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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 70
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2010 - 4:57 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – July wrap-up .
This morning as I’m writing this report the Wahine (female in Hawaiian) Tournament that hosts only female anglers is happening. In recent years it has been the biggest tournament in Kona but the economy has slowed it down to about half of its normal size. Marlin are the prize money fish with a minimum of 300 lbs. for weigh in and only a trophy going for the most tuna, ono and mahi mahi points. The marlin bite has been slow so as far as the number of marlin catches go, I don’t expect much but there have been some big wahine marlin around and it’s those female marlin that are the 300+ ones. I hope some Hawaiian girl has the muscle it takes to bring in a big marlin girl. The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament starts Monday and goes for the whole week and there also, I suspect there won’t be a large number of marlin caught as happened last year where every team caught at least one marlin but I suspect there will be some real big ones brought in this year. I use to fish most of the Kona tournaments but I don’t like fishing them anymore for a variety of reasons.
Both ono and mahi mahi are the most common catch right now. Ono are usually caught close to shore but sometimes there are plenty of them caught offshore in the deep and that’s happened to plenty of us this month. Some of the mahi mahi are being caught in the ono lane also but most of them are in the deep and there are also some spearfish around. Summer time is also the time of the year you can expect “blind strike” yellowfin tuna. Generally you need to work a porpoise school to get the big yellowfin but in the summer, when a line goes screaming, it just might be a big yellowfin on the line and that has happened to a few of the boats this month just proving that trolling offshore in the summer can get you hooked up to just about anything.
While summer is Kona is usually a better trolling bite, it’s usually the slowest bottom fishing bite of the year but that’s not what’s happening this summer. The bottom bite has been HOT! In fact, on my boat the Aloha Kai we caught the new state record amberjack this month. When I saw it come to the surface it was hard to believe. When I pulled it in the boat I told the anglers that it might even go a hundred and a half. Three of us on the boat fought the fish and weighing in at 151.5 lbs.(good guess huh), it’s the new Hawaii state record. More than one angler is allowed to fight the fish for a Hawaii state record but for a world record, that’s a big no-no. It was 3.5 lbs. shy of the world record anyway. Sharks have also been a regular catch while bottom fishing but it’s the GT that are the big out-of-season odd ball. I drop bait to the bottom more than any charter boat in Kona and normally I’ll catch only a dozen or less GT in a whole year. I’ve caught GT’s on my last 8 consecutive trips and have caught and released 16 of them. One of them that we weighed on a spring scale was a 95 pounder! Pound for pound the GT is one of the hardest fighting fish you’ll ever hook in to and it’s one of the most highly prized trophy fish in the Hawaiian Islands. We’ve also fought and lost several REALLY big ones. At this catch rate on the GT’s we just might be able to catch the new state record on that one too. Wishful thinking anyway.
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: 69
Registered: 1-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2010 - 4:56 pm: | |
For information about the Hilo FAD's go to the thread on Bloodydecks at
http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/hawaii-fishing-reports/172976-replac ing-fads.html |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 6
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 12:26 pm: | |
if any one reads these, I hope every one will put the word out and contact the Hawaii FAD and ask then to please put back the QQ bouy. It was a very good producing bouy to hit from either Hilo or Puna. I would hate to see this as the start of the bouys slowly dissapearing. So even if you don't fish this side of the island or even this island at all, please let them know we enjoy and fish all the bouys, and there is alot of support among the fishermen |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 5
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 12:20 pm: | |
Play catch up here went out monday afternoon out of puna, worked 5 or 6 flocks of birds working the water no takers, right at sunset ran in close and got a 5 pound kawakawa.
went out thursday out of Hilo to G bouy caught some small ahi and some aku, bite turned off at 11 trolled to E bouy no signs of life. trolling to Ona lane hooked in a bull Mahi around 40 pounds got him to the boat, but had some friends from mainland, long story short got him to leader but missed gaff, pulled the leader loose jumped up wraped the line around tip of pull and snapped out along with brand new lure, very painfull experiance. better luck next time I hope |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 4
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 04, 2010 - 6:13 pm: | |
went out satuday afternoon windy and chopy. hooked into nice Ono, loop at crimp broke, so long lucky rootbeer lure, will try again monday afternoon |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 03, 2010 - 11:50 am: | |
went out friday 2nd out of puna went south, trolled for twenty minutes and got 40 pound Ono on rootbear lure. friends girlfriend got sick an we went in. will try again sat afternoon. still looking for other fishermen on east side |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 2
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 3:50 pm: | |
One small Aku, looks like it will be awhile before the lava hits the ocean again. several Ono were caught by the light house. will try Hilo when the wind lets down. always looking for new fishing partners to share expences. any one else on the east side with a computer? |
Brian Ley (Puna_fisherman)
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Username: Puna_fisherman
Post Number: 1
Registered: 6-2010
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 19, 2010 - 5:53 pm: | |
Hit the G bouy out of Hilo, lots of small Ahi and Aku. large Ahi comming on live Aku. large Ahi hit a Aku as we were reeling it in, had several nice hits but unable to get any big ones in the boat. going out this evening to look at lava and troll for Ono. any other East side fishermen? |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Username: Cap_jeff_rogers
Post Number: 68
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 - 2:20 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – May wrap-up .
We’re experiencing a good ono run right now so ono tops the list of the most common fish caught this month. The marlin bite has been real slow so most of the boats are pounding the ono lane in order to have a successful trip. The mahi mahi are just now starting to show up on a regular basis so the mahi mahi are here late and the ono are here early.
More and more yellowfin tuna are showing up but we’ve actually had a steady supply of them all winter. In the summer we get “blind strike” yellowfin tuna in the 100+ lb. range and that is starting to happen already but in the winter, about the only place the big yellowfin can be found is in the porpoise schools. There are only a few boats in Kona that specialize in targeting the big ones all year long and their success comes by using a device called a green stick. I won’t go into detail about the method but it has gained popularity in the last 10 years because it is so much more successful for catching yellowfin tuna in the porpoise schools than trolling conventional lures. Many boats have them installed on their boats now but only a few use them with regularity and success.
The bottom bite has been a little slower than normal but one of the most common fish we’ve been catching lately is giant trevally. These are one of the hardest fighting fish you’ll ever catch and it’s one of the most prized catches of the Pacific. Normally they are more of a winter fish but there’s one area near the airport where they’re hangin’ out right now. There have also been sharks hangin’ out in that same area. Either one makes for a great fight on stand-up tackle.
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: 67
Registered: 1-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - 2:56 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – April wrap-up ,
This month, the biggest marlin of the year was made 4 times! If you’ve been following my reports, you might remember that I had the biggest of the year in January but was beat out by 2 ½ lbs. just 3 days later and that 600 ½ pounder has been the leader until this month. On April 1st, there was a tournament and a 669 blue marlin was caught, winning the tournament. These guys weren’t only happy about the win but also making the “Big Fish List” until, a 672 pounder was weighed in later the same day. The 672 wasn’t in the tournament but being knocked off the “Big Fish List” so soon was a bad April fools day joke. Even the 672 was short lived too because a 940 pounder was weighed in just 8 days later. That one should have stuck for a while but the very next day, Kona’s first “Grander” of the year was weighed in and topped the scales at 1104 lbs. The sizes of the blues have been pretty good this month but the numbers are still a bit on the slow side. The striped marlin and spearfish were barely around this month although the biggest spearfish was caught and now stands at 62 lbs.
