Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2003 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ On February 12,1998, the good Lord blessed me with the ultimate shorecaster’s dream, a 100-plus-lb ulua. I was honored to have hooked and landed what every shorecaster covets, and I felt privileged to become an HFN 100 Plus Club member. I felt my fishing endeavors were fulfilled and felt that everything else I would accomplish in fishing would be just a bonus. What else could I ask for? I had already accomplished what I’d set out to do. I’m not saying I was going to give up shorecasting. My passion for ulua fishing has never left me, and I still get excited when I get down to the ocean and make my first cast. And my eager anticipation for a strike is always there. On June 26, 2003, the…

Howzit Chuck, Thank you for the HAWAII FISHING NEWS fishing almanac that I received at the recent Weighmaster’s Shoot-Out fishing tournament. Atlapac Fishing Club’s tournament committee and friends did a great job. The weigh-in was well-organized and fun for entrants and onlookers. Although I didn’t enter this year, I was fortunate to see the results. It was great talking with friends and being happy for the winners. From my perspective, anyone who got to cast during the weekend was a winner. One friend entering this Weighmaster’s ShootOut was Kawika Lake. At 15 years of age, Kawika had landed a number of ulua in the past few months. His most recent and largest was a 58-pounder. As I handed the tournament entry form to him, I said, “You have what it…

Workshop Planned for Hawai‘i ■ On November 6 and 7, 2003, a workshop will be held to continue the development of a local action strategy for coral reef fishery management in Hawai‘i. The meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day at the Koolau Golf Club in Kane‘ohe. Attendance is free and open to the public. There will be a series of presentations on the current state of the resource in Hawai‘i as well as round table discussions and plenty of opportunities for you to voice your suggestions and concerns. In August, a series of preplanning meetings were held throughout the state to solicit input on the local action strategy from stakeholders and gather ideas to be added to the agenda for the November workshop. The…

Hilo Private FAD Meeting ■ Fishermen in Hilo met with representatives of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) and the Hawai‘i Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). Up for discussion were private FADs (PFADs). PFADs are fish aggregation buoys set by fishermen in deep Hawai‘i coastal waters, usually beyond 1,500 fathoms. Beginning almost 10 years ago, inventive Hilo fishermen quietly placed PFADs. They fished them mostly during winter months and mostly caught bigeye tuna, otherwise known as tombo. Within the last three years the PFAD fraternity enlarged, and up to 40 buoys are believed to be off the Hamakua Coast. Kona has buoys set reportedly by both charter captains and commercial operators. The buoys are set on ridges and in rough waters accessible by larger boats. The distances are…

Real Men Wear BlackWetsuits, That Is ■ On Thursday, August 15, at 6 a.m., Harry Yamaguchi sat quietly as he waited for his breakfast. He had recently played two rounds of championship softball on O‘ahu, and in just two hours Harry would be competing in the Island of Hawaii YMCA’s 10th Annual Richard “Sonny” Tanabe Invitational Freediving Tournament. Most men his age would probably be home nursing their wounds after two rounds of softball. Harry is 72 years old. Bob Pasqua sipped on a bottle of water and looked across to see his former diving buddy Clinton Kawanishi. They hadn’t seen each other since 1959. Bob recalled, “We were diving off of South Point on the Big Island. In those days we never heard of shallow-water blackout. I had just…

■ The days are getting shorter and the potential for a great summer ‘ahi run has long past, but there’s always hope for next year. Fishing is still good. From the amount of debris being found offshore, it looks like the mahimahi season will be very productive. Hurricane season is still here, so observe weather signals and be safe at all times. Craig Kahauolopua brought his new boat to Hawai‘i from the mainland and couldn’t wait to try it out at the sandbar and fishing offshore. He took his family out first for some outings before testing the boat’s ability to catch fish. The boat did very well on its first fishing trip: Craig caught five ono just off Mokumanu Island near those no-entry buoys off the Marine Base. The…

