Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2003 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ Last month we caught some bait; slept with cockroaches and snoring, flailing fishermen on the loose boards above the engine room with shoes for a pillow; ate a lot of rice and sashimi, and made friends with some really wonderful, hard-working and dedicated fishermen to whom I owe a great deal for the changes they made in my life. This month we will catch some aku and some more bait and learn how the Okinawans processed their aku into katsuobushi, a very important Japanese delicacy, under rather primitive conditions. Once the bait was loaded, the boats left for the fishing grounds, usually arriving there shortly after it got light. The first chore was to find the birds that were feeding on the small fish that the schools of skipjack…

■ In our opinion, artificial reefs work. Some biologists believe that the reefs don’t really increase the marine life population of a reef but rather condense it into the area around the artificial reef. But we had the opportunity to dive the artificial reef outside of the Waianae Boat Harbor and were truly amazed by the amount of fish the reef held. It was literally teeming with life. Before, this area was a flat, lifeless reef and hardly any fishermen gave the area a consideration. Brian Kanenaka of the Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR) researched and selected this area. He obtained the permits needed from the Army Corp of Engineers and the state of Hawai‘i. With the help of a federal grant and a hired contractor, Z-shaped concrete slabs were…

These Two Senators Introduced the Bill for MPAs. Lorraine R. Inouye, Room 201 1st Senatorial District-Kukuihaele, Honokaa, Paauilo, Ookala, Laupahoehoe, Honomu, Pepeekeo, Onomea, Papaikou, Paukaa, Hilo, Kaumana, Keaukaha, Waimea Phone (808) 586-7335; Fax 586-7339 From the Big Island, toll free 974-4000 + 67735 Email seninouye@Capitol.hawaii.gov Colleen Hanabusa, Room 214 21st Senatorial District-Nanakai Gardens, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Waianae, Makaha, Makua Phone (808) 586-7793; Fax 586-7797 Email senhanabusa@Capitol.hawaii.gov Melodie Williams Aduja, Room 231 23rd Senatorial District-Kihewamoku, Mokuauia, Kahuku, Laie, Hauula, Punaluu, Kahana, Kaaawa, Waikane, Waiahole, Kahaluu, Ahuimanu, Heeia, Haiku Valley, portion of Kaneohe Phone (808) 586-7330; Fax 586-7334 E-mail senaduja@Capitol.hawaii.gov Rosalyn Baker, Room 220 5th Senatorial District-Olowalu, Lahaina, Mala, Kaanapali, Honokowai, Kapalua, Honolua, Honokohau, Keoneoio, Makena, Wailea, Maui Meadows, Kamaole, Kihei, Maalaea Phone (808) 586-6070; Fax 586-6071 From Maui, toll free 984-2400 +…

Marine Protected Areas Vetoed ■ Hawai‘i Legislature Marine Protected Area (MPA) bills HB 1407, SB 705 and SB 1497 have been “held” in committee, according to Mike Sakamoto, recreational fisherman and popular outdoor TV personality. According to Mike, Sen. Colleen Hanabusa of Wai‘anae and Sen. Lorraine Inouye of Hilo both killed the bill in committee. The MPA bills were proposing large areas, as much as a minimum of 20 percent of Hawaii’s near-shore waters, be placed in the Hawaii Marine Reserve system. Though Hawai‘i MPA regulation detail was not outlined in the Legislature, a recent MPA established in California closed 175 square miles of prime fishing grounds forever. The MPA preserve concept disregards traditional temporary area closures allowing fish stocks to rebuild. MPAs have a decidedly “no fishing forever” reputation.…

Small Bills = Big IGFA Records ■ Not much has changed since last month’s report. Many striped marlin, spearfish and mahimahi and just a few blue marlin and nice-sized tuna were caught. Fourteen blues were boated and six were released compared to the 76 stripers that were caught and the 95 that were released. Our largest blue marlin of the month was a 518½-pounder caught by Cherless Weich while fishing aboard the SUNDOWNER with Capt. Norm Isaacs on the last day of the month. Another notable catch was a 69-lb ono caught by Kalani McKeague while fishing aboard the SAMMY LU II with Capt. Jeff Zager. The two were returning from a South Point night fishing trip that also produced a few bigeye tuna. This catch is currently the largest…

