Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2007 i Hawaii Fishing News

FREE-DIVER’S DREAM Spearing a 100-Plus Ulua ■ Three members of the Alii Holo Kai (AHK) dive club had an adventurous day of free-dive spear fishing that will be remembered for a lifetime. Chris Paglinawan, Brentin Kapoi and Manual Gomez set out on the morning of January 20, 2007, to just have fun spearing some fish for family and friends, but they didn’t know it would be their day to find a “big boy.” They launched Manual’s new 19’ Boston Whaler (Outrage) at the Hawai‘i-kai Boat Ramp. Chris said that they went straight out from the harbor and turned right. Due to the light north winds, their faces were cold and their sinuses were swelling. For comfort, Manuel anxiously full-throttled his boat to the area so they could suit up quickly,…

Chemical Contamination of Jack (Papio) and Barracuda From the Ala Wai Canal and Evaluation of Health Risks Associated With Their Consumption. Project Director: Anne M. E. Gasc, Ph.D., EnCoRe Inc., Waimanalo, Hawai‘i Collaborator: Barbara Brooks, Ph.D., Office of Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response, State of Hawai‘i Department of Health Background and Objectives ■ Although advisory signs have been posted warning individuals not to eat fish from the Ala Wai Canal (one of the most polluted water bodies in the state of Hawaii), it remains a popular recreational fishing site. Based on an interview study among fishermen present in this area, papio and barracuda represent the species that are most often caught then consumed. Being top-level carnivores, both species are good candidates for bio-accumulation of contaminants in their fatty tissue, and…

A Special Treat ■ Boaters, fishers and ocean enthusiasts should expect a treat if they take time to attend the 2007 Boating Safety Week Expo on O‘ahu. The event, held annually in May, has evolved into a “Who’s Who” and “How To” of ocean safety. This year, the organizers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Honolulu Sail and Power Squadron and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, have invited ocean safety agencies on O‘ahu to participate with manned exhibits and demonstrations focusing on themes such as properly fitting a PFD, visual distress signals and handling common medical emergencies while at sea. That’s just a short list. The expo series runs throughout the entire day on very detailed and important topics. How is all of this new? Each…

Tag and Release Report Catch and Consume Due to the limited space available and the large number of fish caught, catch reports are limited to tuna over 100 lbs and billfish of any size, any species: (S)=Striped Marlin, (B)=Black Marlin. …The Charter Desk…

First Tournament of 2007 ■ Aloha! The Hilo Trollers kicked off the year with an exciting tournament on April 1. The weather report called for a mix of clouds and sun with a couple of showers and winds blowing southwest at 7 to 14 mph. This weather report did not stop 22 teams from participating in the tournament. At 5:30 a.m., they headed in all directions, hoping to catch the “big boys.” The highlight of the tournament was the catch taken aboard the KALALAU II. Capt. Eliot Boneza and John Ventura came in with eight ono and two mahimahi. The largest ono weighed 45.5 lbs and captured first place in the Largest Fish Division and Ono Division. The team was also named the Grand Champion of the tournament for a…

■ Dunking is a great Hawaiian pastime. As I wade and stalk the flats with my fly rod, I see dunkers along the shoreline, lines out and baited, coolers full of ice, bait and beer, waiting for that elusive bite. It looks very relaxed and laid back, and I guess it produces a fair amount of fishy results. My fishing methods require a lot more activity including walking, wading and flicking out about a zillion casts a day. I have no cooler to sit on. I’m always on the prowl for that gray ghost, the very hard to see ‘o‘io that might cruise in my direction from just about anywhere. To be a successful ‘o‘io fly fisher in Hawaii’s waters, you need to be ready for a sight-casting opportunity but…

Ni‘uanu Catfish Program ■ Thank you for all the E-mails. Yes, the catfish program will pick up again on June 2, as best as anyone can determine. Also, there do not appear to be any imperative decisions on the table at the present time regarding the fate of the dam. The dam is overgrown with vegetation. That is a fact. As far as I can find out, restoration will consist of removing the excess trees on top of the dam and the slopes. That should have been done a long time ago. The problem seems to be that there are diffident opinions about the purpose of the dam. No official in particular has been able to state much other than that the dam is no longer needed by the Board…

