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Spearfish Are Here and They Are Hungry.

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Sreve Dahl SpearfishSpearfish Are Here and They Are Hungry.  With fishing or should I say “catching” having been slow for a few weeks, the bite finally turned on.  There have been reports of Striped Marlin and Spearfish in numbers showing up daily.  We have had nice bites on Mahi Mahi too. Recently, on a half day afternoon family fishing trip,  Ken Shaw from Edmonton Alberta landed this impressive 35+ lb Shortbill Spearfish.  The past few days we have had multiple hookups.  We’ve had a good couple of days landing two nice Spearfish and a Mahi Mahi and an Ono.

 

Featured in the photo representing AFTCO as one of their Pro Teams is  First Mate Brett Lasenby with angler Ken Shaw.

Not a Bad Day of Fishing In Kona Hawaii

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Not a Bad Day of Fishing In Kona Hawaii with this group visiting from across the country attending a Medical Conference.  Coincidently, the Wives won this trip and the guys got to catch the fish.  Marriages made in heaven!   The group boarded at 7:00 am with so much energy and excitement I knew this was going to be a great day.  Once we cleared the harbor and lines were set, Linda gave the chair talk.  Everyone was just settling in when the stinger line was bit.  The fish did not stick, I made a turn and worked the area for a while and then moved on.  Linda spotted a bird pile in the distance about five miles out so I turned and headed that way.  As we approached there was still a lot of bait and birds in the area.  I had a lot of activity the last few days out deep so we stayed outside and headed south.  Then the action started and kept going all day!  First, the stinger is bit, Jeff Jackson is in the chair and I am helping to clear lines and now the short rigger line is bit.  Double Hook Up!  Kurt Andresen was designated as the second angler and  is fighting his fish from the gunnell.  Talk about exciting!  And we got both fish.  Two Shortbill Spearfish about 35 to 40 lbs each.  With lines back out I stay deep and follow a current line.  After just a short distance, the Stinger line is bit….again.  Line is screaming and I can tell this one is NOT a Spearfish.   Mike Agema is in the chair and the fight begins.  Mike brings his fish to the boat in just under 15 minutes and has officially caught and released his first Pacific Blue Marlin estimated at about 125 pounds!  Nice Job!  Linda no sooner has lines back in the water and the stinger line is down again!  A nice Shortbill Spearfish is caught this time by Brad Browder, this one we tagged and released.  All the guys got to fight a fish today.  Now the ladies enter the rotation.  Erin Browder is first up and she is ready!  Reluctant at the start of the day, the ladies did not want to pull on any fish.  Now…. after seeing the unbeleivable action all day, they want their time in the chair!  Unfortunately the day ended with not more action and they are talking about coming back next year and getting their shot!  These Guests are part of a larger group and wondered if they could have some of the Spearfish to take back to their Hotel to have prepared for everyone?  I delivered the two Spearfish to the Hotel and was told by these guests that the Chef’s did a fabulous job preparing the fish a couple of different ways and it fed everyone.  It was the hit of the trip for them! They all agreed that is was”Not a Bad Day of Fishing In Kona Hawaii.”

I have been seeing large schools of bait, hundreds of acres, and a lot of birds in the past week mostly off shore to the southwest where our Pelagic fish migrate in to the Kona shores.  This is typical of the start of the season.  Bait arrives followed by the large predators.  While always watching for signs on the water,  and studying tides, currents and water temps,  there are signs that give you a better chance of finding fish such as, that Spearfish are a favorite food for big Blue Marlin and when you find them in numbers as we did today….hang on folks as this could get interesting in a hurry!

Featured in the photo above is Erin Browder “Tending the Bat”,  Jeff Jackson (boated Spearfish), Brad Browder (tagged Spearfish), Mike Agema (tagged Blue Marlin),  Amy Agema (with gaff ready) and  Kurt Andresen (first boated Spearfish)

