Fire Hatt Family Loses A Dear Friend

November 5, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Barbara Collins and beloved Grandson, Cameron timber proudly showing off Cameron’s Trophy Mahi Mahi!

Fire Hatt Family Loses A Dear Friend. Ten years ago almost to the date, we met a wonderful family from my wife Linda’s home state of Texas. Bob and Barbara Collins from San Antonio and their family chartered with us. This meeting started a long time friendship. Bob and Barbara brought their Daughters, Leigh Ann Timber and Lori Collins along with their Grandson, Cameron Timber almost every year after that fateful first Fishing Charter. We caught many fish over the years and came up empty handed several times too. They loved fishing in Kona. We enjoyed golf with Bob and his Grandson. Then the love of Bob’s life, Barbara passed away suddenly, leaving a void in all of our lives. The Collins’s traveled together, played together and most importantly Prayed Together. Bob and daughter Lori came back to Kona this past month and lovingly scattered some of Barbaras ashes along the beautiful Kailua Kona Coast that she loved so much. We were so honored to perform the ceremony aboard Fire Hatt. A part of Barbara Collins will always be here with us…

Hawaiian Style Fishing at its Finest!

August 11, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Hawaiian style fishing at its finest!

The 30th Firecracker Open Big Game Tournament kicked off the 2017 Tournament Season. It was an intense two days of Tournament Fishing aboard Fire Hatt! There were many hook ups both days and three boated Blue Marlin.

Jody Bright, the tournament director”s comment today: “Krista O” with Capt. Mike O’Shiro, Darren Hayashi and David Magallanes have won the 30th Firecracker Open Big Game Fishing Tournament – in a 17 foot boat – with a 533 pound blue marlin. It’s “OFFICIAL”.

Some of the finest, funniest, local characters competing against some of the biggest names and war wagons in the game. In true Kona Style, we all celebrate your win – a hui hou!

Fire Hatt had a Spearfish release on day one by Charles DiBona, and a Blue Marlin release estimated at 175 pounds in just under 15 minutes on day two by Jeff Curry. We had two other awesome marlin strikes that did not stick. Last year during this tournament, Charles DiBona tagged and released his first Marlin, this year, Jeff Curry tagged and released his first Marlin. Our crew, Captains Chuck Wilson, Joe Schumaker and Jack Leverone are awesome! Chuck and I are looking forward to the next event. Check out the Kona Tournament Schedule here at konatournaments.com

#FireHattSportfishing #CharterFishingInKonaHawaii #HawaiianStyle

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

Holy Cow! Big Tuna!

July 13, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Holy Cow! This was the term used by Monte Priest after landing this big cow tuna! Our Son Monte and his family are visiting us from Killeen, Texas. Monte is a 20 year Firefighter/Paramedic in the Central Texas area. Along with his wife Nicole and Son Miles they have been to the Big Island several times and spent many hours aboard Fire Hatt trying for the trophy Marlin….or anything. In all his years of fishing in Kona Hawaii and in Southern California we had not been able to get him his Marlin. Until today! With Captain Chuck Wilson at the helm, we left Honokohau Harbor at about 6:30 AM and around seven o’clock we had a grand explosion on the short rigger….we are Hooked Up! Monte fought the Ahi for about 18 minutes and had the beauty in the box! We had just finished putting the lines back out and were still hosing the blood off the deck when the short corner line started screaming. We are Hooked Up again! Monte was back in the chair, still worn out from fighting the first fish. Captain Joe Shumaker leadered the Blue Marlin after another impressive short fight. Monte was out of the chair and Tagged his first Marlin. Captain Chuck commented “When you want a fish so badly for someone, that is the hardest fish to catch.” Congratulations Monte! #FireHattSportfishing #BestCharterFishingInKonaHawaii #MarlinFishingInKonaHawaii #AFTCOProTeam

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

Hawaiian Style Fishing at its Finest!

July 3, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Hawaiian style fishing at its finest! The 30th Firecracker Open Big Game Tournament kicked off the 2017 Tournament Season. It was an intense two days of Tournament Fishing aboard Fire Hatt! There were many hook ups both days and three boated Blue Marlin.

Jody Bright, the tournament director”s comment today: “Krista O” with Capt. Mike O’Shiro, Darren Hayashi and David Magallanes have won the 30th Firecracker Open Big Game Fishing Tournament – in a 17 foot boat – with a 533 pound blue marlin. It’s “OFFICIAL”.

Some of the finest, funniest, local characters competing against some of the biggest names and war wagons in the game. In true Kona Style, we all celebrate your win – a hui hou!

Fire Hatt had a Spearfish release on day one by Charles DiBona, and a Blue Marlin release estimated at 175 pounds in just under 15 minutes on day two by Jeff Curry. We had two other awesome marlin strikes that did not stick. Last year during this tournament, Charles DiBona tagged and released his first Marlin, this year, Jeff Curry tagged and released his first Marlin. Our crew, Captains Chuck Wilson, Joe Schumaker and Jack Leverone are awesome! Chuck and I are looking forward to the next event. Check out the Kona Tournament Schedule here at konatournaments.com

#FireHattSportfishing #CharterFishingInKonaHawaii #HawaiianStyle

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

Mahi Mahi Makes Memories for Six Year Old Gavin Kelln

May 28, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Beautiful Morning Sunrise aboard Fire Hatt with the Kelln and Dwyer Families, Waiting for the Mahi Mahi bite!

