Family Fishing In Kona

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Family Fishing In Kona.  I want you to meet the Hamilton family from MA.   I dare you find anyone in this family without a smile.  All day long the smiles were contagious.  From the time we met them on the dock until we brought them back to the harbor,  the enthusiasm and camaraderie in this family never faltered.  We started out inshore with the Ono lures in the pattern.  We are headed to Captain Cook to do a little snorkeling.  On the way down the coastline Linda spotted something floating off in the distance.  Knowing this family really wanted food fish, I quickly headed a little offshore to check it out.  There it was, a nice big coiled rope.  Not only that, we had no other boat in sight and it was holding Mahi Mahi.  One pass and we are hooked up!  Dad (Jim) is in the chair.  He lands the first Mahi Mahi effortlessly!  High fives all around and Adam and Linda get the lines back in for another pass at the floater.  Hooked up again!  Caitlin is in the chair fighting her Mahi Mahi.  She too brings her fish in with little effort.  At this point, Dad’s fish is biggest.  Lines back in again and we are making another pass to try for something for Sarah.  One pass, nothing.  Second pass, nothing.  We try several more passes without a bite and then decide to leave it and head back inshore to “Ono Lane” and on to Captain Cook.  When we arrived at Captain Cook, there were Spinner Dolphin in the bay entertaining several kayakers.  We approached with the family on the bow filming the action.  It was awesome!  Later after we finished our snorkel the Dolphin were still in the bay and I was able to put Caitlin and Sarah in the water to swim with them.   What a thrill.  The girls are both Rowers and are very strong swimmers, they had no trouble swimming with the graceful animals.  Now as we are headed back up the coast to the harbor, we have the Ono lures back in the water and as planned…..we are hooked up!  The Ono we have been waiting for.  Now Sarah is in the chair and this is a much stronger fish than the Mahi Mahi.  Sarah buckles down and starts cranking.  She has landed the largest fish of the day!  With that, we decided to head back offshore and try for a Pacific Blue Marlin for Jim.  This is just one of those days… we are hooked up again!  A Pacific Blue Marlin!  Jim is getting to the chair, the stinger line is screaming , the Marlin makes a few jumps and it is off.  AAARRRGG!  Still the excitement was thrilling.  This is one of those perfect Family Fishing in Kona days.  Something for everyone!

Teen Tenacity and Tuna

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Teen Tenacity and Tuna were the equation for the new family record fish!  15 year old Jamie was the first angler today and this would be her first fish EVER.  (I always lean toward Lady Luck and first timers as good omens.)  Back home in Florida, Jamie is a Varsity Cheerleader and is very strong.  This proved to be helpful today when she jumped in the chair as the stinger line is screaming off.  We were making a pass on the 500 fathom line straight out from the cruise ship when we hooked up.  They even commented on that because they arrived today on that same ship.  Jamie fought this fish with everything she had and never tired.  Her Dad, Ron was beside her the whole time coaching her on keeping the line going back on the reel even and encouraging her to keep winding until the tuna was landed.  When the fish came to the boat, we were not actually expecting a Tuna, the fish did not sound into the deep as tuna tend to do, it stayed pretty shallow.  (Maybe because Jamie did not give it a chance to dive.)  It was too heavy for a Spearfish and it never jumped like a Marlin…needless to say, she set the bar pretty high for the rest of the family.  With lines back in the water our goal is to get her older brother Justin a fish too.  The day is almost over and we have to get the family back to the Cruise Ship.  Justin will have to wait to claim a new family record.  We are looking forward to having this family back soon.

Lucky Linda Lure is Back!