■ Because it was some time ago that my original article on casting club history was published in HAWAII FISHING NEWS (December 1999), it seemed like an update was due. The club listing that follows is a compilation of many of the shoreline fishing clubs throughout the state, past and present, that I have been fortunate enough to learn about. While the focus is primarily on casting clubs, most types of shoreline fishing clubs are included. I suspect that the list is nowhere near complete, so I am asking the recreational fishing community and readers of HFN for continued help in adding to this historic data. While there has been a significant amount of information recorded on commercial and big-game fishing history, there has been very little on shore casting.…

■ On July 18, 2003, the Ulua 101 Casting Club held its second tournament of the year. The tournament officially began at 6 p.m. on Friday the 18th and ended with the weigh-in on Sunday the 20th at noon. A total of 89 entrants including participants from outer islands competed for cash and prizes totaling over $3,000. At noon on Sunday morning, participants gathered at the Molokai Ice House to hear all the stories and see all the fish that were caught. First place went to Moioka‘i resident Frank Maniago with a 53.2-lb fish. Hetook home $1,335 for his efforts. O‘ahu angler Shane Sumarnap came in second with a 50.5-lb fish, garnering him $801, and in third, taking home $534, was Moloka‘i resident Ryoko Victorino with his 40.9-lb fish. A…

■ There are many indiscriminate fishing methods that are extremely destructive. Of the worst are set or lay gillnets. The use of set monofilament gillnets has decimated the populations of inshore fish in the main Hawaiian islands. While some configurations of gillnets are used responsibly in ways that surround and catch only the targeted species, lay gillnets are deployed as invisible walls that snare everything that runs into them, depleting both targeted and nontargeted species, destroying bottom habitat and protected species and severely impacting the snorkeling and diving industries. The by-catch may amount to 15 times the volume of the targeted catch. Lay gillnets are often left unattended in the water for long periods of time in violation of state law that currently requires they be checked after two hours,…

■ The pluses of the modified Australian slide rig are that you don’t need a lot of height or angle to slide a bait, and the waves can’t push it back. Here are instructions for making one at home. Materials Light Game—#23 stainless steel wire. Big Game—#28 or #30 stainless steel wire. Instructions 1. Cut a 15- or 18-inch long piece of wire. 2. Bend 5½ inches at a 20-degree angle. 3. Make four ⅜-inch curls from the longer portion. 4. Bend front portion of curl 90 degrees down to align with back. 5. With a wide-bladed screwdriver and two longnose pliers, spread curls evenly. 6. Align both tail ends parallel in jig. 7. Bend longer backtail 90 degrees parallel under curl; straighten out curls if need be. 8. Bend…

■ Recently on the television news, there was a report of a strange phenomenon happening: ‘aweoweo were showing up by the millions all over the islands. Reporters claimed that this was not normal. It happens only once in a long while, and it was believed to mean that either a member of the royal family was going to pass on or a natural disaster was going to occur. I checked with Haleiwa Fishing Supply and heard that the ‘aweoweo were biting like crazy on the North Shore, so I invited some of my friends to come and try to catch some. Brian Young and Wes Yamamoto told me that the ‘aweoweo were also biting off Sand Island, but they decided to come to the North Shore to try for them.…

Hawai‘i becomes first in the nation to upgrade its Boating Safety Standards by adding VHF Radio or EPIRB to vessel safety equipment requirements. ■ When emergency assistance is required by a vessel at sea, two basic (minimum) elements of information must be swiftly provided to the U.S. Coast Guard rescue forces: 1. The fact that an emergency has been declared; and, 2. The location of the emergency. Today, and for over the past 10 years, the only equipment required to be carried aboard recreational vessels to perform these critical functions are visual devices such as mirrors, flags, flares and flashlights and audible devices such as bells, horns and whistles. Obviously, these devices are effective only as far as one can see or hear. It is bewildering to realize that these…

Wrapping Up the 2002-’03 Catfish Season ■ The next opening for catfish fishing is in November. Applications for obtaining a catfish card will be available in October. The catfish population at Nu‘uanu is maintained with funding from the federal Sportfish Restoration Program. Federal funds, along with state matching amounts, are used in part to stock and maintain the channel catfish population in Nu‘uanu Reservoir. The following are the latest statistics from this year. For more information on how to obtain a catfish card, call the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) at (808) 587-0100. Introducing Salvinia WeevilRoad to a Long-Term Solution Residents can see the waters of Lake Wilson again, thanks to months of arduous efforts to remove Salvinia molesta by machine and herbicide. However, the process to contain Salvinia for…