Fire Hatt is a member of the AFTCO Pro Fishing Team

Big Sky Big Ocean

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Big Sky Big Ocean for this family from Big Sky, Montana.  John and Laura Michel were here on the Big island visiting our neighbors Bruce and Kathy Wilson.  The four of them, long tme friends and business partners were hoping for a little action and maybe a food fish to take home.  For John, his biggest fish until now had been a Trout.  Not just any trout, but a 22″ Rainbow caught in Yellowstone Lake.  There was not a lot of action early in the day.  Linda was in the glasses looking for a floater that was reported earlier that morning around the area where “F” Buoy used to be.  On the horizon, we could see about six boats in that area and assumed they got the same information.  On the way to check it out we came through an area with a little life and birds.  Jackpot!  The long rigger line is bit.  John takes position in the chair and the fight is on.  There is a little weight there and we are thinking small tuna?  Then the fish shows itself and we see it’s a nice Shortbill Spearfish!  John has the fish to the boat in just a few minutes and Adam skillfully gaffs it and in the boat it comes.  We have the food fish they wanted.  With lines back in the water we are on our way to check out the area we were headed to.  As we approach we can see porpoise.  We made several passes and did not get any action.  With that, we left the area and tried to find the reported floater.  As we headed back north towards the harbor, the short rigger is bit, we are hooked up again!  This time Bruce was supposed to be in the chair.  The line was screaming and Bruce was not in the chair yet.  Soooo, John jumps in the chair and begins to fight the fish thinking he will give up the rod when Bruce get there.  Not so much!  John lands the nice Mahi Mahi and now has two of the biggest fish of his life, his first two Flag Fish and alot of memories to take home.  There was some mention of a new nickname for John…something like “Rod Hog”.  It was all in good fun and it turns out, Bruce did not want to bring in a fish, he wanted his friend to enjoy the opportunity to fish the beautiful Kona waters.  Truly a Family Fishing experience.

Featured in the photos above are Bruce and Kathy Wilson from Kona, Hawaii and Laura and John Michel from Big Sky, Momtana

Fire Hatt is a member of the AFTCO Pro Fishing Team

Family Fishing Adventure Aboard Fire Hatt

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Family Adventure Aboard Fire Hatt.  Mark Nikkel from Chicago, his father John and his father in law Wilber, both from Michigan joined us last week for a day of family fishing.  Mark has fished with us in the past and he landed a nice 450 pound Blue Marlin.  Now returning with his family, he wanted to give it another try…maybe something bigger?  With that said, we head out.  Reports from the few days prior told us that it was lumpy up north on the “grounds” so I headed south.  It was a pretty quiet morning with no action.  Then mid day, just off Captain Cook  about 1:30 in the afternoon one of the rigger lines came down.  Nothing forcefull, it acted like a rubber band failure.  While Adam was putting that line back up, the stinger came down pretty hard.  I could see a fish still tracking the lure and Adam immediately started to tease it.  We are Hooked Up!  The Marlin took the absolute smallest lure in the pattern.  A small slender bullet made by Al Bento.  The fish was fought on a Ken Matsuura 50 with 130 lb Amalon mono.   With lines cleared and his Father the chair, the battle is on!  John fought the fish for about 45 minutes and then turned the fight over to Wilber.  Wilber fought the fish to the end.  Total fight time was 1 hour 40 minutes.  Both of these fishermen are 75 years old!  Until now, the largest fish for these men was a 40 pound Salmon.  Once Adam got the fish to leader, we gave Mark the honor of setting the first gaff shot.  I placed the second gaff and the three of us pulled the trophy on board.

Grander 1058 lbs Marlin

A Grander (1000+ lbs.) for FIRE HATT

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Grander 1058 lbs Marlin

Something truly amazing happened for our little fishing charter company here in Kona. We landed a “Grander” which is a fish that most fisherman only dream of, weighing 1000+ pounds.

The 1,058 Pound Blue Marlin was caught by our guest and client, Salil Simon Kharat, on a black and Pink Moldcraft Softhead Lure. It took Salil only 2 hours and 35 minutes to land the Grander on a Ken Matsuura 50 Reel loaded with 650 yards of backing with a topshot of 130 lb Amilon Mono. Salil was visiting from Folsom, California with his wife and two little girls on an afternoon fishing charter and just wanted to enjoy a family adventure while vacationing in Hawaii. I’m thinking he has a lot memories to share with his family for a very long time.

This photo below was shared with us from Leigh Ann Stumfoll on the boat Sapo. Sapo was beside us when the Grander struck. This is an awesome action shot, showing the sheer size and magnitude of this giant fish.

