Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2012 i Hawaii Fishing News

Chuck, My name’s Dougie Branch, and I try to keep up with HFN. I buy all of your magazines to motivate me and give me inspiration and hope that one day I might finally send in my story. Here it is. It all started on July 1. My family and I set up camp down south at my in-law’s beach house at a spot we like to call Lilikawa. I set up my two poles. One’s a (Shimano) Tallus equipped with a Penn 4/0 extended reel with 60-lb test Ande and 200-lb scratch line. My other pole is a Roddy Hunter 13-footer equipped with the same gear. At dusk I threw my net for some live bait and ended up with a couple of manini that I slid down. With…

The Young Bloods Return ■ The year-round fishing season in Taveuni, Fiji, continues to rage. The “Young Bloods” from New Zealand returned with a vengeance, complete with new and well-formulated plans to attempt to get the upper hand on popping for our beastly ulua, light-tackle trolling for game fish, and jigging for dogtooth tuna. The Young Bloods are a group of friends in their 20s who come here every other year to fish their hearts out for ulua and the ultimate conquest of Pamela (the affectionate nickname we have given G.T.s weighing over 100 lbs). They are a great bunch of guys named Cieran, Stu and Karl. It isn’t easy for them to come regularly: they must save their pennies and make sure that their newest love interests don’t dump…

First Trip ■ Kayak fishing articles in HFN had a lot to do with motivating me to drag my kayak out of moth balls and give it a hard look to see what could be done to make it ready for an ocean-trolling trip. With a little creativity, some 11⁄4-inch PVC pipe and a couple of lengths of cord, I got the kayak ready to troll two or three rods. My fishing/surfing friend Jack Hagar purchased a second-hand kayak, and soon we were ready to explore bluewater kayak fishing. The waves were breaking across the channels in ‘Aina Haina where we elected to launch. Jack was brought up surfing and fishing in the area, so I followed him out into the surf. Gaining knowledge of the channels where one elects…

■ Southwest Montana is the site of some of the most famous trout waters in the world. Legendary rivers include the Madison, the Gallatin, the Jefferson and the Yellowstone, and there are hundreds of miles of small spring creeks. Located right in the center of all the action is the Fins & Feathers Fly Shop in Bozeman, Montana. I must be getting lazy in my old age. I found it very relaxing to lean back in the padded seat of a drift boat and let our guide do all the work. He’d tie on the fly, net the fish and take it off your hook. He’d even take your picture. A typical day started at 8 a.m. when our guide, Toby Swank, picked us up at the hotel. Within an…

An Unequaled Course in Blue Water Catching! Billfish • Ahi • Aku • Mahimahi • Ono This work could only have been completed by combining the talents of fishermen and scientists who share a common interest and passion for the top predators and prey of the world’s tropical seas. The interaction between the fish, the sea birds and the ultimate predator (man) was studied and recorded to make you a more informed and therefore more effective “offshore hunter.” Whether you fish for recreation or subsistence, we are confident you will agree that this is an unequaled digest of information that is both interesting and entertaining while it almost guarantees to put “more fish in the box.” –Chuck Johnston, HFN Publisher/Editor Hawaii’s Offshore Hunters Mail to: $21 Price includes postage and…

Dear Chuck, I thought you might be interested in a little background on our latest Elec-Tra-Mate Series, which is called “The Brute” because of its extreme power. Although commercial fishermen worldwide use Elec-Tra-Mates, we have intentionally stayed away from the purely commercial market for the past 41 years and have concentrated more on the recreational and charter fleet. The purely commercial bottomfishing boats here on the East Coast, and I “assume” possibly in Hawai‘i, use what is referred to as “One Arm Bandit Rigs.” These are large electric, or hydraulic, spools that have car leaf springs as rods with a large block for the line to go through. They are bolted to the gunwale of the boat and the deck, and are always out in the weather. The electric models…

Chapter II ■ Bula vinaka. Back in the mid-1980s we heard about a new resort called The Regent of Fiji that had just opened near Nadi. It was built on land reclaimed from the mangroves. By dredging canals for drainage, the land mass was raised 5 to 6 feet. This left the great harbor/port of Denarau–along with lots of land–well above high tides. Today there are 15 or more resorts and hundreds of private homes built next to the canals, as well as hundreds of time-share condos and villas and a beautiful golf course with sea creature-shaped sand traps. My, how things have changed! This new port would service the western islands known as the Mamanucas, and most recently know as the Yasawa islands. The Yasawas were only accessible by…

