Captains Blog Archives - Kona Fishing Charter

A December Trip for the Books

December 31, 2023/in Captains Blog /by linda

A December for the books and the Dawson Family! Rob Dawson wanted to take his family out fishing here in Kona Hawaii. This is not a new phenomenon for Rob. Rob has been fishing in Kona for many years and actually has crewed aboard Fire Hatt in the past. Their hopes were to get his daughter and son on a fish. As it turns out all family members got a turn on the rod. Along with his daughter Christina Dawson and Jon Gill, His Son Cole Dawson and Alannah Chalmers, the family had no idea what was in store for them!

First thing out of the harbor mouth as the crew finished putting out lines, we are hooked up! Jon Gill, his Son in Law was battling a blue marlin. After a fierce five minute fight, the fish was off. the crew put the lines back out and within an hour we are bit again. This time Alannah Chalmers was in the chair. She fought her fish for a short 15 minutes and boated her first Shortbill Spearfish estimated at 50 pounds! Her largest fish ever!

Now with lines back in the water Captain Chuck heads off shore and down the coast to the tune of two more mystery bites and finally Wham! Hooked up again! A double Stripe Marlin bite! Both of Robs children, Christina and Cole are on the rods. Christina’s fish was brought in first and then Coles was successfully released. You can only imagine at this point how ecstatic everyone was.

Next up we spotted a porpoise school and marked several big Ahi. After working the school for about an hour and a half, no bites. We moved off. Then we turned back up the coast headed to the harbor…. BOOM! A big short corner bite! Rob is in the chair. Being no stranger to fighting big fish, Rob brought the Blue Marlin to the boat and we released an estimated 250 pound fish in just under 20 minutes!

Aloha from Korea

December 16, 2021/in Captains Blog /by afmtech

Aloha captain Chuck!
This is Jee from KoreaI hope all is well with you, your family and your Fire Hatt crew!
It’s been about 2 weeks since Jong and I came back to Korea. It’s winter season in Korea and the weather is starting to get quite cold. I miss the beach weather and the beautiful Kohala coast so much!
Every moment of our 10 day trip to Kona was incredibly wonderful, but the private charter fishing with your team was hands down the most fun, exciting and memorable moment!Your team was incredibly welcoming, fun, and so professional! I loved every minute of our time on the boat with your team. Once again, I would like to thank you, David, and Joe for such an extraordinary experience!
Please say hi to David and Joe for us and we hope to see you again soon hopefully next year!
I have attached a full 2 1/2 minute video, and three pictures. The original video file was too large to send via email and I had to reduce the file size. Please let me know if you have any problem downloading the files. If so, I can try sending them again.
I hope you have the warmest holiday season with your family and loved ones. We are sending you lots of love from Seoul!
Best wishes, Jee Sohn

The Lazy Marlin Hunt

April 12, 2021/in Captains Blog /by linda

The first tournament of the season was so much fun and rewarding. Tournament fishing in Kona, Hawaii is not for the faint at heart! The highs and lows every day are challenging at best. The Lazy Marlin Hunt Marlin Tournament April 9th , 10th , and 11th started with a shotgun start in front of the Honokohau Harbor, in Kona Hawai’i. After a slight delay, Fire Hatt was on the hunt with Captain Chuck Wilson at the helm. 18 boats competed. On day one Fire Hatt had a tagged Blue Marlin at about 3:30 pm. Buzz Colton brought the Blue Marlin to the boat in 9 minutes estimated at 275 pounds. On day two, Fire Hatt had a hookup just three minutes into the day after the start fishing announcement was made. This time Mark Kirchen had a tag in his Blue Marlin in 5 minutes estimated at 120 pounds. We took prize money for the first hookup of the day. Day three was a long day with a hookup again at around 3:30PM. Linda Wilson fought that one with the fish coming off just 10 minutes into the fight…ouch! Team Sweet Sadie landed the Blue Marlin that won the big purse weighing in at 625 pounds!

Mark Kirchen, a Contractor and Operations Manager for SunAmericaSolar in Petaluma, CA and Buzz Colton, retired Golf Course General Manager from Indian Wells, CA featured with their release flags along with the Fire Hatt crew, Backup Captain Joe Schumaker and first mate Daron Castoro.

