Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2006 i Hawaii Fishing News

Dear Chuck, My name is Shawn Bebeau, and I live out in Wai‘anae, O‘ahu. Every summer I visit my cousin Bryan Balancio in Kona, Hawai‘i. Every year we’ve been lucky doing some (nighttime) ika shibiing and (daytime) “chasing porpoise.” I can remember each individual trip that I’ve made and particularly remember certain outings that we’ve either filled the box or came pretty close to it. I have been fortunate in scheduling my trips when the fish were around and in the feeding mode. This year was a little different, but one that will always be remembered and (I think) talked about for decades, if not centuries, to come. Here’s how the story goes. The summer started out slowly for charter and commercial fishermen alike. Some say it had to do…

■ Once you have attracted a swarm of “bugs” under and around the boat, the process of catching akule can begin. I start with a review of the screen on the depth recorder or fish finder to determine the depth of the akule under the boat. This bit of information is then mentally translated to relate to the premeasured handline that I am using. My lines have premeasured depth indicators attached to the mainline to help assure that the rigs are not dropped past the feeding akule or lower than the others fishing. An important tip to remember is that all lures should be presented at the same depth when fishing for the akule. The importance of premeasured lines cannot be overemphasized. They keep me in the best bite zones.…

Dear Chuck, My name is ‘Analu Okimoto. I am a teacher at Kalama Intermediate in Makawao on Maui. I am the advisor of the Kalama Fishing Club. I started the club 10 years ago to provide students with non-academic activities that they do well in, and also to provide opportunities for parents to spend quality time with their children. We have shared information on our tournaments with you before and thought it was time to share news on our latest outing. The tournament was held on September 22 and 23, 2006. The format of the tournament was as such: there were two categories, a pole fishing category (from the shore only) and a diving category (three-prong only). Prizes were awarded for the largest fish in each category. Parents were encouraged…

■ Moloka‘i is known for keeping the traditional Hawaiian ways alive. From my experience, I have found that Hawaiians are some of the most loyal natives to their culture. My Uncle Mervin Dudoit found himself in extremely bad health a few years ago. It became so severe that he was forced to quit his job and stay at home. With all of his new free time, he decided to help something else heal in order to promote his own healing. He decided to begin restoration of the fishpond next to his house. The fishpond is named “One Ali‘i Pond,” even though the pond has been dated to pre-ali‘i times. The 27-acre pond is in surprisingly good condition for being beaten constantly by waves for many hundreds of years. There is…

■ We are writing to suggest ways to organize shorecasters, from ultralight to slide-bait, to participate in a concerted effort to save their traditional rights to fish. First is a call for an umbrella group of shorefishing clubs to be formed. Such a group would be comprised of one volunteer fisherman from each club from all the islands. This individual must have digital access-so necessary for communication–and be motivated to participate in the politics of fishing. Such assistance might include letter writing, giving testimony, calling for club members to assist when needed, raising money, lobbying and coordinating with other similar groups such as the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group. Secondly, our first legislative effort would be the proposal of vast catch-and-release coastal zones on all the islands. This alternative to the…

The Art of Appreciation ■ The 135th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council opened on October 17, 2006, with an awards ceremony for the winners of the Council-sponsored Hawaii Archipelago Ecosystem Poster Contest. The contest was conducted to raise public awareness of the Hawaii Archipelago ecosystem as the Council is in the process of amending its existing species-based Fishery Management Plans to place-based Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs). Under the new structure the bottomfish, coral reef ecosystem, crustacean and precious coral fisheries in federal waters (3 to 200 miles offshore) around Hawaii will be managed under the Hawaii Archipelago FEP. Strong community involvement and collaboration with organizations involved in ecosystem-related issues are integral parts of the FEP. The Hawaii Archipelago consists of 132 islands, reefs and shoals stretching…

Outboards Getting Woozy Drinking Alcohol ■ Reports from around the state are coming in that outboard engines are coughing, sputtering and running weak. Boat builder Jim Patterson of Hilo’s Force Marine said that he has been receiving as many as eight calls a day. It appears the culprit is ethanol, which was mandated by law last spring to make up 10 percent of fuel blends. Ethanol has replaced MTBE, methyl tertiary butyl ether, a known groundwater pollutant. Now boaters, if they are lucky, are going to have to replace fiberglass tanks and filters. If they are unlucky, they’ll have to replace entire fuel systems. Ethanol is a solvent. It causes its own problems to outboard engines when it dissolves MTBE gum built up on the sides of gas tanks. It…

