As seen from the chairman’s seat

“I think I’ll have Fettuccine with chicken,” I said nervously to the waiter.  My guests, Rick Gaffney and Jeanette Foster, who had been at the pelagic advisory meetings for the previous couple of days, ordered a couple of scrumptious Mahimahi dishes as we dined at Palomino’s in Honolulu.  I explained that I had to go to Kinko’s that night to finish the program for the Senoritas tournament, and since I was anxious about presenting the information to the teams at the skipper’s meeting the next night, I thought a hearty chicken dinner would take my mind off of fishing for a moment.

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It didn’t work.  We talked about fishery management for the entire evening, breaking just long enough to discuss how the Senoritas, a tournament steep in history and tradition, was about to undergo a major transfusion of conservationism and become the first tournament on Oahu to go with a 150 pound minimum weight for Marlin along with making released fish count in the main jackpots.  

As I sat gazing through the dark windows overlooking Honolulu Harbor, I told Gaffney how advocating innovations like this into a fishing tournament on Oahu will probably lead to a lynching the following night at the meeting.  I also thought about how important it is for tournaments to take the lead in conservation, because the publicity surrounding high-profile events is a primary way to disseminate messages like this to the anglers of Hawaii. 

Most heavily on my mind, though, was the thought that a meeting and/or tournament that got out of control might have an adverse reaction to the major sponsor, Talus Wines.  Knowing how difficult it is to find sponsors like Talus, I knew I had to appease the fleet and make sure they felt a sense of control in what we were doing, regardless of their personal opinions concerning the rules.

Rick told me not to worry, and he was certainly rooting for me, but I knew he was well aware of what I was up against.  As the Rear Commodore for Power at Hawaii Yacht Club, one of my duties is to serve the wishes of the club members, yet somehow advance new concepts in a way that people can both understand and swallow.  Doing it any other way has proven time and again that people will resist any change, and in this case, the whole concept of letting fish go is quite foreign to many anglers in Hawaii who have been raised to believe that Marlin are part of their diet.

Come Friday night, the worst thing that happened was the microphone wouldn’t work, and I had to explain the rules to a room full of anglers without the benefit of modern technology.   Questions were asked, the explanations were made, limbs remained attached, and by 0700 Saturday morning, the fleet went to sea.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made this event happen
Photo courtesy of Ocean Sports Photo

As the vessels returned on day one, several fish were caught, mostly Mahimahi.   A few Ono came in as well, but no Marlin or Ahi (yellowfin tuna) hit the scales.  The lead fish at the conclusion of day one was a 41.5 pound Ono caught on Imua with skipper Gary Dill, a Senoritas stalwart who has entered every tournament since its inception twenty-one years ago. 

I couldn’t eat dinner on Saturday night, because the plot only thickened.  Here I had introduced a release system into the rules and nobody had even had a shot at a Marlin the first day, much less had to make a decision on taking or releasing one.  I had a conversation with one team and explained I was even more nervous because things were just going too well.  Nobody had yelled at me, abused me, thrown anything at me, and the tournament was running smoothly.   I made the comment that the next day was going to change, and I felt in my heart that a released fish was going to have an impact on the outcome of the tournament.

Alele II's Released Marlin

After spending the entire night playing disc jockey with the sound equipment we used to entertain the fleet during the weigh-ins (much to the chagrin of some), we rolled the fleet out to sea again at 0700 on Sunday morning.  The radio was abuzz with chatter, and soon, the first Marlin was called in with a tag and release.  Shortly thereafter a second was called in, and for the first time in Oahu tournament history, two released fish were the ones to beat.

Other fish were called in throughout the day, including some good-sized Ono which was the fish of the day and worth $600.00.  At about 1:00 pm, Jim O’Hara, aka “Money Box” or the radio man, made the announcement that “an interesting battle is shaping up between Kahuna Kai and Alele II.” 

O’Hara explained that both had released one Marlin and had a second fish on board, and since a tie involving a released fish would be first broken by the weight of the team’s next largest qualifying fish, it became apparent these two long-time anglers and buddies would have to spend the rest of the day either looking for a big strike or finding another Mahimahi or Ono to boost their secondary fish.  The drama was so intense it couldn’t be cut with a knife.

More hookups were called in, but no more Marlin were announced, and at the 4:00 pm call of stop fishing, all boats headed for the harbor.  Kahuna Kai returned at about 5:30.  Skipper Dudley Worthy, normally cool as a cucumber, showed his signs of concern, and as his boat was tied to the pier, the crowd gathered to see the drama unfold.  The announcer made it clear to everyone how the scoring would go, and that two boats had released fish so the tie would be broken by their next largest fish.

