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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 48
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 5:34 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – August wrap-up
Kona’s hot marlin bite continued to be good through the first couple of weeks in August but then slowed a bit. Part of the reason is simply less people fishing. The tournaments are over and August has typically been slower than June and July for tourism anyway. Couple that with the news media promoting a recession, presidential and other elections just around the corner not knowing if your taxes are going to go through the roof or not, The rising interest rates to even have a roof, electric bills, food, gas prices …… The price we pay to play has tightened up. Bigger ticket tourist activities like helicopter tours and fishing excursions are being replaced by cheaper things like more time on the beach, snorkeling and kayak rentals. September is typically the slowest of all the months here for tourism so it looks like I’ll have some time to go to the beach myself, do some surfing, ride my ATV, cruse my street bike, hang out at my new house and enjoy the awesome ocean view (while putting off all those unpacked boxes in the garage). Some of you may wonder if I like to go fishing on my days off. The fact is, I can’t afford to. I have to pay for the use of the boat and the fuel too. I’ll just wait for a paying charter to go have some fishing fun.
The yellowfin tuna bite has slowed down a whole bunch. Even the night time commercial guys have stopped trying. There has been smaller yellowfin tuna on the FAD’s in the 8 to 15 lb. range so for the people looking for some meat to cook up, it’s a good time right now. The ono bite hasn’t been very good but there are still some coming in. We’re seeing some mahi mahi around, an occasional spearfish coming in and the otaru are starting to show up so for those looking for some food fish, There shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The bottom bite is really off right now. Bait fish are in abundance along the ledges but the bigger predators like sharks, amberjack, trevally and such that are normally around when the bait fish are, have traveled elsewhere. I’ve been chasing tiger sharks after hearing reports of them being sighted in certain areas but have yet to see one myself. As long as I run into one while fishing on my boat and not while surfing, I’ll be happy.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinHAWAII.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 47
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2008 - 7:41 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – July wrap-up .
First I`d like to apologize to the many loyal readers of my reports for not doing a June wrap-up anywhere but on my own web site FISHinKONA.com and now even being late with this one. Many of you did go to my web site and found the June wrap-up and I got plenty of emails congratulating me on my new house. Escrow was fast and so was the move so there was just no time to get it out on the web. From writing it to putting it on about 50 web sites takes the better part of a day to do. I always try to get it done as close to the end of the month as I can but the end of July was just too hectic. With that said, here we go:
The marlin bite has been real good. Just in time for the many tournaments that go on here in the summer. One of the most famous tournaments in the world, the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (H.I.B.T.) fished this week was a great success. In years past I can remember some teams getting no marlin at all during the 5 day tournament and making claims like “Hawaii is all fished out” and such. This year, each team (37 I think) had several fish on. A total of 86 were caught and only a few were brought in. The biggest marlin boated in the tournament was a 973 pounder caught on 50 lb. test! Kona also maintained its claim as the Pacific blue marlin capital of the world when on July 4th, Kona again won the World Cup Tournament with a 773.5 lb. marlin putting to shame all the other wanna-be contending waters around the world who would like to be known for big and abundant marlin.
The yellowfin tuna (ahi) bite has been really good too. Around the middle of the month there were as many ahi being caught as there were marlin. The size of ‘em is bigger on average than in recent years also. In a normal year there are only a few brought in that tip the scales at over 200 lbs. but this year we’ve seen many. The spot for biggest of the year has moved up a few times this month and now stands at 240 lbs. That’s just the sport caught ones. The night time commercial fishermen have been catching the big ones too but are not reported to the general public.
The ono bite has been slow this year. Some mahi mahi are being caught even though it’s not season for them. The otaru are starting to show up now and usually peak in August.
The bottom bite really slowed down as the month progressed. I’ve been catching a larger number of sharks lately so that may be the reason for the slow down. The current has been playing tricks and on a few days this month, the best bottom fishing grounds were too rough to fish. Summer water in Kona is usually flat calm but we had some unusual winds this month and we’ve also seen a fair amount of rain. Hopefully August will bring things back to normal. With the economy heading down hill at a fast rate, tourism is suffering here in Hawaii. Reports of unseasonal rain and heavy smoke from the latest volcanic activity haven’t helped the situation either. The house I just bought has a beautiful ocean view when the rain and winds wipe the smoke away.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 46
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2008 - 5:31 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – May wrap-up .
Marlin were in short supply for most of May but the number of marlin catches has increased over the past week. Spearfish are the most common billfish being caught right now but with the summer season just starting up, we should see the numbers of blue marlin increasing and the number of spearfish decreasing. May is listed as the peak season for black marlin in Hawaii but what most people don’t realize is that black marlin are a rare catch in Hawaii. The spot on Kona’s “Big Fish List” for the biggest black marlin of the year remains vacant. With most marlin being caught and then released by the majority of captains now, it’s possible that one or more blacks have been caught this year and released without it ever being known that it was a black. It takes a keen eye to spot the subtle differences between the three types of marlins we catch here. The best way to tell a black marlin from its cousins is that the pectoral fins stick straight out and are fixed. Striped and blue marlin pectoral fins can fold back and lay tight against the body. If you’re going to release a marlin, it’s not likely that you’re going to take the time to try to move its fins. There is another way to tell a black from the others but that’s reserved for people who can spot those subtle differences I mentioned. A black marlin has a larger, fatter bill in comparison to its body. In fact, all three types of marlins caught in Hawaii have differences in the bill-to-body size proportions but it takes years of seeing these marlins next to the boat to readily spot those differences. .
Other billfish that are rare in Hawaii are sailfish and broadbill swordfish. The first broadbill of the year was brought in this month. Broadbill are caught at night and are usually a bycatch of the night time tuna fishery. There are only few broadbill and about a dozen sailfish caught in Kona in a typical year.
The blind strike ahi (yellowfin tuna) bite started right on time this year. From May until the end of summer, when a lure is taken on the troll, it just might be a 100+ lb. ahi.
The ono run started early this year. Last year they didn’t even show up. We had a little spurt at the beginning of the summer last year and then nothing for the rest of the summer. This year it looks like things might be back to normal.
