Light winds, calms seas and a beautiful tournament queen set the stage for the second annual Pearl Harbor Fishing Tournament this year, held on May 22nd at Rainbow Marina in Pearl Harbor. Unlike last year wherein anglers needed a military sponsor and permission to enter the base, this year was a completely open tournament where boats received an automatic usage permit just by filling out the entry blank. On days like this weekend, it’s hard to imagine the events that took place inside this harbor that fateful December in ‘41, with the turmoil and devastation present in the very place where today boats come and go with a true sense of freedom. The aura of the two most vivid reminders of the war stand tall as the fishing fleet passed by en route to the starting line, and when the call to begin fishing was made by tournament chair Doug Hasselbring, seventeen boats from small trailer-size to the 47 foot charter boat Coreene C roared to life in search of birds, current lines, trash, and the prospect of a big payday. The tournament was a jungle rules format this year, and the intended payday was 90% of the entry fees to be split among the four flag fish. The biggest Marlin over 30 lbs. (Which included Spearfish) was to receive 35% of the pot, 25% was to go to the largest qualifying Ahi over 25 lbs, and 20% each was to go to the largest Ono and Mahimahi over 20 lbs. With the Marlin bite having slowed for the prior week and the open schools of Mahimahi still roaming around, it became clear to many in the tournament that a big greenback might be the thing to go for.
Some of the boats were reported to have found a nice cargo net on the outside at the time of the stop fishing call, so rather than go in with no fish they elected to work the net and manage to boat a few Mahimahi before going home. Of course, no money at the tournament was made for this effort, but these skippers were at least able to bring home dinner to their wives, thus ensuring they will receive permission to enter yet another tournament in the near future. And if those guys were a minute late and a pound short, the Coreene C was definitely a day late and a dollar short, because they followed up the tournament by landing some fish that would have really put them in the money. A couple of big Ahi well over a hundred pounds and a nice estimated 50 pound Mahimahi were boated by them, so we know there was nothing wrong with their fishing ability. I guess that’s why we keep saying the phrase "that’s why they call it fishin’ and not catchin’." Keith Gaza on board the Janet G. Came in with a 29.5 lb Spearfish, which just barely kept him out of the money for the Billfish category. Several Shibi were also caught by a few boats, but they too were just under the minimum weight so those skippers had to console themselves with a nice plate of sashimi. So with these two categories blanked, the total pot was to be split 50-50 by the winners of the Ono and Mahimahi categories.
Although there was some disappointment observed by Doug in the total numbers of boats and fish caught, there’s no doubt the winners were happy with their paydays, and the rest of the fleet had to be pleased with the way things were run out their in the harbor. Doug would like to thank Mike Buck of KGU sports and his great show "GO FISH" for helping with the promotion, and also all his volunteers and the staff at Rainbow Marina for helping to put on a fun tournament. Doug also wants everyone to know about next year’s event, and he’s looking for a fifty boat tournament to host. Anglers will again get the opportunity to enter next year’s event without a military sponsor, will receive overnight berthing in the marina, and, if there are enough boats, Doug will tie up the famous big barge to the dock which will facilitate all mooring by anglers and a party following the tournament. The queen is rumored to be interested in providing some of the entertainment, too.... It’s sure to be a great event next year, so mark your calendars and check in here at Sportfish Hawaii for updates and postings about the tournament.
Ed note: Those weights in tenths of a pound are not typos. It’s amazing just how accurate those military scales are, because most of the ones we’ve seen around here run in increments of half a pound. |