Malolo Poppers Strike Again! ■ Mogethin to everyone. The fishing during the month was exciting, especially because I was a part of it. The weather was a little rough, but not enough to keep us fishermen home. I was asked by the Traders’ Ridge Resort to fish with them to get some promotional pictures for them to display at the Fishing and Outdoors Show in Southern California. Michael Gumbiner, manager of the resort, had invited three other people to join in the fishing. All of us, being the macho fishermen we are, came prepared to catch the big ones and be the hero with the best pictures for the resort. Unknown to them, I had recently been sent a Malolo Popper by the nice people at HFN and planned to…

Hi Chuck, My name is Gen Fujikawa, and I have been fishing since I was 3 years old. I got into ulua fishing when I was about 8. Since then, my dream has been to catch an ulua. Recently I have been trying almost every week, at least once or twice a week. On the night of December 13, 2002, my dream finally came true. This was my first day free after four weeks of grounding. I had not stayed away from the ocean that long in years. After school, my dad took my friends and me to the beach and dropped us off. After we all got our stuff to our spot, I picked up my throw net and went to catch some live bait. After about 30 minutes…

The Green Monster ■ Work continues at a feverish rate at Lake Wilson to try to gain an arm’s length on the prolific growth rate of the Salvinia fern. It is reported to double in amount every 2.2 days, so the work continued on weekends, also. We told the authorities that the amphibious crane would have a tough time because the overall layer of Salvinia is only 2 to 3 inches and the crane can only pick up as a shovel. Luckily they finally got a wire mesh basket that allowed the Salvinia to stay put in the scoop. The effort to consolidate the weed is slow and timeconsuming. At the middle of the month, only the area within the oil boom link at the dam site was quasi-cleared. Gathering…

■ I just wanted to share some photos and a little fishing tale with you and your readers. Let me start off by saying that I am part of the Spinney ‘ohana (family), which is well-known in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, for producing great fishermen. I was homegrown on the island of Hawai‘i, better known as the Big Island. This was where my roots as a fisherman came from. I now reside on O‘ahu and am employed by Napa Auto Parts as an assistant manager at the Koko Marina Store. We are the only Napa Auto Parts store in the state of Hawai‘i that sells not only auto parts, but also a wide range of fishing supplies and marine products. So come to Koko Marina and see me (Martin Kamealoha) and my…

Game Bird Survey on O‘ahu ■ The Pacific Paradise (O‘ahu) Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation in cooperation with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) conducted a game bird field survey on the peaks of O‘ahu. Volunteers journeyed before the rising of the sun to man survey points. Audio and visual contacts of the wild (Rio Grande) turkey, Erkel’s francolin, black francolin, gray francolin and pheasants were documented. Information gathered will aid the DOFAW in the planning of habitat enhancement projects and game bird management. Mahalo to the following volunteers: Ethan Shiinoki, O‘ahu DOFAW; NWTF Pacific Paradise chapter members Mike Peeters, Aaron Park, Gordon Lau Jr., Joe Arcenauex, Harold Knowles and Alden Almeida; volunteers Wayne Toyama, Camie Toyama, David Nichols, Jimmy Flores, Steven Lau and Lindy Lau. For…

