Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2010 i Hawaii Fishing News

Catching the Big Boys, Holoholo Style ■ It was Friday night, and we were getting the fishing gear ready. The moon was nowhere to be found. Every fishing trip I wonder, "Is this the night I will catch my 100-pounder?" There is no way to know. You just have to go out there and give it a try. When we arrived at our spot, everyone got the camp set up and the poles ready to go. This is how it goes every trip. It was a beautiful day. The poles were out, and the waiting game began. We got the grill going. While we were cooking steak and hotdogs, we got a strike. With every strike you wonder is this the one? This one was an 'omilu weighing in at…

■ I moved to Hawai'i from Britain about a year ago and, as an avid freshwater fisherman, wanted to make the most of the incredible saltwater fishing there is off the islands. After visiting the Aquahunters stand at the Ocean Expo last year and seeing photos of guys catching mahimahi and ono from kayaks, I knew that was what I wanted to do. If I put the hours in, maybe I would have a chance of hooking one of those magnificent fish. Once I got myself a kayak (the CLARISSA), I started fishing off Kailua. I met Doc, soon to become my regular fishing partner. The learning curve was steep, but we persevered and eventually started picking up the odd fish. Late last year, we both caught our first mahimahi,…

■ Level-wind reels are no good in salt water: too much trouble. That was the view of my dad’s generation. We had a lot of bad experiences with freshwater reels, for which the level-wind was essential. Dad tolerated them on the freshwater reels even though he felt that the level-wind was always the first part to fail and the first part to corrode. What’s more, the worm gear was especially vulnerable to salt and sand. Both could chew it up, slow it down, or stop it dead. Speaking of slowing it down, Dad felt the level-winds also reduced casting distance. That was an easy argument to make because you could do the math-pushing the lineguide back and forth applied drag to the line and the gear system. Besides, Dad said,…

BP Burning Endangered Turtles Alive ■ What would happen if Hawai'i fishermen were dunking turtles in tar ball oil and burning them alive? Pew Charitable Trusts would be calling for a shutdown, a closure and another Marine Protected Area. Mike Ellis, a Louisiana sportfishing captain, said BP is burning endangered sea turtles alive in the Gulf of Mexico. Pew is responsible for the NWHI MPA and the Marianas Trench MPA. Why is Pew woefully silent when the killer is oil? Pew’s money is Sunoco money-oil money. Robert Fritchey, currently working on his book "Gulf Wars," writing in the National Fisherman said, "Inmy recollection, the 1990s kicked off with a couple of petro-foundations (the Pews and the Rockefellers) corralling the national environmentalists and reducing them to well-fed sheep." Capt. Ellis described…

Howzit Chuck, I want to share my hana pa'a story. It all began when we decided to go on a holoholo trip during Father’s Day weekend. We loaded up our stuff and headed down to South Point. When we arrived at South Point, the weather was nice and sunny with average winds. My son Thomas and I set up one bagline each. While we were setting up camp, we noticed that my bag floater was gone from the surface of the water. My wife, Trina, Thomas and I headed to my pole. I felt tension on the line, and I knew something was on. I fought it for about 10 minutes, got it in and weighed it on my digital scales. It was a 1 7 .4-lb uku. I sent…

Aloha Chuck, I was in Tokunaga’s 2010 Ulua Challenge here on the Big Island and wanted to share a story with you. No, it’s not about some big catch or a big fighton the shoreline, but some unexpected luck- and long-time memories with it. I usually go by myself but this year it was a team effort. Bruddah GG, Frank, Big Willie and Earle Young (from "Hanazulu"). We hit one of the best spots on the Kohala Coast known as High Rock or Black Point where the water drops to 50 feet right off the edge. Extremely rough and can be dangerous. We fished hard during the contest but ended up washed out big time. Except for Frank. He had found a rink dink, itsy bitsy, $1. 99 kiddie tourist…

Summer Fishing in Paradise ■ This summer brought a lot of new, aspiring anglers to Ho'omaluhia Pond. It got very crowded on most weekends: parents and children accounted for between 300 and 400 participants, with half of those being children of various ages. The best part was seeing a number of returning Cub Scouts who, true to their motto but contrary to old custom, arrived properly prepared and bundled up in colorful rain gear on the rainy, windy days. Ho'omaluhia is pretty close to the mountain range, and when the winds blow against the dam from the eastnortheast cloud bursts make for some pretty hectic times. Luckily, the rains switch off and on at rather regular intervals and the children were none the worse for the experience. Catch-'N-Release Woes All…