Mahi mahi are still being caught on a regular basis but their close cousin, the pompano dolphin are being caught here also. I think there are only a handful of us here that even know the difference between a pompano dolphin and a mahi mahi. Most of the pompano are being mistaken as baby mahi mahi. It’s another one of those “subtle difference” things. I tried doing some research as far as how big they get. My IGFA world record book is from 2001 and the pompano dolphin isn’t even listed in there. I caught one yesterday that was about 14 lbs. and I found out today that the Hawaii state record for these is only 7 lbs. Most of them I’ve been catching are under 5 lbs. but the next big one I get (if I get another big one) will definitely get submitted for the state record.
The bottom bite was pretty good this month. The sharks have been thick so getting fish to the boat has been tough but the sharks in turn are a fairly easy hook-up and they make great sport. With the marlin in short supply right now, sharks are the biggest animal that you have a good shot at catching. On stand up tackle, they can be more of a fight than most anglers are up for. The “subtle differences” on shark identifications are even more complicated than with most fish. For instance, the difference between a bronze whaler and a dusky shark is the shape of the bottom teeth. I have to admit, most of the time I’m just guessing as to what kind I’m catching. I’m leaning. But just like playing with marlin fins, It’s too dangerous to give a P.O.`d shark a close dental check-up.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 45
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 5:11 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – April wrap-up .
I did last month’s wrap-up a day before the end of the month and in last month’s report, the big news was Kona’s first “Grander” of the year. The very next day after that report, last day of the month, another “Grander” was caught. It was an awesome battle! I know because I was the captain on the boat! It’s a huge milestone for any captain to bag a grander and most Kona captains never attain the goal. A lot has to go right in order to get one. It really is a combination of skill and luck. We came close to loosing her a couple of times and then, once we had her subdued, we almost became a sad “almost a grander” story. Three Oceanic white tip sharks attacked the marlin as we were trying to pull her in the boat. They took about 150 lbs. of meat off of her in about 1 minute but even with that, she still weighed in at 1056 lbs. There’s more about the trip at FISHinKONA.com on the “Hall of Fame” page and for only about a week more, on the “Fish Photo’s Page”. The angler also wrote about the trip in the “Guest Book”. A note for you fish huggers out there, I release almost all my marlins and I don’t feel bad at all for killing this fish. If I ever get another grander, I’ll kill that one too. Any blue under 1000 lbs. is free to go. I keep small striped marlin to eat. Any big ones are free to go. It’s most likely that because I target a wider variety of fish than any other captain in Kona and, I let most everything go, that I lead the Kona fleet in released fish and have for many years.
Mid size fish are plentiful right now. Spearfish, mahi mahi and ono are the most common fish being caught. There’s also plenty of shibi (small yellowfin tuna) in the 5 to 20 lb. range and Skipjack tuna in the 5 to 15 lb. range. I caught some shibi trolling in the deep yesterday and filleted them for my customers. It was saddening to see what they were feeding on. They’re stomachs were stuffed with 4” to 5” baby spearfish! False killer whales were also in the area feeding on the shibi. It’s a tough life cycle out there.
Bottom fishing was pretty good for most of April. The current started moving North pretty fast and hard this week so it’s been more difficult to work it. With the current finally moving though, the baitfishes are congregating in their usual spots. With baitfish fairly easy to get, the bottom bite for sharks, trevally, amberjack and almaco jack has been the easiest way to score some hard fighting fish. With a decent trolling bite going on at the same time, it’s been a fun month for fishing even though a few of the 3/4 days I fished drew a blank. Bites and fights but no catches other than small tuna. I said earlier that to catch a grander, a lot has to go right and it’s also a combination of skill and luck. I think that also applies to fishing, or I should say “catching” in general.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 44
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 30, 2008 - 8:07 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – March wrap-up .
March isn`t considered a good month for blue marlin but one thing about these animals is that they will group somewhere. Even in the off-season we can get a decent run of blue marlin and that happened this month. Not only are we getting a fair number but we`re getting some real big ones too. The biggest blue marlin of the year was caught last Tuesday and weighed in at 1251 lbs. A marlin over 1200 lbs. hasn’t been weighed in since `04 (a summer time catch @ 1258 lbs).
Spearfish and mahi mahi were again the most common catch of the month. We`re at the beginning of the season for mahi mahi and the middle of the season for spearfish so you may end up reading next month that these fish top the list again as the most common catch. That being said, the ono have indeed started to show up but it`s a bit early to say that the run has started.
Bottom fishing in Hawaii is again being pounced upon by more regulations. It`s just around the corner and we will see the first ever “recreational” fishing licenses required to fish in Hawaii but for now, it will be just for bottom fishing. Other bottom fishing regulations are being looked at but it`s clear that the Feds are pushing for the bottom fishing license option and it will probably be implemented this summer. Right after that will be fishing licenses for all fisheries! It’s already being pushed through by the beaurocrats. The state also announced yesterday that they are making it illegal to fish for or take six different kinds of snapper and one kind of grouper effective April 7th within state waters. There was already a Federal and state closure (implemented for the first time last year) on those fish scheduled for May 1st through August 31st. Hawaii has always been fishing regulation free (for the most part) and bottom fishing was the easiest way for both federal and state beaurocrats to get an easy “foot in the door” on their way to regulating all of Hawaii`s fisheries. I know that all of the other 49 states have had to deal with fisheries regulations for a long time so boo-hoo, poor Hawaii. Well, I say, just another piece of paradise stolen.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinHAWAII.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 43
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 - 4:38 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – February wrap-up .
The biggest blue marlin of the year was weighed in on the 15th. The year is still young but a 934 pounder might just stand for a while. The marlin died 1-½ hours into the fight and it took another ½ hour to plane it up. It’s a lot of work to plane up a dead fish and luckily they were using 130 lb. test line. There’s a theory among fishermen that if the dead fish is 10X the weight of the line, then it can’t be planed up. I proved the theory wrong about 8 years ago by planning up an 843 lb. black marlin up on 80 lb. test line. It took 45 minutes of hard work and I don’t think I’d ever like to test the theory out again. I think we were just lucky that the line didn’t snap.
We had some striped marlin caught this month but it looks like striped marlin season will remain slow this year. The last good season we had on them was back in ’04 so we’re over due for a good one. It’s a good thing we’re having a good spearfish season. Spearfish and mahi mahi top the list as the most common catches and there’s still some yellowfin tuna being caught also. I got word that there was a decent ono run happening down by South Point but it takes an overnight trip to fish that far away. I hoping they make their way North.