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Check out this YouTube video below that Salil put together for us. Nice Work!

This catch also secured our entry into an exclusive and prestigious group called the World Grander Club.

A Grand Time Aboard Fire Hatt

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A Grand Time Aboard Fire Hatt.  This is my first day back on the boat in twelve days.  I was on the mainland teaching my Fire Department classes and could not wait to get back on the water.  While I was away, I had a backup Captain, Lloyd Potter.  Every day I would check in with him and Adam and tell them both “NO GRANDERS!”  They just chuckled and went fishing.  Today I had double charters. I took a family to Captain Cook in the morning for a snorkel/fishing trip.  I brought those guests back to the harbor without having a bite all morning.  We did see a fabulous display from a mighty Humpback Whale though.  With the afternoon guests on board for a four hour trip, we head back out.  Salil Kharat just wanted to catch something!  Being from the Folsom, CA area, Salil loves to fish.  Having caught his share of  Trout and other species, he wanted at least a food fish today.  He brought along his wife and two little girls for a family fishing day who waited almost the whole trip for some action.  Salil’s oldest daughter told her Mom she was praying for a fish for her Dad.  With only a half hour left and heading back to the harbor, I saw something slashing the water ahead of me.  I went to check it out….now the short rigger line is screaming.  We are Hooked Up!  The fish exploded and ran fiercely.  Saul is in the chair fighting the fish of a lifetime.   The line  ripped off the reel in seconds and I had to turn the boat an chase the fish to get line back.   A fter a two hour fight on a Ken Matsuura 50 reel spooled with a topshot of 130lb mono with 650 yards of backing, we have subdued the fish.  We are all overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Marlin.  Adam leadered the fish and held her while I gaffed.  After several minutes and a come-along, we have the fish through the transom door and we are headed to the scales.  1,058 pounds later, we have our Pacific Blue Marlin Grander!  Salil has the greatest fishing story ever and his family have memories of a lifetime!  All is good in paradise!

Jeffrey’s Fish of a Lifetime is Caught in Kona Hawaii

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Jeffrey’s Fish of a Lifetime is caught in Kona Hawaii. Jeffrey and Katie Fogel along with Katie’s parents, Greg and Bernadette Zemenick boarded Fire Hatt hoping for a fun trip and a wonderful experience. Since it was Jeffrey’s first fishing trip, the family all agreed that he would be first in the chair.  The water was flat and calm so we headed north to the “grounds”.   After trolling for about an hour we had our first strike. The long rigger line is screaming!  We are hooked up! Jeffrey quickly made his way down from the bridge and began reeling in his first fish, after a short fight, he has a 40lb Shortbill Spearfish to the boat!  By the way, the hit was on one of the boats favorite lures, the “Lucky Linda” on a Ken Matsuura reel spooled with 50lb test line.   This was Jeffrey’s first fish…ever!  How exciting.  Crewman Chet Chiara from Anchorage, AK was on board today and did an awesome job subduing the fish.  Jeffrey grew up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, spent his undergrad years at Harvard and then pursued a PhD in Astrophysics at the University of Michigan. Now he is a management consultant at a firm in Princeton, NJ.  As you can imagine he didn’t have a great deal of free time for fishing while growing up.

Not long after Jeffrey landed the spearfish we had another strike.  This time it is Katie in the chair. The fish hit the short rigger line and then moved on to take the stinger line.  We are hooked up again!  This time it is a Pacific Blue Marlin.   Katie got in the chair, snapped herself in and began reeling.   Although Katie wanted to catch the Marlin she didn’t want to injure it.   She also began lamenting the fact that she didn’t want the fish to have a heart attack or be injured.  Sooo, not too long after she voiced her concerns the Marlin opted for self-preservation and spit the hook.  Needless to say she was disappointed but at the same time relieved that the fish did get away.  Katie, who is a Pediatric Orthopedic Physician Assistant in Neptune, NJ has been fishing since she was a child and has a special love of deep sea fishing.  It has always been Katie’s dream to catch a marlin and there it was.   As for Greg and Bernadette, they enjoyed the show, loved watching their daughter and son-inlaw fight fish and making lasting memories of their family fishing trip in Kona Hawaii.  I think we will see them again soon.

