Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament Days One and Two Update

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Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament Days One and Two Update of the teams that fished on the Fire Hatt shows Team Captain and Angler Masaharu Matsushita of the Kona Game Fishing Club Taiyo  from Japan with his release flag for day one.  Masaharu released a 150 pound Pacific Blue Marlin on Monday and later in the day had another chance to capture a flag and the fish did not stick.  We are One for Two on day one.  This team has been fishing the HIBT in Kona Hawaii for over 30 years.  On day two, Martin and Mitchell Firestein representing the Balboa Angling Club from California were Zero for Four.  We just could not get one to stick.  The Marlin are hitting the lures fast and furious!  Martin and Mitchell were hoping to deploy a Satellite Tag into a Pacific Blue Marlin that will track the travels and behaviors of the fish for 120 days.  The program is called the Great Marlin Race.  You can go to their website and get information on last years data at http://greatmarlinrace.org , Check it out.  Several tags will be deployed this year.

 

Mahi Mahi Fishing in Kona Hawaii

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Mahi Mahi Fishing in Kona Hawaii is every bit as exciting as hooking into a Spearfish or Marlin especially if it is a big one! This one was!  For Roy Small of Lancaster, PA  this Mahi Mahi was one of the largest fish he had ever caught.   A short while later we had a Blue Marlin strike that did not stick.  Then about an hour later, another Marlin strike, again  it did not stick.  We intend to release them anyway, but it is still fun to walk them around first.  Today, Mahi Mahi fishing in Kona Hawaii proves to be luckier than Marlin Fishing In Kona.  We start fishing the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament this week and knowing where these Marlin are gives us a starting place for the tournament.

Not only a First Marlin While Fishing In Kona Hawaii

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Not only a first Marlin while fishing in Kona Hawaii,  but also his first Shortbill Spearfish.  Dirk and Martina Untermann along with their two daughters Suenjn and Maike boarded the Fire Hatt for a day of fishing with the prize in mind being his first Pacific Blue Marlin.  After we had three bites and nothing sticking, finally a Blue aggressively took the bait.  Fight is on!  Dirk fought the estimated 180 pound Blue Marlin for 25 minutes as the fish charged the boat, tried to outrun the boat and then finally just went deep. Dirk released the Pacific Blue Marlin in hopes that one day he will return to catch it again.   Once the marlin was released we started our journey back up the line to the harbor.  After having about an hour to embrace the event that just occured, the same line is bit again, third time today and this time Dirk brings in a Trophy Shortbill Spearfish.  I’m just going to say, The Lucky Linda Lure by Bomboy Lures gets lucky again.  How good does it get?  Dirk and his family were still all smiles as they left us at the end of the day.  A fun time was had by all!

Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament

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The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) gets underway July 25-29, 2011 in Kona, Hawaii. Built on prestige, trophies and strict International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rules for world records, anglers and teams from around the world will once again gather to fish the world-famous waters off the Kona Coast.  Visitors and kamaaina are invited to its Billfish Parade this Sunday, July 24, 2011, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The parade will begin at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and wind its way through Kailua Village ending at Hualalai Road.  You can follow the daily activity on the Official HIBT Website at http://www.hibtfishing.com/

 

Kona is indeed the Anglers Paradise

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KONA – The Anglers Paradise

If I were involved as an Attorney Officer of the Court in a trial, I would now simply say…”I rest my case”.  I offer this as the next exhibit as to why Kona is indeed the Anglers Paradise of the World.  In this year’s World Cup Marlin Tournament, one day, a one day only, Worldwide, winner take all Marlin Tournament held on July 4th each year, with 500 pounds being the minimal weight to qualify, and 145 teams around the World participating in their own waters, in the end, only KONA had met the minimum weight to qualify as a winner.  Not just one 500 pound Marlin was caught July 4th, 2011, in Kona, there were THREE….

Add in the winner’s prize of around $600,000 and this can be an exciting day in your life. Kona has won this event more than any other location with Bermuda and Mediera also being multi winners of the event.  This year, Tom Whitcraft’s team from Thailand were aboard FIRE HATT for a full week of big league Tournaments in Kona.  Moments before the Radio crackled with the news that no qualifying Marlin were caught around the World, leaving Kona as the last participants, an explosion of the long rigger and a screaming 130 Shimano reel giving clear evidence of size and strength, 1000 feet of line disappeared in an eye blink.  Two people on the deck yelled out they saw a “Bill”.  For the next hour angler John Page, from England fought the fish back to the surface and everyone on board had visions of a large Marlin soon to be surfaced. Chuck Wilson, the Captain had voiced his concern that when a big fish like this does not surface, it could well be a large Ahi (Yellowfin Tuna) but the fish did not “dig deep” and stay straight down but fought at shallower angle….so maybe….. Alas, not to be, an Ahi that weighted 186 pounds, gilled and gutted, appeared….and it was tail hooked…which explains the “I saw a Bill” comments.  They saw the blinding blur of the tail fins no doubt.  Can any of you imagine at being disappointed capturing and weighing a 186 pound (probably over 200 with blood and entrails attached) Ahi?????   Such is the World of Tournament fishing. Congratulations to the boats Maui Jim (792 pounds), Sea Geni (585 pounds) and the Five Star (535 pounds) for their huge fish in the World Cup this year.

 

Kona Tournaments Update

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The Kona Tournaments are in full season.  With the July Fourth Firecracker Tournament,  the Kona Kickoff and the Marlin Magic  Tournaments behind us, we are in the middle of the three day Skins Tournament.  We released fish in both the Firecracker and the Kona Kickoff.  The big one just wasn’t in the cards for us.  On day two of the Firecracker Tournament,  Richard released a 200+  pound Pacific Blue Marlin.  His first Marlin.  On the first day of the Kona Kickoff Tournament John Page landed a 186 pound Yellowfin Tuna.  While this being a fish of a lifetime for John and a personal boat record for the Fire Hatt, it was disappointing that is was not the coveted Blue Marlin we were competing for.  Later that day, another strike lands Nick  Whitcraft a nice Shortbill Spearfish.  While this fish did not count in the tournament either, it was an exciting day for the team.