippery backs of salmon or tangling with a monster halibut from aboard…

Even though peak season for onaga (red snapper) is over, you will still find some while bottom fishing. Plus, ta‘ape (blue-lined snapper) are always plentiful! The big news this month is ‘ahi (yellowfin tuna). May is officially the start of peak season for the tasty tuna. Offshore anglers in Hawai‘i also can look forward to peak season catches of kawakawa (mackerel tuna), striped marlin and mahimahi. So the recipes this month are “a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.” I first tasted the following recipe in Miami, where my friend and colleague Carole Kotkin demonstrated it in one of her cooking classes. It is a version of a longtime Chinese favorite cooked with fresh ginger, garlic, soy and sugar. It is very low in calories, with…

A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules long-range aircraft located a British long-distance rower Wednesday at 4. p.m., seven hours after U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Conidmation (JRCC) Center Honolulu received his registered 406 Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). Rescued was 42-year-old Andrew Halsey who had run out of food. Andrew set out from San Diego, California, on July 15 in a custom-built 27-foot rowboat in an attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean to Sydney, Australia, single-handedly. The C-130 launched from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barber’s Point after the JRCC received Andrew’s EPIRB at 9:08 a.m. The JRCC also immediately began attempting to contact vessels participating in the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System that were in Andrew’s vicinity for assistance. Because the JRCC was unable to contact…

Imagine drifting weightless through pure blue. Serenity and beauty surround you in complete silence. A small school of brightly colored fish swims below, snagging bits of food and then gliding out of sight. Suddenly some small 'ahi swim erratically by at high speed, and a huge figure appears, coming straight for you. You try to stay relaxed, but you know this could be the one. You catch a deep breath and slowly begin your descent. You level off with the mammoth and position yourself, waiting for anything to happen. Turning sideways to get a better look at you, the huge fish glistens in the sunlight against a perfect blue backdrop. Noticing the lines of color, you pick your best spot and let the shaft fly. Then the battle begins. Announcing…

Mother Nature’s Nasty Weather Takes Toll Hale‘iwa has not had many good fishing days so far this year. First, it was high surf. Now, we have gale-force winds and rain to add to it. You would think we were still in the winter season, not the spring season. If you are thinking about going into the ocean, be very careful. Within one month, the temporary by-pass road washed out, a scuba diver drown, a surfer was reported and still is missing and the 40-foot HO‘ONANEA was flipped over. Strong winds and surf caused all of this. If you are thinking about going fishing or pursuing any type of ocean sport, be careful and check the weather report first! A few lucky boaters went out during the short breaks of good…

FINEST KIND The 37-foot Merritt FINEST KIND captured the top Lahaina Harbor charter sportfishing boat title among the 20 boats. It weighed in 28 blue marlin (most among the fleet) totaling 7,366 lbs (highest total); 18 striped marlin (most among the fleet) totaling 744 Ibs (highest total); and 45 spearfish (most among the fleet) totaling 1,266 lbs (highest total). The boat’s 91 billfish (most among the fleet) weighed a grand total of 9,376 lbs (highest total weight). The boat released an additional seven billfish including one blue marlin, five striped marlin and one spearfish. The boat’s 29 blue marlin (second highest total blue marlin), 23 striped marlin (highest total striped marlin) and 46 spearfish (third highest total spearfish) brought its yearly billfish capture to 98 (highest total capture). This gave…

“Hey, Chuck. How’d the longcasting tournament go?” That seemed to be the popular question during the week following the April 8th event. With number eight now under Atlapac Fishing Club’s (AFC’s) belt, it’s not a question of if, but when for Hawai‘i’s longcasting event number nine. Getting this year’s competition to a successful completion was kind of an event in itself. First, when two committee members didn’t make a hastily scheduled kick-off meeting, the volunteer chairperson and vice president called for a vote to cancel the Y2K event. Dismayed at that decision, two of the club’s officers with a “never say die” attitude came to the rescue and a decision was made. The event was on, full speed ahead. Second, the date of April 8 was carefully chosen so as…

The Big Island’s first shorecasting tournament of the year was organized by Eddie “Mr. Pole Benda” Carvalho Jr. and his lovely wife, Edlyn. The Second Annual Pole Benda Invitational Fishing Tournament was held on March 10 to 12, 2000. I was fortunate to have participated in last year’s inaugural event and was looking forward to another exciting tournament. Thirty-five anglers, including Ross Ohta from Los Angeles and David Bergau from Maui, gave it their best to earn one of 10 places in the largest fish category. A separate award for the largest ‘omilu, or bluefin trevally, was also at stake. Entrants were blessed with excellent fishing conditions. Clement trade winds, between 5 and 10 miles per hour, and diminishing surf of 1 to 3 feet embraced all shores of the…

