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Family Fishing In Kona

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Family Fishing In Kona.  I want you to meet the Hamilton family from MA.   I dare you find anyone in this family without a smile.  All day long the smiles were contagious.  From the time we met them on the dock until we brought them back to the harbor,  the enthusiasm and camaraderie in this family never faltered.  We started out inshore with the Ono lures in the pattern.  We are headed to Captain Cook to do a little snorkeling.  On the way down the coastline Linda spotted something floating off in the distance.  Knowing this family really wanted food fish, I quickly headed a little offshore to check it out.  There it was, a nice big coiled rope.  Not only that, we had no other boat in sight and it was holding Mahi Mahi.  One pass and we are hooked up!  Dad (Jim) is in the chair.  He lands the first Mahi Mahi effortlessly!  High fives all around and Adam and Linda get the lines back in for another pass at the floater.  Hooked up again!  Caitlin is in the chair fighting her Mahi Mahi.  She too brings her fish in with little effort.  At this point, Dad’s fish is biggest.  Lines back in again and we are making another pass to try for something for Sarah.  One pass, nothing.  Second pass, nothing.  We try several more passes without a bite and then decide to leave it and head back inshore to “Ono Lane” and on to Captain Cook.  When we arrived at Captain Cook, there were Spinner Dolphin in the bay entertaining several kayakers.  We approached with the family on the bow filming the action.  It was awesome!  Later after we finished our snorkel the Dolphin were still in the bay and I was able to put Caitlin and Sarah in the water to swim with them.   What a thrill.  The girls are both Rowers and are very strong swimmers, they had no trouble swimming with the graceful animals.  Now as we are headed back up the coast to the harbor, we have the Ono lures back in the water and as planned…..we are hooked up!  The Ono we have been waiting for.  Now Sarah is in the chair and this is a much stronger fish than the Mahi Mahi.  Sarah buckles down and starts cranking.  She has landed the largest fish of the day!  With that, we decided to head back offshore and try for a Pacific Blue Marlin for Jim.  This is just one of those days… we are hooked up again!  A Pacific Blue Marlin!  Jim is getting to the chair, the stinger line is screaming , the Marlin makes a few jumps and it is off.  AAARRRGG!  Still the excitement was thrilling.  This is one of those perfect Family Fishing in Kona days.  Something for everyone!

Not Always Bigger in Texas

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Not Always Bigger in Texas.  When Chris, Jana, Nick and Tyler boarded FIRE HATT they were all smiles and full of anticipation for what the day might bring.  The 14 year old brothers, Nick and Tyler had just finished a Scouting trip at BSA Sea Base out of Marsh Harbor, Abacoa Island, the Bahamas. They lived and crewed on a 65′ catch for a week where they ate, slept, etc on boat. They got to snorkel, fish and visit the cays. Their boat caught 2 mackerel, 4 mutton snapper and 4 barracuda.  Until then the largest fish Tyler had ever caught was a Perch.  Now here they are, fishing in Kona Hawaii where we are home to some of the largest Blue Marlin, Ono, Spearfish, Tuna and Mahi Mahi in the world.  They have no idea what is about to happen.  (We don’t either)  Adam has given the chair talk to everyone.  Each having had a “lesson” in the chair it is determined that Dad will go first.  We are a couple of hours into the trip listening to the activity on the radio from a local tournament.  There are a few hook ups, and a few boated fish.  Nothing for us yet.  Then, the stinger line comes down screaming and we are Hooked Up!  Chris is in the chair and has the fish to the boat almost as fast as we can get the other lines cleared.  A nice Ono about 25 pounds.  Out in the deep!  Normally we are pounding the 40 fathom line close to shore hoping to get one.  With the fish subdued and put on ice, we are off for another fish.  This time Nick will be the angler.  Sure enough, about an hour later the long rigger is bit.  Nick is in the chair and the fight begins.  We aren’t sure what it is.  A blind strike on the 1000 fathom line.  As Nick gives all he has to bring in the fish, it is a Shortbill Spearfish!  A nice 30 pounder!  Not a bad day on the water for this Texas family.

