Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2007 i Hawaii Fishing News

Quals’ What is the “Quals”? As I understood from Al Lagunte (event coordinator), the Quals is a selection of top divers who have met a free-dive spearfishing qualification process that determines who will best represent the state of Hawai‘i in this cultural event. This event qualifies a team to compete in an annual international competition, which includes spearfishers from Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, New Caledonia and Hawai‘i. Al said that this tournament site will rotate between the five countries, each having a turn at hosting. The qualifying team must compete in pairs over a two-day, six-hour period and target selective species of fish. The overall winning team will be crowned spearfishing champions of the Pacific. The men and women representing the state of Hawai‘i are pioneering the way in a…

Tricks for Rigging Big Baits Like Albacore and ‘Ahi: The Ultimate ‘Big Bite’ for Oversized Pacific Blue Marlin ■ Late in August, the albacore run finally arrived off Kona and the longfin were enthusiastically greeted by an especially appreciative audience. “We saw the marks on our fishfinder aboard SEA STRIKE, and it looked like big marlin were chasing the tombo around,” said Capt. Dale Leverone. As proof, Kenny Llanes, skipper of the LEHUANANI, and his crew Ruben Rubio hooked a 664.5-lb blue marlin with a 35.5-lb albacore in its belly. A meal that size-nearly 6 percent of the marlin’s pre-meal body weight-would be like a 200-lb man eating an 11-or 12-lb steak. Or, like that same 200-lb guy eating 66 Ball Park Franks (which, by the way, would make him…

Ouch! ■ When is a pothole no longer a pothole? The construction machinery that did its best to remove the vegetation from the front side of the dam at Nu’uanu also did some damage to the road on top of the dam. It is not possible to categorize these depths as potholes any longer. There has to be another word for a hole that is big enough to swallow the front end of a Mercedes. Because the equipment is already there, would a quick scrape of the road surface and a fill of the bigger holes be too much to ask? We think not, but, then again, there seems to be an ingrained opinion in the officialdom that the dam only exists for the benefit of the anglers. We respectfully…

■ Some of us fly fishers can get fairly desperate at times. We handicap ourselves, in the name of sport and fair chase, with artificial concoctions that some fish just aren’t interested in and persist in showing persnickety fish every fly in the box, hoping for a bite. I think some fish just want a cheeseburger, not a carefully tied sculpture of a cheeseburger. But we all hope to find that magic fly that will convince the most educated fish that this is the dinner bell ringing. Chasing bonefish on O‘ahu’s well-fished reef flats can be very frustrating. We might make the perfect cast to a cruising bonefish that seems to be unaware of our presence and have it rush up to within inches of the fly, give it a…

WESTERN PACIFIC REGIONAL FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL Public Meetings Focused on Collection of Catch Data From Fishermen and Other Fishery Management Issues in the U.S. Pacific Islands ■ The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council met as a full Council from Friday, October 10 to 12, 2007, at the Pagoda Hotel in Honolulu. The Council discussed and acted upon the following items, among others, related to the management of offshore fisheries in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and U.S. Pacific remote island areas: • A process by which longline catch or effort limits could be readily implemented if promulgated by a regional fishery management organization; • Recreational fishery data collection for the region; • Longline and purse seine exclusion zones around the CNMI; •…

■ Octopus, or tako, as most islanders call it, is one of the favored baits used by ulua fishermen. One may think that using tako for bait simply consists of grabbing a tako, putting it on a hook and throwing it out or letting it slide. Most experienced fishermen know there is much more thought, planning and preparation involved when using tako for bait. Where to get tako, how to prepare the tako, what size tako to use and how to hook the tako are concerns of fishermen new to using tako for bait. This article will break down the use of tako for bait in ulua fishing. Over the years, many different fishermen from Kaua‘i to the Big Island have shared these tips with me. It is my goal…

Hawai‘i Lands Marlin Tag-and-Release Honors ■ The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) published the “2006 Billfish Newsletter” in which Hawai‘i was named the world leader in billfish tag and releases. Angler Don Brandt was Hawaii’s top tagger. Kona‘s Capt. Peter Hoog, fishing on the PAMELA, released 79 billfish for world’s top tagging skipper honors. This is the 44th year that the SWFSC, operating under NOAA, has monitored recreational billfish fishing. The latest statistics are for 2005. Hawai‘i had 2,013 angler fishing days and saw 909 billfish with 489 Pacific blue marlin hooked. That is a daily catch ratio of 0.24, which means that for every four days of fishing, one marlin was released. Baja had a marlin catch ratio of 0.05, or one marlin caught for 20 days of fishing.…

■ Tommy Ching, a.k.a. Kahikina, had been wanting to go out fishing on the TOPSHAPE for three months. Both of us are very busy, but we finally found a window one Tuesday. He came up with a great idea of doing his show (KAPA 99.1 AM) on the boat: kind of the opposite of “Deadliest Catch,” as “Most Fun Catch” a la Kona fishery. Well, the day started out different. I couldn’t get any mates to help, and when Tommy showed up at the boat I asked if he had a camera because I’d forgotten mine. Of course, he didn’t and I didn’t so I knew we would hookup. So we had no mate, no camera, and one of the anglers, Mikel Lamb, corporate chef for Don’s the Beachcomber, was…

