Posts

Record Ahi for Gary Nardi Aboard the Fire Hatt

/in /by

Gary Nardi's 235 Pound Yellowfin tunaRecord Ahi for Gary Nardi Aboard the Fire Hatt.  Gary Nardi and his Father In-Law, Bill Chase from Northern CA have been fishing the Kona Hawaii Tournaments for years going back to the 70’s.  Having been aboard many boats over the years, we were delighted to have them as team mates for the World Cup Marlin Tournament and the Fire Cracker Open this year.  They brought along a nice collection of old stand by proven lures from their arsenal to pull.   The World Cup left us with out a Marlin.  We had one nice strike and the fish did not stick….  This did not phase our team.  Gary and Bill returned two days later with the same enthusiasim and the game was on!  With lures set, including a favorite chrome jet of theirs on the stinger.  (A friend of theirs caught an 1100 pound Marlin on one just like it, so they have complete faith in it.)  Sure enough,  our first bite of the day…on the stinger, on their chrome jet!  Gary fights the fish to the boat and knowing the feel of the fish, he knows it is probably an Ahi.  A beautiful 111 pound Yellowfin Tuna is boated and we are on the board for day one.  With spirits high, we are now on day two of the Tournament.  We set our pattern and wait.  We had an early bite that did not stick.  Then just after 3:00pm the long rigger line is bit. We are Hooked Up!  The fish took an old Joe Yee Mini Plunger.  Line is screaming off and Gary once again is in the chair.  It is a much heavier fish than the day before and in just a short 20 minute fight the fish is to the boat.  With Adam at leader and Linda at gaff, we have boated what is clearly a tournament contender and a new boat record for Yellowfin Tuna.  The Ahi weighs in at 235 pounds taking the Dailies for day two in the Ahi division.  The biggest Ahi of the tournament was caught by Team Maui Jim weighing in at 236.5 pounds.  So close!

Featured in the photo representing AFTCO as one of their Pro Teams is Captain Chuck Wilson, First Mate Adam Ludwig and Second Mate Linda Wilson along with team mates Gary Nardi and Bill Chase.

Tenatious Fight by 9 Year Old Aidan Hunter Lands Blue Marlin

/in /by

Justin and Lenora Hunter are completing a full year of traveling around the world with their two sons.  Fishing in Kona Hawaii is one of their last trips before heading to Alaska.   9 year old Aidan and 12 year old Zach are experiencing opportunities of a life time while getting to fish in places like South Africa and various other destinations in the South Pacific.  Having caught some impressive fish along the way, they could only dream about hooking a Pacific Blue Marlin.  They Did!  We left the harbor at 7:00 am for a 3/4 day charter and headed South towards Captain Cook.  They enjoyed a beautiful snorkel in the bay and anxiously got back to the boat to continue the quest.  So far we did not even get a bite.  The boys are begining to look at Me and Adam and Mom and Dad giving the “Where’s the fish?” look. No pressure there… On our way back up the line just after noon, the long rigger line is bit and line is screaming!  The Ice Blue Lucky Linda Lure comes through for us again, we are Hooked Up!  It is a Blue Marlin and 9 year old Aidan is in the chair.  With lines cleared and Adam at his side, the battle begins.  I was so amazed at the tenacity of this young man!  He fought sooo hard.  After about fifteen minutes Aidan gave his older brother Zach an opportunity in the chair.  Knowing this was Aidan’s fish, Zach lets Aidan back in the chair to finish the fight.  This fish was to the boat quickly, we had it to leader two times and had to let go. On the third try we were able to successfully get the hook out and release a nice healthy fiesty Pacific Blue Marlin.  We estimated Aidan’s fish to be about 400 pounds.  This crushes the family record Marlin held by Aidan’s Grandfather, a 300+ pounder.  I think the bar has been set quite high for Zach now!

Featured in photo above is Adam Ludwig with Aidan’s Pacific Blue Marlin to leader wearing AFTCO Release Gloves.  The Lucky Linda Lure is by Bomboy Lures.

Not a Bad Day of Fishing In Kona Hawaii

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

Grander 1058 lbs Marlin

A Grander (1000+ lbs.) for FIRE HATT

/in /by

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.

IMG_2386 1

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.