■ Aloha. This year’s Ohana Shoreline Fishing Tournament was held over the Admission’s Day Weekend, August 15 through 17. Over 240 participants signed up in six divisions, and a total of 94 fish were weighed in. Twenty-five teams in the Ohana Division brought in fish. The winds were blowing 30-plus mph over most of the windward side bringing rain and we had a good bump coming in from the east, but it seemed as though the participating fishermen all found a place to wet their lines and come up with sizeable catches. This year two 100-plus ulua were recorded. Holi Correa came in with a gigantic 132.3-lb monster. The other 100-pounder weighed in at 101.9 lbs and was caught by Marc Burns. A total of 23 ulua were weighed in,…

Dear Chuck, In your July 2003 edition, you ran an article titled “DLNR Chair Asks for Solutions.” Adjacent to it was an article by Brian Kimata of Brian’s Fishing Supply titled “DLNR-Friend or Foe?” The problem arises because the DLNR feels all fishing and coastal management problems can be resolved by establishing large marine protective areas (MPAs) wherein one best not wet a toe. Such a plan would certainly cut down our ability to enjoy our coastal and near-shore fishing areas. While there is a problem of overfishing in many areas, establishing protective areas in the hope that they will produce more fish for adjoining areas is wishful thinking. What the DLNR needs to do is throw out their book on coastal management and take action that will make our…

The Yacht Club With No Yachts ■ On Friday morning, we loaded an Isuzu pickup with fishing rods, Shimano 80 reels, skirts, lures and gear for a week of Kona fishing. A crack in the truck frame stopped the safari. After unloading and reloading an F-150 pickup, the Hilo Yacht Club, a club that has no yachts, was off to fish the 44th Annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT). Jim Patterson, owner of Force Marine, and I left Hilo to meet Marty and Cheryl Romero at the boat yard at Honokohau. Marty was anxiously waiting to launch his 33’ Force, the LEPEKA, named after his daughter Rebecca. Capt. Rob McGuckin was tying the lines on the 28’ Rupp spreaders. Jim Black of Black Electronics tweaked the Simrad GPS radar and…

Nu‘uanu Fishery ■ The water level in Nu‘uanu Reservoir is way below normal, and that has affected the fishing. The best explanation that I have been able to come up with for the poor fishing is stagnation of the water. There has been very little inflow of fresh oxygenated water from the mountain streams. Fish need a fair level of dissolved oxygen so they can move around and digest their food. My impression is that the best fishing at Nu‘uanu follows a new moon. A full moon allows the channel catfish to hunt all night, and, therefore, they may not be particularly hungry in the morning. Add stagnation, and there is a palpable problem. The Catch Nevertheless, there were several fish caught that weighed in at over 10 lbs. Most…

■ Hopeful young anglers gathered at the Hawai‘i-kai Marina’s edge on August 9, 2003, for the annual Oceanic Keiki Club/Hawaii Kai Town Center Fifth Annual Fishing Tournament. The event was again held on the dock behind the shopping center, under a bright and breezy East Honolulu sky. The first 120 lucky anglers to register at sponsoring stores were split into two shifts, each fishing for one hour from 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Everything from to auto ‘o‘io, along with the usual fare of crabs, weke and eels were brought to the scales and later safely released. As the tournament master of ceremonies, Oceanic Cable’s Tiny Tadani kept the crowd lively. Making the trip all the way from the Big Isle was Fishing Tales® TV show host Mike Sakamoto, who…

For letters, with photos, received during the month of October 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, In the September issue of HFN, “Holoholo Style” section, you published a picture of Adrienne Ohashi with the moi she caught on the Big Island while back from school on the mainland. By her own admission she states “went fishing for moi during my first summer back from college.” The taking of moi during the months of May through August is prohibited because those are the critical months when the moi spawn. By allowing these pictures in your section implies you condone fishing and bragging about fishing illegally.…