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Today we had the Sorenson’s,  a “Ready to Fish” family from Arizona aboard Fire Hatt full of energy and true Team Spirit, right down to the neon yellow team shirts they were sporting!  They self labeled themselves as the “Highlighters”.  Today it was all about Mom (Amy) getting a fish.  Sooo, Linda had Mom in the chair with the rest of the family closely listening while she went through the run down.  We are ready!  Now all we have to do is wait for the fish.  There had been a couple of Blue Marlin releases today and reports of Ahi and Spearfish too.  Nothing for us by lunchtime…..ouch.  There had been a lot of bait at “F” and “C” buoys the last few days so our plan was to check them out first.  As we approached each buoy and talked to a few of the other Captains, it was apparent that the Steno Dolphin were around both buoys today so we kept moving.  It is impossible to land a fish with these Rough Toothed thieves around.  We changed out lures a couple of times hoping to put something out that would interest a fish.  Finally, Amy ask which line had the Lucky Linda Lure on it?  Well, it wasn’t out.  It had not been bit in a couple of weeks and was not in the lineup.  So with the suggestion from Amy that we run it, it was put into the pattern on the long corner where it likes to run.  The family had gone to the bow of the boat to take a few photos and hang out for a while when the fish hit!   You can probably guess the rest of the story.  The Lucky Linda is bit!  We are Hooked Up!  Everyone is trying to get to the cockpit as line is screaming off.  With the bite almost into the backing, Mom suggests that Stephen aka Dad get in the chair.  Stephen fights the fish effortlessly and brings in the family’s prized Shortbill Spearfish!  The Lucky Linda Lure is Back!  Now we still have to satisfy the need for Amy to get her fish, I think they will be back to fish again in Kona Hawaii.

Featured in the photo above is the Sorenson Family proudly displaying their team colors and the Spearfish Flag.

Not Always Bigger in Texas

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Not Always Bigger in Texas.  When Chris, Jana, Nick and Tyler boarded FIRE HATT they were all smiles and full of anticipation for what the day might bring.  The 14 year old brothers, Nick and Tyler had just finished a Scouting trip at BSA Sea Base out of Marsh Harbor, Abacoa Island, the Bahamas. They lived and crewed on a 65′ catch for a week where they ate, slept, etc on boat. They got to snorkel, fish and visit the cays. Their boat caught 2 mackerel, 4 mutton snapper and 4 barracuda.  Until then the largest fish Tyler had ever caught was a Perch.  Now here they are, fishing in Kona Hawaii where we are home to some of the largest Blue Marlin, Ono, Spearfish, Tuna and Mahi Mahi in the world.  They have no idea what is about to happen.  (We don’t either)  Adam has given the chair talk to everyone.  Each having had a “lesson” in the chair it is determined that Dad will go first.  We are a couple of hours into the trip listening to the activity on the radio from a local tournament.  There are a few hook ups, and a few boated fish.  Nothing for us yet.  Then, the stinger line comes down screaming and we are Hooked Up!  Chris is in the chair and has the fish to the boat almost as fast as we can get the other lines cleared.  A nice Ono about 25 pounds.  Out in the deep!  Normally we are pounding the 40 fathom line close to shore hoping to get one.  With the fish subdued and put on ice, we are off for another fish.  This time Nick will be the angler.  Sure enough, about an hour later the long rigger is bit.  Nick is in the chair and the fight begins.  We aren’t sure what it is.  A blind strike on the 1000 fathom line.  As Nick gives all he has to bring in the fish, it is a Shortbill Spearfish!  A nice 30 pounder!  Not a bad day on the water for this Texas family.

 

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award for Fire Hatt

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Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award for Fire Hatt.  Linda, Adam and I would like to thank each and every one of our guests for making us one of the privileged business to receive the Certificate of Excellence Award from Trip Advisor.

The Certificate of Excellence award honors hospitality excellence. The accolade is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Approximately 10 percent of accommodations listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award. To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

As we reflect back on the year, we see many of your faces and remember the good times, the laughs, the anticipation and the fish!  We look forward to seeing you again in the future and again, we want to sincerely thank you for the wonderful reviews.  As a small business in these trying times, this means so much to Myself, Linda and Adam our Crewman.  Knowing you have a choice when you come to fish in the beautiful waters of Kona Hawaii, we are happy to have been chosen to fulfill your expectations.

