Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2005 i Hawaii Fishing News

(Family Latidae) ■ This great fish, also known as giant perch and palmer (Latescalcarifer), is probably the most favoured food-fish in North Queensland. The barramundi in Australia grows to a weight of upwards of 120 lbs, and fish of 60 to 100 lbs are by no means rare; there is, however, a record of one caught in the Bay of Bengal that weighed 580 lbs. It sometimes moves to sea, but it is more often found inside the mouths of rivers where it inhabits salt, brackish and fresh water. The barramundi has earned the reputation of being one of the finest food-fishes in Australian waters. Its flesh is white, tender but firm, and of extremely good flavour. It was also a favourite food of the aborigines, who wrapped it in…

■ Most ulua fishermen agree that there is nothing more exciting than hearing your bell clang, seeing your fishing pole buckle over, and hearing the line ripping out of the reel. When it happens, a rush of adrenaline flows through your veins, creating a burst of energy difficult to contain. I’ve seen ulua fishermen running, dragging their headlights, falling and doing aikido rolls, stepping in cracks and mangling their legs, climbing over their fishing partners with their spiked tabis, throwing their dinners and sending their cans of soda flying on a strike. Who said ulua fishing isn’t a contact sport? I remember watching for the first time an ulua fisherman taking a strike and landing an ulua. I thought to myself, “I gotta try catch one for myself.” Little did…

■ This year’s Lahaina Wahine Jackpot Fishing Tournament saw 22 teams participating in the one-day event. The tournament had a “biggest fish” format, and this year’s top fish was a 54.9-lb ‘ahi angled by Michelle Matsumoto. Michelle, fishing aboard the IWA LELE with Capt. Fuzzy Alboro and crew Boy AhPuck, won her team $2,500. The second-place fish was a 40.9-lb bull mahimahi reeled in by Kris Skeie. Kris was fishing aboard the UFF DA with Capt. Kurt Skeie. Their fish was worth $1,500. A 33.4-lb mahimahi captured by Lori Apo took the $1,000 third-place prize. Lori was fishing aboard the PUALELE with Capt. Kalei Luuwai. The final money prize worth $800 was awarded for a 32.7-lb mahimahi captured by Tiffany Mc-Kelrman. Tiffany was fishing with Capt. Jeff Kahl aboard the…

■ There is an alternative to either status quo or complete closure of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to bottom fishing (re: your October 25 article on the proposed bottomfishing ban in NWHI): an improved version of the existing partial closure of the reserve created by President Clinton’s executive order back in 1998. Since no recreational fishing takes place up there and commercial fishing is by permit only, this is a perfect opportunity to learn how to manage this fishery and others like it throughout the Pacific. The NWHI has various-sized banks and islets, a fact that can be used to figure out how many fish could be removed from different types of areas without having a negative effect on the population. It can also be used to figure out how…

■ Wintertime fishing off Kane‘ohe is great, especially when the winds die down and the seas are not too high. Mahimahi and shibi stay around the area and give everyone a chance to catch a good-sized fish. He‘eia Kea Harbor is at present all clear with no sunken boats or riots at the Sand Bar, so come on down and try the fishing-weather permitting, of course. Scott Texada and Beau Beidleman tried “our” kind of fishing with their new Proline, and they were happy with the results. They were trolling outside of the MM FAD at 10:30 in the morning when all five reels went off and started singing. They had a ton of fun with those shibi and landed two 45-pounders. I know Scott and Beau will be back…

Aloha Chuck, Haven’t talked to you in a long time. My husband, Stuart Belshe, caught this catfish on Saturday, October 15. We went to the second fishing time slot of the day with our friend Barrett Won who’d signed us up to join him and his girls as well as the rest of their regular fishing crew. We all had a great time and the weather could not have been better up at the Nu‘uanu Reser-voir. I was the first to hookup and my catfish was just over 2 lbs, but that was nothing compared to the highlight of the day when Stuart caught this 4-lb 9-oz monster. Biggest I’ve ever seen. We gave my fish to Barrett and the rest of the fishing gang so they could add it…

Japan’s Deep-Jigging Techniques, Part II ■ A remarkable revolution in fishing tackle has spurred new interest in deep-jigging here and around the world. Advancements in reels, rods, lines, leaders, lures and hook rigs have removed some of the work from a method than can be physically demanding even for the toughest and most enthusiastic fisherman. The tackle is both stronger and lighter, which enables you to enjoy jigging more and last longer. The most significant advancement is almost certainly the line because it enables all of the other changes. The “superbraid” lines developed over the last decade are extraordinarily thin, which means you can now pack all of the line you need on a much smaller reel. The smaller reel matches better with a thinner, more easily managed rod. But…