The North bottom fishing grounds has had flat water fishing conditions and the bite was pretty good until just recently. The current is switching around so the baitfish took off. Hopefully it won’t be long before they show up again. It’s usually easier to catch the bottom fish using live bait and on some occasions, jigging may even out-perform live bait but the average size fish caught on bait is much bigger than on a jig. Big sharks usually won’t take a jig and if they do, they usually bite it off anyway. The monster amberjack and trevally rarely eat a jig either. OK, so I know what some of you are thinking. Why be so cheap? If you want the bigger fish, go buy some live bait! And I would have to say to you, you’re spoiled if you can go buy your live bait. I would gladly buy some if someone sold some. The bait we use here are mackerel and tuna in the 2 to 10 lb. size. For many of you, the fish we use for bait would be for you, a “keeper”. Not only are these baits usually in abundance here so it’s pretty easy to catch your own but, they’re also hard to keep alive. Forget about putting them in a bait tank unless your tank is a hundred + gallons. The tuna tube was invented about 12 years ago and this, for the first time allowed us to keep bigger baits alive for a while but, they also tend to get weaker and weaker the longer they stay in the tube. I take frozen bait with me sometimes but it just doesn’t catch as well as live bait. If there are any really really smart people reading this, let me know when you get baitfish cryonics figured out. Sometimes I put frozen tuna into my tuna tube just to thaw them out a little and have actually had customers ask me if the bait is now alive.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinHAWAII.com |
Will Bateman (Willbateman)
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Post Number: 257
Registered: 7-2005
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - 11:44 am: | |
I am new here, living in Waikoloa. I love to fish and have my gear here.Don't have a boat yet, but would love to go out. Anybody need an extra guy? I'll pay for fuel, etc. Thanks.
Will Bateman (805) 441-6348 |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 42
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 30, 2007 - 6:42 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – December wrap-up .
And so ends another year. The spearfish came in early this season to help us celebrate and they are currently the most common fish being caught. Mahi mahi are still biting too but they`re not as abundant as they were at the beginning of the month. Otaru tuna are another fish that put on a good showing for us around the middle of the month and are normally a summer bite but we`ll take `em any time we can.
The blue marlin bite picked up a bit in the last couple of weeks even though this is the slow season for them. The striped marlin should be here already but they haven’t really shown up yet. There has been a few caught but not like it should be for December. Another animal (not a fish) that should be here in numbers are the humpback whales. I’ve only seen a couple so far this year where usually, they are a daily sight in December. Hopefully when more whales do show up, they`ll bring in the striped marlin with them.
The bottom bite has been slow. I’m seeing plenty of fish on the sonar but they`re just not biting much. Live bait is usually the best method for catching a variety of bottom fish but lately the baits are either not taken at all or just crushed and killed but not eaten. Catching with jigs has been fair but it`s a lot of hard work deep jigging. Another down side to jigging is that fish caught on jigs are generally smaller on average than the fish caught on bait. So, what are the up sides to jigging? For one, that hard work is a good workout. I love to jig for at least an hour a few times a week just to stay in shape. Most of my customers only last 20 to 30 minutes of hard jigging before whimping out. Because I`m usually the one that hooks up (the faster you jig, the more likely you hook up), I get to feel most of the hits and the first pull of the fish. Most charter captains rarely “fish” themselves, they just drive the boat. I think in many cases, I`m just as excited (if not more) about hooking up fish as my customers are. They can have the big fish fights though. IMHO, there can come a time where a workout becomes more like grueling work.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 41
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 3:23 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – November wrap-up .
If you`ve been following my reports you know that last month the current (or lack of) killed the trolling bite for most of the month. Just when things were getting back to normal, a big storm came through on Nov. 4th and shut the current off again. Here it is over three weeks later and the current is just now starting to pull in it`s typical North pattern. The bait fish stayed on the ledges and FAD`s the whole time the current was slack but there was certainly a lack of marlin in the area even though in some areas, bait fish abounded. Good thing the mahi mahi bite stayed good throughout the month.
The striped marlin should be here shortly. There were two caught last week and they were pretty good size ones. When the run does happen, typically they`re all about the same size. We never know if they`ll be in the forty to fifty pound range or the eighty to one hundred pound range. One of the ones caught last week weighed in at 128 lbs. When the average size runs big, one of my claims of fame is in jeopardy. I have the biggest striped marlin so far this decade. At only 186 lbs., it`s a surprise that it hasn`t been beaten yet but the striped marlin in Kona tend to run a bit on the small side compared to other parts of the world. I also have the biggest black marlin of the decade here in Kona and that one would be hard to beat.
OK, since I`m bragging about catches, I got one more. It has taken nearly eleven years to get one but I finally got a 100+ lb. giant trevally (GT) this month. I wasn`t the angler but the captain gets some credit too. The 100+ is a special category for GT much like getting a 1000+ marlin and there is a published list of the anglers who have accomplished it. I always said that if I caught either one of these special fish that I would kill `em for the publicity. Well, I had my chance and I just didn’t have the heart for it. The GT came up strong. It was just too easy to tag it and let it go rather than kill it, hang it for the photos and then dump the carcass or find someone willing to risk eating it. A beast that big would almost certainly have ciguatera toxin in it. Personally, I don’t think it`s worth the risk to eat any fish that might have the toxin. There are several people who get “hit” here every month. If you don’t know what ciguatera toxin is or the nasty effects it will have on you, try a wikipedia.org search and check it out. After reading about the symptoms, would you risk it?
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 40
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 4:53 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – October wrap-up .
I’ve said before that it’s the current direction and strength that is the most important factor when it comes to the bite being good or bad in Kona. For most of October we had a prolonged bad split current situation. There will always be some fish around during a bad current but they are certainly few between. The best news is that it’s finally over! The current has stabilized to its typical North direction and although it’s moving a bit fast, the fish are coming back. It started with a sudden influx of blue marlin catches and what soon followed was a fantastic mahi mahi run that is still going strong.
Mahi mahi is a fish that can be caught any month of the year here but we get two seasonal runs per year. The spring run is commonly the smaller variety known as “schoolie dolphin” or “smurfs” (little blue guys) and are typically about 5 to 20 lbs. but it’s the Fall run that brings in the big ones. Right now a typical mahi mahi runs anywhere between 20 and 50 lbs. with a few even bigger. The Hawaii state record of 82 lbs. was landed in Kona in ’87 and I remember it well because just a week after that fish was caught, my dad and I landed an 80 pounder that would have been the new state record if the 82 pounder hadn’t been caught.
