KONA The Anglers Paradise

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The Mahi Mahi are here!  It is that time of year again when we see greatly increased numbers of the highly prized food fish arriving.  Make sure you have the Binoculars and eyeballs tuned up, to help locate the “Floaters”.  Since we have no grass or kelp here in Kona, it is floating nets, ropes, wood and trash that provide sanctuary for bait and schools of Mahi as they float along in current lines offshore.  Mahi like the more temperate waters found in the fall and winter here.  Temperate water temperatures are a relative term, being that Kona’s water temperatures rarely go below 76 degrees.  Right now, we still are seeing 81 degrees but there have been several floaters loaded with Mahi under them.  When you contend with Mother Ocean, you just never know what will happen.                                 

Check out this months issue of Coastal Angler Magazine.                                                                  http://www.coastalanglermag.com/magazines/2011/hawaii/

The Mahi Mahi Are Here

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The Mahi Mahi are here!  This time of year we are looking under every single piece of debris we find for a prize Mahi Mahi hiding out.  The last two days out turned up two different “floaters” Each being large nets tangled with rope and floats. The first one we spotted kept us busy with Dr. Mike Ferrera and his wife Donna visiting from Scottsdale, AZ pulling in three nice fish around 20 to 25 lbs.  Donna’s was the largest.  Again Lady Luck!  The next day we headed out with high hopes of finding the floater again.  Well, that didn’t happen.  Unlike the previous day of smooth calm water, today it is a little bumpy with some wind and swell making it harder to spot floaters.  We tried to calculate where it may have drifted to in a blistering north current.  No luck.  But we did find a different one.  This one was also large with rope and floats tangled in it.  On the first pass we snagged a nice Mahi Mahi about 25 lbs.  Today  David Blauvelt visiting from Avon, OH with his wife Christie was our angler.  David brought the Mahi Mahi to the boat like a pro.   We circled the floater a few more times with no luck and moved on.   We continued on our mission to find more debris.  We did!  This one rewarded us with a nice Shibi and an Ono!  Not bad for day on the water.  Mike was able to take a mixed bag of fish back to his hotel for dinner. (Some hotel restaurants will prepare your catch for you.  Always ask them in advance before you bring fish back with you.)

Pygmy Sperm Whale Sighting and First Mahi Mahi for Alaska Couple

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Pygmy Sperm Whale Sighting and First Mahi Mahi for Alaska Couple.  Considered a rarity in Kona waters, a pair of Pygmy Sperm Whales were sited just off  Kaiwi Point at about the 400fa ledge by Neal and Lauren Labrie visiting from King Salmon, Alaska.  We slowed the boat and cautiously circled and observed the whales while our guests were able to capture many delightful photos.  The one featured above was provided by the Labrie’s.  Our goal was to capture what would be the largest fish Lauren had ever caught.  Midway through the adventure, the stinger went off.  (It was not the whale)  A fighting, jumping Mahi Mahi ate what we call the “Easter Special Lure”.  Lauren was in the chair and brought in the fish weighing in at 22 lbs.  We did it!  Lauren’s biggest fish.  We filleted the Mahi and sent them to a local restaurant who prepared their fish for them.  Neil, the Public Safety Dir of Katmai National Park enjoyed an anti-tundra day on Kona’s warm beautiful waters.  Lauren also works for the Park Service too.

 

Family Fun with Fire Hatt

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This post is shared with you from one of our guests that posted their experience on TripAdvisor.

“What a great family fishing trip! We were initially a little hesitant about bring our 2 y/o girl and 4 y/o boy, but were assured that children were most welcome. The boat was absolutely beautiful, complete with drinks/snacks (which the children loved) and a lovely doggie, Abby!  We had an incident at the beginning of the trip where Captain Chuck showed such high integrity! He was informed by radio that another charter boat was in distress and needed a tow back into port.  Without a second thought, he immediately swung into action to help. He assured us that we would just extend our time out on the water to make up for the extra trip towing the boat back to port. We loved the extra time on the water and I was very impressed with his obvious involvement and support of the others in the fishing community.  Back to the fishing-their equipment was very obviously top notch. We had so many lines out for fishing, it was amazing. Even though we didn’t catch anything, we had a great time sitting in the “fishing chair”, sitting on the bow, up top with the Captain, etc. Chuck and Linda gave us great information about the waters, fish, geography, including info for the kids! We had also opted to take a couple of hours off from fishing to go snorkeling with our son-they had great gear for adults AND for him! He had his first snorkeling experience at Captain Cook Bay-he was squealing so loud underwater with excitement, you would have thought all sea life would have fled the area. To the contrary! As we left the area, a pod of spinner dolphins ran with the boat for around 5 minutes!! And I mean, RIGHT next to the boat. We could hear their blowhole breathing!  All in all, a fantastic trip. And the to travelers who fear the embarrassment of suffering from seasickness. Have no fear. We discovered our kids have this same ailment…both at the same time. Yuk. But Chuck and Linda handled it just like it completely the norm, even with a little cleaning having to be performed. And they both appeared to still love our children afterwards-God bless ’em!  Fire Hatt is truly a family business who can take you on a world-class fishing charter, and also modify their trips to suit a family. Thank you, Fire Hatt so much!”

We are humbled and honored by the feedback from our guests.  Our goal is for every guest to have a memorable experience to share with others.

Old Friends Unite and Celebrate a Three Marlin Day

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Old Friends Unite and Celebrate a Three Marlin Day aboard the Fire Hatt this week.  Pete Hooper, a United Airlines Pilot and longtime  friend Jim Elliott joined Linda and I along with old friend and past Crew Mate Adam Ludwig for a half day on the water.  Pete and Jim really wanted Ono.  We left the harbour and headed out for Ono Lane.  After an hour into the trip, no Ono.  We pulled out the Marlin lures and headed north.  Just minutes after the lures are swimming we are bit.  Pete fought the first Pacific Blue Marlin for 35 minutes and Jim successfully tagged the 190+ pound Marlin before Adam released it.  With lures back in the water, we are bit again.  Jim fought the second fish in an amazing 20 minutes.  Pete tagged this 170+ pound Marlin before Adam successfully released it.  While the two friends are congratulating each other and marveling that in all the years they have been fishing in Kona Hawaii, they never had a day like today, then we are bit again!  Pete jumps in the chair and the fight is on.  This one gives Pete a run for his money.  It jumps and charges for most of the fight.  Finally after a 45 minute battle, this fish is also released.  The score for today is three Pacific Blue Marlin releases in just over two hours.  I do believe in Karma.  Two friends uniting to fish and an old Crew Mate reuniting with us made for a special day on the water.

Fire Hatt on National Geographic TV Today

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Fire Hatt on National Geographic TVWe assisted National Geographic with a TV show in March of this year. The episode isn NOT about marling fishing but is about putting a submersible robot submarine down a few thousand feet into the ocean outside Kona. The episode is titled “DIY Robo-Sub” and is part of the National Geographic TV series called “How Hard Can it Be?”

It will be shown multiple times on Wednesday October 5th (today) at 8pm and 11pm Eastern Time, at 8pm PST, or and 2PM or 5pm (we think)here in Hawaii. Check your channel listings for “DIY Robo-Sub” or  “How Hard Can it Be?” on the National Geographic TV Channel in your area.

We will try and get a copy posted to the website as soon as possible.

Mahalo,

Captain Chuck Wilson