■ The fishing has slowed down to a boring pace, so now is an excellent time to check out your boat. Go over all of your equipment, especially your safety equipment the stuff that will give you a chance to return home alive and in one piece. Inside the MM FAD, Scott Merritt on the KABBY RAY had Navy Commander Wade Smith and his son Wiley hooked up to a nice-sized hebi (shortbill spearfish). Wade is a recently returned Naval officer from Virginia. He couldn’t wait to go fishing and enjoy the most beautiful place in the world. He said he had been all over the country, and this place has got every other place beat by far. They got two large aku in the blind near the U FAD…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of April we’ll send you HFN’s Embroidered, Bright Yellow with “Holoholo Style” Fishing Cap…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch!…Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 Dear Chuck, Here’s a picture of our Uncle Wayne’s (Wayne Kihara of Hilo) 95-lb ‘ahi caught on March 5, 2003 at a great fishing spot on the Big Island. He said it was an awesome fight and it took him about one hour to land it! What a great catch for Uncle Wayne! Aloha,Lauren and Kristin VillanuevaEl Segundo, California P.S. We love the magazine and all the pictures! Dear Chuck, My wife and I are from Charlotte, North Carolina, and come to Kona almost every year, and have been doing…

Hanauma Bay ■ Aloha no ho‘i! E ka malihini a e kama‘aina. Pela, he mo‘olelo pokole, e pili ana i wahi pana, Hanauma. Greetings! To visitors and to residents alike. Thus, a short story about a famous place called, Hanauma Bay. Sometimes amid ail the debate about Hanauma Bay, we tend to forget the significance and simplicity of the place and what it can teach us. Hanauma Bay, located on the eastern side of O‘ahu, has to be seen with one’s own eyes to be appreciated, much like the islands themselves. Hanauma means either “curved bay” or “hand wrestling bay.” Both descriptions refer to the curvature of the bay due to the collapse of the crater’s outer rim. “Hand wrestling” refers to the sport of uma as practiced by the…

■ The content of the resolutions may seem to be harmless because the resolutions are not laws and will only mandate a study or pilot project. But the resolutions will be the foot in the door for a future MPA bill next year or the year after. We cannot trust the Division of Aquatic Resources to do a fair job of conducting an objective survey, especially when they were the very ones who helped author and draft the bills in the first place. If you take a careful look at all the resolutions, you’ll find that they are slanted toward appeasing the environmental groups. Obviously, they don’t care about the people of Hawai‘i or our lifestyle and culture. All recently introduced resolutions lack very important items: 1. They do not…

■ Make note that some awesome sea creatures cruise the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This is not meant to frighten or alarm you. It’s just a reminder that the oceans are big and so are some of the creatures living therein. The following event could easily have occurred anywhere in the Hawaiiian archipelago, but it happened on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Recently, Frank Escalente, his wife, Robin, and his dad, Hugo Escalente, went fishing off Miami, Florida. “I can’t recall being on the ocean on a more beautiful morning. Friends had told me of finding some small schools of dolphinfish (mahimahi),” Frank said. They were in Frank’s 23’ Hydra-Sport outboard. Lucky for Frank, he is a corporate lawyer and can trade one workday for another; this enables him to…

The Reel Deal ■ Reel collectors are constantly looking for something different or out of the ordinary. Accessories, gadgets, add-ons or go-withs always add interest to collections. Some common examples of reel addons are the aftermarket drag handles that were made for early saltwater reels, like the Rabbeth, California, Blackburn and Williams versions. They were sold between 1910 and 1935, and sometimes these can be found new in the original boxes. One item that is not nearly as old and probably a little less hard to find recently caught my attention. A bolt-on accessory sold in the 1950s for Penn saltwater reels, the Reel Deal was made specifically for California fishermen going after speedsters like tuna. While it’s. not a century old, it is unique in that it features a…

■ “It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to go fishing in Alaska this year, Poppa. The people we went with last year aren’t going, and the other group had to cancel.” After a short pause my dad said, “I’d like to go back again. Why don’t you start looking around for a good place?” A giant smile threatened to swallow my face. We live in Hawai‘i, but in the summer our thoughts turn to fishing in Alaska. My first thought was to return to the Kenai to try for king and red salmon during mid-July. I found a special at a Kenai lodge and showed Dad a “Let’s Go Fishing” segment featuring the excellent fishing. Everything was looking good until he asked, “Will we be staying in a cabin,…

■ 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. April 1 - Sunrise: 6:25 am, Sunset: 6:46…