Ono tops the list right now as the most common catch and again, the biggest of the year was caught a few times this month also and now stands at 78 ½s. lbs. Some mahi mahi have been around too and the biggest of the month again, was caught this month and now stands at 38 lbs. With the ahi, there have been a few of the big ones caught, biggest of the year (again this month) now at 209 ½. The smaller “shibi” size have been showing up on the ledges and any debris that happens to be floating offshore.
The bottom bite has been good and two bottom fish made the big fish list this month, gray snapper and GT. The GT came in just ½ lb. shy of making the prized 100 lb. mark but it may have been the mode of transportation to blame. Fish loose weight after being caught if bleeding (this one was) and also when left in the sun. The GT was caught from a kayak. No fish box there. I imaging it was a little slow paddling with a 100 lb. fish on his lap also. To top it off, then he had to drive it to the official scale at the harbor in the trunk of his car. This was all done on April fools day. Another bad joke but true.
Obviously April was a great month. No Joke!
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: 66
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 1:24 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – March wrap-up .
The March marlin bite has been a let down this year. I hate doing a negative report and I catch some heat from other captains about not pumping up the fishing here but the truth is the truth. There were a few days when the marlin bite was pretty hot but on average, this March just didn’t cut it compared to previous years Almost totally missing from this March was the striped marlin bite. It’s the end of the best part of the season for them but they just didn’t show up this year. The blue marlin bite has been pretty good in recent months but slowed in March. Spearfish is another fish that should be abundant in March and we’re right in the middle of the peak season for them. The beginning of March was really good for them but fell flat later part of this month. March is also known for “grander” marlin and though there were a few released in the 800 lb. range we’re still waiting for the biggest blue of the year (so far) to be beaten out by a grander.
The start of the peak mahi mahi is here and there have been some around but it’s the tuna that are making the best showing even though it’s not season for them. 200 lbs. is the big mark on those guys just like 1000 lbs. is the big mark for marlin. A good friend of mine boated a 205 pound yellowfin this month to make the “Big Fish List” for his first time ever to make the list. Bigeye tuna in the 200 + lb. category are fairly rare here and also this month, an out-of-the-ordinary pair of them, both hooked at the same time were brought in. The small one (tongue-in-cheek) weighted in at 153.5 lbs. and the big one weighed in at 211.5 lbs. and very well may hold as the biggest bigeye of the year for the remainder of the year. Otaru tuna, meaning skipjack tuna over 10 lbs. have also been a frequent catch this month. It’s not ono season either but a few are coming in.
The bottom bite remains as good as it was last month. With the trolling bite being so slow it’s a good thing. I have a guy from Holland that fishes with me every year and he has connections with Shimano. Last year he caught the biggest otaru of the year on a Shimano outfit that he brought over. We wanted to do something noteworthy this year also, hmmm. It just so happened that Shimano TV from Japan wanted to charter me that same week so we just brought them along, one angler and the cameraman along for two of our fishing days. What a blast! We caught a boat load of fish both days. We caught and released 17 amberjack and almaco jack the first day along with a giant trevally (GT) and two gray snapper kept for the dinner table. All caught on jigs. The next day we did another 7 amberjack and almaco jack along with two more gray snapper on jigs but one thing the Japanese TV guys wanted to do really bad was casting poppers near shore. I informed them that we don’t have much of a shoreline fishery for that here but I do know of a few spots that might produce an occasional good catch. The third spot we tried the Japanese angler was rewarded with the biggest bluefin trevally I’ve ever seen! Had we not tagged and released it, it would have taken the “Big Fish List” with no problem. A fantastic time for both anglers and for the TV show that should air in Japan some time in the next month or two. Maybe next year we should invite Dan Hernandez?
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: 65
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 28, 2010 - 6:05 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – Feb. wrap-up .
I normally start out with a billfish report but I know many are wondering how Kona was affected by the Tsunami. Out of about 400 boats in Kona’s harbor, all went out to avoid damage except 20. Some of the boats I saw gone were a surprise because I didn’t even think they still ran. I saw only one boat in tow. Myself, I didn’t venture far from the harbor and was one of the first back in. We actually have worse harbor conditions when we get high surf out of the West. This type of harbor water action was WAY different. Instead of boats getting jerked from side to side, in and out, the water level in the harbor just went up and down at about 30 second intervals. We were preparing for a significant harbor surge but the water only fluctuated about a foot up and down and wasn’t surging at all.
The biggest blue marlin spot for the year now stands at 665.5 lbs. I was fishing that same area and my customers got film of the event. Another captain had stated that he had released an even bigger fish this month. I’m all for releasing marlin but some crews are good at estimating the weight of a marlin while some are always way off. The captain claiming a bigger fish in February has so little experience, there’s no telling what it could have been. Bigger or smaller than the current leader we’ll never know. The proof is at the scale. Spearfish continue to be a regular catch here as we near the middle of the peak season for them. Several people emailed me wishing me well during Tsunami day and a couple have emailed saying “Isn’t that you in this month’s Marlin Magazine with the spearfish? Yes, that’s me. Full page photo. Though I’m not mentioned in the article it is a nice shot to hang on my wall.
It’s not yellowfin tuna season but you would almost think it was. Several 100+ pounders are being caught daily in the porpoise schools. There are a few that specialize in these guys and they are the ones catching most of them. Mahi mahi are still a good bite and now we’re entering season for them so hopefully that’s a good sign that it will be a good spring run. Ono are showing up sporadically also so the ono lane is always an option for the day.
We just hit the start of the peak season on almaco jack and amberjack and they are THICK! Not just the numbers but also the sizes. They are a year-round catch with the peak being in the winter but last winter fell short due to the massive amount of sharks that showed up. That’s my opinion on why it happened anyway. The shark population has thinned out and the jacks have come back to take their place as the most common catch when dropping bait near the bottom. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on who’s fishing. The sharks are a lot tougher fight but also harder to find and fewer catches during the day. The jacks are a hard fight too and you can basically catch them all day long right now but usually after just a couple, it’s time to go trolling and give the angler(s) a little rest time. If you really want to pull on them all day long, better be hittin’ the gym often before coming to Kona.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinHAWAII.com |
Mr Zhou shengqun (Mamicn)
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Post Number: 4
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 - 2:25 am: | |
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 64
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - 4:36 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – Jan. wrap-up .
The start of a new year so Kona’s “Big Fish List” starts fresh. 22 kinds of fish make up the list but last year, one slot, bonefish, was never filled. “Grander” marlin (over 1000 lbs.) takes the top of the list almost every year but until this years grander(s) are brought in, it’s anyone’s game. On new years day a 197 lb. blue marlin started the top of the list. Just 6 days later I took the top with the first “beast” (over 500 lbs.) blue marlin of the year weighing in at 598 lbs. Both the angler and I had decided to release the marlin early in the fight but it sounded and died during the fight so we brought it in. The glory of making the list was short lived as I was beat out just 3 days later by 2 1/2 lbs. and that marlin currently stands as the biggest of the year. The blue marlin bite has been pretty good for winter but the striped marlin are making a very poor showing so far. I sure hope more show up because they are absolutely delicious! The spearfish are making a strong showing early in the season and are a lot of fun on light tackle and one of the best eating fish you can get. I let my anglers make the decision on whether they want to release those or eat them.