Hi Chuck, My name is Carter White and the story involves my mom, Nan, and I going out for an afternoon fishing trip. This was my mom’s first time out on the boat that we’ve had for over two years and wouldn’t you know she brought the luck with her. We left around 11:00 in the morning heading out to MM buoy where I was just hoping to catch my mom some aku. About 10 miles out we found a bird pile holding a nice school of mahimahi. We ran the lures through for about 20 minutes and no takers so I reeled in the lines and told my mom I was going to try harpooning one of them. My dad and I bought this harpoon head in Tahiti earlier…

Late Season ‘Ahi Run ■ Summer is officially over. September is usually a little busier than it was this year. The charter fleet saw a super-slow month. Only three marlin over 500 lbs were caught, 62 marlin were brought to the scales, and 78 marlin were tagged and released. It seems as though all the big fish have gone elsewhere. Only the “rats,” as we call marlin under 300 lbs, were coming up. The marlin fishing slowed, but the ‘ahi fishing picked up. The ‘ahi catch was more than double the previous month’s catch. Thirtyeight ‘ahi weighing more than 100 lbs were brought to the scales. Capt. McGrew Rice of the IHU NUI and Capt. Guy Terwilliger of the HO’OKELE, also known as “The Green Stick Masters,” were able to…

■ Hale‘iwa Harbor has new piers right in the middle of the harbor. The harbor looks very nice and can slip about 20 more boats, but there are some concerns about the new piers. During the winter months when the surf gets really big (in the 25- to 30-foot range) will the piers be OK because they are almost at the opening of the harbor? How will the piers affect the shore fishermen that fish at the harbor? Will they be able to walk on the piers to fish, or are the piers going to be gated and locked? The space for parking trailers at Hale‘iwa Harbor has been cut down quite a bit. Before, boats with long trailers could park on the gravel area and be out of everybody…

Chuck, Is sure a beauty and would have been worth mounting. From the pics maybe a taxidermy shop can paint one of their molded ‘ahi mounts to replicate it. Also, I have seen plenty of ‘ahi, particularly when commercial purse seine fishing and in the big tagging projects and never seen anything even close. It would be good to ask your readers if anyone has seen this before and to call in if so. I’m just curious, I looked again at those pictures of the beautiful silver-finned ‘ahi and see the finlets look very dark, edged heavily with black as are the sickles. They almost look black. Would you say that’s correct? Interesting color morph. Dave ItanoPelagic Fisheries Research Program…

■ During much of the year, ballyhoo gather in the shallows of many Hawai‘i bays and harbors. They are undoubtedly feeding, but what do they feed on? I can’t really tell you-they could be vegetarians for all I know-but I do know what feeds on them. Everything. Using live ballyhoo as bait while casting from shore, I have caught ‘omilu, kaku, ulua, uku, needlefish, big moana-ukali and even strange creatures like trumpet fish and waha-nui. How do you catch ballyhoo, keep them alive and then fish them for shoreline game fish? To find out, I invite you to look over my shoulder and read one of my weekly letters to my grandchildren. All five grandkids live in far-flung places across the mainland and have fished the shoreline with me on…

Dear HFN, As a recreational fisherman, I never thought fishing and politics would go together. But the more I hear and the more I read, the more I realize that politics had a lot to do with the history of fishing closures and have a lot of influence over the future of fishing in Hawai‘i. Our coastal waters and shorelines, including public access, are controlled by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. All open ocean waters beyond 3 miles out are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The decision to close off fishing around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to create a “monument” was made by politicians like our president and our governor on behalf of special interest and not science. The sad thing about it all is…

■ Probably you read the seemingly quirky title of this article more than once to figure out a connection between these two seemingly distant topics, and naturally your patience is ready to end. To the point then–the power of touching was revealed in fascinating studies of cleaner fish, and touching teddy bears might be an underused but valuable persuasion tactic in health education, including helping to stop that deadly epidemic commonly called smoking (medically, “tobacco addiction”). The mystery for ichthyologists (guys and gals who eyeball fish) started with wondering why huge fish would allow little cleaner fish to move around their bodies and not eat them. Indeed, a powerful force (or forces) of some kind was helping to cause the much larger fish sometimes to tip forward (genuflect?) and line…