Sincere Mahalo,

Captain Chuck Wlson

 

 

Yellowfin Tuna Are Here In Numbers

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Yellowfin Tuna Are Here In Numbers.  John Lewis and his Son, Tim visiting the Big Island from Pasadena, CA  just wanted to catch something bigger than the 4 pound Trout that currently holds the family record.  As avid fly fishermen, they know the trials of getting a fish.  Today, we are hearing of Tuna “boiling”  in several different areas.  We headed to an area where there was some action and were lucky enough to hook one.  This did not come early in the day.  After the father and son duo had a nice continental breakfast followed by a short nap and then a little lunch followed by another short nap, we were headed back from “F” Buoy in about 1100 fathoms when I saw two white birds circle and crash in front of us.  A sure sign that something is below the surface.  About that time, Tuna boiled up and as I was making a pass through them, I told John and Tim to get ready!  As they were getting off the bridge, the short rigger is bit!  We are Hooked Up!  Tim is in the chair and brings his 115.5 lb Yellowfin tuna to the boat.  The Yellowfin Tuna was caught on a Ken Matsuura 50# reel.  Did I mention it took the “Lucky Linda” lure by Bomboy Lures?  The 4 lb family record for Trout has been shattered!

Ono Becomes Last Minute Delight

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Ono Becomes Last Minute Delight for Brothers Rob and Ron along with their Dad Robert and his twin Brother Ron.  No kidding, all we had to remember was two names.  The day started with the usual anticipation.  We headed out of the Harbor with offshore lures in the water hoping for Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Shortbill Spearfish or Marlin.  These guys wanted a fish!  Period!  As mid morning arrived and no bite for us yet, the mood was changing along with the lures.  Still no bite.  There was a tournament going on and we were listening to the radio chatter.  Or lack of radio chatter.  Turns out, there just wasn’t any fish being caught.  Although, we had fun not catching!  These guys bantered back and forth with Adam, Linda and I all day.  They even joked about wanting to know the best place to buy fish.  Now the lures are being changed out again and we are headed in to “Ono Lane”.   We are still putting out the lures and we are Hooked Up!  (Never so happy to hear a line scream!)  Earlier in the day, Adam had spotted a lure we had not run before.  He rigged it up and had it ready for the afternoon Ono run.  This is the lure that got bit within a few minutes of being set.  We appropriately named it “Yummy“.  Robert Sr. is in the chair and fighting his fish.  After a short fight he had the fish to the boat.  Dinner Tonight!  As you can imagine, the mood quickly changes.  Smiles all around.

 

Fishing From One Extreme to Another

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Fishing From One Extreme to Another is not a challenge for Mark and his family from Fairbanks Alaska.  It is an adventure.  Mark, his wife and daughters are on a return trip to fish Kona Hawaii on Fire Hatt.  Last time around Mark brought in a few small Tunas.  This time around it was a nice Shortbill Spearfish…. next time he is wanting a nice Big Blue Marlin.  Mark and his family are avid fishermen/ladies in their home state with numerous Salmon over 20 lbs and many, many Halibut.  The largest Halibut weighing in at over 50lbs on light tackle… As I looked at the photos proudly presented on their camera I couldn’t help but comment on how many layers of clothing they were wearing and how happy they looked fishing in the bitter cold!  As they are putting aloe on this weeks sunburns they are thinking how much they don’t want to leave the beautiful tropical sun behind.  Actually, they have another day booked to fish before they head home. Mark really wants a Blue Marlin, I Hope the Fish Gods are listening.

Sea Turtles Honokohau Harbor, Kona Hawaii

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Sea Turtles Honokohau Harbor, Kona Hawaii. The turtles are waiting for the boats to come in every day looking for any discard of fish scraps.  It is always a treat for our guests to watch them.  The turtles are regulars to the harbor and we can actually recognize and identify each one.  The largest are about four feet across their back.  It is believed that they are herbivorous but actually they will eat any fish offered and fight over discarded fish carcasses.

Craig Smith Art featured on Fire Hatt Sportfishing Tee Shirts

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Craig Smith Art featured on FireHatt Sportfishing Tee shirts. Tee shirts are now available.  Many colors and sizes from small to triple X in short and long sleeves.

Craig Smith is an artist who specialises in painting, filming and photographing marlin and game fish around the world. Depicting game fishing boats in action, giant black marlin off Cairns, blue marlin in Hawaii or striped marlin off Mexico, his paintings are dynamic and accurate portrayals of these exciting events and amazing marine creatures.

From the Florida Keys to the Great Barrier Reef, and New Zealand’s Bay of Islands to Kona’s pristine waters, Craig is actively involved in sport fishing and captures the essence of the moment in his artistic creations.

As well as marlin, other species such as sailfish, tuna, sharks, whales and dolphins are bought to life on the canvas under the magic of Craig’s hand.