Targeting the bottom fish and nailing a few nice tuna on the troll was the ticket for scoring a %100 catch rate for the month. Some of those days it took a lot of work to get a fish though. The commercial snapper fishery re-opened on October 1st and in my Nov. wrap-up I made kind of a prediction. What actually ended up happening was something I don’t think anyone would have guessed. There were indeed a bunch of boats fishing the Kona snapper grounds the first week. Many that I’ve never seen fishing there before and only a couple of the old regulars fishing it. By the 2nd week not many boats were fishing it at all. I think the current was messing up that fishery too. The 3rd week had even fewer boats. So here we are now at the end of October and what I see are the same few regulars that fished the area before the closure going back to work. They’re bringing in about the same numbers of fish that they were before the closure so it seems like business as usual. Fisheries people will be crunching numbers over the next few months to attempt to analyze the effect of the closure on fish populations. Reports will be made and people will analyze the reports. The worst part of all that is, the powers that be have already set their plans for the future closures and the data collected from this first closure won’t make any difference in their plans anyway. That bites!
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 39
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 3:10 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – September wrap-up.
September is typically the slowest tourist month of the year. The trolling bite on marlin was a bit slow too. Part of the reason was the lack of boats going out. You might think, well, not many boats out so there’s more fish for me but that’s not really how it works. Picture this: A map of the Kona coast and off shore in a 25 square mile area, make a dozen scattered blue pinpoint dots that represent marlin. Then make a dozen scattered black pinpoint dots representing boats. As these dots are set in slow moving motion, remember that they have to randomly touch each other for a hit (hopefully not boats colliding) to occur. The more dots of either blue or black, the more likely the chance of a hit. Take away some of either color of dots and the chances of a hit diminish. Yea, it would be great if there were tons of blue dots but that’s just not realistic. Take away half of the black dots and you’ll now see the chance of a hit decreases by a whole lot and the overall situation may look like there’s no fish around when the real reason is the lack of fishing effort. It happens many times in fisheries management that when a total catch rate diminishes that it’s assumed that the cause is a lack of fish when sometimes the real reason is a diminished fishing effort.
There weren’t any spectacular marlin catches this month but the sailfish continue to make weekly appearances of the fish catch board. The otaru are mostly gone now but some small yellowfin tuna have shown up on most of the FAD’s. Mahi mahi are starting to show up too so I guess you could say that the Fall run has started. I’ve given up even trying for ono.
The first ever seasonal bottom fishing closure for Hawaii ends in less than a week. The closure made it illegal to keep six different kinds of snapper and one kind of grouper but fishing for bigger bottom fish like jacks and sharks luckily wasn’t prohibited. Some Dept. of Aquatic Resources people think that when the season opens that there will be such a rush to catch those valuable seven kinds of fish that it will negate the closure. I think they’re wrong when it comes to Kona. I can’t say what the other islands will do but I predict that little Kona town will see the same few boats that were out there bottom fishing prior to the closure and not much more than that. Hey, I’m not really a psychic but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
CaptainIDS (Captainids)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:22 am: | |
Are you a Licensed Coast Guard Captain?
This is for you
http://www.captainids.com/ |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 3:44 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – August wrap-up.
Pacific blue marlin tops the list of the most common fish being caught in August. Sizes are ranging from just over 100 lbs. to just under 1000 lbs. Just like last month there were a few 900+ fish caught but that magical 1000 lb. mark has escaped many. Spearfish also had a decent showing in August and even some sailfish caught. Sailfish are a rare catch in Hawaii with only about a dozen caught in a year. There were at least half that many caught this month. There’s been some yellowfin tuna coming out of the South porpoise school (if you can find ‘em). Otaru (skipjack tuna over 10 lbs.) have been running in bird piles and up on the grounds. I know in some places of the world people don’t eat their local skipjack tuna but here in Hawaii, the meat (of the big ones) is quite good because of their diet. On the East side of the Big Island, you actually get more $ per pound for otaru than for yellowfin of the same size. The ono run that didn’t happen, well, it’s still not happening. I’m not giving up though. They could show up any time.
The bottom bite has been fairly consistent. The live bait bite has been best but the bait fish have been hard to find and catch. I get asked all the time about buying live bait. There’s no live bait business here so you’ve got to catch your own. Dead bait works sometimes but at other times, if it’s not live, they won’t touch it. That’s where jigging comes in. If you can’t get bait in a reasonable amount of time then the next option is to go jigging. Live bait averages bigger fish than jigs but jigging has it’s own rewards.
Last month I got some remarks about a statement I made in the July wrap-up. I said ”you can expect the sale of Marlin in Hawaii to be totally outlawed soon”. While some organizations and individuals are supporting this, it may not end up being a total ban and “soon” is a relative term. I you’re not familiar with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, I suggest you do a Google search for Magnuson-Stevens summary, click the top link and find out about it. Terms like National Fishery Management Program and Individual Fishing Quota Programs should get the attention of some of you. Back in my March report I told about Hawaii’s first ever seasonal closure for snapper and Hawaiian grouper. The Feds gave us an ultimatum. Either come up with your own regulations or we’ll come in there and make them for you. After Hawaii successfully met the Fed requirements by implementing its first ever bottom fishing closure areas, The Feds pushed for even tighter regs in this fishery. Whether they’ll be satisfied with the outcome of the latest area closure expansion and the current seasonal closure remains to be seen. This is just the tip of a whole bunch of regulations being forced on Hawaii. Next on the list looks like there will be stricter tuna regulations that probably include quotas. With billfish, the big decision for Hawaii seems to be either a slot limit or a total ban on the sale of billfish. Either way, we were told that if Hawaii doesn’t regulate billfish on it’s own by 2011, the Feds will do it for us. Look at the track record of both sides when it comes to fisheries management……
Looks like more bumpy seas.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – July wrap-up.