Mahi Mahi Makes Memories for Six Year Old Gavin Kelln.

Serena and Steven Kelln, Steven’s dad, Elton, and their (soon to be 6 year old) son, Gavin along with brother in law, David Dwyer and his daughter, Sarah spent the day on a family fishing trip here in Kona Hawaii and had the privilege and wonderful experience of heading out on the water with Captain Joe Shumaker and Captain Brian Shumaker on a gorgeous morning in March. Sightings of dolphins on the way out of the harbor were amazing and the beautiful blue sky and calm water made for a relaxing and wonderful experience. The first couple hours of their trip passed uneventfully without a nibble but the newness of being on a boat kept 5 year old Gavin entertained and excited to be out. They all just enjoyed the beauty of the water and the friendly company of the Captains. This was an extended family fishing trip but also the unique opportunity to fulfill the exceptionally special birthday request of Gavin’s, to be able to fish for the very first time for his upcoming 6th birthday. Then, within the last half hour of their trip, we had two strikes! We are Hooked Up! Gavin and his Dad had the thrill of a lifetime hauling in a beautiful Mahi Mahi together. Gavin had a bout of shyness and didn’t get a picture with the Mahi Mahi but Steven happily stepped in and took his place. Although there was little action on the first part of the trip it was absolutely chalked full of firsts and amazing memories that they will all look back on with such incredible fondness. Thank you Kelln’s and Dwyer’s for your great spirit and friendliness, we are looking forward to seeing you folks again in the future! #familyfishinginkonahawaii

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

From Two Pound Bass to 200 Pound Blue Marlin

May 21, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

From Two Pound Bass to 200 Pound Blue Marlin. Today on Fire Hatt, Daniel Perez broke his personal all time record for the largest fish he has ever caught, (a two pound Bass). This estimated 200 pound Pacific Blue Marlin will give him bragging rights for a very long time. Daniel brought the beauty to the boat in just under 20 minutes. The Marlin was tagged and released, tired but unharmed by Captain Joe Shumaker. Nice! Daniel is from the Bay Area of Northern California. Fire Hatt was in about 1200 fathoms just outside the Honokohau Harbor Marina when the fish exploded on the short bait. Captain Joe Shumaker likes to run the well known “Smash Bait” in tight close to the boat…for this reason! The Big Blue jumped at least fifty times and tired itself out giving Daniel the upper hand.

Tagging and Releasing of Pacific Blue Marlin

Scientific name: Makaira nigricans. The blue marlin is the largest of the marlins, common to 11 feet, and known to exceed 2,000 pounds. It is cobalt blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom, although colors can vary by region. In common with striped marlin, they are rarely encountered in shallow nearshore waters, preferring blue, oceanic waters.

Tag and recapture data show that blue marlin travel long distances and routinely make trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic crossings. One recent tag return indicates the first inter-ocean for a blue marlin that earlier data on genetics suggested occurred). In the Pacific, blue marlin tagged in Kona, Hawaii have been recaptured in the South China Sea, in the Marquesas, and off the western coast of South America Some of these movements have occurred in relatively short time scales.

In August of 1997 a pilot project was undertaken on blue marlin in Pacific waters off the coast of Kona, Hawaii. In this project the first generation pop-up satellite tags were set for durations of 60-90 days and fish ranged in body size between 130 and 300 lbs. Three of the tags successfully surfaced and transmitted data, and one fish was caught within a week after release within a mile of the initial tag and release event. Remarkably, one blue marlin traveled from Hawaii to an area west of the Galapagos (a distance of approximately 3000 nm) in 90 days. At the time people doubted a marlin from Hawaii could travel this far. The remaining five tagged blue marlin did not report back for unknown reasons, possibly tag failure due to antenna interaction with the fish or mortality. The tagging data provided a short term view that was consistent with the acoustic tagging data- marlin were primarily fish of the surface 50m but occasionally dove to deeper depths.

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

Big Blue Marlin Tournament Time In Kona

May 10, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Captain Chuck Wilson releasing a nice Pacific Blue Marlin

Big Blue Marlin Tournament Time In Kona. LOOKING FOR TOURNAMENT TEAMS AND ANGLERS 2017

It’s that time of year when our Charter boat FIRE HATT has booked some Tournaments here in Kona Hawaii, and we still have some tournament openings. A couple of high stakes tournaments are completely open and we are looking for one angler to team up with another angler for the Big Island Marlin Tournament, August 24-25-26, a three fishing day tournament and typically large payout.

We are also wide open for the first tournament of the season, The Rock ‘n Reel Tournament on June 10 and 11.