February 1 - Sunrise: 7:09 am, Sunset: 6:21 pm • February 15 - Sunrise: 7:02 am, Sunset: 6:29 pm • February 28 - Sunrise: 6:52 am, Sunset: 6:36 pm MISSING FADS HAWAII B-MILOLII ZZ-WAIMA PT. KAUAI AA-PORT ALLEN EK-HANALEI MAUI K-PALAOA NL-NUU LANDING OAHU CO-KAENA PT. 1/15 ALL OTHER FADS ON STATION FOR UPDATES OR TO REPORT A MISSING FAD CALL: OAHU 848-2939 KAHO‘OLAWE TROLLING - FEB. 18-19, 25-26 RESTRICTIONS APPLY-243-5889 CIGUATERA DATE NO. FISH ISLAND 04/05/11 1 WEKE........OAHU 05/01/11 4 ULUA........KAUAI 06/14/11 2 BARACUDA....OAHU 08/02/11 2 ROI...........OAHU NO OTHER CASES REPORTED SINCE 1/15/11 Department of Health (808) 586-4586 TIDE VARIATIONS FROM HONOLULU TIMES LISTED TO DETERMINE THE TIME OF THE HIGH AND LOW TIDES FOR THE FOLLOWING PLACES, (+) ADD OR (-) SUBTRACT HOURS AND MINUTES FROM HONOLULU TIME…

■ In a joint research effort between the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), the University of Tokyo, the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research and the University of Florida, scientists have shed new light on the hunting behavior of tiger sharks by studying their swimming dynamics off the west coast of Hawai‘i island. Tiger sharks are cosmopolitan predators that consume a wide variety of prey and have large home ranges, moving hundreds of kilometers between oceanic islands and far out into open ocean to fill their resource needs. Scientists equipped four tiger sharks with high-resolution accelerometers (devices that record swimming speed, depth, temperature and acceleration) and digital still cameras to obtain the most detailed view to date of tiger shark swimming behavior. These methods allowed researchers to determine what…

■ We are pleased to announce the first kayak fishing packages to Christmas Island beginning February 14, 2012. Christmas Island is located 1,200 miles south of Hawai‘i in the Central Pacific island nation of Kiribati. This island is actually the world’s largest coral atoll and a longtime travel destination for fly fishermen. Finally kayak anglers will be able to fish the pristine inner lagoon and the offshore waters surrounding the atoll. Mother shipping will also be available for hire to kayak anglers. Kayak fishing packages are designed to accommodate anglers with a variety of activities provided by the Adventure Dive and Fishing Lodge. Reservations for kayak fishing packages on Christmas Island are being accepted by Coastal Kayak Tours. Air Pacific provides convenient once-a-week, 737 jet service to Christmas Island from…

Fishing the Underutilized Species ■ There is no tournament news this month. The Hilo Trollers annual spring meeting was held after HFN went to press, so I will take this opportunity to explore the potential value of fishing for some of Hawai‘i’s underutilized species. These ideas came from thinking about fisheries in ecosystem terms and the impacts on the food chain of selectively fishing for culturally more desirable species while ignoring the food value and food potential of other species. They came from thinking about food security and sustainability on our island. The thoughts also came from wondering why there are very few near-shore and shallow-water bottom fish and reef fish appearing in the markets anymore. We rarely see kumu, moana, aholehole, manini, kole, a‘awa and other tasty fish except…

Where Are We? ■ Last year was a banner year again for the Family Fishing Program at Ho‘omaluhia. The total participants numbered 16,307, of which 9,758 were children and young adults. One has to admire the staff at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden for their magnificent handling of the large numbers of visitors. In total, there were somewhere around 150,000 visitors, and all of them were tended to by one permanent staff, Ms. Olive Vanselow, and four to five temporary hires and volunteers. Stopping for a minute to consider the numbers, it is difficult to imagine the efforts that are applied to the upkeep of the bamboo fishing poles alone. The bamboo poles are offered to the public without charge and are repaired on a continuing basis, thanks to grants for the…

Monk Seal Slaughter Suspected ■ Four Hawaiian monk seals have been found dead in recent weeks, and NOAA authorities suspect foul play. Three of the endangered seals were discovered dead on Moloka‘i, while the fourth was found on Kaua‘i’s northeastern coast. While authorities are tight-lipped on specifics, the seal bodies were likely dumped at the fishing crossroads of fewer fish, a slow economy and federal seal recovery plans. Jeff Walters, NOAA Marine Mammal Branch chief, spoke with “Splash!” on the details of the deaths. He reaffirmed, “I want to stress that fishermen have been among our best partners in monk seal recovery and marine conservation in general, and we believe we can work together to find ways for fisheries and monk seals to co-exist.” Jeff said the non-tagged, 250-lb Kaua‘i…

■ Aloha. On the west side, we start our fishermen and fisherwomen young. The information in this article is from last year’s Waianae Boat Fishing Club’s Annual Keiki Tournament. The stats of that tournament became available to me just a bit late, but it’s never too late to celebrate the keiki of Wai‘anae. The first-place winner of the Keiki Tournament was Kailyn Machida on the KYLIE KAI. Kailyn and her older sister Kylie are no strangers to the water. Their mom Kari was the first-place winner in the 2010 and 2011 Wahine Tournament. Their dad, Lloyd, won first place in a fishing club tournament, and their grandpa, Itsu Hamada, was the 2011 Waianae Boat Fishing Club “Fishermen of the Year.” Good job, Kailyn. You have to be proud of all…