The marlin bite for the month was pretty good. If the number of charter boats going out were like they have been in recent years, there would be more caught and you could probably call it a really good bite but the lack of boats going out is keeping the marlin catch numbers down. Summer months are usually pretty busy with tourists here in Hawaii but there’s a definite slow down of tourists. Most likely the result of a slowing economy. As I said last month, the smaller male marlin showed up and are the biggest part of the Kona catch now. Nearly all the marlin are being released. Even many of the big ones. Yesterday there was a 967 pound blue marlin weighed in and another marlin about that same size released. Only about six years ago Kona was a kill all marlin fishery. Without a single regulation being made it became mostly a catch and release marlin fishery. Did we all of the sudden become fish huggers? Not really. The main reason for the change is that selling the marlin became a big hassle. It’s just not worth the frustration of trying to get rid of it when you get in at the end of the day. There was a time that when you pulled into Kona’s harbor and there was a fish truck waiting at the weigh-in scales ready to buy any fish you had. It was easy and profitable. The main fish wholesalers here now import more fish than they buy locally and the truck waiting at the scales is a thing of the past. There are a few boats here that still regularly kill their marlin and have created a network to get them sold but most of us have decided the hassle factor of getting marlin to market just isn’t worth the few bucks you get. Even with most marlin currently being released with no regulations, you can expect the sale of Marlin in Hawaii to be totally outlawed soon.
The yellowfin tuna bite slowed down but it’s still a decent bite. There’s been some mahi mahi around too. Spearfish are still making a good showing but the ono bite just isn’t happening this summer. Too bad. That’s one of the best eating fish we got here.
Normally the summer months aren’t considered a good season for bottom fishing. Most of the good eating bottom fish are illegal to keep right now because of Hawaii’s first ever closed season for certain offshore fish and typically, the bottom bite seems to slow down in the summer anyway. Fish are not always predictable though. Big amberjacks moved into the Kona coast and I got the biggest one of the year last week weighing it in at 122 lbs. I’ve also caught several others recently around the 100 lb. range. Big jacks are a lot of fight and fun.
I had the great opportunity to be the escort boat for nationally acclaimed kayak fisherman Jon Schwartz. www.bluewaterjon.com last week. I took Jon to my best amberjack spot and Jon caught and released several big jacks. You’ll see the story and photos soon in Sport Fishing Magazine. While it was great fun and good fishing, I feel just a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see the ultimate goal achieved. Jon has never caught a shark from his kayak. Jon and I talked over the scenario and risks at length and we both felt good about it. While Jon indeed did hook into a couple of sharks that took his yak for a good ride, he was unable to get them up. I’m looking forward to the rematch! Yes, I understand the potential for disaster there. That’s why I’m the one in the boat and not the one in the kayak :o
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – June wrap-up.
The big female marlin are still around but the big question for most of the month was, “where are all the males”? Normally when someone is hooked up to a big female, you will find several 150 lb. size male marlin in the same area not to mention the daily catches of this size marlin. They just showed up in the last few days so the Kona marlin fishery is looking up. A near grander marlin was caught by a skiff in the Ahi Fever tournament this month and weighed in at 953 lbs. They missed the weigh-in cut off time by just a bit and the fish was disqualified. Bummer. There’s been a fair amount of spearfish being caught lately along with some mahi mahi and striped marlin. The ono bite has been a feast or famine thing. The bite has been jumping from hot to cold with no luke warm ono bite to be found. The area and time of the hot bite has been unpredictable.
There were three skiff tournaments this month. The “Wee Guys” tournament is perhaps the most popular of them. Most of those guys go after the ahi and there have been plenty of those caught by the skiffs lately. The technique for skiffs is to stop and drop bait and chum. The charter boats mainly just troll. Many times it’s trolling that gets the best bite in the ahi schools but lately it’s the stop-n-drop technique that the ahi are going for.
Shark, sharks and more sharks. There sure is a bunch of ‘em around. For years the sandbar shark was the most common shark I caught but a couple of years ago I started catching some galapagos sharks. Now that is my most common shark catch and there’s plenty to be had. Tiger sharks are also common in Kona and almost every year I catch and release at least one that weighs over 1000 lbs. Last year I had a couple of 800 lb. size ones and those were the biggest of the year. I finally got my “grander” tiger for this year a couple of weeks ago. It beat the 1000 lb. mark by more than 100 lbs. Since I release them, it’s just an estimate but I’ve seen grander tiger sharks and grander marlin hanging at the scales. This one easily made the mark. It burned through two anglers and when I got it to the boat it was tail wrapped. Dragging a tiger by the tail can actually kill it and this beast was real tired after the long fight. I worked fast to get it’s tail unwrapped because I didn’t want to hurt it, then made a discovery. Unlike the old saying “don’t grab a tiger by the tail” (probably not a good idea for land tigers), a tiger shark is much easier to deal with at the boat tail first. It turned and tried to bite me but couldn’t. It was after I got the tail unwrapped that things went nuts. That was one P.O.’d tiger! Real scary but I made the release OK. Lesson learned, next time, (if I can) I’m keepin’ control of the end without the teeth!
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – May wrap-up
May started off pretty slow but it ended with many nice catches. Several “Beast” blue marlin (over 500 lbs.) have been caught recently. Most are getting tagged and released. This is just one of the things that marks summer time in Kona. With the big females will also come many smaller male marlin to join in the fun. As I mentioned in last months report, the summer yellowfin tuna run is marked by “blind strikes” and that’s starting to happen now also. A few boats got a big surprise while trolling for ono this month when a school of big yellowfin tuna went cruising into the ono lane looking for breakfast. Everyone who was in the lane near the airport got multiple bites from 100+ lb. tuna. The lane is very close to shore and 40 to 60 fathoms deep. The big tuna usually don’t like coming in so close to shore but that particular area has a unique topography and as a result, often gets a mix of both near shore and off shore species. It was the hottest spot for ono around the middle of May and besides regular catches of tuna under 100 lbs., there were also some nice size mahi mahi caught in that same area.
In Kona, the speed and direction of the current is the most important factor when it comes to the bite being good or bad. Moon phase comes next followed by the tide height and times. The current was really weird in May and made the fishing very unpredictable. In many parts of the world, water temperature and tide changes are the most important factors. Here is Kona the tide is only about two feet and the water temperature remains about 80 degrees +/- four degrees between summer and winter. A temperature “break” is usually less than one degree and hardly a factor when fishing. The reason I’m mentioning this is that visiting fishermen will sometimes try to plan their particular day(s) of fishing around a moon phase or the solunar tables. I’ll admit that there is a slight factor there but in Kona, the current is the king and as far as I know, no one has figured out a way to predict what it will do. I suggest the high tech method of throwing a dart at the calendar.