 

Ono Becomes Last Minute Delight

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Ono Becomes Last Minute Delight for Brothers Rob and Ron along with their Dad Robert and his twin Brother Ron.  No kidding, all we had to remember was two names.  The day started with the usual anticipation.  We headed out of the Harbor with offshore lures in the water hoping for Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Shortbill Spearfish or Marlin.  These guys wanted a fish!  Period!  As mid morning arrived and no bite for us yet, the mood was changing along with the lures.  Still no bite.  There was a tournament going on and we were listening to the radio chatter.  Or lack of radio chatter.  Turns out, there just wasn’t any fish being caught.  Although, we had fun not catching!  These guys bantered back and forth with Adam, Linda and I all day.  They even joked about wanting to know the best place to buy fish.  Now the lures are being changed out again and we are headed in to “Ono Lane”.   We are still putting out the lures and we are Hooked Up!  (Never so happy to hear a line scream!)  Earlier in the day, Adam had spotted a lure we had not run before.  He rigged it up and had it ready for the afternoon Ono run.  This is the lure that got bit within a few minutes of being set.  We appropriately named it “Yummy“.  Robert Sr. is in the chair and fighting his fish.  After a short fight he had the fish to the boat.  Dinner Tonight!  As you can imagine, the mood quickly changes.  Smiles all around.

 

Kathy’s Kitchen Owner visits Kona Hawaii

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Kathy’s Kitchen Owner visits Kona Hawaii.  Kathy (Illinois State Fair Winner for over 30 years) along with her Husband, Darrell spent the day fishing with us, what a treat to finally meet her.  For Years we have been purchasing wonderful products from Kathy’s Kitchen, a family owned business from Virginia, Illinois.  Most notably for us, we use her Vidalia Onion Relish.  Some of you probably saw my recipe in an article I write for Coastal Angler Magazine.  Back to fishing… once we left the harbor we returned to an area where we had several bites the day before.   Once we got there we found a porpoise school we headed for it.  After just a few passes we are hooked up.  Adam’s new favorite lure that had been getting the bites all week is bit.  Light tackle, porpoise school, screaming reel and five other lines to clear, you get the picture.  Kathy gets to the chair, Adam transfers the rod to her and after just a few moments the line goes slack!  Ouch!  Now we realize that not only is the fish off, so is Adam’s lure!  Another painful loss.  (Last week Lucky Linda was lost.)  Luckily, we have photos of the lure and now the search is on to find another one just like it or one similar.  I always tell our guests, “The best lures made are on the bottom of the ocean”.  Adam is now going through all the lures on the boat looking for a temporary replacement.  Do they have support groups for situations like this?  We finished our day with several more strikes with nothing sticking.  Still very exciting.

Recipe for Vidalia Onion Coated Fish:  (Spearfish and Ono our favorites, works wonderfully on skewered shrimp too.) Basically, we soak a cedar plank for hours and then prepare the relish along with real mayonaise and coat the fish.  I place very thin sliced lemons or limes under the fish and arrange them on the cedar plank.  Dust the fish with a little smoked paprika and place on the grill on medium and cook for about 20 minutes.  You should try it!

Contact Kathy at 217-452-3035 for everything from Beet Pickles to Jalapeno Jelly

Family Fishing in Kona Hawaii At It’s Best!

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Family Fishing At It’s Best! Our Cutest Little Angler Yet.  We love having families, especially children on board.  This family from Michigan marvels at the determination of their 8 yr old son as he brings in a nice size Ono. I know we mention this many times…but watching the thrill on a child’s face whent they are hooked up and when they land their fish is priceless.

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International Youth Angler Scores in Kona HI

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International Youth Angler Scores in Kona HI while on a fishing trip with his Father.  From the Country of  Kazakhstan, the Father and Son duo spent two half days fishing in Kona aboard Fire Hatt.  Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country and the largest landlocked country in the world. It is equivalent to the size of Western Europe. This being said, they began their first day under a beautiful tropical sun with silky smooth water.  The conditions were perfect!  Immediately after leaving the harbor headed towards Kaiwi Point we were hooked up.  Two lines go down, two anglers headed for the screaming Shimano Reels and one busy crewman sorting out the mahem.  In the end both fish are landed.  A 17 lb Ono and a 24 lb Ono!  If you are wondering who got the big one, it was the proud son!  That was all the action for the first day.  With the anxious thought of what could have been, the two wanted a chance at a Marlin.  On Day two, we headed offshore.  With one bite early on the stinger, a quick zip and an estimated 200+ lb Blue Marlin was off.  This was the highlight of the day until the half day charter was winding down, we finally got another bite on the stinger line!  The fish came in, ran off a few seconds of line and was off!  A nice Striped Marlin had escaped this time. We look forward to having this team back in the future to take care of unfinished business. Landing a Marlin!