Fire Hatt Sportfishing is a proud member of AFTCO Pro Fishing Team.
Captain Chuck Wilson is an IGFA Certified Captain.

The Lazy Marlin Hunt

Three Strikes

April 2, 2021/in Captains Blog /by afmtech

Three Strikes, three releases aboard Fire Hatt for former Major League Baseball player Billy Beane featured in the movie Moneyball and his son Brayden along with future son in law Jake. One Blue Marlin release and two Shortbill Spearfish releases. All before noon! The fish are here! #fishinginkona #charterfishingkona #AFTCO

Tournament Dates Set for Kona Hawaii 2021

March 1, 2021/in Captains Blog /by linda

Kona Tournaments 2020

April 29, 2020/in Captains Blog /by linda

Update from Jodi Bright / Konatournaments.com

TOURNAMENT DATES SHIFT DUE TO STATE RE-OPEN DIALOG!

I’ve (Jody) finally saw a brief on “the plan” for re-opening the visitor industry in Hawaii….and it really isn’t a plan yet. The general idea is open up the local “kama’aina” economy and assess, and then roll out a phased re-opening of tourism.
Even with an exemption from the Governor to run as scheduled, it appears that mainland travel will not be “back to normal” by early July.

With this in mind, it looks like the June and July months will be early in this process, so we are making plans to shift the tournament schedule so we don’t get caught up in any State ordered delays, and Not Cancel Any Tournaments.

The HIBT has cancelled so we are planning to shift the Firecracker, Kona Throw Down and Skins to that week, August 8 through 16.

The It’s A Wrap will be September 18, 19 & 20

We will plan the Kona Kick Off with move it into July, and run in on consecutive weekends with the Lure Makers Challenge.

So the 2020 summer schedule will be:

KONA KICK OFF JULY 4 & 5
LURE MAKERS JULY 10, 11 & 12
FIRECRACKER AUGUST 8 & 9
KONA THROW DOWN AUGUST 11, 12 & 13
SKINS MARLIN DERBY AUGUST 14, 15 & 16
BIMT AUGUST 21, 22 & 23
IT’S A WRAP SEPTEMBER 18, 19 & 20

The Hawaii Big Game Club Rock n Reel tournament has been postponed, and does not have a replacement date as of yet.

Please feel free to give me a call to discuss if you like. I’m putting out this notice to get feedback, but I’m 99% sure that this is the right move, based on what I read today.

Jody Bright’s cell is 808.557.0908

Quotes from the article:

State agencies are studying how to ensure public health and safety while opening up sectors of the economy, including tourism, according to Krishna Jayaram, a spokesman for the AG’s office.

“The various ideas being evaluated for tracking visitors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are right now just that, ideas,” he said in an emailed statement. “Given that we are an island state heavily dependent on tourism, there is focus and forward planning now on how we can get back closer to normal while adequately ensuring that any influx of visitors does not put our residents at risk.”

It’s a very short hop from ‘It’s OK for tourists’ to ‘It’s OK for any number of other groups,’” she said.

Asked about this concern, Jayaram acknowledged that life will likely be different post-COVID-19. “I do hope we get closer to how things used to be before the pandemic, but part of the new normal might be that the state has to re-think certain aspects of the tourist experience here in Hawaii,” he said.

“There’s a way to phase in letting people back in while watching for signs of infections and taking practical, limited steps to test people, without infringing upon their liberty to move around with government supervision.”

Stay Well!

Copyright © 2020 Konatournaments, All rights reserved.
We stay in touch with everyone who has participated in an event of the Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series and bring you news from Kona – where ever you are.

Our mailing address is:
jody@kkonatournaments.com

Konatournaments

P.O. Box 2158 Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

Kona Tournaments 2020

We’re Coming Back Soon

April 26, 2020/in Captains Blog /by linda

In a decision that was largely expected but nonetheless will be a major blow to thousands of shuttered Hawaii businesses struggling to stay afloat, the governor has extended the statewide stay-at-home order along with the mandatory quarantine for travelers through May 31. Governor Ige added that Hawaii — which has one of the nation’s lowest infection rates — has made significant progress in stopping the spread of corona virus. But he said lifting restrictions too early could drive up cases quickly. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/04/25/watch-gov-ige-holds-media-briefing-expected-clarify-recent-policies/

We are looking forward to picking up where we left off back in February. In all of this uncertainty with the Corona Virus, Mother Nature didn’t realize we were in trouble. Our fish are back in numbers, seals have returned to some beaches, Spinner Dolphin have been spotted in areas they had long since vacated, and the coral reefs are healing. We are beginning to book charters again. Although we are not certain what the procedure will be, we are awaiting instruction and guidance from the state. We will update our guests again as the date gets closer. All we want to do is fish!!