The bottom bite has been pretty good for jacks and big sharks. These types of fish are a specialty of mine. In fact, I’m officially recognized as the discoverer of almaco jacks in Hawaiian waters (2002) and my oldest daughter caught a world and state record dusky shark that also was thought to be, but not proven to be in Hawaiian waters until her record catch in August 2000. While I do like trolling for billfish, tuna ono, mahi mahi and such, I’ve found with my years of experience that deep sea trolling is mostly just a game of luck. With bottom fishing, you can go where the fish live and get into some (almost) guaranteed fishing action. Doing both styles during the day mixes up the action and provides a bigger opportunity for a successful trip. Either way, luck or skill, come visit the flat blue waters of Kona and let’s catch some big ones.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – April wrap-up.
April was a pretty weak trolling month overall with mahi mahi being the main catch but things are really looking up now. The ono run had started! I can’t say that it will stay in full swing through the summer but if the current run is any indicator of what’s to come, it’s going to be a good season. Another fish just coming into season is yellowfin tuna. There has been some caught almost daily in the porpoise schools but we’ll know the real run is happening when we start getting “blind strikes”. No indication that the yellowfin are even in the area and all the sudden one or more lines go off. Tuna surprise!
No matter how slow the trolling bite is in Kona you can always count on at least some marlin being caught here. That’s what makes Kona the Pacific blue marlin capitol of the world. A few big blues were landed in April although most were tagged and released. Striped marlin are scarce right now but still a couple a week coming in.
The bottom bite has been turning hot and cold. Normally the jacks are hanging on the edge of the ledges but bait schools running around is the flats, a very large area, have been scattering them and making them hard to find. A lot of big sharks have shown up too. Several 1000+ lb. tiger sharks have been spotted lately. One followed up an almaco jack that we brought in last Thursday but it was getting late in the day and not the type of people on board that could handle a big fight like that. I had several big shark fights in April and either pulled hook or broke terminal tackle on every one of them. I’ve been beefing up my rigs trying to prevent more failures but mostly it’s been a problem of me being too stingy with the drag at the end game. My anglers for the most part have been getting these huge sharks close to the boat but that’s when they go nuts, do a lot of thrashing and head shaking. It’s funny when anglers do that …… no no no, just kidding. Some of them have been less that happy that they didn’t get a chance to get a good shark photo though.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – March wrap-up.
March has been BIG marlin month in Kona. This year’s first “grander” marlin (weighing 1000 + lbs.) was caught this month and just barely squeaked in at 1011 lbs. A “beast” marlin is one weighing 500 lbs. or more and those have been showing up here on a daily basis. Some are being released and some are being killed for food. The thing about the big marlin, as I have mentioned before, is that many of the big ones win the fight. There was another marlin fought this month that the captain and crew said would easily pass the “grander” mark but after 4 hours of fighting, the 130 lb. test line snapped. A lot of things need to go right in order to get a big one. The fighting will of the fish is the biggest factor. Some marlins jump all over the place when hooked and wear themselves out quickly. A fish that just swims slow and strong after being hooked can take a long long time to get in. My longest fight was with an 843 lb. black marlin that did just that. It took 7 hours (one guy fighting it the whole time) but we eventually got the fish. The longest fight I know of here in Kona was about 55 hours (burned through several anglers) and the marlin came up jumping just an hour before snapping the line and saying aloha. Another grander marlin a few years back was taken in just 15 minutes! It’s not always the size but the attitude of the fish that makes or breaks a fight.
Mahi mahi topped the list as the most common catch in March. There are still a few striped marlin coming in as are spearfish and a few ono. The ahi bite has slowed down but there’s still some big ones being caught.
The bottom bite has been really good for several kinds of jacks. Bottom fishing for anything else is soon to be a big no-no. Hawaii just passed it’s strictest bottom fishing regulations ever. Bottom fishing for snapper and grouper is now illegal between May and September. The deep snapper are heavily fished from the shores of heavily populated Oahu but here on the big island, only a few boats even target them. It was once a big fishery here but nearly all the old timers that did it are retired or dead. It’s just no longer a popular fishery. As a result, the numbers of bottom fish caught dropped. Scientists looking at the drop in catch numbers looked at it as a collapse in the fish stocks while the main reason (here on the big island anyway) is really a lack of fishing effort. We have always been lucky here in Hawaii that we have very few fishing regulations but the fish hugger mentality that all fisheries should be regulated is coming for us too. I went to a fisheries council meeting where a scientist gave a presentation about billfish larvae. In his conclusion he stated that Kona is the breeding grounds for many kinds of billfish and killing any big breeders needs to be stopped. At the end was a Q&A session. The scientist was asked if he looked for billfish larvae anywhere else than the near shore Kona waters, like 50 to 200 miles out? He claimed that he couldn’t take his little Zodiac out that far but also made the claim that he was sure that the larvae weren’t out there. That’s opinion and not science! The problem is, guys like this will most likely get their way if the fishermen don’t fight for their rights. After attending a few meetings, it appears to me that the people who are passionate about regulating (or stopping) fishing are a louder and a more active voice than the people who just like to fish. Tofu anyone?
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – Feb. ’07 wrap up.
The biggest blue marlin of the year now stands at 846 lbs. and was caught right in front of the harbor. I happen to know that because I actually saw part of the fight. Well, kind of. After I got in from a full day charter, I was greeted by a couple of captains who were looking for someone to go on a rescue mission. There was a boat adrift but the boat these two captains had was also broken down. I took one of them with me on my boat and we headed out to sea. I saw a boat stopped right in front of the harbor and I thought it would be a quick rescue. After getting the coordinates of the broken down boat I realized that the boat stopped in front of the harbor wasn’t the one needing rescue. I found the broken boat about 6 miles from the harbor, tied it up and towed it in. The sun was just setting as we got near the harbor entrance and the boat I saw stopped as I was coming out was still sitting in the same place. Recognizing the boat, I called the captain’s cell phone to see if yet another rescue was in order. No answer but I was relieved when I saw his boat power up and follow in behind us. Looking back I could see that his boat also had something in tow. I knew right away it was a big marlin.