Banner Day Aboard Fire Hatt

/in /by

Banner Day Aboard Fire Hatt.  It just doesn’t get better than this!  Heather and Rob Dawson from Kamloops, Canada spend a few weeks a year here fishing in Kona.  The Dawson’s own a boat and are avid fishermen at home.  This year the two of them put in three full days of fishing.  The first day did not even produce one bite!  It has been a frustratiing couple of months for fishing here in Kona.  the bite has definately been off.  A few fish being caught each day is all that has been reported.  Every year that the Dawson’s arrive, Rob announces that he wants to go Shark Hunting.  A few years back we landed Rob a 300+ pound White Tip Shark that we tagged and released.  Last year we did not produce one for him.  So this year he wants to try again.  So on this day we head way south to “UU Buoy” to give it a try.  We head out and will troll to the area and hope to at least catch them a food fish on the way.  Then just10 minutes out of the harbor we are Hooked Up!  Four lines are screaming! A quadruple Stiped Marlin Bite!   Heather is in the chair and Rob is deciding what line HE wants.  Rob gets his fish to the boat first and it is successfully tagged and released.  The fish is estimated at about 50 pounds.  Heather brings her fish to the boat after about a 10 minute fight.  Hers is also successfully tagged and released.  Her fish is the bigger of the two estimated at about 80 pounds.  This is Heather’s first billfish ever.  Nice Work by these two anglers.  With lines back in the water we are under way for the anticipated shark encounter.  We are hooked up again.  Heather is in the chair and this time she lands her first Shortbill Spearfish.  Now we arrive at the buoy and there are a few boats fishing the area so we know there are bait fish around.  We stop outside of them and begin to put chum in the water and within a few short minutes we have our first shark sighting.  Looks like a White Tip Shark.  We bait a single hook and offer it.  One bump, two bumps, a short run and the bait is gone.  We try again and after about an hour, we have another visitor.  All we see is a big dark shape in the water and it is interested in the bait.  Again, the fish bumps the bait a few times, takes it for a short run and we set the hook.  Rob is in the chair with a huge grin on his face.  He got his Shark.  When we got it to the side of the boat, we were surprised to see that it was a “Blue Shark”.  They are known to be in the area, but not seen that often.  Rob wanted to be the one to release it, so with assistance from Adam our crewman, he held the leader and let Rob cut him loose. We photographed the fish and successfully released it back into the deep!  The score at the end of the day…Three Striped Marlin Releases, one Boated Shortbill Spearfish and one Released Blue Shark.  A Banner Day!

Big Kahuna nets a Big Ka-tuna Kona Fishing

/in /by

Chet Chiara, a retired Fire Captain from Anchorage Alaska, spends many days a year here in Kona fishing, hoping for the Big One.  On this day, we decided to head off shore.  Armed with two pair if Gyros, we scanned the horizon for a Porpoise School or a “Floater”.  With just Linda and I on board today, we were quite excited about what this day might bring.  Then, I heard those three words from Linda that get me going!  “I got something!”  I then look to see what direction she is viewing and turn the boat.   She gives me an estimate on distance and tells me what she sees.  This time she sees splashing about three miles out.  A porpoise shcool with no one around!  We changed out lures to smaller ones and made our first pass.  We are Hooked Up!  The Short Rigger line is bit!  Oh, and it is the “Lucky Linda Lure”.  Chet is in the chair and the battle begins.  After a twenty minute fight, Chet has his prize to the boat.  A 97 pound Yellowfin Tuna!  His biggest tuna to date.  Chet, an avid hunter and fisherman, will definately add this trophy to his collection.  Chet has been Kona fishing for 20 years and always anticipates capturing a new personal record.  Chet was on Fire Hatt when we got the 978.5 pound Pacific Blue Marlin in 2011.  We consider him a good luck charm.

 

Kona Hawaii Fishing Tournament Schedule 2013

/in /by

Charter Desk New Year’s Day Tournament –   January 1st

The Charter Desk is hosting their annual New Year’s Day Tournament!!  Sign up at the Charter Desk!  http://www.charterdesk.com/tournaments.html

Rock and Reel Tournament –   June 14th 15th & 16th

The Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club invites you to come join the fun and excitement of our 10th Annual Rock ‘n Reel Hawaiian Open! Two evenings of excellent food.  http://www.hbgfc.org

Kona Kick Off  –  June 28th, 29th & 30th

The Kona Kick Off is the first event in the 26th Annual Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series. A “Four  Flags” tournament, the largest marlin earns 40% of the base purse, and the largest ahi, ono and mahi each earn 20% of the base purse. There are optional daily entries as well.  http://www.konatournaments.com

Firecracker Open  –  July 5th, 6th & 7th

Kona’s signature “Big Game” Tournament that scores ahi and marlin points for the base purse. Optional categories for the largest marlin and ahi of each day and of the two day tournament.  http://www.konatournaments.com

28th Annual World Cup Tournament –  July 4th

The “World Cup” is truly the only worldwide tournament of its kind. Each July 4, teams fish for 8 hours in their time zone to see who can catch the largest blue marlin over 500 pounds. Winner takes all. There is no second place.  The World Cup supports game fishing though its support of the IGFA and The Billfish Foundation.  http://www.bluemarlinworldcup.com/

Skins Marlin Derby–   July 11th, 12th, 13th, & 14th

The most unique Big Marlin competition in the world! Patterned after the golf format, the base purse is available each fishing day to the largest marlin weighing 500 lbs or more. If no one catches a marlin of that size, the day’s purse rolls over and is added to the next day’s purse.. http://www.konatournaments.com

53rd Annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament  –   August 3rd – 10th

Five days of tournament fishing August 13-17. Anglers and teams are invited to apply early as full tournament participation is anticipated. Log onto http://www.hibtfishing.com/ for details.

26th Annual Big Island Invitational Marlin Tournament  –   August 15th, 16th , 17th & 18th

The event that started it all off in 1986, this event celebrates its 26th year in 2012. The BIMT was the very first high stakes, big game tournament in Hawaii to pay a cash purse for tag and release. The base entry pays the top three largest marlin. Optionals pay most points and largest marlin per day.   http://www.konatournaments.com

September Challenge  –   September 12th, 13th, 14th & 15th.

The Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series began from the deck up in 1986. The September Challenge has been designed with input from the top skippers of 2010. The team raised the minimum weight to 400 lbs and increased the First Place Prize to 70% of the base purse.  http://www.konatournaments.com

Feel free to contact me about availability and information about these events.  You can visit these sites for registration forms and additional information

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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