■ While the increased use of ethanol in gasoline is beginning to raise eyebrows in the boating community, for those unfortunate enough to own a gas-powered boat with fiberglass tanks this boating season has become a nightmare characterized by cruel ironies, spotty information and agonizing choices. Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ), a Bertram owner and BoatU.S. member, is one of these boat owners. He’s facing huge monetary losses and, perhaps worst of all, little chance of resolving the problem in time to save his boating season. John’s 1973 28’ Bertram INEVITABLE, a boat he has owned since 1980, began developing engine trouble late last season in San Diego, California, where he has berthed it for the past three years. “I began noticing a decrease of max rpms,” said John. Suspecting ethanol…

Sails and Tales Fiji-Style! ■ Fishing in Taveuni, Fiji, was spectacular during the month for Capt. John Llanes and guests Oscar Emberson and his brother John Emberson (Uncle John), son-in-law Retlaw Compton and son Tyrone. They planned their fishing trip to Taveuni for six months and staged it so they would all arrive from various parts of the world. Before they even arrived, their anticipation was palatable. For the Embersons this wasn’t just a fishing trip, Oscar and John were raised in Fiji and were very much a part of the community. Then some years ago opportunities led them to different countries. So this trip was more than just a fishing outing or a reunion for the brothers; it was a homecoming and a time for some of the men…

■ As soon as the short ‘ahi season ended, the otaru, or large aku, showed up much to the delight of many local fishermen. Even the Windward Coast’s two remaining aku boats, the KULA KAI and the NISEI, fished these large piles with excellent catches that made local markets and consumers very happy. Along with these delicious tuna, large marlin came around. Several of the well-fed billfish were caught and weighed at the He’eia-Kea scale. Garrett Sakuma and Leo Tangaro teamed up to land a big marlin weighing 422 lbs. They were out for a short trip. They made it to the MM FAD where the big fish took their lure, and then they battled the beast to the boat. Tom Dedona has been fishing on the TOMMY D with…

For letters, with photos, received during November we’ll send you HFN’s Holoholo embroidered cap, KAPU STICK-Fish Regulations Sticker & MAXIFLEX Sample pack…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! …Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 Hi Chuck, Here is a picture of my son Alexander Kimura with his prize catch. After three hours of frustrating misses, he finally landed a 4-lb 12-oz, 22½-inch channel catfish. It was his first time fishing at Nu‘uanu Reservoir. Patience does pay off! Mahalo. Proud Dad,Derek KimuraKailua, O‘ahu Dear Chuck, On July 26, 2006, we had a great day of fishing aboard the IHU NUI captained by Kona legend McGrew Rice and legendary mate Carlton Aral. My boy, Nicholas, age 9, caught a nice ‘ahi. It weighed 101 lbs!…

Hi Chuck, Here’s one for the books. I went out for a day of holoholo on our local FADs on Saturday, September 16, 2006, as I had heard that one of them was holding some nice-sized shibi. I was fishing with Brad Theissen and John Eagle with Mike Muszynski on his boat, the SUMMERHAWK. When we arrived, there were a couple of handline jiggers fishing hard to fill their coolers with tiny shibi. What a shame-taking all those little tuna that were making it easy by holding close to the buoy and up shallow. We metered some good fish way below them and dropped. It was hard to get to the fish as it was windy and the drift very fast, but we started to hook some nice-sized fish up…

■ If you’ve been reading HAWAII FISHING NEWS, then you’ve probably seen one of my articles on marine debris and the cleanup of the Waiohinu-Ka Lae Coast on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. When the final numbers were in from that cleanup, more than 42 tons (84,000 lbs) of trash and fishing gear were removed from that coastline. The Waiohinu-Ka Lae Coast on the southeastern side of the Big Island is one of the many areas where marine debris accumulates throughout the main Hawaiian islands. Another such area is Kanapou Bay on the island of Kaho‘olawe. One of the first things you’re probably thinking is, how can there be trash on Kaho‘olawe when no one lives there? That’s a great question. Kaho‘olawe is the smallest of the main Hawaiian islands…

■ On Sunday, October 1, the largest freedive spearfishing tournament of the year started and ended at Pinky’s Pupu Bar & Grill in Kailua, O‘ahu. One hundred 30 divers broke into two-man teams and spread from Punalu‘u to Makapu‘u (windward shore) to spear two large fish per team and to qualify to win prizes that were donated by generous sponsors. This was a swim-out meet. Both divers had to stay within a 50-foot radius of the team dive flag at all times for safety. This concern was heavily stressed during the morning briefing by meet coordinator Kurt Taguma. Brian Yoshikawa, proprietor of Maui Sporting Goods, once said that invoking this mandatory rule of one dive float and one fish stringer per dive team forces the pair to stay close together.…

