15 lb Ono for 7 Yr old Tommy

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A 15 lb Ono for 7 Yr old Tommy.  Have you have ever witnessed the face of a child on a fishing rod fighting a fish of any size and anticipating what he is about to land? It is absolutely the most innocent display of sheer ecxitement you can imagine.  Tommy is that story.  On a half day family fishing trip with his Parents and Grandpa, we left the harbor and saw the Spinner Dolphin playing around the green buoy at the harbor entrance.  We headed south.  Having had no activity for hours, we were headed back to the harbor.  Not a good feeling when you have a child that wants to catch a fish.  After all, he was “Fishing”.   This was an extremly patient young man that spent most of the time on the bridge looking for birds, splashes and any sigh that might bring a strike. As the day was winding down, First Mate Adam Ludwig switched out the stinger lure to a Bomboy Bullett and with about 30 seconds left before he was to start bringing in the lines, the stinger is bit!  A Hail Mary Bite!  7 year old Tommy landed the 15 lb Ono and has a great story to tell.  ( And a meal to share.)  Happy New Year Tommy.

Mahi Mahi Surprise for New York Brothers

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Mahi Mahi Surprise for New York Brothers.  As 14 year old brothers Max and Dillon were boarding the Fire Hatt along with their parents David and Dawn for an afternoon family fishing trip, we were told that  Dillon was the lucky one.  Sure enough!  Just moments after the chair talk, we were talking and laughing when the short rigger went off.  As luck would have it, the “Lucky Linda Lure” was the choice for the Mahi.  Dillon is in the chair and the fight is on!  The Mahi Mahi fought hard and Dillon fought harder.  A short 10 minutes later he has his nice 20+ pound Mahi Mahi to the boat.  Crewman Adam Ludwig leadered and gaffed the prize and the fight was finished.  Now the family is trying to determine where to take the beauty to have it prepared for dinner.  There are several restaurants that will prepare your catch.  Have your crew make sure the fish is properly chilled and keep it cold until you get it to the chef.  It is always good to call ahead and let the restaurant know you are coming.

Look at these faces….that tells it all!

Big Blue Marlin for Christmas

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A big Blue Marlin for Christmas.  Riley Wight from Heppner, OR brightened his Christmas Holidays this week in Kona with a beautiful 524 pounder.  It had been a slow couple of days with only one official marlin strike to report until this day.  We left the harbor and headed north to the “grounds”.  Just moments after Crewman Adam Ludwig  finished the chair talk  with Riley, the stinger line was screaming.   We instantly knew it was a big fish and likely a blue marlin.  With lines cleared and cameras manned, Riley is in for the ride of his life.  The fish ran, jumped and charged,  finally becoming tail wrapped.   After determining the fish was dying, we planed the fish up and unfortunately could not revive it.  We boated the marlin and came to the scales to weigh and unload before we headed out for more Hawaiian adventures.  Later in the afternoon we were just outside “F Buoy” and the same lure was bit again.  Line was screaming off and then nothing!  May have been a Big Tuna!

Merry Christmas from Fire Hatt Sportfishing

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This Christmas Season we are forever grateful for all of the wonderful people we met on the water. We always want our guests to come on board as customers and leave as friends.  As we reflect back on the year, we see faces of young children marveling at the fish they just caught, the satisfied look of the guy that just wanted to catch anything, the surprised look on the face of a lovely lady that just landed a marlin larger than her fishing husband ever caught, and the sheer thrill at the sound of a reel going off and the mood on the boat going from just give us a shot  to oh my gosh, look at it jump!   We hope you took fond memories home with you and we thank each and every one of you for chartering with us and hope to see you again in the future.

This year we chose our Christmas Card from Marjorie Smith, chartworksart.com  She lives in Key Largo, FL  Check out her work.