Yellowfin tuna bite remains good for the big ones in the porpoise schools and also for the smaller ones on the FAD’s. Some mahi mahi are still around so keeping some lighter tackle out there for them, the tuna’s and also the spearfish makes for some good fun. It’s been a hard decision lately to go trolling in the deep offshore or to stay near shore and troll shallow for the ono. The bite on ono has been good too and few boats are targeting them so it really boils down to a decision of whether you want a shot at a marlin or not because marlins very rarely go in the shallows.
The bottom bite has turned back on and even though the trolling is good, there’s still a chance of coming up empty handed if all you do is troll all day. With the bottom bite being good, there’s almost no excuse for not catching something. I tag and release the majority of the bottom fish but I had yet another fish die on me. This time it was a giant trevally (GT) so we took it in and weighed it. Though it wasn’t my first GT of the year, you don’t make the “Big Fish List” unless you get your fish weighed in so the ulua (Hawaiian for GT) slot now stands at 41 ½ lbs. Not a hard number to beat but a respectable size for GT anyway. Personally I’d rather not have anymore fish die on me but I have been eating plenty of that marlin because I had it smoked and my neighbors, family and friends are having a good time with it too. There’s lots of meat on a fish that big. The GT was caught by locals and was also consumed but they also would have rather have see it swim away. We call it sportfishing and some types of fish are commonly kept while others are commonly released. I’ve said it before and I’ll remind you again, some boats kill everything they catch so if you’re not into that, check their policy before you book with them. Also check their policy on keeping a portion, or even all of the eating fish. Many boats now have their policies on their web sites but if they don’t, beware.
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: 63
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 28, 2009 - 1:02 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – Dec. wrap-up ,
There has been some big blue marlin around lately and the spearfish run has started early but still no striped marlin to speak of. I’ve only heard of one caught recently. They should be here by now but we really haven’t had a good striped marlin run in years. The one that was brought in weighed over 100 lbs. and one thing that seems consistent with the striped marlin run is that they tend to be all around the same size. I remember one year where they were all around 30 lbs. and another year where they were all in the 80 lb. range. Last year they were averaging around 50 lbs. and there were very few caught that made the 100 lb. mark but the year before there were several. When the average size of the stripies runs big, I tend to get a little nervous about hanging on to my claim of catching the biggest striped marlin of this decade. Actually, by the end of this week, it will be the start of a new decade so I’ll need to change it to the biggest of this century. Weighing in at 186 lbs. I figure it’s going to be fairly safe, as our striped marlin here very rarely reach more than 150 lbs. 2009’s biggest so far weighed in at 117 lbs. There are places in the world where the striped marlins are much bigger on average but they don’t travel to Hawaii.
The mahi mahi run is still going pretty good but it will be over soon as the water cools down. We had a nice little spurt of an ono run in December but it was short lived. The winter yellowfin tuna bite has been good this year. We can always count on the small yellowfin and bigeye around the FAD,s this time of year but there has also been 100+ pounders being caught on the FAD’s and in the porpoise schools.
I did very little bottom fishing in December. In fact, I didn’t even fish much. The trolling bite has been active enough to keep things busy but when I did target the bottom; I mostly fished where I knew I stood the best chance of catching sharks. I really have a lot of fun watching people try to match their strength against an angry shark. The typical reaction starts off with a very shocked look on their face as they realize that it’s taking all the strength they can muster just to not get pulled overboard during the first run. Then comes the look of determination as they realize this is not going to be an easy battle. Then comes sheer exhaustion! Sometimes before the battle is even over. After the catch, photo and release, almost without fail, the anglers are in a very weakened state and just speechless as they try to catch their breath. Then comes the joy of accomplishment and the highlight of their Hawaii vacation.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Post Number: 62
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 26, 2009 - 12:17 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – November wrap-up .
Mahi mahi tops the list as the most common catch of the month. Normally these fish are caught in the deep either “in the blind” or around the FAD’s (Fish Aggregating Device’s), or on any floating debris (called a floater here) you can find. BTW, Hawaii water is VERY clean so floating debris is rare. Putting your own floater out there might seem like a good idea but first and foremost, it’s illegal. Second, what makes a floater work is that eventually algae and other organisms grow on the floater. That attracts very small fish and that starts the whole food chain in motion so a new floater won’t attract fish. Last, have fun finding any floater that isn’t somehow anchored to the bottom. Currents and winds move objects in unpredictable patterns so going out to search for a floater that you fished on the day before will be nearly impossible to find again. That’s why we have the FAD’s. Floater Anchored Down. No, no, no. I just now made that up. The correct acronym is the one above. Same idea though. So, notice I said “normally” they’re caught in the deep and there’s a reason for that. While some are being caught in the deep, most of them are being caught near shore in the ono lane. We had a nice ono run in November and that changed recently from mostly ono being caught in the “ono lane” (40 – 60 fathoms) to mostly mahi mahi being caught in the lane.
I normally lead the Kona fishing report with the marlin bite but with an average of only one being caught every other day, there’s not much to report. There’s no doubt in my mind that the reason for this is due to a lack of fishing effort. There are few boats going out, me included. Staying in the ono lane will get you fish but the marlin don’t go in that shallow. Forty to sixty fathoms is 240 to 360 feet deep. That may seem deep enough but not for marlin. They rarely venture in closer than 600 feet. They can see the bottom at 600 feet! I told you our water was VERY clean. In fact, a submarine driver for the Hawaii Underwater Research Laboratory (HURL, how’s that for an acronym) told me he could read a newspaper without a light on down to 1000 feet.
The FAD’s are still loaded with small tuna, some mahi mahi and so many sharks that only a good angler is likely to get a fish in. Poor anglers take too much time and that gives the sharks more opportunity to take your fish. The commercial bottom fishermen would normally be hitting an area called “The Grounds” pretty hard this time of year for snapper but the sharks have been giving these fishermen a hard time too so not many are even trying. A fish that is being fought on the surface can zig zag away from an attacking shark but a fish being pulled straight up is an easy target. Again, visibility is an issue. The sharks see the hook-up, hover above the action and wait for the food to come up to them. I don’t mind the sharks at all. In fact, I love it! They put on a hard fight and it’s an easy way to get an angler onto a fish that weighs more than they do.
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: 61
Registered: 1-2004
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 4:35 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – October wrap-up .
The marlin bite is picking up quite nicely especially compared to the end of last month and the beginning of October when the bite was pretty poor due to the water conditions. The waters have cleared up and the marlin have moved in on the abundant tunas that are swimming along the ledges and FAD’s. October has usually been a good month for catching blue marlin in Kona but tourism remains slow so I’m not getting out as much as I have in years past but I’m not complaining because I’m actually having good fun doing several “to do” projects around the house that I’ve let slide for far too long.
