March 2000
Week of 3/27 - 4/2
| Strong trade winds have continued for much of
the week, causing many trips to be postponed or cancelled on the weekend. We're hoping for
the winds to drop this week Wednesday or Thursday. Despite the rough weather, boats that
have been able to get out on certain days have been enormously productive. Mahimahi
continue to dominate the catch boards, but there have been a couple of nice Marlin, Ahi
and Ono caught as well. Oahu Wild Bunch has been on fire this week, with the only days of no catch either being stuck in the harbor or coming home early. The 28th saw a 34 pound Spearfish and two Mahimahi off Barber's Point, and the next day was good for 5 Mahi in the same area. On the 30th, the only really nice day of the week, the Bunch went to P buoy and rallied 15 Mahimahi, only to have 7 Mahimahi and a 448 pound Blue 30 miles outside Diamond Head the next day. Kamome and Sea Verse have been especially productive too, with Sea Verse's highlight of 10 Mahi at BO buoy on a rough Sunday. Kamome, a nice, heavy Sampan that rides nicely in the bigger seas, was able to travel all over the place for the week, capturing some nice Striped Marlin in the 50 pound range early in the week, some Spearfish in mid week, and rounding it out with some excellent Mahimahi action. Captain Chris also reported several big Marlin bites that he just couldn't get to stick. Magic and Kuu Huapala are still in the drydock/repower phase, and both should be running later this month. Kauai Lahela had a great week for the days they could get out, picking up 10 Mahimahi and 6 Aku (skipjacks) on the 29th, 2 more Aku, 2 Mahi and an Ono on the 30th, and 12 more Mahimahi up to 52 pounds on the 31st. Most of the Aku were over 20 pounds, too. Maka Hou managed an early season Shibi at 78 pounds and a nice Ono on the 28th and 4 Mahimahi and another Ono on the 31st for the two trips they ran, meanwhile, Kai Bear and Grander wrestled with their share of Mahimahi early in the week. The Grander also tallied a nice 100 pound Striped Marlin on the 30th, and unfortunately lost a large Blue on the 28th. Maui Billfish seem to be bit absent still in Maui with no Marlin reported in the harbor, but that isn't stopping the visitors from booking trips. Most boats have been running every day, sometimes two trips a day, and they're getting into a good stock of Mahimahi to keep everyone smiling. Hinatea picked up several greenbacks in scattered locations all week long, and Start Me Up has done the same thing. Much of the Mahi bite in Lahaina has been in the afternoon, and boats have reported good activity right out front. Whale activity is greatly slowing down, and they'll probably all be gone in another week or two. Kona While the Billfish bite in Kona has also dropped for the past week, some boats have been doing quite well on other species. Pamela has been very successful in getting the Ahi to bite in the porpoise schools, coming in with a 111 pounder one day and 5 more ranging from 90 to 120 another early in the week. Captain Peter has done well with the Mahimahi all week as well. Spellbound went into drydock on the 1st of April, but before they did, Captain Mike worked the outside areas all week and released a few Spearfish and Striped Marlin, and picked up a nice 50 pound Shibi and a few Mahimahi in the 20 pound class. Medusa got into a few Mahimahi and Spearfish on a couple of trips in the week, while Grand Slam picked up a Spearfish at "C" buoy on the 28th. Fish Wish had a couple of bottom trips where they nailed several Kahala and snappers on the 28th and 29th up on the Grounds, and they also released a Spearfish at about 40 pounds on the 27th. Eclipse didn't run too much for the week, but when they did, they caught Ono in the 30 class range. |
Week of 3/20 - 3/26
| Healthy
trade winds have continued throughout the state this week, some days rougher than others,
but overall, most boats have been getting out daily and the fish have been cooperating
quite well. On most islands, Mahimahi have continued to dominate the action, while
Kona has seen less but more thrilling action with the big Blues. Kona Sportfish Hawaii's boats had a great week, with Spellbound leading all players with a 696 pounder on Sunday, a 455 on Friday, along with several Mahimahi and released Spearfish. Captain Mike Rand was thrilled with the week's production. The big Marlin were caught on the 1000 fathom line off Kaiwi Point and the 2000 fathom line off the Lighthouse. Grand Slam managed a few Spearfish in the 35-45 pound range during the week, but their big day was on Sunday where a huge strike of 300 yards broke off, but later in the day while returning toward the harbor from the OTEC buoy in about 700 fathoms they landed a 564 1/2 pound Blue. The angler of this fish, coincidentally, was your favorite fish report author! Medusa had a few smaller Spears and Stripes tagged throughout the week, as did Fish Wish. Each day most boats in Kona have reported at least one good shot, and the fish coming in have been of good size. Oahu Wild Bunch, Sea Verse, and Kamome continue their chase for the Mahimahi while Magic and Kuu continue dry-dock and repairs. Kamome added a couple of nice Ahi (120 and 117 lbs) and a Striped Marlin on the 21st, all coming between BO buoy and Waianae. They also have averaged about 5 Mahimahi a trip, with the fish ranging 20-30 pounds, all coming in open schools. Sea Verse had several days of great Mahimahi production, with a couple of days over 10 pieces, and