15 lb Ono for 7 Yr old Tommy

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A 15 lb Ono for 7 Yr old Tommy.  Have you have ever witnessed the face of a child on a fishing rod fighting a fish of any size and anticipating what he is about to land? It is absolutely the most innocent display of sheer ecxitement you can imagine.  Tommy is that story.  On a half day family fishing trip with his Parents and Grandpa, we left the harbor and saw the Spinner Dolphin playing around the green buoy at the harbor entrance.  We headed south.  Having had no activity for hours, we were headed back to the harbor.  Not a good feeling when you have a child that wants to catch a fish.  After all, he was “Fishing”.   This was an extremly patient young man that spent most of the time on the bridge looking for birds, splashes and any sigh that might bring a strike. As the day was winding down, First Mate Adam Ludwig switched out the stinger lure to a Bomboy Bullett and with about 30 seconds left before he was to start bringing in the lines, the stinger is bit!  A Hail Mary Bite!  7 year old Tommy landed the 15 lb Ono and has a great story to tell.  ( And a meal to share.)  Happy New Year Tommy.

Fishing Floaters in Hawaii

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Fishing floaters in Hawaii is our version of fishing the prized kelp paddy in Southern CA.  This time of year there are still some Pacific Blue Marlin around.  There are still some Ono too.  But honestly, if we can spot a floater this time of year, stand back because we will be in for a great episode of catching.  Heading offshore with a watchful eye, and really good binoculars, we encourage our guests to report anything that is NOT water.  We are looking for birds, trash and current lines.  Our guests really get into it.  This floater pictured to the left consisting of old nets and line was spotted about 10 miles offshore and proved to be loaded.  Our guests spent a couple of hours pulling in nice Mahi Mahi and a few Ono.  After several passes the fish tend to get wary.  Now we get the ballyhoo out and enjoy some light tackle fun!  Of course there is always the possibility that a predator is nearby.  These floaters are considered “refrigerators” for Marlin and other Prey fish.  We always make several passes just outside the area before we leave.  Bigger fish tend to hang just outside and know a meal is there when they are ready to eat.

Offshore Adventure for Joseph Sweeney and Company

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Offshore Adventure for Joseph Sweeney and Company.  Joseph Sweeney is getting married this week.  His buddies, Chris, Mack, Jeff, George, Joseph and Justin treated him to a day of fishing and snorkeling here in beautiful Kona Hawaii.  Although Joseph lives in the Hilo area, he had never fished Kona.  The day started simply with Ono lures in the water and we headed down “Ono Lane” for a quick snorkel at Captain Cook Bay.  The guys are excited with the anticipation of what the day may bring.  Just a short distance from Captain Cook the long corner rod is screaming.  Joseph is in the chair fighting what turns out to be one of our biggest Ono this season and His biggest fish ever!  Estimated at 35+ pounds, the Ono was such a thrill for the group.  Once we finished our snorkel, we put the “big guys” out and head off shore for possibly a Pacific Blue Marlin or perhaps the coveted floater.  Sure enough, we spot a pile of birds at about 2700fa.  Once we arrived in the area we spotted a large cargo line that had been at sea for some time.  With the first pass, a nice Mahi Mahi is caught.  Then mayhem breaks loose.  These are all nice 20-30+ pound Mahi Mahi.  We did get another nice Ono in the mix too.  With the fish box full and the long ride home, we put out a few high speed lures and reluctantly headed in.  The group rode the bow all the way back to the harbor laughing and talking about their offshore adventure.  A good time was had by all.

The Mahi Mahi Are Here

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The Mahi Mahi are here!  This time of year we are looking under every single piece of debris we find for a prize Mahi Mahi hiding out.  The last two days out turned up two different “floaters” Each being large nets tangled with rope and floats. The first one we spotted kept us busy with Dr. Mike Ferrera and his wife Donna visiting from Scottsdale, AZ pulling in three nice fish around 20 to 25 lbs.  Donna’s was the largest.  Again Lady Luck!  The next day we headed out with high hopes of finding the floater again.  Well, that didn’t happen.  Unlike the previous day of smooth calm water, today it is a little bumpy with some wind and swell making it harder to spot floaters.  We tried to calculate where it may have drifted to in a blistering north current.  No luck.  But we did find a different one.  This one was also large with rope and floats tangled in it.  On the first pass we snagged a nice Mahi Mahi about 25 lbs.  Today  David Blauvelt visiting from Avon, OH with his wife Christie was our angler.  David brought the Mahi Mahi to the boat like a pro.   We circled the floater a few more times with no luck and moved on.   We continued on our mission to find more debris.  We did!  This one rewarded us with a nice Shibi and an Ono!  Not bad for day on the water.  Mike was able to take a mixed bag of fish back to his hotel for dinner. (Some hotel restaurants will prepare your catch for you.  Always ask them in advance before you bring fish back with you.)