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The Lazy Marlin Hunt

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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

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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

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CORONAVIRUS HAWAII

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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

Celebration Aboard Fire Hatt

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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.

Nine Years of Exellence

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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, 2019  FIRE 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 reviewed places 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.

Another Exciting Day on the Water

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Austin Toth releasing Peter Lamm’s 175+ pound Blue Marlin

The big boys are here! Spring continues to be a banner time for the Pacific Blue Marlin in Kona Hawaii. Today was no exception! Peter Lamm visiting the Island from New York landed this beauty fishing aboard Fire Hatt. A nice 175+ pound Blue Marlin was tagged and released by Captain Joe Shumaker and First Mate Austin Toth.  Peter has been fishing the Big Island for many years. Wonder what keeps him coming back?  Another exciting day on the water… 

Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO  Pro Fishing Team.  You can go to AFTCO.com and AFTCO Logo 2read their amazing story.

Five Star Day

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It was a Five Star Day aboard Fire Hatt for a family visiting from Los Angeles.  Our guest released his first Blue Marlin today. To add to the thrill, Captain Joe Schumaker and First Mate Austin Toth hooked another one on the way back to the harbor. Our guest released two trophies in one day!  Making this family fishing trip in Kona, Hawaii a memorable one for his two Sons on board too!

Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO  Pro Fishing Team.  You can go to AFTCO.com and AFTCO Logo 2read their amazing story.

Reality Check for East Coast Family

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John Bolton and his son, Kyle, both from Northern Virginia, and John’s nephews Kevin and Alex Harrison from Beaumont, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, respectively…

Well, they’re back on the snowy East Coast and regretting every minute of it.  It’s 28 degrees and they have 10 inches of white on the ground. a reality check for this East Coast Family, and fellow Texans as well!  The Bolton family has fished aboard Fire Hatt with Captain Chuck Wilson for several years, nothing compares to the day they had this time…Christmas Magic?

John Bolton and his son, Kyle, both from Northern Virginia, and John’s nephews Kevin and Alex Harrison from Beaumont, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, respectively, booked a half-day of family fishing in Kona Hawaii aboard Fire Hatt for the day after Christmas.

We took off from Honokohau Harbor around 7:00 AM with Captain Joe Shumaker at the controls and first mate Anthony De La Cruz setting the lines.  About 10 minutes out, we’re hooked up on two lines!  Kyle is in the chair reeling in the larger fish, while John tries to bring in his fish from the starboard aft.  Kyle’s fish makes a couple of long runs, so Anthony first helps John bring in a nice striped marlin, which we estimated at about 80 pounds.  Anthony successfully tags and releases the striped marlin, then goes to help Kyle bring in and then release a blue marlin, estimated at 175 pounds. Also tagged and released.

Captain Joe brings Fire Hatt to a spot where we see at least four humpback whales frolicking. One of the whales puts on a spectacular breaching display

A great start to the morning only gets better.  After trolling near an offshore buoy, Kevin and Alex spot whale spouts closer to shore, and Captain Joe brings Fire Hatt to a spot where we see at least four humpback whales frolicking.  One of the whales puts on a spectacular breaching display.  After about 30 minutes whale-watching, we’re off to do more fishing, and not long after we’re hooked up again!

This time, Kevin is the chair, and after 15 minutes of hard reeling, he brings another blue marlin — this one estimated at 225 pounds — to the boat.  Beautiful fish, as you can see from the pics.

Unfortunately, we could not get a fourth fish for Alex to bring in, but Fire Hatt entered the harbor flying flags for three marlin.

Fire Hatt is a proud member of the AFTCO  Pro Fishing Team.  You can go to AFTCO.com and AFTCO Logo 2read their amazing story.

Reality Check for East Coast Family