Wild Bunch did the same. Captain Timmy Gray on the 'Bunch also reported shaking the hooks on a nice 500+ pound Marlin on the 25th. Most of the Mahimahi action has come from outside Barber's Point, roughly 30 miles from Kewalo. Kauai Kauai boats have continued with their Mahimahi production, with several days of fishing action exceeding 10 pieces, and others with some great sized fish. Lahela got a Mahimahi at 51 pounds on the 20th and had three other double-digit days, while Maka Hou reported catching Mahimahi every single day of the week. Several fish caught by Captain Tim Hale were in the 30 pound range, some as high as 38. Kai Bear and the Grander also reported several fish for the week. Though they didn't catch as many Mahimahi as the other boats, they did have a shot at a good sized Marlin (400 plus) that ultimately went free. Skippers have been reporting open schools all over, with no particular area showing favor over another. Maui Hinatea broke the Maui Marlin dry spell with a 275 pounder caught on the 24th about 4 miles toward Lahaina from Manele Bay. Both they and Start Me Up also caught several Mahimahi throughout the week, with Hinatea's catches averaging over 20 pounds. Sportfish Hawaii should have a couple more Maui boats reporting soon, so look for a little more well-rounded report shortly. |
Week of 3/13 - 3/19
| Can you say "Open Schools of
Mahimahi?" Any Hawaii skipper able to repeat this simple phrase probably caught a few
greenbacks this week, while the Marlin bite has been a little on and off. Blues, Stripes
and Spears are sharing the Hawaiian waters, and the bait presence does remain fairly
strong. The winds picked up a bit later in the week, however, causing weekend warriors to
re-think their decision between fishing or mowing the lawn. Oahu We start with Oahu this week as the fish story of the year took place on Sunday. We'll have the full story up soon, but suffice it to say for now a sailboat skipper caught a 336 1/2 pound Marlin by himself with a peanut-sized lure and bamboo stick gaff in 8 foot seas about 15 miles outside Barber's Point. Full story to come. Kamome just re-joined us after some transmission work and has carried on their onslaught as usual with new skipper Chris Hall (former deckhand now skippering!). A good load of Mahimahi each day they ran got things off to the right start. Wild Bunch and Sea Verse also had good Mahimahi production all week, with Sea Verse adding in a 270 lb Blue on the 16th off HH Buoy and Wild Bunch tossing in a Spearfish on the 17th. Kauai Kai Bear was out by CK buoy on a sunset cruise on the 14th and tied into a fish estimated at over 400 pounds. Though the fish was able to shake the hook, it did provide an interesting evening of entertainment for the lively group. Mahimahi and Aku were also brought in during the week on both of their boats. Meanwhile, Maka Hou reported several good Marlin knockdowns for the week, but unfortunately none of them stuck. Captain Tim Hale ended up with several Aku and Mahimahi and a few good stories as well. Lahela managed an Ulua and 6 Aku early in the week, but as the winds and seas picked up toward the end, the boat stayed in the harbor. Kona The heartwarming story of the week comes courtesy of the Eclipse, when on the 19th they took a group of kids from the W.R.A.D.(Wave Riders Against Drugs). program up to the grounds and caught them a bunch of Aku on light tackle. There's nothing like seeing smiles on kid's faces, and this was a great effort by Billy and Jack to volunteer this trip. Eclipse also picked up a nice Ono on the 18th. Medusa and Grand Slam both picked up a bunch of Spearfish this week, with Medusa releasing 2 on the 16th out front of the harbor near area Juliet. Captain Steve Kaiser also had his share of Mahimahi, picking up a few up at the grounds and XX buoy as well. Grand Slam's Spearfish were all caught in 500 - 700 fathoms of water right off Kaiwi Point towards the Pine Trees, and all came in about 35-45 pounds. Fish Wish had some great action all week up on the grounds using live bait. Captain Kent Mongreig ended up the week with a 40.5 lb Ono, a bunch of Mahimahi in the 10-25 lb range, a lost shark, and a 31 lb Spearfish that was caught in 65 minutes on 14 pound tackle. The angler on this fish was going for an IGFA record, and just fell short by a few pounds. Maui Hinatea released a Striped Marlin and had two more Striper bites on the 17th, then live baited some nice 10lb Kawakawa on succeeding days. They added a 30 pound Mahimahi on Sunday to round out the week. Start Me Up reported some greenbacks but no fish with long snouts. It's important to note that Maui has seen an abnormally high number of half day (4 hour) trips in the past couple of weeks, with the boats filled daily with convention travelers. Anyone who has fished Maui knows half day trips are generally less productive because of the shallows outside Lahaina, so I wouldn't let this week's report to discourage anyone from believing in Maui's fishery. As soon as they get back to more full day trips running and hit the back sides of Lanai, Molokai, and Kahoolawe, Maui will pick up considerably. Count on it. |
Week of 3/5 - 3/12
| Hawaii weather has been picture perfect this
past week, with glassy conditions all over the state on most days. Whale watching has been
a great pastime in addition to the fishing, and the skippers have been able to get to the
buoys and other areas they sometimes can't get to when it's rough. Fishing has been good
