Ahi Fever 1999 Fishing Tournament Report

When you think of organization, think of Ed Nelson and the Waianae Boat Fishing Club. When you think of dedication, think of William Aila and the harbor staff in Waianae. When you wish for good weather and plentiful fish for a good tournament, turn to God. It was these three forces that came together over the weekend of June 12 and 13 in Waianae on the island of Oahu to hold the largest fishing tournament in Hawaii for the third straight record year, and what a show it was!

The Ahi Fever in Waianae is in the books for 1999, and while it makes for good reading in the newspaper, the Internet, or in fishing publications such as the Hawaii Fishing News to find out who won, who came second, and who else played, we thought a different tack might be of interest. You see, a trip to the Waianae small boat harbor this weekend revealed more than the 260 boats, 1,040 anglers, and some 2,000 family members getting together to see who can catch the biggest fish. It showed a true sense of Aloha and kokua (cooperation for you mainland folks reading this) among the tournament directors, the State of Hawaii small boat harbors division, the sponsors, volunteers, and most importantly, the anglers.

With seven launch ramps running all day long for this heavily trailer-boat represented tournament (otherwise known as the mosquito fleet), harbormaster William Aila and his team orchestrated the epitome of smooth operations from the launching of the boats and the starting of the tournament to their retrieval and weighing of the fish. It was a well-oiled machine running smoothly as teams of radio-clad volunteers directed hundreds of trucks towing trailers through a wild maze of sponsor tents, display boats, the launch area, the parking lots, the weigh scales, and the myriad of people swarming the area to see the next fish weighed. Of course, while pointing, directing and suggesting was all it seemed to take for the harbor veteran, it was his fifteen years of well-earned respect that made things go as smoothly as it did, even prompting praise from DLNR harbor chief Steve Thompson.

Opening day for entries in the 1999 Ahi Fever was February fifteenth, and by mid April, the tournament was closed down to any more participants because the limit of 260 boats had been reached. It’s one of the few fishing events in Hawaii that sells out at all, but to do it this far before the date is nothing short of miraculous.

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The winning 175.4 lb Ahi caught by Magic

Tournament director Ed Nelson, seen frequently in Kinko’s printing signs and posters, and heard frequently on the airwaves promoting this state record event, seemed cool and composed despite orchestrating the logistics of collecting entry forms and fees, bringing in bands and live entertainment for the families, and gathering data for the program then printing it. His whole theme was to "simply give something back to the community as a thank you for holding a small event in the boat harbor," and his graciousness in upholding that commitment to the leeward community was evident the entire weekend.

We’ve all heard many times that fishermen are a surly bunch that would chew off their noses to spite their face. Not true this weekend, or, if it is true, there wasn’t any evidence of it. The scattering of boats entering the harbor at weighin was amazing, yet from the roof of the harbor office, the view of the sea was anything but chaos. Boats swarmed in from all directions for hours, calling in by radio to ask for direction, then waiting patiently until their turn came up. More radio chatter was heard as permission to enter the harbor was given to boats one by one, and as it was granted, anglers lined up their boats, ran at their trailers, loaded them off, then cleared the way for the next one.

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Largest Ahi winner for Saturday 165.8 lbs

During the tournament itself, every half hour, the radio blared out another winner for a nice merchandise prize. A $100 gift certificate here, a fishing rod there. Here a fishbag, there an ice cooler. The sponsors kept ringing up gifts and bestowing them on the willing fleet. And while the (mostly) guys were out fishing, the families were listening to music at the Ho’olaule’a by the sea, a perfect complimentary pastime put on by the Waianae Valley Homestead Community Association. Plenty of food, drinks and entertainment was available all day long, so the tournament and party was a place for families to spend their entire weekend and enjoy the gorgeous weather.

While a great many people concern themselves that a 260 boat tournament is a fish slaughter in the making, the emphasis on this event is on Ahi, and more importantly, big Ahi. While other fish count for various prizes, the big trophy and the majority of the cash goes to anglers who are able to round up the big yellowfins. Targeting the species requires some different skills and tactics, and there was more types of fishing done in this tournament than in most we’d see in Hawaii. And that’s what makes the tournament so special. It’s different. It’s unique. It’s complex yet so simple.

There’s fifty-seven ways to win, so everyone has a chance. An example: on Saturday, team 236, Happy Daze, weighed in a 147.4 lb. Ahi, which placed them ninth in that category. Eight fish were ahead of them, but it was still good enough for a $500 prize, meaning the entry fee and fuel was covered, plus the crew has a ton of food for the family. Another example: team 62, Leialoha, tied into a nice Aku weighing in a 24.2 pounds on Saturday. Most tournaments don’t even consider Aku (skipjack tuna) for anything, yet skipper Craig Cossey went home with a Kimura of Hawaii fishing rod and a Shimano 50 gold reel! Need more proof? How about Benson Fong on the Leiala K, who was one of the not-so-fortunate anglers to hook into any fish on Saturday. He went home with a gift certificate for $200.00 in merchandise. So complex, yet so simple. So giving, and so utterly fun.

The largest Ahi of the tournament receives the big prize of $10,000, and the prestige of having his name inscribed on the beautiful Ahi fever perpetual trohpy. The winner was Russell Tanaka aboard the Magic, with their Ahi weighing in at 175.4 pounds. Second, with a 165.8 lb Ahi, was the Rita K, skippered by Gary Kaneko, and third was Edward Freitas on the Kona Kai with his 164.2 lb Ahi. In the total weight Ahi category, taking home $7,000, was the Ryan Allen II skippered by Rod Baclaan with a total Ahi catch of 273.2 lbs.

The winner of the largest Ahi category on Saturday was the Rita K skippered by Gary Kaneko with a 165.8 lb Ahi good for $5,000. The largest Ahi on Sunday weighing in at 127.6 lbs was caught by the Fantasea 3 skippered by Richard Quemado and also good for $5,000. For a complete listing of all of the prize winners, please see the Ahi Fever website via the link provided below.

After viewing the photos, why not call Ed Nelson or William Aila and thank them for the opportunity to participate in such a fantastic event. Or perhaps you could thank the good Lord for the weather and for placing the wonderful volunteers here on Earth so we can enjoy ourselves at a fishing tournament in the not so sleepy this weekend Leeward Oahu.