'Deadliest Catch' Conditions ■ June 11 to 13, 2010, marked a memorable event-the S. Tokunaga Store Ulua Challenge on the Big Island of Hawai'i. This ulua fishing tournament is probably one of, if not the largest ulua fishing tournament in the state. This year a staggering 504 anglers from as far as California entered the tournament, and, as usual, it was a very memorable event. A week prior to the tournament, the trade winds were slight, and the seas were reported to be calm across the Big Island. It looked as though the conditions were going to be perfect! Boats could be seen trolling along the beautiful, glassy Pacific Ocean. I sat back in my beach chair and thought, "This is perfect weather for a shoreline tournament." One of our…

Ahi Fever ■ We/ina! This is my first "Wai'anae Seawatch," and I am excited to bring you the stories from the west side. What a story I have to begin this journey! The Ahi Fever tournament was held on June 19 and 20, and 200 boats entered. This was one of the biggest fishing tournaments on the island. Boats came from Hawai'i-kai to Honolulu, from Hale'iwa to Pearl City, and from Maui (No Ka Oi) to all the way from Anchorage, Alaska. Norman Swift, president and chairman of the Ahi Fever tournament, has done a tremendous job focusing on what this tournament is all about: having fun and bringing in big 'ahi. For Saturday’s first-place and overall winner, this seemed to come easy. The LEXI ANN, a 30' Force, and…

STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF BOATING AND OCEAN RECREATION 333 QUEEN STREET, SUITE 300 HONOLULU, HAWAII 96813 June 8, 2010 Dear Tenant, Please be advised that beginning July 1, 2010 the Division of Boating & Ocean Recreation may be amending the mooring category that your vessel has been assigned to at the time of your mooring permit renewal. This is being done to standardize how vessels are assigned to particular mooring categories statewide. Vessels that are moored within a state small boat harbor facility and made fast to or laid along side a dock, quay, catwalk, pier, breakwater, or wharf will be assigned to the mooring category "along catwalk" and assessed the appropriate mooring fee. This applies to all vessels made fast to the…

■ The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded its three-day meeting in Honolulu recommending that the total allowable catch (TAC) for the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) commercial bottomfish fishery be set at 244,000 lbs for the 2010-2011 season. The proposed TAC is 10,000 lbs less than the 2009-2010 MHI bottomfish TAC and represents a 29 percent risk of overfishing based on 2010 stock analysis projections by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). The seven species covered bythe TAC are ulaula koae or onaga (Etelis coruscans), ulaula or ehu (E. carbunculus), kalekale (Pristipomoides siebo/dii), 'opakapaka (P. filamentosus), ukikiki or gindai (P. zonatus), hapu'u (Epinephelus quernus) and lehi (Aphareus rutilans). The reduction in the allowable TAC does not represent a decline in…

■ This year, it was reported that Maunalau Bay contains the lowest fish numbers in the state of Hawai'i. This information is based on a survey that, in my opinion, was conducted improperly and targets fishermen. Although a nice idea to "protect" the bay, this survey failed to study the waters properly. As an oceanographer, throw-netter, fly fisherman and commercial fisherman, I use the bay daily, and can easily find thousands of pounds of fish. I have recently observed 1000 lbs of kala, 5000 lbs of nenui, and 400 lbs of manini. I even saw uhu and mullet. If you know where to look, you can also find hundreds of pounds of a holehole, weke, and 'o'io. So what kind of survey was conducted? And by whom? Clearly, it was…

Surface Plug Action-Moloka 'i ■ On May 16, 2010, during a field study, Team Ulua'z struck again. Bruddah lmiola and crew ventured out for an action-packed afternoon on a quest to whip for ulua and do a field study of Moloka'i’s newest fishing product. The outcome of this fishing venture: two out of six hits. This was also a special day because Bruddah !mi wanted to baptize his brand new whipping rod that he custom built. Choosing to first use the Jalapeno-colored lure, Bruddah !mitook two explosive hits. For whatever reason, the fish decided not to hop on board with the crew. Switching to the Chameleon color (see photo), the brand-new whipping rod got baptized. Yah, yah! Hopping on board to join the crew was an 8-lb papio. "Not the…

For letters, with photos, received during August we will send you HFN’s New LED Mini Light to add to your tackle tools!… 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> Aloha HFN, Just wanted to share a pie of my ulua caught at the Makua shoreline on the Leeward Coast on 5/2/2010. This is my first, so excited! Thanks,Shamron AfongWai'anae, O'ahu What’s Up Chuck, On April 7, 2010, I went to my favorite "get away" spot and caught a few nice fish. Here’s a pie of my catch. Hopefully, every fishing trip will be as great as this one was! Thanks!BKDBig Island of Hawai'i Thank you, HAWAII FISHING NEWS! Originally, I was planning to go throw-netting…