It was now dark after getting the boats docked up but I walked down the dock to see how big the fish was. Other people showed up too. The marlin was tied up next to the boat and looking at it under flashlight power, the group collectively decided it was somewhere around 800 lbs. The fish weigh scales were opened up about an hour later and the official 846 weight was made. Summer is normally big blue season but big blue marlin can be caught any time of the year in Kona and February actually had many stories of big fish. Most of the time the big ones win the fight. I had a shot at a big one this month also but it was short lived when one of the guys on the boat jumped to the reel right after the bite, grab the drag lever and shoved it back and forth a few times. The line on the reel bird nested, snapped and the marlin along with a bunch of expensive tackle was lost. The excitement of a big fish gets anglers excited. Sometimes that excitement brings on a major case of stupidity! He was lucky he didn’t loose any fingers. A loop of 130 lb. test line flying around the reel and with a big fish pulling on the other end, you could get your hands mangled before you even knew what happened.
Big yellowfin tuna and otaru are also known as mostly a summer catch and if you’ve been following my reports, you know that the bite for them was good in December and January. This month was also good. One of the yellowfin brought in was a 250 pounder. That’s the biggest caught in Kona in many years. The mahi mahi bite is also good right now.
The bottom bite has also continued to be good. Sharks are still plaguing some of the best bottom fishing areas and I finally got tired of being a victim of there attacks. I decided to gear up and target them on some of my charters. While targeting one last week I got a big surprise. Instead of the shark I was targeting grabbing the bait, a bottlenose dolphin (about 250 lbs.) grabbed it and got hooked. It’s not the first time I’ve hooked a bottlenose and they really put on a good fight. The big advantage to angling one is that they have to come up to breath. When they do, you can gain a lot of line backing the boat to them. I had this one right next to the boat a few times and just wanted to get a good photo and cut the line as close to the dolphin as possible but we got lucky all the way around when it shook the hook during one of my backing maneuvers. It’s a big ocean out there and there are all kinds of critters swimming around looking for something to eat. That’s one of the coolest things about fishing the ocean. The BIG pond is stocked with a huge variety. You can never be sure what your next hookup will be.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – Jan. ’07 wrap-up
The new year hasn`t shown us anything too impressive yet. This years biggest blue marlin stands at 611 lbs. the biggest striped marlin at 157 lbs. The marlin bite has been slow but we did have a nice run on spearfish at the beginning of the month and the biggest so far is 62 lbs. With the exception of the spearfish, the billfish bite just hasn`t been very good. As I said last month the striped marlin should be biting but it`s still early in the season for them and I have confidence that they`ll eventually show up.
Other fish that are still around although they really shouldn`t be here are the big yellowfin tuna and Otaru. These are summer fish and I mentioned in my December wrap-up that they were biting. They’re still here although the numbers are starting to decline. The mahi mahi are still around too.
The bottom bite has been the best bite going. The amberjack and almaco jack have made for some fast action. Live bait is the best to use but they’ve been in short supply. Dead bait just hasn`t been doing well for attracting the fish but the jigging has been HOT! Sharks moved in heavy in the middle of the month and made for some hard fights. They seem to be gone now. Another fish prized for it`s fighting ability is the Giant Trevally. Locally know as Ulua, these are one of the hardest fighting fish you can hook into. Early in the month we caught an 86.5 pounder on a jig. The fish swallowed the jig all the way down and the trapper hook (this is the only hook on the jig) barely stuck in just under it`s chin. That prevented the ulua from spitting out the jig. It’s one of those once in a life time lucky catches. It made the local paper as the biggest of the new year and didn`t even last `til the end of the month because another was caught just a week later weighing in at 90 lbs. Every year I take 1 to 3 positions on “The Big Fish List” of the 21 species listed. The list is filling fast and it looks like the competition this year is going to be tough. Lucky catches are a lot of fun and I`ve always said I`d rather be lucky than good any time but it takes more than luck to stay at the top. This year it looks like I’m going to need both.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – December ’06 wrap-up:
December has been an awesome month for fishing in Kona! Every kind of fish came in to celebrate the year’s end with us. A BIG marlin by Kona standards, also known as a “beast” is a marlin 500-lbs. or bigger. While a big marlin can be caught any month of the year, summer is usually the best. This month, big marlin were abundant as were big (100-lbs.+) yellowfin tuna, spearfish and otaru. These fish are known to be a good summertime catch so we were reel glad to see ‘em this month. The only fish that didn’t show up in abundance is ono. They never really showed up during the summer either. Party poopers! Even the mahi mahi stuck around with us for most of the month but it seems they recently went elsewhere to visit for the holidays.
The winter months are known for striped marlin, shibi (small yellowfin and bigeye tuna) and a variety of bottom fish. The striped marlin bite was slow in the beginning of the month but they’re making a good showing now. Some shibi are biting as blind hits while trolling but the ledges and FAD’s are holding the majority and they’re more easily targeted there.
The bottom bite has been no exception to the good bite that’s been happening. Last month it was mostly the bottom bite and a few mahi mahi coming in that made for a successful fishing day. This month, the bottom fishing got even better and targeting the bottom has produced several big jacks and sharks.
I’m going to use the end of the year report to voice a concern of mine. There has been a definite drop in tourism here in Kona for this time of year. What could be the cause? Hey, with 6 to 8 hours out on the ocean to talk to people (between catching fish) about all of life’s adventures, ups and downs, I’ve been asking them about why they chose Kona? There are all kinds of reasons why people come to enjoy Kona but one concern of many was the bad weather. What? Bad weather in Kona? Yea, all that rain we heard about. What are you talking about? Then I found out why the concern. The Internet has produced all kinds of web sites that forecast the weather for Kona. Looking at many of them myself, I found that the forecast for Kona ranges from raining every day to sunny every day depending on the site you choose to go to. Many of you may not know that Kona is not a town but actually two districts divided into South Kona and North Kona. The district of North Kona has an 8000 ft.+ mountain called Hualalai that gets rained on nearly every day while Keahole airport, in the town of Kailua Kona (most just call it Kona) gets rained on only a few times a year. Your chances of getting rained on anywhere near the coastline is pretty slim. Getting rained on while out fishing is an even rarer occurrence. Flat water and sunshine is what Kona is all about. Come join us!