October is the beginning of the Fall mahi mahi season. Of all the varieties of fish we have here, the mahi mahi are among the most predictable. True to form they showed up with more consistently as the month progressed, November is the peak month for them and then (usually) the bite slows again by the end of December. We can have a run of mahi mahi any time of year but that’s usually associated with unusual water temperatures or currents bringing in a variety of debris where mahi mahi love to hang out. The Fall run is the time of year that the biggest mahi mahi show up. The ono run hasn’t produced much lately but there were several small ones being caught in the deep this month. As mentioned above, there has been a lot of tuna activity on the FAD’s and ledges. Yellowfin tuna from a mere 1 pound to 30 pounds and over are pretty abundant so catching some for the dinner table has been a regular part of my fishing days.
Shark! That’s the common call while you’re trying to get those tunas in. The FAD’s have been loaded with them and so have the ledges. A wide variety of them too. Drag any tuna along the surface and it won’t take long for one or more to show up. Drop a tuna to the bottom and it won’t take long either. My fish photos page currently looks like all I do is go shark fishing. I haven’t been putting the tuna photos on it except for my last trip. People are usually thrilled to catch one or two tunas but after that, it’s not much of a challenge anymore. Sharks are another story. They’re almost always a challenge to do battle with. We caught one shark this month that I’ve never seen before. It was a surprise when the shark jumped several times just after hooking up. That behavior prompted an investigation and made a good story for the local paper when added with the 300 lb. marlin we caught on a bait rod that same day. The final result, a black-tip. Not the reef black-tip but an open ocean one. With no black tip on the dorsal fin and black spots all over the body, I wouldn’t have guessed a black-tip but a close examination of the photos did reveal black on the underside of both pec. fin tips. I was further convinced when another charter captain showed me a photo he has of a shark he caught jumping in mid air during the fight and it had the same markings. I hope more of those show up because it was a VERY exciting fight. As for the marlin on the bait rod, that was exciting too and I was lucky to have a good angler on board that day. The only reason we got it (photo and released it) is because the marlin stayed on the surface where I could out maneuver it with my boat. If it wanted to fight deep, we had no power with the bait rod to lift it. I always say, “I’d rather be lucky that good any day of the week” but usually, it takes a combination of the two to get the job done.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
http://fishinhawaii.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 2:46 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – September wrap-up .
The beginning of September was pretty good fishing but I haven’t been getting out much. September is the slowest month for tourism. I’m one of the busiest captains in Kona so if I’m not going out, hardly anyone else is either. It’s not that bad of a thing though because the water has been real dirty and that hurts the bite. We call it “dirty” here when the water clarity is low but in this case, it’s not dirt. It’s all living organisms. Coral polyps are released at certain times and float to the surface. Usually it’s not much and the current takes it away pretty fast but this time it was a lot more than usual and it stayed around for a longer time also. As the coral grows it gets heavier and starts sinking. That’s how it distributes itself. As it starts that slow sinking process, it stratifies in the water column and the fish don’t like it. Especially if there are several layers of it. Along with that we had a bloom of Sea Wasps, Portuguese man-o-war and some other stuff I couldn’t identify. The water clarity got pretty bad for a while and although there were still some marlin, mahi mahi and ono around to be had, it wasn’t our normal bite. I haven’t been out lately but I’m sure it’s cleared up and the fish are back by now.
The yellowfin tuna bite has been hot way down South. That’s more commercial fishing territory because it’s so far from the harbor in Kona. There are a few launch ramps down South for skiffs to launch but for the bigger boats, it takes most of the day just to troll down there and back. You can blast it down there if you got lots of fuel money to spare but because so many skiffs are down there catching yellowfin, the price on the tuna has gone way down and even hard to get rid of.
The bottom fishing season opened up for the protected snapper and grouper on the 1st but there wasn’t a whole lot of commercial boats out there trying for them. I’m not sure, but I think the dirty water may have affected that fishery too. I’ve been catching sharks and jacks from the bottom when I have been out but I’m generally not going as deep as it takes to get into the red snapper. They hang out in about 800’ of water, or the pink snapper in about 600’ of water. A couple of years ago Hawaii implemented the first ever recreational fishing license requirement for fishers targeting the deep snapper. It was a foot-in-the-door tactic that was forced on Hawaii by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. They have jurisdiction in federal waters starting three miles from shore but most of the deep bottom fishing is closer, within state waters. The Council forced the state back then to regulate the fishery as they deemed necessary and now they are wanting to go even further! Today there is a WPRFMC meeting and on their agenda is the proposal to mandate reporting of all fishing activities in not just federal waters but in state waters also. In other words, federal fishing licenses and reporting for all fishing activities even if those activities are within state waters! And it looks like the state is going to protest but still bow down to their demands. Hawaii has another option and that is to implement their own fishing license program but it doesn’t look like they are going to do that. The fed’s are going to cram this down our throats. Get ready Hawaii fishers. Like it or not, it’s coming.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 6:02 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – August wrap-up .
The marlin bite remains good for Kona. So, “good” being a relative term, what exactly is a “good” bite for Kona? Any day you catch a marlin is a good day but the yearly average for Kona boats is only one marlin for every four days of fishing or a 25% chance at catching one. Some boats beat that average consistently while others consistently come under the mark but I’m talking about the yearly average of all charter fishing boats in Kona. I go into more detail about how the “average” is calculated on my fishing Season Calendar page under the chart at http://FISHinKONA.com/calendar.htm but the Kona bite is considered “good” if 50% or better of the boats going out marlin fishing are catching. We have times where it gets even better than that as we saw last month but right now Kona is still hitting above average at close to 50%.
Marlin isn’t the only thing biting right now. The yellowfin tuna are less common right now but the ono bite is good. In fact, hardly anyone is even fishing for them. That doesn’t make sense to me seeing as how the majority of the people I take out are looking for food fish to eat during their stay here. The otaru tuna are biting also and make good table fare. There’s some mahi mahi and spearfish mixed in with the Kona bite also. Make sure you check with the captain/crew of the boat you’re going out on BEFORE you book it to make sure you know their policy on keeping fish. Each boat has it’s own policies and some won’t let you keep any! While many of the boats here have veered away from that policy, I’m giving you a “buyer beware” notice. My fish keeping policy is clearly spelled out on my web site’s FAQ page.
Today is the re-opening of the bottom fishing seasonal closure. The price of snapper is very high right now so the first guys to hit the fishery hard will make the most money. I get to go bottom fishing year-round because the closure is for the type of fishing gear you use to catch certain kinds of snapper and the Hawaiian grouper. I don’t use fishing gear that is specifically designed to target snapper but I do catch them (and grouper) once in a while anyway. The most common snapper I do catch is the gray snapper and there is no closed season on those. When dropping to the bottom I’m doing more of a sport fishery than a food fishery. The most common fish I catch while dropping bait or jigs is amberjack, almaco jack, giant trevally and sharks and they get released to fight another day. At least now it’s legal to keep the few of the other kinds of snapper I end up catching. While I’m on the subject of releasing fish, just like each captain/crew has their own food fish policy, each one also has their own marlin kill policy. While most Kona boats now release the majority of their marlin, some boats still have a “kill `em all” policy. If the boats web site doesn’t make their policy clear, make sure you find it out BEFORE you book the boat. Imagine you booked your first Kona fishing adventure just assuming that you would get to keep that ono you just caught to cook up back at the condo and you also assumed that the marlin your now fighting would be released, just to find yourself horrified as you look upon the dead marlin laying next to you in the boat for the rest of the day and your thinking, “well, at least we got some tasty ono for the dinner table …… ooops! Wrong again!