■ Aloha. On Admissions Day weekend, parents and grandparents took their keiki out to do some fishing in the Ninth Annual Ohana Shoreline Fishing Tournament. This year we had no shortage of participants; it was the largest tournament yet. More than 280 keiki, teens, adults and kupuna had a great time fishing and camping. We would like to thank J. Hara Store, S. Tokunaga Store, Dino’s Fishing Tackle, Hilo Lanes Inc., Captain Zodiac Cruises, Kanoa Inc-Body Glove Cruises, Reed and Jay Photography, Blaine’s Drive Inn, Pure Fishing, Don’s Grill, Miles Enterprises, Fair Winds Cruises, Mauna Kea Resorts, Kozmic Cones, King Kamehameha Hotel, Roy’s Bar and Grill, Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Sheraton Keauhou Bay, Kazi Food Co. of Hl, Kuhio Grill/Encore, A. Araki Store, Kona Fishing Tackle, Big Island Candies, Hilton Waikaloa…

■ Members of the Kaka‘ako Kasting Club (KKC) gathered at the Koko Head Rifle Range to participate in this year’s National Hunting and Fishing Day festivities. The 13-year-old ulua fishing club has been sharing their knowledge and experience at NHF Day each year since 1995. This national event, held on the fourth Saturday (and Sunday in Hawai‘i) of September, promotes wildlife conservation and care of our natural and human resources. Organizations representing hunting, shooting, archery and fishing groups set up activities to involve participants with hands-on learning opportunities in the respective sports. Under partly cloudy skies, KKC promoted casting as their activity. Using a spinning rod-and-reel setup, kids and adults of all ages tried their hand at launching a fluorescent orange or green floater into a bucket placed about 30…

Stand By Your Man! ■ We have heard of the fishwife, sometimes more accurately called the fish widow, who gets so fed up changing light bulbs, mowing lawns and doing home repairs by herself that in a moment of rage and frustration tells her husband that either she goes or the boat goes. This wifely statement immediately sends the husband fleeing to the safety of his fishing pals to commiserate on how much he is going to miss his wife, while secretly rejoicing about having more unfettered fishing time. In no way, shape or form is this meant to minimize that rare breed of women anglers out there. If a man has found one of them, he has truly hit the lottery and the light bulbs aren’t on enough to…

■ On the last day, we decided to fish the lagoon because I either had to go to the bank when it opened at 9 a.m. or be back before it closed at 3 p.m. I decided that it may be better to make sure everything was OK in the morning and perhaps be able to stay out later fishing. I got to the bank and asked to do a cash advance on my credit card. They didn’t blink an eye, just calculated the conversion rate from Australian dollars and then started the transaction. I was asked for my passport, which is typical, but something I forgot so I had to walk back to the hotel and retrieve it. Once I got back to the bank they asked if I…

Catfish Program at Nu‘uanu ■ It would be nice if I could report some progress on the intended destruction of the dam at Nu‘uanu Reservoir #4. Unfortunately, it seems like the subject has gone underground again. There is no news at all, which does not bode well. It would be preferable if the various government agencies that are involved would allow open dialogue between interested parties. Having spent years as a bureaucrat, I can understand the reticence, but that does not solve the problem and the case just gets thicker and thicker. You run into these problems when you are dealing with entrenched bureaucracy that all of a sudden has to cover for years of nonfeasance. This month being an election month, I hope that each and everyone who reads…

■ Fishers, scientists and conservationists are calling for the state to expedite the passage of proposed restrictions on lay gill nets after a 5-month-old Hawaiian monk seal pup was found drowned in a net off Waimanalo. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,250 monk seals remaining in the Hawaiian Archipelago, most of which reside in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The dead pup was one of this critically endangered species in the main Hawaiian islands. The species, which is only found in Hawaii, is protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and is therefore illegal to kill. “I’m saddened by this irresponsible fishing, which threatens not only our precious marine life, but also violates the Hawaiian way of taking only what you need,” said Wendell Ko, a spear fisherman for…

■ Winter-type severe weather in Hawaii waters begins this month. Some of the worst weather in the islands has occurred in November. It is likely that there will be some bad weather days during the month. Mariners are cautioned that the change from good weather to bad weather can be fast. The following are the possible bad weather conditions that can occur: high northwest swell and surf, gusty trade winds, heavy rains, strong southwest Kona winds, squalls, thunderstorms and waterspouts. Southerly surf is down while high swell and surf activity from the northwest direction greatly increase. More than half of the days of the month will have higherthan 5-foot surf at Sunset Beach, O‘ahu. There’s a chance of a very high surf, greater than 20 feet high. The frequency of…