See ‘ya in the sunshine,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – October ’06 wrap-up:
October has always been one of my favorite months to fish because of the variety of fish to be had. Last year was the first October in memory that was bad. I’m glad to see that it’s back to normal this year. The blue marlin bite has been pretty good this month! Probably out doing the so-called “peak season” of the summer months. I use the word “probably” because there is a major factor to be considered. In the summer, there are simply more boats being chartered because summer is when most people take vacation. October is slower for business but those that are getting charters and going out are having good action. Other billfish that have been showing up are spearfish and striped marlin. It’s late in the season for spearfish and early for Striped marlin. That’s one of the things that makes October so interesting. Yesterday a boat caught a sailfish. That’s a rare catch in Hawaii and I’m sure glad he boated it. Luckily he’s a generous captain and I got a fillet. I ate it sashimi style (raw) and it sure was tasty stuff!
The mahi mahi have arrived on time this year. The Fall season mahi are usually bigger in size than the Spring chickens but at the beginning of the month we were only seeing small ones come in. That has now switched and the big ones are here! Another decent bite has been with yellowfin tuna in the porpoise schools. Not too many schools around but the ones that do show up are holding fish.
The bottom bite has been slow for October. It’s usually a lot better. I see lots of small fish marks on the fish finder screen but a severe lack of bigger marks. The commercial bottom fishermen are complaining that they’re not getting the numbers of fish (snapper and grouper) that they normally get this time of year. Hmmmmm, consider this. The best bottom fishing grounds in Kona were also the epicenter of the big earthquake that hit Hawaii on October 15th. Maybe, like many of us land based critters that live near the epicenter (like me), they’re still busy cleaning up and rebuilding. Habitat is essential for fish populations and almost nothing destroys fish habitats (or human ones) like natural disasters do. A reef that took hundreds of years to build can be gone in a moment of time. I’ll stop short of agreeing to give the fish disaster relief funds though.
See `ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – Sept. ’06 wrap-up.
For those loyal readers of the Kona Hawaii fishing report, Sorry that there was no August ’06 wrap-up. I was on vacation for most of August. The beginning of the month wasn’t looking too good anyway and although I did keep in contact with a few of the captains during my vacation, it doesn’t appear that I missed much of a bite during August. Many people ask me “where do you go on vacation if you live in Hawaii”? To visit relatives that do not live in Hawaii of course. People also ask if I fish while on vacation. YEP! I fished almost every day this time. Also got in some white water kayaking, skydiving, flew around my brothers gyrocopter (a lot) and got to fly (with an instructor) a trike (powered hang glider) for the first time. Hey, if you’re not catching big fish in Hawaii, it’s real hard to find anything else that can come close to the thrill!
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So, on to the September wrap-up. I think this is a crack up. I’m sitting here with writers block wondering what I can say about the month. I started wondering about last September so decided to look at last years report. What I found really made me laugh because it’s the same as this year. Here’s a quote from the ’05 report: “Fishing in September is really a gamble in Kona. I was just looking at my September fishing report from last year along with my own catch records from September ’04. What I saw prompted me to go ahead and look at my ’03 and ’02 reports also. I did find somewhat of a pattern. September is a good month for marlin overall but the bite seems to turn on and off throughout the month. Not just a slow down or pick-up. I’m talking` a definite ON / OFF. It also seems to be one of the best months for big marlin. Several 500+ marlin are caught in September and this year proved it again with quite a few big marlin both brought in and many released.” And so the “pattern” continues. I had a shot at one of the big blues just a few days ago but it came off after straightening out the Mustad 12/0 stainless hook.
The 100+ yellowfin bite was pretty good all month long. The porpoise schools holding them have been near shore and easy to find. Usually it’s just the first boats in the school that get bit. The ahi get shy (or wise) after the first bite but there a few captains (not me) here that constantly catch them every time (almost). They pick one or some out of the school even though the rest of the fleet is having no luck. It takes a lot of dedication to keep up with the ahi. They’re fast, smart, have excellent eye site and are picky eaters. That’s where skill and luck separate.
Mahi mahi are a fairly common catch right now followed by just a few ono and spearfish. The mahi mahi seem to be small this year. The bottom bite has been slow this September. As you may have noticed from recent reports, I’ve been doing a lot more jigging lately. Jigs of all size and shapes are now (as of this year) available at the local tackle shops in Kona. I’m also testing some new jigging equipment. I’ve had some good catches with the jigs including a couple of ono recently, the biggest kawakawa I’ve ever seen (made Kona’s “Big Fish List”) and even tried for some of those fast, smart, eagle eye, picky eaters but it seems that only the younger and smaller ones are stupid enough to fall for a jig. I guess the big ones don’t get big for nothin’.
See `ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Kona Hawaii fishing report – July wrap-up –
As I said last month, the marlin are here. The full moon on the 10th and premium water conditions made for some really good fishing. The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, one of the most famous tournaments in the world was held this week. A five day tournament and it got off to a slow start. The week before the tournament started the current was switching and an influx of cold water hit the Kona coast. It shut the bite down to almost nothing. As the week progressed, the current became steadier, the water warmed up and the bite turned back on. Several billfish were tagged and released including many spearfish and striped marlin. There was another “grander” blue marlin (1027 lbs.) caught this week but not by a boat that was in the tournament. I’m not sure how many granders that makes for the year so far but I know of at least five. That’s a big improvement over the past few years.
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The ono were biting pretty good until the current switched. They’ve scattered offshore so most that are being caught are being caught in the deep. Ahi and mahi mahi have also been a fairly common offshore catch for July. Trolling offshore for the day is almost a guarantee of getting hit. Getting them to stick on the hook has been a common complaint. Getting anglers to get one to the boat without loosing them has been a problem I’ve been having lately.
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Jigging has been working better than bait for targeting the bottom. Not many sharks around anymore. Almaco jack and amberjack are the most common jig catch but you never know what else will hit a jig. Ono and snapper were a couple of recent jig catches but the one that really sticks in my head was just a light hit. After the hit, the jig felt heavy but not like there was a fish on it. When I got the jig up I found it snapped in two with the inner wire holding the halves together in the shape of an L. No marks on the jig whatsoever. Whatever hit the jig had a lot of speed and power but it must have missed with it’s mouth. I figure any fish head butting a 12oz. jig at high speed would probably be knocked out cold. I’ll never know what it was but I can imagine it would have been a pretty funny thing to see.
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See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
Kona Hawaii Sport Fishing |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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