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 02, 2009 - 5:36 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – July wrap-up .
We had some big tournaments this month. The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) was a huge success with a huge amount of marlin and spearfish tagged and released but almost all of them were the small. The biggest marlin killed and weighed in was a 566 pounder. There were some bigger ones hooked up but the biggest tackle you can use in that tournament is 80 lb. test. For using 50 lb. test you get even more points for your fish so many of the boat only used 50 lb. test. The chance of getting a huge marlin in on that light of tackle is slim to none. The World Cup tournament was surly a disappointment for Kona. Bermuda took the prize this year so now they are tied with Kona at 6 wins each. The only saving grace is that, as I stated last month “Without a doubt, Kona is the Pacific Blue Marlin capital of the world” and that still holds true. Bermuda doesn’t catch PACIFIC blue marlin, they catch ATLANTIC blue marlin. As far as the “blue marlin” title, we’ll have to wait and see what happens next year. In the Marlin Magic tournament, just 30 minutes after the fishing started, the boat “Marlin Magic” called in the first hook-up and 45 minutes later they boated a 782 pounder. No other qualifying fish were even landed in the 2-day tournament. As for my “(not so) secret weapon” I mentioned in June’s report, on the first day of the tournament the 12 oz. Gatorade bottle was caved in by a marlin. We didn’t see it but it must have been a big one to do that. On the 2nd day my 10 oz. bottle was inhaled by a marlin that was well over 500 lbs. but the hook came out after a short run. Our only prize and surprise in the tournament was catching a 50 + lb. ono out in the deep so there was plenty of fillets to go around.
Yellowfin tuna are still biting in the blind. Otaru tuna are biting also. During all of HIBT week (no I wasn’t in the HIBT) I fished with a guy that has come to fish with me 6 years in a row now all the way from Holland. He brings lots of cool rods, reels and other tackle to test out and that really adds to our fun. We caught the biggest Otaru tuna of the year with one of his light rigs and made Kona’s “Big Fish List” with a 31 pounder. We also caught what would have been the biggest striped marlin of the year but we released it. It was an easy 130 lbs. and the biggest on the list so far this year is only 117 lbs. No big deal though, we were happy to see it swimming away strong. The mahi mahi and ono are still biting good too so we added some of those to our catch list also.
The bottom bite hasn’t been good at all but bottom fishing gear is the majority of the tackle my Holland buddy brought. We had a lot of testing to do and luckily I found a spot that consistently produced bottom fish for us. Our biggest goal though was to match or beat the 1000+ tiger shark he caught with me in ’03. There have been rumors of a couple of tigers that “live” by the green buoy right in front of the harbor. All I can say to that is a big B.S.!!! We spent hours fishing the area with live, dead and chunk bait at various times over several days. We raised a shark but it was far from being the big tiger we were looking for. The local dive shops have perpetuated the rumor and have even named the tiger shark(s). There’s no doubt that some of them have seen tigers in the area but I’ve always known that same area is a major corridor for all kinds of sharks. I’ve been fishing it for years. Tiger sharks that have been satellite tagged have all shown to be highly migratory. I once thought that there was a tiger that “lived” out by the airport when I worked underwater construction there years ago. The satellite tagging data made me realize that this too is just part of that same corridor. Hmmm, maybe I just need some more enticing bait. And adventurous divers want to volunteer?
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
http://fishinhawaii.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - 12:54 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – June wrap-up
The male blue marlin showed up in force this month. These guys average around 150 lbs. and are so abundant now that on a full day charter, you’re almost guaranteed to run into at least one. So what about the big female marlin I’ve been reporting about the last couple of months? Yes, there was finally a “grander” landed on June 5th and weighed in at 1064 lbs. There were also other big marlin both caught and released in the first half of June but in the last couple of weeks, almost all the marlin caught have been the small males and the females seemed to have moved on to other waters. I’m hoping there’s still at least one big one out there with my name on it though because I’m fishing the Marlin Magic tournament tomorrow and the next day. The minimum qualifying weight is 400 lbs. and only pays out for first and second place. Wish me luck! We have many tournaments coming up in July including the World Cup coming up on the 4th. The World Cup is the only worldwide marlin tournament and Kona has produced the winning fish more often than any other fishing destination. Without a doubt, Kona is the Pacific Blue Marlin capital of the world and I hope we can prove it again this year.
The yellowfin tuna “blind strike” bite is on! We’re seeing free jumpers too. The otaru are around but are not biting much of anything. The spearfish are now here in bigger numbers and are a common catch. The ono bite continues to be good and there are still some mahi mahi coming in.
I haven’t been doing much bottom fishing lately because the trolling bite has been so good and the best bottom fishing grounds, North of the harbor has been too rough to fish.
The water South of the harbor has been flat like a lake but there are only a few spots to bottom fish and they haven’t been any good lately. For the next couple of days I’ll be concentrating on huge marlin anyway and using my (not so) secret weapon. I’ve been using 12 oz. plastic Gatorade bottles and 10 oz. plastic juice bottles as lures and stuffing them with anchovies. I gave up my secret to Marlin Magazine for $100 and it was published in last months issue. I kind of doubt that anyone else will be using them in the Marlin Magic tournament. If I win with it, most likely everyone will be using them in the tournaments to come.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
Fishinkona.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 29, 2009 - 1:43 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – May wrap-up .
In last months fishing report I focused in on “Grander” (over 1000 lb.) marlin. Just a couple of days ago another “close but no cigar” was weighed in. This one tipped the scale at 913 lbs. There have been other big ones both brought in and even more released recently. We have year round blue marlin but the summer months usually have more abundance. Last year it was the small male blue marlin that showed up first and the big females didn’t show up ‘til later in the summer. We’re not seeing the males yet but with the big gals around, I don’t think it will be too long before they show up. Striped marlin are more abundant in the winter months but we’ve had a run going on those. There have been almost as many striped marlin being caught as blues. The spearfish should have shown up months ago but we’re starting to see some around now. Better late than never.
The big yellowfin tuna (ahi) usually start showing up in May but we’re not seeing the numbers yet like we have the last two years for May. They can be found year round in the porpoise schools but in the summer months we get “blind strike” ahi. It’s not happening yet. Shibi are the small yellowfin tuna and that’s usually a winter bite but the shibi are still here being caught on the ledges and FAD’s. Otaru are the big skipjack tuna and are usually only around in the late summer but I’ve been catching these sporadically for months now. Hopefully that means that they will be in abundance later this summer.
The mahi mahi and ono bite is still good.