We have not been sitting idle. Many projects have been completed. All our rods and reels have been serviced, engine room maintenance has been completed, the decks have a nice new coat of nonskid and the fighting chair is redone. Final waxing and polishing is being done as we speak. Even the access to the dock has been given a nice new coat of paint…thank you Daron.

New Logo for Fire Hatt Sportfishing

As we had some downtime, Captain Chuck has designed new artwork for our Tee Shirts! New logo for Hats, Shirts and Koozies. We have the Tee Shirts and Koozies in stock and are awaiting the hats. (Delayed because the embroidery shop was shut down) They should arrive shortly as employees are beginning to slowly return in limited numbers to their shop.

Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO Pro Fishing Team. You can go to AFTCO.com and read their amazing story.

CORONAVIRUS HAWAII

March 23, 2020/in Captains Blog /by linda

From Your Captain and Crew

March 23, 2020

A message to our guests, previous and future. We are riding out this storm. Moments after our Governor gave this order, our charters cancelled due to the restrictions placed on future travel and tourism. During this down time we will busy ourselves with much needed maintenance that is difficult to do because of the number of days we spend on the water. All of our Rods and Reels will be serviced, new line, new terminal tackle, rollers and guides inspected and a final polishing on the rods. We are anticipating a busy summer and travel to this beautiful Island Paradise to pick back up. We will continue fishing as a family until then and look forward to what the future brings.

Statewide Order by Hawaii Governor David Ige

Today, Hawaii Governor David Ige issued a third supplemental proclamation – a stay at home order – between 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 and 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2020. All persons within the State of Hawaii are ordered to stay at home or in their place of residence, such as hotels or condominiums. Individuals may leave only for essential activities or to engage in essential businesses and operations.

Beginning Thursday, March 26, 2020, 12:01 a.m., all individuals, both residents and visitors, arriving or returning to the State of Hawaii will be subject to a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The mandate — the first such action in the nation — applies to all arrivals at state airports from the continental U.S. and international destinations and extends to other private and commercial aircrafts.

“We are also directing the following actions: social gatherings should be limited to groups of no more than 10 following the CDC’s guidelines. All bars and clubs should be closed. Restaurants should adjust their operations to pivot to drive-thru, take-out, pick-up or delivery services only. Closures of theaters, entertainment centers, and visitor attractions should commence. We encourage everyone to avoid any discretionary travel.”

Sincerely, Captain Chuck Wilson

CORONAVIRUS HAWAII

New Year, New Adventures

February 25, 2020/in Captains Blog /by afmtech

Celebration Aboard Fire Hatt

June 6, 2019/in Captains Blog /by linda

*Max Collins tagging and successfully releasing his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at about 150 pounds.*

A Spectacular day aboard Fire Hatt with Captain Joe Shumaker and first mate Austin Toth today. Monte Collins from Rossmoore, CA along with his two sons, Max and Ethan are keeping this crew hopping! The family is back on the Big Island celebrating Max’s Graduation from Los Alamitos High School. The day started before 7:00AM with Max Collins tagging and successfully releasing his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at about 150 pounds. Ethan Collins then proved me right today when I commented earlier that there were Ahi busting on the surface for the past several days and then at about 9:30AM, we are hooked up! Ethan lands his first Ahi weighing approximately 140 pounds! Not bad! After securing the Ahi and getting lines back out….we are hooked up again, this time Monte Collins is in the chair and brings in this nice Ono! These guys are fishy! It isn’t even noon yet! The family fished with us two years ago and released a Pacific blue Marlin about this same size… so someone has to break the tie now. We are hoping for a Mahi Mahi today to earn these guys a Grand Slam!