Fishing Report July 8, 2012 Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii

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Aloha from Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii. Quite some time has passed since the last report and a couple of things have changed. There are more onos around but fewer mahis have been caught. Additionally, most bites seem to be occurring relatively close to the island of Maui. Akus have moved inside the 100 fathom ledge and some marlin have followed them into relatively shallow water. With the boats concentrating their efforts in Maui’s coastal waters, the majority of the recent catch has been composed of onos along with the occasional marlin. The following photos contain some of Start Me Up’s latest anglers and their catch.


Tom Thomason crossed paths with the fish of a lifetime on Maui’s 100 fathom ledge. The fish attacked a purple-straight runner on the long corner and Tom had his 535 lb blue marlin only half an hour later. Congratulations to Tom on a great fish.

The Stromberg group made the most of their time on the water, catching 2 onos, a mahi, and an extremely rare sailfish. The sailfish was their captain’s third in almost 30 years of fishing Hawaiian waters.

Light winds allowed the Hattrup group to spend their day near the east end of Molokai. Trolling the shallow waters close to shore produced 3 mahi, 2 ono, and a shortbill spearfish.

That’s an impressive stringer of onos for Scott and Doreen Winkler.

These anglers picked up a half dozen mahis at a FAD behind Lanai. They caught some fish right next to the buoy while others were hooked approximately 300 yards up current.

Monica and her son spent an enjoyable afternoon on the water and came up with an ono.

This nice striped marlin came up behind a blue Elkins Jr. Popsicle and engulfed the lure. The fish, which weighed in at 68 lbs, was an indicator of good things to come. Numerous onos were caught in the same area over the next few days.

Everyone was happy to see dolphins but true excitement kicked in when a reel started screaming. The 90 lb shibi was followed up by a bonus ono caught right in front of Lahaina town.

Kathy caught her shortbill spearfish off the Lanai lighthouse. The fish hit a Jr. Softhead running in the long gone position.

These lucky anglers came across a blue tarp floating near the surface. The tarp appeared to be fresh but was miraculously holding some mahis and shibis. A number of other boats got in on the action as well.

Dale Gingerich caught the fish of his lifetime and won a free trip won with his 515 lb blue marlin. The fish ate the long rigger purple softhead and arrived at the boat 45 minutes later.

Amy Atkins’ blue marlin also ate the lure running in the long rigger position. Amy and her husband enjoyed the experience so much that they fished again a few days later and there’s no doubt that they’ll be back again.

The Bennett family had a trip to remember. They had three marlin bites and converted their second opportunity into a nice fish. The blue marlin was hooked on a purple softhead and weighed in at 251 lbs.

Mike Matera was able to fight his 266 lb blue marlin to the boat in less than 20 minutes. The fish had plenty of energy near the boat and challenged the crew, giving them an exciting test.

The Hovis family will fondly remember their vacation to Maui, partly because they caught a blue marlin and an ono.

This blue marlin charged through the pattern of lures and swatted at most of them. After hitting the long and short rigger lures, the marlin grabbed the purple softhead on the short corner. Burt Yano had encouragement from his son-in-law Eric and eventually won the battle against the 437 lb blue marlin.

Lee Perry, Greg Soulsburg, and Tony Molfino had a stellar day of ono fishing. They caught one in deep water outside of LA buoy, four at the shoals of Kahoolawe, and two at a pinnacle called secret spot. Lee, Greg, and Tony also found a mahi at the shoals of Kahoolawe.

These repeat Start Me Up anglers normally do the early departure trip but elected to leave later this time around. They had their action at the shoals of Kahoolawe, picking up an ono on the plateau and catching a marlin in deeper water. Their 373 lb blue marlin could not resist the Elkins Popsicle running on the long corner.

Kyle Gingras and Jim Jones are walking proof that a huge fish is not required to elicit a big smile. Kyle and Jim were very happy with their onos.

The Swetish group found a piece of floating debris and came away with an assortment of fish that included mahi, ono, and tuna. The anglers had a such a good time that they went fishing four times during their stay on Maui.

When opportunity was nearby, preparation allowed these anglers to put a pile of fish on the boat. The mahis were caught around a FAD while the shortbill spearfish was caught while trolling.

Newlyweds Becky and Chris showed that they work well as team. During an intense mahi flurry, Becky and Chris had to focus on keeping the line tight and simultaneously coordinate their movements in order to avoid tangles. Everything went off without a hitch and 25 mahis wound up in the fish bag.

Jennifer and Cody Pennock concentrated their efforts in an area known as the box and caught a shortbill spearfish and a mahi.

David Mathieson is one of those anglers that choose to stay on the back deck all day long and watch the lines. David’s patience and persistence were rewarded with an ono.

Mark Davis caught a 272 lb blue marlin just inside of the 100 fathom ledge. Numerous small tunas had recently been caught in the area so finding a marlin there was not a shock. Coincidentally, the marlin hit a Steve Coggin lure on the lure maker’s birthday.

Thanks for checking out this Start Me Up fishing report. If there are any questions, feel free to contact Deli in Start Me Up’s Lahaina Harbor booth at 808-667-7879 or startmeupfish@gmail.com. Until the next report, tight lines.

Aloha,
Jonny

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[ali123]

Nice pictures and so much impressive fishes which they caught nice efforts----------