Sharks, sharks and more sharks! I’m one of only a few boats here that regularly targets sharks and I catch more than anyone here. They have been thick around the FAD’s and ledges and put on a real good fight. Boats that have been live baiting for marlin around the FAD’s are hooking sharks whether they like it or not. Most of the charter boats around here are trying NOT to hook them. In fact, if you don’t use a cable trace or wire you probably won’t get it all the way to the boat anyway. Shark teeth slice through monofilament line pretty easy. I’ve been taking the opposite approach by rigging for sharks with a cable trace and a circle hook knowing that the likelihood of hooking a shark is much higher than hooking a marlin. If a marlin takes the bait, fine. I had that happen recently but pulled hook on the marlin. You may not get the spectacular jumps from a shark (except a mako) like you do from a marlin but pound for pound fighting, sharks are just as tough a fight. At the boat, you can usually get the hook out of a marlin but I don’t even attempt that with the sharks. I cut the cable as close as I can (dare) and leave them with a fashionable lip ring to show all their shark buddies.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKona.com
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Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 4:10 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – March wrap-up ,
What a difference between February and March. The trolling bite went from “soooo good” (last months report) to “not so good”. Typically March is better than February but as I’ve stated before, pelagic fish have no idea what month it is. There going to be swimming around somewhere in the ocean and the Kona coast is just a very small part of it. Very few striped marlin were caught this winter, the season when there are more caught. By this time I think it’s safe to say that for the 4th year in a row now, the showing of striped marlin in Kona was pitiful. It’s my hope that they were just swimming around elsewhere and hope that the schools have not been decimated by the many fish catching and processing factory ships that roam the seas. Our blue marlin bite can be hot or cold any time of the year and the blues don’t tend to congregate as tightly as striped marlin. With that in mind, blues would be less vulnerable to being caught and processed by factory ships. OK, so I’m (kind of) doing some finger pointing without any proof. I really don’t know how many metric tons of what kinds of fish they’re catching and processing, only that they do it. I know that yellowfin tuna is a big one on their target list of fish and with that said, I’m about to contradict the “they did it” theory. Usually the big (100+) yellowfin tuna start showing up in bigger numbers around May and the bite can be good through September. Some years the summer run is poor but for the last two years, the yellowfin tuna bite has been good. It’s really too early to tell but it looks like it’s going to be another good year. There are a handful of boats in Kona that specialize in yellowfin tuna year-round. These few boats go out and target the yellowfin on nearly all their charter trips and if they think they can catch enough yellows to sell and make it worth their while, they go out without a charter. These few boats have been doing quite well lately catching big yellows, some over 200 lbs., that are in the porpoise schools. When/if the summer yellow run really kicks in, we start getting “blind strikes” while trolling anywhere off the Kona coast. Kind of like, if there are enough nuts lying around, even a blind squirrel can find one.
The trolling bite hasn’t been all bad. Also showing up bit early for their summer run has been some ono. They’re biting mostly on the South ledges and should be starting to show up near the harbor soon. Personally I like the North ono run and have been trying it a little but haven’t had any luck there. We have a good network of captains here so when they start showing up on the North run, I’ll know it. Mahi mahi are currently the most common fish being caught on the troll. Sizes are ranging from large to small and good eating no matter what the size.
The bottom bite has been producing a good number of giant trevally. They are one of the most prized fighting fish in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Personally I love watching anglers match strength with these fish only to find the shocked look on their face when I bring the fish on board (for photo, tag and release) and they see that it’s only half the size they thought it would be. The shark bite has been pretty good too. Most of them have been sand bar sharks in the 40 to 80 lb. range and they put on a good fight too. I split up my charter days by doing both trolling and bottom fishing but it’s the bottom fishing that gives me the most anticipation of a bite. The key to the bottom fishery is using bait fish, live bait being best. If a blind squirrel were looking for a nut and that nut was shaking and smelling very nutty…… well, you get the picture.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKona.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 2:24 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – February wrap-up .
The bite has been soooo good for February that the term I first thought of to describe it is “off the hook”! That’s urban slang for awesome, incredible, wicked, unbelievable, gnarly and such but the term sounds almost derogatory when used to describe a really really good fish bite happening. On the hook? Yes, many of them. I suppose the fish themselves like the term “off the hook” but anglers only like it when a fish is released “off the hook” on purpose. The blue marlin bite has been as good as any summer month, the time when blue marlin fishing is generally at it’s best. I always tell my clients, fish don’t know what month it is and, it’s a huge ocean. The fish are going to be swimming around somewhere in it. Hawaii is just a little pimple in the big pond. The striped marlin and spearfish showed up also as is typical for this time of year but for the last few years, the numbers haven’t been too impressive. It’s good to have them back around in decent numbers. On a recent trip we hooked two striped marlin at the same time within the first hour of the trip but they both came “off the hook” in the bad way. Later we had two spearfish on at the same time. One came “off the hook” but we boated the other one. Later in the day we hooked a nice size blue marlin but it also came “off the hook” in the bad way. Just realizing that in today’s urban slang, bad sometimes means good but obviously that’s not what I talking about. I really would have liked to catch and release that blue. The rest of the day resulted in two more billfish bites. One of them happened so fast that we didn’t see what kind it was. The last bite of the day resulted in boating another spearfish. We intended in releasing the second one but the hook mortally wounded it so we took it. The option of taking or releasing the fish varies from boat to boat. Some boats are “kill all” boats and some are “release all” (except food fish and dead billfish) boats. If you plan on fishing Kona and have a problem either way, keeping or releasing, make sure you find out your captains policy first. I’m right up front with my policy on my web site’s Frequently Asked Questions page.
The mahi mahi are biting good right now but a little slower than last month. The small yellowfin tuna (5 to 30 lbs.) are on every single FAD (fish aggregation device) and along the ledges. Bait fish like small skipjack tuna and mackerel are here in abundance on the buoys and ledges also.
With the trolling bite being so good I’ve been spending less time bottom fishing but even that bite has been so good that it’s been an easy way to break up the trolling day with some quick shark action. That’s what I’ve been catching most while dropping baits and only a few bites from GT, amberjack and almaco jack.
I know this is a fishing report but one thing I almost never mention in my reports or even on my web site is the awesome whale and dolphin watching opportunities we get on almost every trip. I guess I’m just so use to seeing them all the time that I don’t give it much thought. It’s usually the guys that are interested in catching fish and the gals are just along for the ride. If your one of those guys having a hard time convincing your gal to let you go fishing, let them know about the whales and dolphins. Promise that you won’t try to hook one though. It does happen once in a while and that kind of action is REALLY “off the hook”.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKona.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2009 - 2:54 pm: | |
Tourism remains pretty good here with a fair number of boats going out daily. Not as many as in previous years but I think the cold mainland temperatures are keeping more people thinking about Hawaii sun and fun. The blue marlin are biting good right now. It’s striped marlin season and there are some of those being caught but the number of blue marlin around is exceptionally high for this time of year. The big ones are here too. So far the biggest blue weighed this year stands at 914 lbs. Spearfish are in abundance too and are great fun on light tackle. Last week I caught and released a blue marlin that weighed about 250 lbs. and when it came up jumping next to the boat, I saw that it had no bill sticking out. When I got the marlin right next to the boat. I saw that it did indeed have a bill but it was bent 180 degrees backwards and growing tight across the top of it’s head. On each side of the backwards bill were two smaller stunted bills sticking in the right direction (forward) that more resembled tusks. The story and picture hit the Kona paper with the title “World’s ugliest marlin caught” written by Jim Rizzuto. The black and white photo in the local newspaper doesn’t show near the detail of the full color photo. I know many of you want to get a look at this thing. There is a photo of it on my fish photos page but it doesn’t show the detail of the close up head shot I got. Sorry, but I’m reserving putting that out on the internet for a later time because a few fishing magazines have expressed interest in using it. Once it’s old news, I will definitely put a full color close up on my “Hall of Fame” page. Some people say that I should have killed the marlin and given it’s head to science. I think it will be even more interesting if it’s ever caught again and to see a photo of this 3-billed marlin when it grows to 500+ pounds.