■ Spring is upon us, bringing better fishing. It’s time to consider ‘ahi, but first we may see some large ono. The new net laws are in effect, and bottom fish are kapu this summer. The environmental whackos have made their point and will not stop until fishing is so limited that you need a passport to enter the ocean. The fishing public is entitled to have reasonable limits with actual data to prove the need for such limitations. The DLNR, Aquatic Resources should provide research then make the recommendations for new rules. None of this is happening, and the fishing public is going to suffer. Brandon Kishimoto and his dad, Walter, had Tyler Yamamoto out for some offshore trolling when their lure took off. The fish seemed to be…

■ This year the Hawaii Yacht Club presented its second annual Mitch’s Sushi ShootOut Fishing Tournament on March 17 and 18, 2007. “It was a great success,” proclaimed Mitch and Craig McCrae of Mitch’s Fish Market and Sushi Bar, the main sponsors of the annual tournament. A total of 44 teams participated, and fun was had by all in attendance. The first day saw a large number of mahimahi. The second day was the big one. The winners, Kirk Inoue, Guy Inoue and Wayne Watanabe aboard the KIYOMI, took home a bundle of cash and fond memories. As they departed the club, they left us with a threat to return again next year with a vengeance. Yes, the trio from last year returned for a second time and refused to…

BECAUSE WE CAN! U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez E-Mail: cgutierrez.doc.gov ■ By now, many of you are aware that the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), which was reauthorized by Congress in December 2006, requires the establishment and implementation of a regionally based registry program for recreational fishermen in each of the eight fishery management regions. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRMC) has contacted each of the fishery agencies within the Western Pacific to begin exploring how this may best be accomplished. The reauthorized MSA also makes it clear that quotas and allocation of fishery resources in both commercial and recreational fisheries are going to have a major role in minimizing the potential for overfishing of federally managed fisheries. Setting of quotas and allocation will have…

■ What a turnaround! I believe we can make it official: the big blues are here-hopefully to stay. During the month, 15 marlin over the 500-lb mark were caught, and only six of them were actually in the 500-lb range. That was almost quadruple the amount caught during the previous month. One hundred twelve marlin were reported during the month; 53 of them were tagged and released, and 59 were caught and consumed. Of the 59 caught and consumed, 34 were well over the 300-lb mark. The big blues were here, but the big yellows (‘ahi) were not. Only nine ‘ahi weighing more than 100 lbs were caught during the month. March seems to be the month that brings in the monsters. Last year’s first “grander” was caught on March…

■ Well, the good news is that the CC FAD is still on location. The only thing is that the fish haven’t found it yet. There have been some stray mahimahi caught nearby, and one fisherman reported having a “screamer” upon approaching the FAD. I have come across bird piles working within a half-mile of it and caught some nice-sized aku. I believe in due time it will be a consistent producer for the Moloka‘i small boaters that will be its frequent users. Mahalo to the state FAD program for considering its present location. The area that it’s located in was already a good area, and the FAD should only enhance the fishing there. Time will be the determining factor. Not a lot of reports filtered in this past month,…

■ The bite was slow during the month. Only 16 blue marlin were weighed, and one was tagged and released. Eight striped marlin made it to the scales, and one was tagged and released. Six spearfish were captured, and two were tagged and released. The NO PROBLEM weighed in the harbor’s second largest blue marlin of the year, a 441.4-lb fish captured by Jeff Miller. Jeff was fishing with Capt. Randy Evans and Shadow. Randy was heading back toward Maui, trolling down the south side of Lana‘i. As he got to the 150- to 200-fathom ledge off the golf course, a marlin came in from the starboard side. The fish swam up behind the short corner lure and made a big hole in the water. Jeff finally brought the fish…

■ May signals better weather for Hawaii 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. May 1 – Sunrise: 6:01 am, Sunset: 6:57 pm • May…