Merry Christmas from Fire Hatt Sportfishing,                                                                                                              Chuck and Linda Wilson

 

 

December Fishing In Kona Hawaii

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Long time friends Russ and Deborah Whitman from Redondo Beach, CA have been fishing in Kona Hawaii for years.  Arriving this week, they already have one trip under their belt.  The Goal, simply catch Russ his first Blue Marlin since his massive heart surgery last year.  Russ is not a beginner.  He has fished Marlin, Tuna and Mako for at least 40 years from Coast to Coast.  Most of those years from his home port of Marina Del Rey, CA.  So far this week, we have a 28+ pound Mahi Mahi to brag about.  We went deep offshore early in the day and found a nice bird pile and lots of bait.  After working the area for a while with no luck, we decided to head back in closer.  Just outside the 500 fa line the long rigger was bit.  Although it was not the prize, it was a nice Mahi Mahi.  Russ, transferring his own rod to the chair had the fish landed in no time.  Did I mention it was caught on the “Lucky Linda Lure?”  We are ready to go after the prize Marlin now.

Fun Fishing in Kona Aboard Fire Hatt

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“I’ve been on numerous fishing charters over the years, from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys, and I must say fishing in Kona aboard the Fire Hatt with Chuck, Linda and Adam off the coast of Kona was the most exciting and enjoyable charter experience I’ve ever had. The captain and crew could not have been more welcoming and hospitable to our group as we enjoyed an entire day of fishing in paradise. With a beautiful 43 foot Hatteras and the best rods, reels and lures, this is truly a first class operation that will not disappoint even the most experienced anglers. Five out of the six people in our group had the opportunity to reel in monster sports fish, exceeding our expectations and providing a truly memorable day that will not be forgotten. The captain and crew are seasoned anglers and go above and beyond to ensure fun is had by all. Anyone who is looking for a perfect day of fishing in some of the best waters in the world, look no further, Fire Hatt is the easy choice.” Guest post by TMack16 from Boston, Massachusetts on November 17, 2011

 

Fishing Floaters in Hawaii

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Fishing floaters in Hawaii is our version of fishing the prized kelp paddy in Southern CA.  This time of year there are still some Pacific Blue Marlin around.  There are still some Ono too.  But honestly, if we can spot a floater this time of year, stand back because we will be in for a great episode of catching.  Heading offshore with a watchful eye, and really good binoculars, we encourage our guests to report anything that is NOT water.  We are looking for birds, trash and current lines.  Our guests really get into it.  This floater pictured to the left consisting of old nets and line was spotted about 10 miles offshore and proved to be loaded.  Our guests spent a couple of hours pulling in nice Mahi Mahi and a few Ono.  After several passes the fish tend to get wary.  Now we get the ballyhoo out and enjoy some light tackle fun!  Of course there is always the possibility that a predator is nearby.  These floaters are considered “refrigerators” for Marlin and other Prey fish.  We always make several passes just outside the area before we leave.  Bigger fish tend to hang just outside and know a meal is there when they are ready to eat.

Offshore Adventure for Joseph Sweeney and Company

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Offshore Adventure for Joseph Sweeney and Company.  Joseph Sweeney is getting married this week.  His buddies, Chris, Mack, Jeff, George, Joseph and Justin treated him to a day of fishing and snorkeling here in beautiful Kona Hawaii.  Although Joseph lives in the Hilo area, he had never fished Kona.  The day started simply with Ono lures in the water and we headed down “Ono Lane” for a quick snorkel at Captain Cook Bay.  The guys are excited with the anticipation of what the day may bring.  Just a short distance from Captain Cook the long corner rod is screaming.  Joseph is in the chair fighting what turns out to be one of our biggest Ono this season and His biggest fish ever!  Estimated at 35+ pounds, the Ono was such a thrill for the group.  Once we finished our snorkel, we put the “big guys” out and head off shore for possibly a Pacific Blue Marlin or perhaps the coveted floater.  Sure enough, we spot a pile of birds at about 2700fa.  Once we arrived in the area we spotted a large cargo line that had been at sea for some time.  With the first pass, a nice Mahi Mahi is caught.  Then mayhem breaks loose.  These are all nice 20-30+ pound Mahi Mahi.  We did get another nice Ono in the mix too.  With the fish box full and the long ride home, we put out a few high speed lures and reluctantly headed in.  The group rode the bow all the way back to the harbor laughing and talking about their offshore adventure.  A good time was had by all.

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.)