World Cup Blue Marlin Championship … The one day Tournament on July 4th is thebiggest payout of the year

If you are interested, just give me a call at 808-987-0038 or email at firehatt@gmail.com

These high stakes and high adventure events can instantly change your fortune. Check out our website firehattsportfishing.com to see who we are and also Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series to see details of all events.

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

Kona Hawaii – The Anglers Paradise

April 26, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Kona Hawaii – The Anglers Paradise

May is the beginning of the two month transition of water temperatures to summer fishing here in Kona, Hawaii. The cooler (78 to 79 degrees) water will change to the July through October 80 to 84 degree water temps. Some of our fish population such as Striped Marlin and Mahi will move on as the water warms up. They prefer the cooler water temps, and are replaced by vast numbers of Blue Marlin and large Ahi (Yellowfin) Tuna.

No question we have year round populations of Blue Marlin and Mahi, it’s just that their numbers diminish with the warmer summer season.

Expect great fishing in Kona Hawaii as our Ono (Wahoo) run has started. There have already been healthy catches and 40 to 50 pound size increasing up to the expected big fish of the year in the 80 plus pound range. We fish “Ono Alley” or a depth of 40 fathoms (240) feet and some of the best populations are found right outside Honokohau Harbor. Nothing starts a day of fishing better than an early catch right outside the harbor of one of these prized fish. FIRE HATT had a double a couple days ago on Ono and got one that weighed 35 pounds. Fishing south a few miles below Captain Cook is considered a safe bet to get some of the big Ono (Wahoo) …Ono is .a Hawaiian word for delicious…

We will see our water temp rising to around 80 and increasing numbers of Blue Marlin and Ahi.

If you are considering fishing one of the Kona Marlin Tournaments in summer 2017, now is the time to book your boat and crew. The end of June and first two weeks of July is no doubt one of the best one month of Tournament Marlin fishing found anywhere in the World, right here in Kona. Contact me at 808.987.0038 for information either fishing with us or one of our recommended boats.

Come on over to Kona and enjoy some of the safest and fun family times you will ever have here in Paradise.

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

Oh So Close, It was a little painful, but worth every moment!

April 11, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Oh So Close! “It was a little painful, but worth every moment” says Julia and Jon Eichler who live in Eagle River, Alaska. The Eichlers have been to the Islands five times since 2011. They have been to Kailua-Kona on 3 occasions including this last trip. The family fished with Chuck and I a few years ago, we did not get one bite, but it was a beautiful trip with some snorkeling at Captain Cook Monument. They were then visiting the island because Julia had competed in the LavaMan Triathlon.

This time they wanted to dedicate the entire charter to fishing. “Captain Joe Schumaker and deckhand Captain Brian Schumaker did a great job of making this an enjoyable trip and did a wonderful job. Very professional.” Were the comments relayed to Chuck and I from Julia and Jon.

We had great weather of course and several whale sightings. About 30 minutes before the fish hit, Joe mentioned that fish normally hit when all of the guests have fallen asleep. Jon’s wife and daughter fell asleep and he tried to keep his eyes open, but found himself waking up to the sound of the reel screaming! Hooked Up! The Marlin came in on the long rigger line and ate a pearl head bullet.

This Pacific Blue Marlin is the biggest fish Jon has caught. Though he wasn’t sure why it was considered caught, but apparently knew a requirement was met that makes it reportable.

RELEASE: Once you get to leader it is considered Catch and Release whether you release it or it releases itself. In a tournament situation, the fish would have to have been tagged for it to count.

Video courtesy of Jon and Julia Eichler.

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

A Break From Alaska

April 8, 2017/in Captains Blog /by linda

Monica and James Lavell with their 40 pound Short Bill Spearfish

A break from Alaska finds this charming couple their largest fish ever! James and Monica Lavell were on a delayed Honeymoon here in Kona Hawaii. It was their first trip to the Islands. The couple live in Eagle River, AK where James is a Operating Room Nurse and Monica is an ICU Nurse. While charter fishing in Kona Hawaii aboard Fire Hatt, they were hoping to catch anything! That anything turned out to be a nice 40 pound Short Bill Spearfish! James said “It all happened so fast!” Captains Joe Schumaker and Brian Schumaker had James swiftly in the chair and fighting the fish in a matter of seconds. With Monica cheering him on, he brought the Spearfish to the boat in just under 15 minutes. Fishing in Kona Hawaii was sure to hold a lot memories for this couple. Hope to see them again on another break from Alaska and have Monica get her biggest fish too!

SHORTBILL SPEARFISH (HEBI)

Hawaii Market Name: Hebi
Scientific Name: Tetrapturus angustirostris
Hawaiian Name: A`u
Japanese Name: Fuuraikajiki

Shortbill spearfish are commonly known as Hebi in Hawaii. Its dorsal fin is shorter than that of other billfish species, and its bill is very short in comparison. Hebi caught in Hawaiian waters are usually between 20 and 40 pounds in weight.

Hebi has white to pink colored flesh that is somewhat softer than that of Nairagi or Kajiki. Its flavor is mild (although more pronounced than ahi). It is one of several species of billfish, which are suitable for grilled or broiled “catch of the day” menu items in restaurants.

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