in some locations and not so good in others, but one thing that's quite notable is the
presence of Aku on Kauai and Kona. Any time these tasty morsels show up in big numbers,
it's a sure sign of Billfish activity to come. Kona Paying homage to the Big Island where the Rolex/IGFA tournament was held this week, Sportfish Hawaii had three boats in the event. The teams rotated among boats each day, and our boats met the challenge. Medusa released a Spearfish Monday, a 400 pound Blue Wednesday and a 50 pound Stripe on Friday. Pamela had multitudes of bites each day and ended up losing one 500 pound Blue and a released 80 pound Stripe. Fish Wish had good action too, losing a couple of Stripes and releasing another. Captain Kent on the Fish Wish also managed a 245.5 lb Blue on the 12th after the tournament, and also released a shark. Meanwhile, our boats not in the tournament caught some fish too. Grand Slam got six big bites out of 5 days of fishing, ending up with a 216 pounder on live bait, a 60 pound Spearfish, and did a short battle with a 600 pound plus beast that didn't stick around long. Eclipse managed a 325 pounder on the 10th, and Spellbound also reported releasing a small Stripe. Areas of good production have been the "Grounds" where there have been a lot of Aku, the OTEC buoy, and about 10 miles on the outside of "F" buoy. Kauai The Aku have been out in mass out front of the harbor and toward CK buoy, and skippers have been reporting days of 15-30 per boat. All this Aku means some big Marlin are just around the bend. Maka Hou got a Striped Marlin on the 8th in the 80-100 lb range, while the Grander and Kai Bear drilled some 150 Aku or so in the latter half of the week - along with some Mahimahi. Lahela got 2 Mahimahi at "Z" buoy and 30 Aku on a short trip outside the harbor a few miles. We're looking to see these guys start getting into some great Marlin action in the coming weeks. The buoys and outside the Nawiliwili harbor a few miles have been the spots where it was working. Oahu Sportfish Hawaii has three boats getting ready for the summer, so our report was pretty limited. Wild Bunch has been collecting Mahimahi nicely, with as many as 9 on some days. They've also landed a couple of smaller Aku and Shibi, a Striped Marlin on the 8th, and lost a 200 pound Blue at leader on the 10th. Sea Verse has caught Mahimahi in steady fashion all week, as steady Captain Lee regularly does. We also received a report from a private boat who had a few Marlin strikes and ended up with a couple of Aku for the day on the 11th. Because the weather was so nice, the hot spots were tough to pinpoint. Wild Bunch spent most of their week at "P" and "HH" buoys. BO has also been pretty productive. Maui The busiest island remains Maui and the boats have been booked solid, however, this island has been a little slow on the fishing. I guess it evens out because they were the top island a few weeks ago. Hinatea and Start Me Up both reported a couple of Mahimahi for the week. Hinatea added an Ono from Kahoolawe Island on the 11th, and Start Me Up released a 60 pound Spearfish mid-week. Like Oahu, the weather has been so good that boats have been scattering with no one place coming up with the fish every day. Hinatea even went to the North Shore of Molokai a few times, describing it as water-skiing conditions up there. |
Week of 2/28 - 3/5
| It's Mahimahi time here in the Aloha state,
and with the weather as good as it has been, there's no need to be on land! Still a good
supply of Striped Marlin around as well, and with a few Blues and even a couple of Ahi to
mix in, Hawaii has good action for all. Since almost every boat in the fleet reported
Mahimahi this week, some in the double digits in pieces, the highlights below represent
fish other than the greenbacks. Kauai The Grander, running out of Port Allen, had a good week, with a Spearfish, a few Aku, and a super 120 pound Ahi. Mahimahi were up to about 35 pounds. Two Billfish were caught for the week as well, with Lahela reporting them both along with their several Mahimahi. Captain Scott managed this production out of just three trips, too! Maka Hou of Nawilwili reported numerous Striped Marlin bites that didn't stick, and ended up with their assortment of Aku and Mahimahi. Maui Both Start Me Up and Hinatea reported their Mahimahi out of the South Coast of Lanai, K buoy. Skippers reported a bit of a slow week for other species for all boats in the harbor despite running full most every day. Oahu Biggest Marlin of the week was caught on the Wild Bunch with captain Timmy Gray who managed a 222 out by P buoy on the 4th. Mahimahi filled the boat every other day, as with Magic and Sea Verse too, with Captain Lee drilling 11 on the 29th and 14 of them on the 2nd. Open schools of Mahimahi can be found just about anywhere, so just get out there and look for them. Kona Fish Wish reported good action early in the week then stopped running Friday to prepare for the tournament. Captain Kent managed a 119 lb Blue out at F buoy, several Stripe bites, and released a 40 pound Spearfish. Medusa reported a Striped Marlin on the 28th, while Spellbound released a couple of Stripes and a Spearfish. Pamela was drydocked in preparation for the tournament, and Grand Slam just finished her transmission work and began running after the weekend. Be sure to check in next week, as the first ever Rolex/IGFA Tournament of Champions is going on this week in Kona, with the fishing days of the 6th and 7th, 9th and 10th. |