For letters, with photos, received during February we will send you HFN’s New Logo Bubble Stickers… Great for Bikes, Boats, SUV's and your Favorite Fishing Hat!, 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> Fly your HFN Colors! Hi Chuck: This was an exciting fishing year for my son Brent. He learned how to be patient, have fun, enjoy the outdoors, fellowship, talk story, meet new people, and catching a fish as a bonus. On his 16th birthday Brent went fishing with a friend and caught a 4-lb ‘o‘io dunking with ika on 6-lb test line. It was the biggest fish he caught with a lot of fight. He was hooked on fishing! He…

■ The ABCs of slide-bait fishing are actually the three Rs–rods, reels and rigs. Last month, we looked at rods and reels. This month, rigs. The basic slide-bait rig is a unique system of links and leaders. You will not find its equivalent in any other type of fishing anywhere else in the world. And if you do, that other system was likely copied from the basic rig developed here. Copies don’t count. Local fishermen developed the slide-bait rig to overcome a special combination of environmental problems so they could catch ulua–perhaps the biggest and hardest fighting fish you can hook from shore. The problems? Ulua come close to shore at night in deepwater areas with coral bottoms near sea cliffs. Because the bottom is rough, you will snag your…

Chuck, Last summer we were fishing out of Kane‘ohe headed to the LL FAD from the MM FAD when two small whales passed us. I had my GoPro aimed at them but didn’t get a good shot when they rose out of the water. All the same, I clearly remember what I saw. In the water they looked whiteish. They were beige with splotches of light grey. Short doral fin with a spiny V ridge on the top of the back. Maybe 12 feet in length and six times the bulk of a common porpose. Don’t remember seeing the shape of the head. Have seen a number of other small, darkcolored whales (pilot whales) but these light colored ones only once. Any idea what these were? Attached are a few…

17 CHAPTERS & 300 RECIPES Whether you’re a novice or a gourmet seafood chef, you’ll love the tempting simplicity of the recipes in “Fresh Catch of the Day...from the FISHWIFE.” An extensive array of Fishwife’s Tips will guide you to success–from choosing fresh seafood, to safe handling and preparation, to innovative cooking in the kitchen and barbecuing & smoking seafood outdoors. Within these pages you will find a fabulous and varied collection of unique recipes for the many types of seafood available to the angler and at local seafood counters. The intent is that you will never again have to ponder what to do with your “Fresh Catch of the Day.” Fresh Catch of the Day Mail to: $26 Price includes postage and tax. Please enclose full payment with order.…

Bureaucracy Gone Wild ■ Among the many things I have been accused of, being capricious is near or at the top of the list. There I was, minding my own business, scrutinizing our avian friends in my favorite fishing book, “Hawaii’s Offshore Hunters,” when I was disrupted by an Internet broadcast that reported that the government had confiscated a fisherman’s 881-lb bluefin tuna:“Yahoo News, Man Catches 881-lb Tuna, Seized by Feds, 22 November 2011.” As a fisherman myself, this story disturbed me on a number of levels, not the least of which was the fact that the government had been taking the fisherman’s money in the form of bluefin tuna permit fees for 15 years. It’s funny how during those 15 years they never bothered to tell the trawler that…

■ My first trip on a party boat was an overnighter on the PACIFIC STAR, which operates out of Seaforth Landing in San Diego. I was with my son-in-law, Nolan, on his birthday. We departed at 10 p.m. and returned the next night at 8 p.m. We trolled to an area 60 miles south of Point Loma. Once we located a school of fish, the captain slid to a stop and the deckhands tossed out anchovies and sardines so we could flyline either one of these prime baits. We chose cigarsized sardines and celebrated with a great catch of school-sized yellowfin tuna and mahimahi. My next trip was out of Mission Bay on the MISSION BELLE. My brother-in-law Tony and I fished the Coronado Islands where there were massive balls…

■ Mark your fishing calendars for another exciting Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT), scheduled for August 12 to 18, 2012, in Kona, Hawai‘i. This prestigious tournament, built on strict International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rules for world records, kicks off Sunday, August 12, as teams register, draw for their tournament boats and participate in the HIBT parade through historic Kailua Village. Then starting Monday, August 13, at 8 a.m. sharp, teams begin five days of tournament fishing. The last fishing day will end Friday, August 17, at exactly 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, August 18, teams, anglers, friends, captains and crews will gather for the annual crying towel and awards dinner. So far, international teams from Papua New Guinea, Japan and the United States have registered for the 2012 HIBT. Be…