■ “There’s another one! “my dad shouted from the porch, looking out over the ocean to Maui. My sister and I dropped our knives and various dinner preparations and ran out to see. “Oh, you just missed it,” he said. Then, another whale jumped up out of the water, out in the channel. It seemed to dance in the air before it crashed back down into the water, smacking its tail for a finishing touch. Nearby a burst of water shot skyward, like a geyser. My sister and I shouted and squealed with delight at the mysterious power of these sightings. Seeing the migration of the whales on their way from Alaska every year around December was something we could always count on. They came like the seasons for us.…

For letters, with photos, received during November we’ll send you HFN’s embroidered cap, MAXIFLEX Sample pack (New Glow Tako Lure)…our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch!…Hana pa‘a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96825 or e-mail: <fishnews@hawaii.rr.com> Here’s Alden Iha of Hawai‘i-kai with his 11-lb 9-oz ‘o‘io caught on a recent expedition to the badlands of Backside, Molokai. After a treacherous session of drunken “roughtake” with the surf, he claimed his trophy. We applaud you, Alden. Fish was ‘ono too. Scott KimKane’ohe, O‘ahu Howzit Chuck, Hana pa‘a! I and my fishing buddy Big Dean got slammed by this 130-lb ‘ahi off Wai‘anae on the last week of August. First fish over 100 lbs for either of us and from aboard my 15’ Arima, the GLADYS SUE.…

■ This year’s 11th annual Ohana Fishing Tournament was held on Admissions Day weekend 2007. We are glad that we had nice weather. Earlier in the week, there was a hurricane warning for the island. The record number of participants from keiki to kupuna all had a good time fishing and camping. There were lots of different species of fish caught by all of the participants, making for an exciting weigh-in. Congratulations to the winners and participants who helped make this tournament a success. Here are the results of this year’s tournament: Kupuna Division Ohana Division Wahine Division Keiki Division Teen Division Men’s Division…

■ The ushering in of every new season brings with it another enthralling 365 days of opportune time to catch that elusive ulua that can put you over the top in the standings. Atlapac Fishing Club’s season runs from August 1 to July 31, and with September comes the club’s annual awards banquet. This was the AFC’s 81st season, and what a down-to-the-wire year it was! Categorical winners included Michael Arakaki and his 100-lb white ulua that earned him first place in the Largest Ulua-Neighbor Island category. Largest papio honors went to Shogo Yoshimura who caught a papio weighing in at 9.87 lbs. Dan Meheula captured the Largest Omilu at 17.4 lbs. The Largest Oio was Dan Hose’s 9.63-pounder. Richard Saiki had the Largest Kaku at 2 lbs even, and…

■ As I jumped out of bed early Saturday morning, I realized I was going to be late for a fishing session with my brothers-in-law, Jacob Mapa and Mike Ichiyama. I called up Jacob. “Ho, Jake. I leaving now! “I lied. “Me too, Ike. I had to get my jersey, just in case it’s a cold one,” he replied. I knew that Mike was going to be waiting for us at the beach. Mike is usually always set and ready when it’s time to fish. Sure enough, he was waiting with poles, ‘yak and a look of hunger on his face. “Sorry, guys. I dozed off,” I said. Mike wasn’t hearing it. He wanted to get out already. Jake and I set up quickly so Mike would not have to…

Dan York is Hawaii’s Beer Chef at the Kona Brewing Co., Koko Marina Shopping Center, 7129 Kalanianaole Highway, phone (808) 394-5662, E-mail <danyork@konabrewingco.com>. ■ This recipe is one of my favorites. It combines four of my favorite foods-fresh fish, potato chips, butter and beer. I use Kettle Chip brand Salt and Pepper chips, but you can substitute your favorite chip. At Kona Brewing Co., we have made this dish with ono, monchong, uku and even tombo, but my favorite is mahimahi. First, make the sauce: 1. Heat 1 tablespoon salad oil in a saucepan over medium heat then add 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic and saute until the garlic begins to brown. 2. Add one 12-oz bottle of Kona Brewing Co. Big Wave Golden Ale, 3A cup sugar and 3A…

■ Lots of people are calling and writing to ask about the freshwater fishing options here in Hawai‘i, and after fishing they really get excited. Peacock bass fishing in Hawai‘i is an untapped resource. We’ve started a tagging program for the peacock bass in Lake Wilson. That should give us some good information. I’ll keep you informed as we go along. Right now the water level in Lake Wilson is down and the fishing action is up. Schooling peacock and largemouth bass are chasing shad. What’s in a Name? How does a place get a name? Well, in the case of “Blue Boat Point,” it’s the wild feeding frenzy of peacock bass and the pretty blue bass boat that’s always parked there. Several times in the recent past I’ve seen…

■ Aloha from the Friendly Isle. So far, I have not received a single report of any ‘ahi over 100 lbs being caught by a Moloka‘i boater. I’m jealous because the Wai‘anae guys have been pounding away for over a month. Some of the boats have landed 20 to 30 fish in a week’s time. Grrrrr! Why can’t some stray ones come visit the Friendly Isle? It’s not just me. I’m sure every fisherman on the island wants a chance at one. Oh, well, we’ll just have to be content with what we do have here, continue to have the “attitude of gratitude” and not take anything for granted. I took a recent trip with Gary Au of Kaku Lures fame and a few of his friends from O‘ahu. They…

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 higher than 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…