Passing Bento as he left the channel, Dudley ran his boat back to Kewalo as fast as it would go, jumped into his truck with the crew still on board, and attempted to make the short drive back to the club. 

Kahuna Kai's Released Marlin

As he finally pulled up outside the scale area, Bento was flying his colors (flags) and the ladies on board looked as nervous as I had been feeling the whole weekend.   It was exhilarating to see grown human beings so excited about such youthful competition, and the crowd was reacting with equal enthusiasm.

The stage was set.  If Alele II’s Mahimahi was more than 21 pounds, they’d win the tournament by virtue of the released fish tie-breaker.  If it was under 21 pounds, the tournament went to Kahuna Kai.  I could feel the excitement emanating from the crowd.  The energy level felt like a close ballgame in the late innings where every pitch and every swing counted, and every single person looking into the weigh area was mentally placing themselves on the scale.

In addition to the cash prize on the line, sponsor Penn Reels donated an International 80 2-speed rod and reel to the top release team, a stipulation put into their donations as a furtherance to the conservation effort.  Thus, not only would the winner of the tournament claim fifty percent of the jackpot, but a $1,400 rod and reel complete with tournament-grade line would be theirs as well. 

Line handlers Lyn Silva and Jerry Barr helped tie up Alele II to the dock as I walked over to feel the crew’s tension.  Anxious smiles filled the boat, and their Mahimahi was brought to the scale.  It was quickly hoisted as Dudley peered around the fence from outside the club.  Murmurs rang through the crowd, some thinking it was bigger, others thinking the fish wouldn’t quite make it.

“Seventeen pounds!” came the call.  Kahuna Kai took the title by a mere four pounds, and a moment later, the two skippers who have known each other and competed with each other for years shook hands in a fine display of sportsmanship.  The 21^st annual Senoritas was in the books.

We’d like to again thank Talus Wines as the major sponsor for 2000, and many thanks also go to the volunteers and others who made this tournament possible. 

Final results:

The total main entry jackpot was worth $9,250.00.  The optional entries were worth $1530.00, for a total cash payout of $10,780.00.  Some money was refunded in the optional categories as there were no Ahi caught.  Fish of the day was worth $600.00, and the remaining cash available in the main jackpot was split 50% to the winner, 20% to second, 15% to third, 10% to fourth and 5% to fifth.  Optional entry payouts were awarded based on boats entered into each category.

1. Kahuna Kai, anglers Leah Petersen and Margaret Hodge, 100 points for released Stripe Marlin, tie broken by 21 pound Mahimahi.  Winnings included $4,775 in cash for main and optional entries, a Penn International 80 2-speed rod and reel, and a three liter bottle of Talus Chardonnay.  They also won the Mulledy perpetual trophy as winning entry.
   
2. Alele II, anglers Rhonda Lipke and Donna Lynch, 100 points for released Striped Marlin, second fish at 17 pounds.  Winnings totaled $1,730.00, a 3-liter bottle of Talus Chardonnay, a free haul-out courtesy of Ala Wai Marine, a new CB radio courtesy of Oceantronics.  Rhonda Lipke also won the Hawaii Yacht Club’s Commodore’s trophy for highest placing HYC member.
   
3. Sea Hawk, angler Audrey Crimmons, 61 pound Ono.  Worth $1,297.50 plus $600.00 for fish of the day for a total of $1,897.50.  Also received a $200.00 gift certificate to Caterpillar/Pacific Machinery, and the HYC trophy for most qualifying fish.  NOTE: fish of the day is a random drawing of species.  Saturday’s fish of the day was Ahi, and since no Ahi were caught, the money rolled into day two where the fish of the day was Ono.
   
4. Blue Diamond, angler Sherry Abille, 43.5 pound Ono.  Winnings totaled $1,527.50, plus a $100.00 gift certificate to Caterpillar/Pacific Machinery, and a beautiful Aku rod courtesy of Kimura of Hawaii custom fishing rods.
   
5. Monkey Biz, angler Audrey Roberts, 42 pound Spearfish.  Winnings included $432.50 in cash, a $100.00 gift certificate to Pacific Machinery/Caterpillar, and a beautiful Aku rod courtesy of Kimura of Hawaii custom fishing rods.

Other Winners:

• Hawaii Yacht Club skipper with most points in the tournament went to Bob Goodman on Akele, with anglers Nora Shelton and Dawn Torres reeling in 202 points. 

• Elena K II won $157.50 in the optional categories for the largest Mahimahi of the tournament (34.5 pounds, angler Jori Myers)

• Happy Hunter won $112.50 in the optional categories for the largest Mahimahi on day 2 (26.5 pounds, angler Kino Shigekane).

• All entries received a prize for participating via a drawing, so everyone was a winner!  

 Thanks again to all of the sponsors, volunteers and participants for a successful tournament.