Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2009 i Hawaii Fishing News

■ There was a big north west swell on Saturday and Sunday, so I wanted to surf off Kona but I also knew that the south side was flat-perfect for diving. The surf was from a wind swell, and the winds were to drop by Sunday or Monday. I decided to surf Kona, which is across the island from where I live in Hilo, on Sunday. I scored some "sick" surf. While surfing, I missed a few calls from my friend, Keola. After I talked to Keola, we decided to camp on the south side so we could do some intense diving. At this point, I was all surfed out but I was game to dive. I drove all the way back to the east side, packed my camping and…

■ The sardines and herrings from temperate waters that we can buy in cans, salted, or prepared in sour cream are never considered dangerous to eat. However, eating sardines and herrings from tropical or subtropical seas has resulted in fatalities, even when well-cooked. The poisonings are rare, but they should be publicized so consumers know the dangers these species pose. The Marquesan sardine (Sardinella marquesensis) was intentionally introduced to Hawai'i’s waters from the Marquesas Islands in 1955 to 1958 as a tuna bait fish during seven cruises of the research vessel HUGH M. SMITH (Murphy, 1960). The fish established a breeding population, but it never became sufficiently abundant to be of value as a bait fish for tuna. On October 3, 1978, a 67-year-old fisherman on Kaua'i was admitted to…

Nu'uanu Reservoir Update ■ The water level is back to normal, and, as a result, the easy pickings are no longer available. The catfish have become thinly spread along the banks, and fishing has been sporadic for some anglers. The additional water also gave the crayfish a chance to return to their holes in the banks, and there was plenty of food available because the vegetation was submerged again. It seems that the bigger fish retreated into the shallow area where the stream feeds the reservoir. So, all in all, things are sort of back to normal. Hopefully some of the anglers have remembered the topography that was revealed when the water was low and can now try to reach the places where the bites were plentiful. (Smile.) Reservoir Closure…

NAME MOI WHY THERE ARE SO MANY NATIVE HAWAIIAN NAMES FOR MDI BY SCOTT RADWAY IN THE MID-'90S, FLUSH WITH FEDERAL FUNDING, OCEANIC INSTITUTE BEGAN RELEASING THOUSANDS OF MOIOFFOAHU. "We released upwards of a million finger lings during the course of the stock enhancement," says Alan Friedlander, a lead researcher at the institute. The idea was to bolster moi stocks, which had dropped precipitously since the end of World War II. Traditionally, moi, or Pacific threadfin, was never thought to be abundant and only Native Hawaiian chiefs were allowed to eat it. But after World War 11, with the fishery open to all, the tasty fish was fished heavily. Numbers and sizes declined rapidly. Meanwhile, scientists had in the early 1990s successfully began breeding the fish in captivity. The great…

■ In November, I attended the Fifth World Recreational Fishing Conference (WRFC) at Dania Beach, Florida. Since the inaugural conference in1996, the WRFC has been held once every three years for the purpose of bringing together members ofthe recreational fishing industry to discuss key issues facing their international community. Inpast years, the conference has been held in Ireland (1996), Canada (1999), Australia (2002) and Norway (2005); so the conference location of the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, headquarters of the IGFA, was an ideal venue for America’s first hosted WRFC. More than 200 attendants from 23 countries shared their thoughts and opinions on the future ofrecreational fishing. Most participants were from Europe, Australia, NewZealand, or the U.S. East Coast, but Hawai'i didhave some representation.…

Fiji Bluewater Hunting Expedition ■ Virtually untouched reefs and deserted islands lie in the far reaches of the Northern Territory of Fiji. After months of planning, Doc (George) Lopez from California had Capt. Ian McIntosh sail Doc’s yacht, the BUCEPHALUS, over from New Zealand to Taveuni to serve as a mothership for a long-awaited expedition of the Northern Islands of the Fiji archipelago. Doc was joined by Ian Puckeridge (Pucko) from Australia and Shane Fitzmaurice from New Zealand. These internationally renowned spear fishermen understand the importance of respecting local customs, so upon the recommendation of Rob Torelli they hired Capt. John Llanes as their game boat captain because he has the various chiefs' permission to fish their neighboring waters. This was of vital importance. The men were targeting specific species…