■ The Third Annual 2010 'Yak Off, held June 12, was another success and a hit among participating anglers. This year, 35 contestants including 27 adults and eight keiki showed up to kayak fish off the North Shore. There were some new faces and a lot of old, familiar faces. A few friends were missing this year, which makes me think this event will continue to grow in numbers as it has every year. Many people make this a successful event, and many thanks are in order. First off, we had an incredible venue. We would like to thank Randy from the Manu O Ke Kai Canoe Club for letting us use the club. It’s a special place, and we respect it very much. I also want to thank all…

■ For the third time in the 26-year history of the World Cup Blue Marlin Championship (World Cup), a grander marlin won the event. In the unique World Cup, only one team wins the prize. There is no second place in the one-day worldwide tournament that takes place annually on the Fourth of July. The winning team fishing aboard the HAPPY HOOKER in the Cape Verde Islands consisted of Capt. Berno Niebuhr from Germany and angler Chris Brand from Portugal. It is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a team has scored are peat victory. Capt. Niebuhr and angler Brand also won the event in 2006 with an 850-lb blue marlin. Also aboard for the epic catch were gaffman Amilton Gomez Barros, wireman Antonio Da…

■ The 26th North Shore Hanapa'a Fishing Tournament took place out of Hale'iwa Harbor on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, with the banquet on Sunday, the 27th. Thirty-nine teams entered the tournament, not a bad showing considering that the Ahi Fever tournament had been held out of Wai'anae Harbor the previous weekend. The harbor was buzzing when I arrived at around 10 a.m. on Friday. I checked in with the radio shack at around 10: 15 and found that 15 'ahi had already been landed. Judging by that start, it seemed that we were going to see a load of fish during the weekend. At 8:20 that morning, a Pacific blue marlin, estimated at 400 lbs, was called in by Team 28 on the SHARILYN B skippered by…

■ Once again, our fishermen (particularly those of us who for generations have harvested reef fish to feed our Ohana) are on the short end of the stick. Before the current administration leaves office at the end of the year, DLNR/DAR wants to quadruple the number of near shore marine fishing regulations by creating and adding 106 island-by-island regulations to the 31 existing reef fish species regulations, for at otal of 147. According to economic experts, the Neighbor Islands won't recover from the recession for another 2 to 3 years. Many of our family, friends and neighbors are struggling to make ends meet in the face of double digit unemployment, rising taxes and cost of living expenses. The people of the Big Island are forced to rely more and more…

■ Day three in the Sea of Cortes had us waking up early after a night of celebrating some great fishing. I was barely awake and the boys already had the SEA FORTUNA up and running early on the "tequila sunrise." It was a beautiful morning, and the plan was to head out to another group of islands in the Gulf of California. There are more than 900 islands, sandbars and rock outcroppings in the Sea of Cortes. The destination was La Renya, a small rock north of Isla Cerraluo. We had heard that the yellowtail had been biting there. Whenever weran the boat from one spot to the other, we trolled an assortment of tuna feathers, cedar plugs and Rapala divers. This assortment of trolling lures constantly put fish…

Chuck, Because of possible misunderstandings and miscommunications due to "poetry," vandalizedmen’s bathrooms and what is taking place at He'eia Kea Harbor, please print the following article as well as this small note. Anita Balch We started our Boat Watch because we wanted a safe harbor for everyone. I love seeing old-timers having coffee every morning and keeping their eyes on the harbor. I love seeing grandpas and grandmas bringing grandchildren to fish at the pier. I love seeing fishermen standing alone with their thoughts as they fish. I love seeing young couples and older people sitting at the water’s edge. I love seeing fishermen and recreational boaters come and go in their boats, all enjoying our bay. Nowhere is more the rapeutic than Kane'ohe Bay. I want everyone to feel…

■ It was an interesting month. As Kona’s summer tournament season kicked-off, it seemed as though the marlin were slow to the starting line. I compared this June’s numbers to last June’s and was shocked. This June a total of38 marlin were reported to The Charter Desk, in comparison to last June’s total of 286 marlin. That’s a decrease of 87 percent! The same was true for the striped marlin and spearfish. Although we have seen a decrease in our marlin numbers, it seems as though there were fewer "rats," or marlin under 300 lbs, but just as many monsters reported this year in comparison to last year. Usually Kona sees a rise in marlin numbers during the summer because these mysterious fish swarm to spawn in our warm, calm…

■ As a Hawai'i expatriate, I always enjoy reading the latest issue of HAWAII FISHING NEWS and "da kine grinds" make my opu growl! I got to thinking about some of the different, yet 'ono ways they make pupus here down South. As common as poke at a pau-hana poker game are fried 'gator and smoked fish dip. According to Wikipedia, Spanish explorers and settlers used the term el lagarto, the Spanish term for "lizard," to describe the toothy beasts. So, "alligator" isthe anglicized name for the reptile that has become synonymous with the Sunshine State. Point of information: 'gators are found mainly in north and central Florida; crocodiles are found primarily in South Florida and the Everglades. If you ever want to insult an alumni of the University of…