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The West coast of
Hawaii is thought by many to be the greatest fishing grounds God ever created on Earth. In
the middle of the Pacific Ocean where the winds can be gusty and the seas large stands an
island with enormous mountains and incredibly deep, calm, indigo colored water right
offshore. During times when the rest of the state is landlocked by gale force winds from
the East which build seas to thirty feet, the fleet of boats at Honokohau, in the lee of
mighty Mauna Kea, stands ready to fish as though they were oblivious to the storm. Some even say the red flags used to depict small
craft advisories and hurricanes have never been removed from the package, but the flags
used to display the fish that were caught by each boat on a given day fly until the rays
of the sun tear them apart. Then they’re replaced.
Heading out of the harbor and out to the
grounds for Marlin on the United States East Coast or the Gulf of Mexico means spending an
hour or two planing on the flats first, thus adding to fuel and engine maintenance costs.
Not Kona. |
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| The water is 100 fathoms less
than a mile and a half from the harbor entrance and 1000 fathoms only three and a half
miles from shore, meaning carbon build-up in the engines is more likely a problem. Combine
this with a sunny day and a flat sea filled with thousand pound fish, and it becomes
difficult to argue just how perfect a fishing environment this area is. The term
"legendary" cannot be overused when describing Kona waters. As you venture out into this area where legend
stands before you as ominous as the mountains to the East and the open sea to the West,
you can’t help but feel you are trespassing among the land of the giants. As a humble
human, you can’t help but feel the presence; as a fisherman you can’t help but
feel the power. Your focus is sharp and your hearing enhanced. Your eyes become hawk-like
as you constantly scan the surface for signs of activity, and your muscles stay itchy with
anticipation of the next strike.
The scenery is gorgeous, so take along your
camera. View the lava flows that have poured down these slopes for years, and you’ll
suddenly realize why it felt like you had landed on the moon when you flew in. Kona is
growing, but this island hasn’t suffered from the urban sprawl of many cities. In
fact, the old landmarks used by the early anglers are still used today, but more have been
added thanks to development.
Fishing areas such as "the
grounds" and "the trail" still ring out on the radio as much as when the
pioneers of the sport first worked the area. But now, with the onset of Fish Aggregation
Devices (FADS), hotels and resorts, newer landmarks such as "OTEC," "The
Hilton," and "VV" further define the mystique of this amazing fishery.
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