A Shining Star on Fire Hatt

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A Shining Star on Fire Hatt.  Meet Harrison, this was Harrison’s first fishing trip…ever!  Harrison’s Dad, Myles told me when he boarded Fire Hatt that morning “I just want Harrison to catch something.”  No pressure here.  I often tell our guests the toughest person to please are 5 to 14 year old boys.  Their parents tell them they are going fishing so they expect to catch a fish.  When it happens, it is the most thrilling event to watch unfold, remember your first fish?  This fish was caught on the grounds, just off the “pens”.   Harrison’s Barracuda weighed about 12 pounds.  After the photos were taken, the fish was released back into the beautiful Pacific Blue Ocean.  With a little help from his dad, he landed the fish in just a few minutes.  He has a great story to tell his friends back home about his family fishing adventure in Kona Hawaii.

These fish sometimes referred to as the “silver bullet” of the sea, the great barracuda deserves its reputation as a fierce predator. Long, lean and mean, it can strike without warning, reportedly at speeds approaching 40 feet per second. Also known by its Hawaiian name of Kaku, this largest of the barracudas in Hawaiian waters can weigh up to a maximum of 100 pounds and reach six feet in length. However, barracuda of such size are uncommon. If one that size were caught here, the incident probably would make news. You can learn more about the Great Baracudda by visiting this useful site:

 http://www.mauioceancenter.com/index.php?id=11&ss=0&page=marine&content=marine_detail&cat=1&CRid=73&limitstart=0

One of My favorite Family Fishing Stories

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One of My favorite Family Fishing Stories.  This family of six including two young Sons and their Grandmother from Canada wanted to snorkel and fish.  So, we headed out to do just that.  On the way down to Captain Cook Bay to Snorkel we saw Pilot Whales and Porpoise.  Everyone aboard marveled and took photos of the spectacular sight.  even though we are on our way to snorkel, we do have have five lines in the water hoping for a bite.  However, not a single nibble was had on the way down.  With all the guests in the water enjoying a mid morning snorkel and swim in the pristine bay, Adam and I are planning our strategy for the return trip back to the harbor.  I decide to head out to the 1000 fathom line and try our luck on the outside.  As I approached the area, I turned north and headed up the coast.  Then as anticipated, the long corner line is bit.  We are hooked up!  In the chair is Grandma, 63 year old Donna Stewart is now fighting her fish of a lifetime!  With help and encouragement from her son Eian, they sucessfully land the beautiful Pacific Blue Marlin.  I tagged the fish and as we are attempting to release it when we see that it is not going to live.   As we get the marlin secure in the cockpit of the boat,  Eian’s wife yells out SHARK!   With cameras snapping shots of the shark, we realize that would have been the Marlins fate in the end if we had released it injured.   We bring Donna’s fish to the scale and are pleased with the 444 pound weight.  What a memorable day.

 

Featured in the photo is the Stewart Family with Donna’s 444 Pound Pacific Blue Marlin

Good Luck for the Soon to Be Groom

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A guys day out before the Big Day proves to be very lucky for the groom and his soon to be brother in law.  Danny and Anthony along with their Dads  John and Tony boarded Fire Hatt for a day of family fishing just like every one of our guests…hoping for a little action!  Let me tell you about how much action…  Shortly after the chair talk while I was headed to an area where I had been seeing fish and had a few bites the day before, the long rigger is bit.  We are hooked up! Considered to be Good Luck for the Soon to Be Groom, Danny is in the chair first.  He should after all have the first fish.   The bite turns out to be an Ono.  A rouge Ono in the deep!  Danny brings the fish to the boat in just minutes and the lines are put back out.  We continue to scout the area until we are bit again.  This time the short corner is bit.  Hooked Up again!  This time it is the real thing!  A nice Blue Marlin took Linda’s favorite Hi-5 lure.  As Tony is getting in the chair the fish is screaming off line.  After a 30 minute fight, the fish is to the boat and is tail wrapped in the line.  We are able to quickly get the fish turned around and remove the hooks.  With determined effort, the 200 pound Marlin is revived and swims away healthy.  The Ono was Danny’s first and the Blue Marlin was Tony’s first.  The group were experienced fishermen from Florida and this was their first time fishing in Kona Hawaii.  I don’t think it will be their last…..   The Groom was able to bring fresh Ono to the family that evening.