The mahi mahi are biting good also and are the most common fish being caught right now. There are some ono being caught even though it’s not season for them. Shibi (small yellowfin and bigeye tuna) are on the buoys and ledges but not in great numbers.
Continuing the story of the “forbidden seven” fishery, the number of boats fishing for them has dwindled to just a few of the old regulars. This brings the fishery back to more “normal” catch levels. I don’t think that will keep the DAR from having a panic reaction when they compile the catch reports from December though. The bottom bite for bigger game has been frustrating. The fish are being shy. Hitting the baits but not wanting to commit to eating them. Some of the time it’s that the bait fish are just too big for the fish to swallow but in other cases, I’ve found the fish I’m catching are so full that they can hardly get in another bite. The bait fish are in abundance right now too but again, not biting well for the same reason. They’re already full.
Overall, The Kona bite is good for a January. There are plenty of fish here. The fact that the ugliest blue marlin in the world even showed up to get in on the action proves it.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKona.com |
Will Bateman (Willbateman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 4:32 pm: | |
Capt. Jeff,
I do not have a boat in Hawaii yet. Will be over on Jan. 21- Feb. 7. I will look you up this time over.
Will |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 12:02 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – Dec. wrap-up .
Tourism definitely picked up for the holidays. With all the snow, ice and freezing temps happening in the continental US, Hawaii was a good holiday destination choice for many. The tourists aren’t afraid to spend their money either. It’s the most boats I’ve seen going out since September. The trolling bite has been fair but not great. Good size blue marlin continue to be caught by the fleet on a daily basis and finally, the striped marlin have shown up. There were two of them caught on the 22nd and more followed after that. I’m really looking forward to catching my first small one of the season because it’s my 2nd most favorite fish (after the Hawaiian grouper) to eat. Like most billfish, the small ones are tender but as they get bigger, the meat gets tougher. The flavor of a striped marlin really depends on what they have been feeding on. Killing a striped marlin only to find that the meat is white is somewhat disappointing. It doesn’t taste much different than a blue marlin so it’s just not very tasty (not bad though) but usually the striped marlin meat is some shade of pink. It makes great sashimi and I personally think it tastes better than sashimi cut from yellowfin or bigeye tuna. Once in a while you get the real big treat and find pumpkin orange colored meat. It is indeed the most awesome of all the billfish meats even beating out broadbill swordfish and spearfish. The spearfish are running now also so I wouldn’t pass up a fresh spearfish meal either. We really do get spoiled here in Hawaii with all the varieties of tasty fish we catch here. More on that later.
The big mahi mahi are still here even though it’s late in the season for them. We had a nice yellowfin tuna run this month. Not the little guys that are typical for this time of year around the ledges and buoys but the 100+ ones. They were hanging out with the porpoise school as they usually do but in the winter months we usually don’t see this many around. Yellowfin tuna sashimi is a big favorite here in the islands for Christmas and new years parties.
The bottom bite for sportfish like sharks and jacks should be good right now but it’s a bit slow. The bite should be picking up soon on those. In last months wrap-up I talked about the “forbidden seven” and the regulations that have come down from the DAR. It seems to me that they have created even more of a problem with their regulations this year than in years past. By extending the closed season by a month and a half, they brought the open season closer to the time of year when there is the highest demand for red and pink snapper. Just like yellowfin sashimi is a desired holiday favorite in Hawaii, so is steamed snapper. Because there was no snapper on the market for several months, the price for them was WAY up when the season started. The snapper bite started off slow in November but this month they were easier to catch and the commercial fishermen were filling cooler loads. More fishermen heard about the good bite and shifted their efforts toward catching snapper. Well, with the high number of snapper being caught, the price went down. Easy fix, just spend more time and effort catching more of them to make up the difference. In all my years fishing here I have never seen so many boats targeting the deep snapper. When the DAR first started their public forums about upcoming regulations, one of their concerns was that when the season opened, there would be so much fishing effort on them that it would negate the closure. In years past, that didn’t happen but it may be happening this time. I expect a panic reaction by the DAR with an immediate closure of the fishery within the first couple months of the year. Of course, if they just left it alone, it would settle out on it’s own but if they create another closure panic, the price will shoot back up and the fishing pressure will increase just prior to the closure. That’s my (professional) opinion, we’ll have to wait and see how it pans out. In the mean time, I have fresh snapper in the fridge to bring in the New Year and expect some fresh striped marlin sashimi is not far behind.
See ‘ya on the water ,
Capt. Jeff Rogers ,
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 28, 2008 - 1:33 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – November wrap-up ,
Not what you would expect for the winter season in Kona but the striped marlin haven’t shown up yet but some BIG blue marlin have. Like I said in last months report, they tend to run in packs of about the same size. The BIG ones are usually expected in the summer time but the fact is, They`re swimming around somewhere so why not cruise by that big pimple in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? I remember around Christmas time some years back that the same thing happened and any marlin caught under 300 lbs. was considered a baby. The biggest marlin of the month (a few more days to go so it’s not over yet) weighed in at 975 lbs. My buddy Chuck, Captain of the boat that caught it was a little disappointed in being just 25 lbs. shy of making “Grander” status but a fish that big is really nothing to be disappointed about. The very next day he had another BIG one on and broke line on it. Tourism is still way down but it appears to be getting better for the holiday season. Not many boats are going out right now so it’s hard to put a finger on how good the marlin bite is, only the size of the fish.
The mahi mahi bite continues to be good. The big ones (30 to 50) are still here. Most are being caught “in the blind” but the FAD`s are a good place to look also. I found a huge “floater” this week. A huge wad of netting and when I found it, I figured there would be mahi mahi all around it. All I found was small yellowfin, bigeye (shibi) and skipjack tunas. Very disappointing. I guess someone else beat me to it and cleaned it out. The South porpoise school is still producing some nice size ahi and the ledges are also holding shibi. Some ono were caught way down South but up by Kona, not good.