How To Tie Them and How To Use Them ■ I started tying flies when I was a kid of about 10 or 12 years old in Connecticut. My target was trout and pan fish like crappies. The trout flies that I used then were limited to a few streamers like the Mickey Finn and the Muddler Minnow, and dry flies like the black ant. I got really artistic later and came up with a cork-bodied green inchworm fly that caught me a few very big sea-run brown trout. Much later in life, as a guide in New Zealand, fly tying became an obsession and a livelihood. I am credited with a few famous New Zealand patterns like “Louie’s Lure,” my “Silicon Smelt” and my cicada dry fly. But for…

■ In January 1998, Ken Lee collected a 20-inch parrotfish while scuba diving at night in 10 meters off Sandy Beach, O‘ahu. He was unable to identify the fish, so he brought it to me at the Bishop Museum, but I was also perplexed. The size, general shape and color pattern of the body suggested the terminal male of the spectacled parrotfish, Chlorurus perspicillatus, found only in the Hawaiian islands. However, the bizarre color pattern of the head was unlike that of any parrotfish in the islands. It was decided that the specimen was just a mutant color form of Chlorurus perspicillatus. In order to get confirmation of this, a tissue sample of Ken’s fish was taken, as well as samples of fresh specimens of the spectacled parrotfish. These samples…

Hi, My name is Kimi Werner. I just read the article on Tanya Beirne and Brandi Easter in HAWAII FISHING NEWS. I absolutely love the way that Lawrie Monroe wrote the article, because along with giving these amazing women the recognition that they deserve, she also brought up very good points about women in the sport of spear fishing. I have read articles on Tanya before and have always found her a huge inspiration, but this article on the two of them actually brought tears to my eyes. I feel so proud of them and so inspired. I want to thank them for doing what they do because through their achievements, they give hope and courage to so many women out there as they continue to pursue their dreams. I…

Wahines Hanapa‘a a Record ■ There was something special about this lure. Earlier in the year, I got a phone call from Uncle Bert Saito. He said he was going to make me a lure and wanted a Hanapaa Hawaii logo to put inside it. A few weeks later, my dad showed up at our shop to deliver a gorgeous 12-inch lure. Deciding that it was too “pretty” to use, we showcased it alongside the gold reels in our Kalihi Hanapaa Hawaii store. Throughout the months, we had numerous offers to purchase the lure, but it wasn’t for sale. A few days before the tournament, Reid and I decide it was time to let the lure fulfill its destiny. Every year, Mrs. Kaya sponsors Reid’s boat, the SHIRLEY Y, to…

Don’t Bank On The Banks Map designates the Penguin Bank area. A general depiction of the area that is under consideration for closure, or partial closure, as one of the options to reduce fishing effort/mortality of main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish. ■ The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) on October 20,2005, recommended that the Council consider closing part of Penguin Bank to bottomfish fishing and establishing a seasonal closure for bottomfish fishing throughout the main Hawaiian islands. Located west of Molokai and southeast of O‘ahu, Penguin Bank is the most utilized bottomfish ground in the main Hawaiian islands. The recommendation addresses the need to reduce fishing mortality of bottom fish by 15 percent in the main Hawaiian islands following a determination by…

■ I got to the fishing spot early to secure the KKC fishing bench. Fortunately, the elderly couple that was there was about to leave and even volunteered to watch my equipment as 1 parked my van on the street and unloaded. The parking area is chained from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is an inconvenience to us fishermen, but that’s the sacrifice we have to make to keep vandalism down. Eventually, the rest of the KKC casters showed up and camp was set up. To make the outing interesting, we played Penalty Points. During the time period of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., fishing from “da wall” only, the players were given one penalty point for every eel caught and five points for every fugu, shark or ray.…

For letters, with photos, received during December we’ll send you HFN’s New Ulua Hook® Embroidered cap logo design…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch!…Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 Aloha Chuck! Finally got the ‘ahi this year! Big aloha to Mike and Kui for their kokua. Mahalo to Tomo for his mana‘o. Special aloha to my ‘ohana Pua, Kalei and kala‘i. Aloha no, Cal, on top the KAMAKANE Pearl City, O‘ahu Hi Chuck, This is Lloyd Amasaki with his caveman-style mullet. He was walking back from a morning of looking for tako and saw a mullet from shore. He threw his three-prong over 15 feet and stoned it just right. I asked him later if he knew he was going to hit it…

Aloha Chuck, Thank you for seeing us at The Shack dock on September 27 and asking us to send you a picture and story of our fishing trip. Attached please find a couple of pictures and a short story about my first marlin catch, a huge mahimahi, a found glass ball and an ono all on one trip. I hope you can use the story in HAWAII FISHING NEWS. I purchased my Sea Ray 260 Sundancer last year for family cruising and fun. I have been slowly fitting it for recreational fishing with my most recent purchase a pair of removable telescoping outriggers. On September 27th, I went fishing with my brother-in-law’s good friend, Rob Pacini, who was eager for the trip. We left Koko Marina at 6:30 a.m. heading…