Hawai'‘i’s ulua have been considered an important food, market and game fish since at least the turn of the century. Stocks of these important predators in the main Hawaiian islands have declined by more than 84 percent since the turn of the century, according to a report by Richard Shomura, published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in 1987. Pure recreational catch data is essential to the management of any species with important recreational impact, like Hawai‘i’s ulua. Unfortunately, most of the data collected and/or available in Hawai‘i today is commercial/market catch data, which has limited relevance to managing what is primarily a recreational and subsistence fishing resource in Hawai'i. The reported landings of all ulua/papio species declined from 652,000 lbs in 1900 to just 102,300 Ibs in 1986,…

The 2000 Senoritas Fishing Tournament, sponsored by Talus Wines and hosted by the Hawaii Yacht Club (HYC), underwent major changes over previous years and: became the first tournament ever on O‘ahu to offer main jackpot prize categories for released fish. For the first time, first and second place both went to teams that released marlin, and the tie was broken by a thrilling nail-biter at the scale on Sunday April 9. Senoritas organizers know it is important for Hawai‘i’s anglers to think about conservation, and tournaments that offer innovative formats like this are generally becoming more successful in raising corporate sponsorship. Organizers know that releasing fish is a controversial issue and certainly don’t expect everyone to agree and jump right in the first time around. The lead fish at the…

I have always been one of those guys that waits until the last minute to pack for a trip. I don’t know why,; it just seems to happen that way. Maybe it is because I need my stuff available just in case I happen to go somewhere or do something, which in my case is highly unlikely. Perhaps it is just that I like to have my things spread: all over the place in an organized mess so I feel like I have more stuff than I actually do. I think that when all of my stuff is packed, it feels like I don’t have nearly enough stuff so I go out and buy more stuff. Then I feel broke, which is worse than feeling like you don’t have enough…

Ho'omaluhia open weekend was drenched with rain-not just rain showers, but a solid downpour. Only 37 anglers showed up on Saturday and 17 on Sunday. One must wonder where some anglers keep that small flame that nurtures their fishing souls while their bodies are being abused. Anyway, these were hardy souls that ventured forth and the fishing was brisk. The reservoir is still about 9 inches too low to cover a bank on the left side of the dam where the favorite spawning place seems to be. We have discussed the problem with several officials, and there does not seem to be a solution in sight. The culprit may be construction of the H3 highway, which cut across several valleys and therefore probably diminished the water flow into the reservoir.…

Fishing in Hawai'i's waters can be risky business, especially if you find yourself lost at sea, whether you are in a disabled boat, life raft, or bobbing in the water. One of the most critical aspects relative to rescuing persons lost at sea is whether or not the search team can visually locate them. The new military-approved RescueStreamer™, licensed by See/Rescue® and developed in Hawai'i, provides a passive continuous visual target, all without the need for batteries, chemicals or electronics. RescueStreamer™ consists of a bright orange-colored streamer that unfurls to provide a person, life raft, or boat with a continuous emergency distress signal. The patented strut-reinforced streamer design permits the streamer to maintain its maximum visible surface area by minimizing any twisting/curling and keeping the streamer on the surface of…

Blustery winds kept the majority of the fishermen close to shore. A few late northwest swells and a surprisingly early south swell made navigating the entrance at Wai‘anae interesting, to say the least. The strong winds were tough on fishermen, but made the visibility for diving unreal. The bottom at 100 feet could be seen from the surface on some days. Mahimahi were everywhere-on the ledge at Ka‘ena, on the ledge at Ma‘ili and thickly populating a log drifting some 20 miles outside of the harbor. Those brave enough to head out there in the strong winds and lucky enough to find the log were rewarded with fishboxes full of these ‘ono fish. Leslie Cansibog aboard the SHADELLA §S and Joey Williams aboard the DAWN MARRIE were two such fishermen…

Dear Chuck, Sgt. Mario Bueno, HHC 3rd. Bde, 25th Infantry Division Light caught his first fish since arriving on the islands three years ago. He was whipping at his secret spot (Hau Bush) and felt this awesome tug. To his disbelief, he had something on his line. The struggle ensued and Sgt. Bueno took three tough minutes to bring in the monster. He ran to the tent and yelled, “I got my first ulua!” He has too much fishing tales on his mind. Notice the grir on his face. Sgt. Bueno has fished with the Schofield Anglers for about six months. Besides the papio he caught one white eel and a super fat balloon fish. After four days he still talks about his adventures. Today, he said the fish weighed…