OFFSHORE TOURNAMENTS OAHU-MITCH’S 4TH ANNUAL SUSHI SHOOTOUT March 14 & 15, 2009 Hawaii Yacht Club Boolie Whitmire (808) 382-2013 Sue Potts (808) 392-2771 Website <www.hawaiiyachtclub.org> E-mail <susiepotts@hawaii.rr.com> OAHU-30TH ANNUAL SENORITA’S JACKPOTOURNAMENT April 25 & 26, 2009 Hawaii Yacht Club Boolie Whitmire (808) 382-2013 Sue Potts (808) 392-2771 Website <www.hawaiiyachtclub.org> E-mail <susiepotts@hawaii.rr.com> OAHU-BOB GOODMAN MEMORIAL FISHING TOURNAMENT May 30, 2009 Hawaii Yacht Club Boolie Whitmire (808) 382-2013 Sue Potts (808) 392-2771 Website <www.hawaiiyachtclub.org> E-mail <susiepotts@hawaii.rr.com> WORLD CUP BLUE MARLIN TOURNAMENT Saturday July 4, 2009 Mike Leech(954) 566-2813 Website <www.bluemarlinworldcup.com> E-mail <mike@bluemarlinworldcup.com> OAHU-PEARL HARBOR FISHING TOURNAMENT July 11, 2009 Curtis Chong(808) 473-9046 E-mail <curtis.chong@navy.mil> HAWAll-50TH HAWAIIAN INTERNATIONAL BILLFISH TOURNAMENT July 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24, 2009 Peter Fithian (808) 329-6155 PO Box 29638, Honolulu, HI96820 FAX (808) 329-1148 E-mail <hibt@hawaii.rr.com> OAHU-THE…

■ What started off as a relaxing camping trip turned into an exciting 100-pounder event. Here ishow my story unfolded. My friend Scotty Burns and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and go holoholo to South Point on the Big Island. We were both looking forward to just taking it easy and enjoying the weekend. We were pre-warned of heavy rains and high winds, but that did not stop us. The first night we got there was nice but too late to set up camp, so we decided that it would be better if we slept in our trucks and set up in the morning. The next day we attempted to set up camp, but the high winds and heavy rain prevented that from happening, so we…

■ We, Gareth and Kevin, "The Uyeda Brothers," battled and lost a Pacific blue marlin on October 9, 2008. We had that marlin to leader more than 40 times in four hours, and it towed us around until we were 7½ miles offshore. The leader finally broke, and the marlin calmly swam away. We had a long, sad paddle back to shore that day. But enough of that. Fast-forward three months to Friday, January 9, 2009. We decided to pack our Ocean Kayak Zest Two EXP tandem kayak and go fishing because there was a break in the winter weather and it was supposed to be really nice for paddling. We started out a little before 7 a.m., in beautiful conditions, with a very light breeze and the sun shining…

Sakamoto Hangs Up His Pole ■ Mike Sakamoto hung up his fishing pole and took the ferry to the secret fishing spot in the sky. A recognized and respected outdoor celebrity, Mike headlined the popular Hawai'i TV show "Fishing Tales." "Fishing Tales" first aired in 1986. The show ran for 16 years and produced more than 485 segments. It aired worldwide, locally on KHON and nationally on "The Outdoor Channel." Mike died at St. Francis Medical Center in Honolulu of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 59 years old. Mike was born on O'ahu, and was graduated from McKinley High. Besides being a great fisherman, he was an accomplished artist. His water colors and oil paintings, noted for their impressionistic colors, depicted ocean scenes, landscapes and everyday people. "His impressionistic-style oils showed…

Paving Over Our Resources Aloha Gov. Lingle, Lt. Governor, Congressman Neil, Keiko, Bruce, Chuck, Greg, Arlen, Ollie, Kim and all the others at the top I can think of to send this E-mail: There are many anglers, and I am sure environmentalists, that are very concerned about the governor’s proposed plan to turn Triangle Flatin Ke'ehi Lagoon into a mall and marina. I am very much opposed to this move, not only because of my fishing interests but also because of many other concerns. Yes, Triangle Flat is a fantastic bonefish destination. I could go on about the advantages of having such a world-class area right at Honolulu’s doorstep and the tourist dollars generated by our new flyfishing guide industry, an industry which has the potential to rival the same…

Moi Anglers' Survey Profile ■ More than 2,700 surveys regarding the moi fishery were mailed out to volunteer anglers participating statew ide with the Ulua Tagging Project and the Moi Tagging Program as well as to commercial fishermen that fish formoi. Approximately 21 percent, or 571 anglers, responded to the moi survey. The graph in Figure 10 is based on the number of volunteer anglers who tag moi for the MoiTagging Program on the island of O'ahu. It is significant to note that the O'ahu moi taggers tagged and released in excess of 200 lbs of moi compared to less than 70 lbs of moi harvested by O'ahu commercial fishers. It would be interesting to see whether this trend also applies to the neighbor islands. Revised Bag Limits for Moi…

Final Rule Gives States More Time to Implement Local Data Gathering ■ NOAA’s Fisheries Service <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/> has released its final rule to create a national saltwater angler registry of all marine recreational fishermen to help the nation better protect our shared marine resources. A requirement to establish a registry was included in a statute approved by Congress in 2007. "Better national surveys of the more than 15 million saltwater anglers will help us demonstrate the important contributions of recreational anglers to both local economies and to the nation's," said Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. "The registry will help us gather comprehensive data to ensure sustainable fisheries built on the best available science." The improved quality of recreational fishing data achieved through a national saltwater angler…

