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