■ It was my cousin’s wedding. One side of my family lives in the South. Even though Hurricane Rita had hit Abbeville (about an hour and a half outside of New Orleans, and the location of the wedding) pretty hard, the celebration would go on. They believed that if they let anything disrupt their wedding, then they would also let something disrupt their married life together. We had said that we would go, so there we were, just my mom and me, early in the morning, our bags packed, running out the door to catch the bus to the San Francisco Airport. The two of us hadn’t taken a trip without the rest of the family since I was a very little girl. I was excited to see my family…

“Hawaiian Tuna Action Vol. 2’ ■ Know someone who wants sashimi for the holidays? Get all the tuna action Santa can deliver with Hilo’s Robert Cabos’ latest DVD, “Hawaiian Tuna Action Vol. 2.” Dedicated to the memory of musician Bruddah Ku‘ulei, the film starts with an enthralling music video of underwater tuna action set to Bruddah’s song “AlwaysMy Miloli‘iMemory.” The film tells a fish trip story that starts at Hilo’s Suisan Fish Market with Van Uemura icing up the Force Marine built MOKULELE with 5,000 pounds. Throughout the video, the 45’ long and 10’ beamed MOKULELE shows the non-open ocean fisherman a cockpit view of hunting ‘ahi in lumpy offshore seas. Fishermen aboard are veteran and expert anglers Robert Freitas and Micheal Kearns. They hook up to tuna of all…

FYI: Got this from a friend. Aloha, Billy Chang Fishing Warning! What the heyyyy is going on with ocean conservancy? I saw it on TV last night, and it’s in this morning’s paper (a total distortion of landing data). Fact: The NWHI is a very healthy fishery. This is definitely not about conservation, but about preservation. This is a good example to use for those fishermen who don’t believe what is going on. It’s a wake-up call. Ed Case and company make me sick! Recently Gov. Lingle closed state waters in the NWHI. Will she follow suit in the MHI and close the bottom fishery here? Or even our shoreline fishery? Is Peter Young a part of this machine with his campaign for MPAs (more closed areas to fishing)? Sounds…

Ahi Fever Strikes! ■ Yellow-fin tuna dominated the catch report during the month. Mahimahi were sufficiently abundant, and the largest blue marlin weighed 468½ lbs. With the seasonal decline in charter customers, many Kona charterboat captains headed to Cabo San Lucas for most of October, as they do every year, to participate in the Los Cabos and the Bisbee’s Black & Blue fishing tournaments. While they were having fun there, a lot of private boaters got out on the water and did some fishing. Note the following: The 468½-lb blue marlin mentioned earlier was taken aboard the MICHAELA NICOLE. Capt. Lloyd Leong hooked this fish, and many anglers took a turn on the rod. Vai Macedo, Ken Stevens, Kevin Casarez and Pononui all deserve credit for bringing in the largest…

Hilo Trollers Annual Awards ■ The Hilo Trollers year-end awards banquet was held at Higashi Hongwanji Hall on October 15, 2005. The masters of ceremonies were Capt. Bob Duerr and outgoing club president Ted Young. About 100 people attended and were treated to lots of door prizes. Every year the club has a raffle, and this year’s prizes included a Penn 130 reel, a 600-quart cooler, two nights at the Waikoloa Hilton and a 10-foot by 20-foot tent. The tent was won by Martha Duerr, the two-night stay at the Waikoloa Hilton was won by Tony Tran, the 600-quart cooler was won by David Soares, and the Penn 130 reel was won by Dana Okazaki. Weighmaster Dave Raabe and Doris Raabe donate a trophy every year to the first team…

Damn the Dam? Not! ■ A few years ago, the Board of Water Supply wanted to breach the Nu‘uanu Reservoir #4, ostensibly because of mounting maintenance costs and also to discharge responsibility. This would have meant inter alia that the catfish fishing program would have been terminated. The problem was that there were lingering deficiencies in the maintenance program and it was offered that the required upgrade would amount to “millions of dollars.” The uproar from the public was quite evident, and the idea was scuttled. But, did that mean that the safety concerns for the dam were overcome? There recently was an article in the press that inquired into the safety of the dams on Oahu. The consensus of the opinion of the engineers that were quoted pointed to…

■ Weather in Hawaii waters will play a more important role in any marine activity during winter. Mariners are advised that the change from good to bad weather can be fast. The severe weather events that can occur, in decreasing order of frequency, are: gusty trade winds, high northwest swell and surf, cold front with Kona winds, and Kona low. The strongest trade winds are the winter-type trades that can occur in December. The number of trade wind days will be low-only about half of the days of the month-but gusty trades can occur on about a fourth to a third of the days in December. High northwest swell and surf will be frequent along the exposed northern shores. Expect about 20 days with surf greater than 6 feet high,…