Lahaina’s Top 10 for 2008 ■ Trying to come up with the top boat and captain statistics for bill fish for the year is like trying to decide who should play in the BCS Championship. Just looking at total numbers isn't enough to determine the final rankings for the top 10 Lahaina Harbor sport fishing boats and captains. Obviously, everyone looks at the number of blue marlin caught and total weight as an indicator of the top ranking. But, in certain years, striped marlin and short bill spear fish make up a large number of the yearly catch, as in 2008. Spearfish (weighing25 to 35 lbs) are not always weighed, but guess-timated, so their total weight numbers are ballpark and lower ranked. Tagged-and-released billfish are noted as both a total…

For letters, with photos, received during March we'll send you HFN’s New Ulua Hook Embroidered cap logo design and Ande’s "How to Catch More Fish"! 56-pages booklet to tips and knot… our way of saying thanks for sharing your catch! … Hena pa'a, Chuck Send to: P.O. Box 25488, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96825 or e-mail: <fishnews@hawaii.rr.com> Aloha, There are many stories that are sent to you to publish and here goes just one more story that you and your readers might enjoy reading. On June 30,2008, my brother, Donald, went out to Malika Gulch to launch my 2001 Yamaha SUV jet ski. My brother and I like to go out about one or two times a week if possible. It was about 8:30 a.m. when Donald went out and saw two…

■ Striped marlin are annoyingly They toss lures around like toys. Gang-tackling in packs, schools of "stripies" jump on alureas though itwere a fumbled football. But in their eagerness to play, they keep on fumbling. As a result, they are notorious for being hard to hook. Even so, you can increase your odds of catching striped marlin with some simple tricks we learned from some of Kona’s most successful skippers. On Christmas Eve, my family and I fished with Capt. Wayne Knigh aboard the PLAYTIME. We had three grandkids along and each hoped they would catch something special to celebrate, respectively, their 8th, 10th, and 12th Christmases. Striped marlin were definitely on our minds, both because they are the perfect size to be the first marlin for Kalei, Kaiand Mariand…

Aloha Chuck, I wrote an E-mail to Dan Polhemus regarding yellow-spot herring two weeks ago. We have made recent discoveries of halalu with eggs at 15.5 centimeters, which is quite unusual and almost unheard of for the month of January. In captive grow-out tanks, halalu reproduced at (first spawning) 18 through 22 centimeters, I mentioned to Dan in the E-mail we noticed unusually slow growth rates this season regarding halalu and mentioned the yellow-spot may be a contributing factor as it competes for the same food resources, particularly plankton and tiny invertebrates. From 1996 to 2000, halalu and akule arrived in greater numbers in comparison, and for every year hit 20 to 22 centimeters by January (during a time when yellow-spot herring weren't as prolific). Anyway, enclosed are photos of…

■ The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced an open fishing season for rainbow trout in the Koke'e Public Fishing Area (PFA), Kaua'i, beginning on Monday, June 1, 2009. Anglers may fish daily during the daylight hours between sunrise and sunset from June 1 to September 30, 2009. "We are announcing the season opening early to allow fishers to make travel plans in advance," said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson. "The opening in June will coincide with Hawai'i’s year-round public school schedule. "Trout fishing at Pu'u Lua Reservoir in Koke'e has always been a popular family activity, and anglers will have a chance to catch more than 20,000 stocked trout, which should weigh 1lbbyopening day," Chairperson Thielen said. "Trout just love the rain and cold we've been having…

I thought children might enjoy this as well as the parents that might read it to them. Aloha, Carl Jellings The Big Alien Invasion ■ His name is Malu. His great-grandfather used to live on a long ledge off Waikiki. His family has been here for more than a million tides. I'll let him tell the rest of the story. "Well, all of us grew up here, and we are quite happy now. If not for our great-grandpa, none of us would be here today. He moved us here after the Big Invasion. My grandfather told my father this story, and as I got older my father told me, and now I'm telling you. "My great-grandpa was asleep one night when he noticed a stranger swim into his home. The…

More Bang For Your Bucks! ■ When I was a motorcycle mechanic, people would often ask my opinion about why every attempt at building and marketing a diesel motorcycle had failed. Now, you know what they say about opinions. In this month’s article, I wanted to try to answer a question of greater importance: What is the difference between a gasoline engine and a diesel engine, and which one is right for fishermen? For starters, one could say that a diesel engine develops more torque and a gasoline engine develops more horsepower, which is true, but what does this mean out in the real world? After all, aren't they both just a measure of work? Finding the answer to such a difficult proposition requires abasic understanding of what an engine…

■ Spring is approaching according to the calendar, but inHawai'i waters winter-type weather can still appear in March. But there will be more good weather days than bad weather days. There is always the possibility of the occurrence of any of the following severe weather events: cold front with strong Kona winds, upper trough with heavy rain, gusty trade winds and high northwest wave and surf. Trade winds should be present on more than half the days in March with the possibility of about eight to 14 days of gusty trades. Northwest swell activity should be noticeably less. There may be about five days of high surf greater than 10feet along the north shores. There’s still a chance of surf greater than 25 feet high at Sunset Beach, O'ahu.…