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
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_1751.jpg640363afmtechhttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpgafmtech2021-12-16 14:06:342022-02-02 04:41:39Aloha from Korea
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.
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
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-Tournament-Photo.jpg5491730lindahttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpglinda2021-03-01 14:43:512022-02-06 11:59:15Tournament Dates Set for Kona Hawaii 2021
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.”
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.
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Corona-Virus.jpg11721165lindahttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpglinda2020-04-26 09:48:432020-04-26 09:48:50We're Coming Back Soon
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
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Craig-Art-scaled.jpg25602028lindahttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpglinda2020-03-23 20:26:182021-11-15 03:59:19CORONAVIRUS HAWAII
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!
Monte Collins not to be outdone, lands this nice 20+ pound Ono!
Ethan Collins lands his first Ahi weighing approximately 140 pounds! Not bad!
Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO Pro Fishing Team. You can go to AFTCO.com and read their amazing story.
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Monte-Collins-Family-June-6-2019.jpg6571724lindahttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpglinda2019-06-06 17:38:402022-02-06 12:01:34Celebration Aboard Fire Hatt
FIRE HATT SPORTFISHING Earns TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 9 Consecutive Years in a Row.
FIRE HATT SPORTFISHING EARNS 2019 TRIPADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE 9 CONSECUTIVE YEARS IN A ROW
Kailua
Kona, Hawaii May 28, 2019FIRE
HATT SPORTFISHING announced today that it has received the TripAdvisor®
Certificate of Excellence. Now in its ninth year, the achievement celebrates
businesses that are consistently excellent – having earned great traveler
reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Certificate of Excellence recipients
include restaurants, accommodations and attractions located all over the world
that have continually delivered a quality customer experience.
Our Motto: “We welcome you as our guest and want you leave us as a friend.”
“TripAdvisor is excited to announce the recipients of the 2019
Certificate of Excellence, which for nearly a decade has celebrated businesses
that have consistently received positive ratings from travelers and diners on
the world’s largest travel platform,” said Neela Pal, Vice President of Brand,
TripAdvisor. “This recognition allows us to publicly recognize businesses that
are actively taking into account customer feedback to help travelers
confidently experience the most
highly reviewedplaces
to eat, stay, and explore.”
The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.
About TripAdvisor TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With 760 million reviews and opinions covering the world’s largest selection of travel listings worldwide – covering approximately 8.3 million accommodations, airlines, experiences, and restaurants — TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat.
Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO Pro Fishing Team. You can
go to AFTCO.com and read
their amazing story.
https://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/en-US-UK-2x.jpg541721lindahttps://firehattsportfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fire-Hatt-Sport-Fishing-Kona-Logo2-300x53.jpglinda2019-05-28 19:03:562019-05-28 19:04:04Nine Years of Exellence