Bottom fishing season opened for the “forbidden seven” this month. These seven fish are six types of snapper and one type of grouper. The closed season was extended by another 46 days because the DAR (Dept. of Aquatic Resources) said they needed more time to “access the fishery” as if more than five closed months wasn`t enough time. What a bunch of B.S! They also implemented the first ever recreational fishing license in Hawaii that is required if you intend to deep drop for “the seven”. It’s nothing more than a foot-in-the-door technique to eventually require recreational fishing licenses for all fisheries in Hawaii. Recreational fishermen rarely do the deep bottom drops (I’m out there, I see what`s going on) but DAR states that the recreational catch of these “seven”, according to their statistics, stand at a rate of 3 to 4 times that of the commercial catch over the past several years. I’m still trying to figure out how they came up with that number seeing as how recreational fishermen (up `til now) didn`t report their catch? It`s a fictitious number that they made up. It just shows us how ignorant these desk jockeys really are about what goes on out on the water. If they dropped the amount of recreational catches down to a believable value, they would have the Federal catch reduction they are looking for. Maybe with the new license requirement (though not necessary) they`ll figure that out or, maybe they skewed the statistics on purpose in order to implement that recreational license? Hard to say. Another value they ignore is that people mainly fish the bottom fishing grounds that are near ports and boat ramps. That leaves most Hawaii bottom fish habitats unfished. Hmmmm. Last year they closed the bottom fishery earlier than required because they said the “total allowable catch” had been reached. They came up with this figure even though 85% of the commercial bottom fishermen had yet to turn in their reports. It must be those recreational guys catching all the fish huh? It’s just plain stupid to think that a degree and a desk makes you more knowledgeable about a fishery than people working behind the wheel on the water but the power of a DAR pen has time and time again proven mightier than any number of fishermen speaking out.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com
ps. Thanks for the reply Will. Do you have a boat here also? |
Will Bateman (Willbateman)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 3:09 pm: | |
Capt. Jeff Rogers,
The Fishreports for the Big Island is really different from my "other Home" report from Port San Luis/Morro Bay. We have probably 50 people who post regularly on conditions and fish caught. It is quite a brotherhood of anglers. You appear to be the sole poster for the Big Island, and I really appreciate your input on the Kona scene. I am over 4 or 5 times a year to stay in my Hawaii home and it is cool to know what the fishing is doing. I look forward to meeting you some day soon. Keep up the good work.
Will (Freewill) |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 31, 2008 - 3:58 pm: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – October wrap-up
While tourism is still down for the state of Hawaii, the amount of blue marlin in Kona was on the upswing in October. Marlin are odd critters in that they tend to run in packs of about the same size when a run starts and also about the same aggressiveness. We get runs of “light biters” that have a tendency to come in and check out the lures and nose around a little but not really come after them. On other runs that happen they may be collectively very aggressive and that makes for many great catches. Unlike Cabo where marlin hunting involves searching for fins on the surface, here in Hawaii seeing free-swimming marlin is rare. In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen more free-swimming marlin than I usually see in a whole year. The problem is, they don’t seem interested and there are no signs of aggressiveness at all when I drive past them with my lures. The color brightness of a marlin usually gives you a hint as to its attitude. All lit up brightly shows aggression. That’s the kind of fish that’s going to come in and smack your lures. The marlin I’ve been seeing the last couple of weeks are dark, swimming slow and for the most part, disinterested in those bright splashing and popping objects trailing behind my boat. I’ve heard the same description form a couple of other captains but at the same time, there are fair numbers of marlin being hooked up by the few boats going out. I really don’t want to kill any but I think my chances with a harpoon might be better than lures at this point.
The Fall mahi mahi run has started and, as is typical for the Fall run, they’re BIG! Thirty to fifty pounders are a common size this time of year. A great fight and great eating. The ahi bite slowed for October but as is typical for the winter months, the small yellowfin and bigeye tuna (shibi) will be here and some have already started to show up on the buoys and ledges. The ono bite was real slow this month but it’s not a good time of year for them anyway.
Some great news on the bottom fishing front. The biggest amberjack of the year was caught last Monday on the Monkey Business and weighed in at 137 lbs. That’s a big one! Bottom fishing for sharks, jacks and trevally was pretty good in October. As we come into winter, it will only get better. I had what you could call a spectacular catch myself this month. I started tagging amberjack, almaco jack and trevally in 1998 and I was a part of getting the statewide jack tagging program started. We caught an amberjack this month that had previously been tagged and was #225 of the number series that is now in the 10,000’s. I knew right away that this fish had not been tagged on the Big Island. Records show that this fish had been tagged at Maro Reef more than 1000 miles to the North of Kona in Sept. 2000. At a recorded length of 21” that put this fish at less than 10 lbs. when it was tagged. When we caught it (and released it again) it was 51” and weighed about 75 lbs. When the tagging program was started, the “known science” was that jacks live their whole life on one section of reef. The tagging program soon proved that to be false. In fact, it became apparent that the jacks around the island of Hawaii trend to circle the island in a counter-clockwise direction while on Maui, they circle in a clockwise direction. On Oahu, they do six months clockwise and six months counter-clockwise. Cool data! Also, this isn’t the first time a tagged fish has gone between islands but this is the longest distance traveled and may be the longest time span (more than 8 years) from tagging to recovery. I’m proud and privileged to be a part of one of the best fisheries in the world, Kona, Hawaii and also to be involved in the study of our ocean resources (I’m also on the billfish advisory committee for DAR) so my children’s children can have as much fun as I do rippin’ fish lips.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 10:56 am: | |
Kona Hawaii fishing report – Sept. wrap-up
It’s really difficult to determine if the fish are biting or not when the fishing effort is at it’s lowest in many years. As I mentioned last month, tourism is down and big ticket activities (like charter fishing) are at an even lower low. I have been luckier than most and I’m getting out one or two times a week so I’m still able to see a little of what’s going on out there but us fishermen rely on reports from other boats to determine where (or even if) there is a bite going on. It’s a big ocean out there and a single boat can only cover so much of it in a day. The marlin bite definitely slowed recently as a result of less fishing effort and the current switching from the typical North direction to a South direction had it’s effect too but trying to look at the big picture I would have to say that the marlin bite is down a little but not bad.
The yellowfin tuna bite from the porpoise schools has been hot! That’s a big change from what we were seeing near the end of August. Unfortunately for the charter boats out of Kona, the porpoise school has been far to the South so you have to be willing to burn a bunch of fuel and get there quick or else you’ll only have a short amount of time to work the school before it’s time to head back to port. I’m still waiting for the mahi mahi bite to kick in. I’ve been seeing a few mahi mahi flags flying but I didn’t even get a single bite from one in September. I tried some near shore ono fishing also in September also with no luck.
Back to the fishing effort issue. I’ve been spending a lot of my fishing effort sending bait and jigs to the bottom and have been rewarded with good action and some pretty spectacular fights. Most of the fights have been with sharks and some mixed giant trevally and amberjack action too. I had a few sharks hooked up this month that just outclassed my tackle so broken line and even a snapped rod a couple of days ago ended those fights. Tigers? Probably were. I got one tiger to the boat for a photo this month. At about 400 lbs., it was just a baby. A good fighter and one of the smallest tigers I’ve ever seen. Early in September, several beaches in Kohala (North of Kona) were close for more than a week because of tiger shark sightings. Against a swimmer or a surfer, even a 400 lb. baby has the home turf advantage and could easily make baby food out of a person.
See ‘ya on the water,
Capt. Jeff Rogers
FISHinKONA.com |
Capt. Jeff Rogers (Cap_jeff_rogers)
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 8:43 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2007 - 2:20 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2007 - 5:58 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 6:14 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 2:40 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 2:49 pm: | |
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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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 1:34 pm: | |
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 |
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