Fishing Report May 9, 2012 Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii

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Aloha from Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii. There has been some variety in the waters surrounding Maui. Billfish, tunas, mahis, and onos have all been caught recently. As always, trolling artificial lures has been producing fish. Dragging natural baits has also been productive in situations where numerous fish piled up in a small area. The following report contains some of Start Me Up’s anglers and their catch from the past few weeks.


Phil Margiotta caught a 601 lb blue marlin. The fish demolished the lure running in the short rigger position and inhaled the double hook rig. Phil’s marlin then charged the boat before settling into the grueling battle. Phil stayed strong fighting chair and caught his fish. Because the blue marlin was over 500 lbs, Phil’s trip was free and Start Me Up made a $300 donation to a local charity.

The Chivers family from Alaska got lucky and found a productive log floating offshore. The boys caught their first mahis and supplied dinner for the family. Way to go guys!

Bryan Pearl and friends had a great morning of fishing. They left early with a plan and their strategy put 37 mahis on the boat. Good work Bryan, Megan, Zack, and JD!

As Wyatt Dowd can confirm, the mahis continue to bite on the troll. Wyatt picked up his mahi using a Jr. Softhead in a current line just off Black Manele.

Terry P. consistently goes fishing with Start Me Up. He has had some great days and this catch provided another exciting trip. Terry and his friends caught 33 mahis.

These young anglers tricked a mahi into biting an opelu at LA buoy. They caught the fish in the afternoon and had the fillets just in time for dinner.

The buoys provided another good trip. This group of anglers went to a FAD and put their live bait to good use. Way to fire!

The Fletcher group tangled with a nice fish in 150 fathoms of water on the backside of Lanai. The 178 lb blue marlin put forth a great effort but the anglers won the battle.

Larry Fipps caught a 40 lb bull mahi, which is a great fish by any standards. As is typical for big bulls, Larry’s mahi did not come in without a fight.

This catch resulted from belief in the concept that the early bird catches the worm. These anglers sacrificed some rest and arrived at a FAD just after sunrise. The bite was on and the anglers put a bunch of mahis on ice.

These lucky anglers wound up with a mixed bag of fish. The primary target was mahi but nobody was disappointed to catch an ono and a shibi as well.

Robert, Jason, Cindy, and Autumn teamed up to catch 11 mahis. All of their fish were sizable, averaging 18 lbs apiece.

Tom, Kim, Kathy, Ron, and Lee had a great morning on the water. They started off by catching some mahis at a FAD and then caught an ono as well. Trolling produced a few more bites and Lee was lucky enough to catch a feisty shortbill spearfish.

Jonah hooked a 37 lb bull mahi. Similar to all other big bull mahis, the fish put up a great fight. In the end, however, Jonah prevailed. Way to fire!

The Franzi party was determined to bring back some fish. The women were obviously the driving force, catching twice as many fish as their husbands.

The Sandoval group picked up an ono on their way out to deeper water. The anglers later caught a couple of mahis outside of the 100 fathom ledge.

Justin Bryant had the fight of the day with this 482 lb blue marlin. The battle could have ended after a half hour, but the fish was not ready. Justin finally got out of the fighting chair two hours after the initial bite. The blue marlin took down a purple softhead on the inside ledge.

The Cunninghams had to provide dinner for 25 people. They were well on their way to accomplishing that task after catching a few high-yield fish.

Patrick, Gino, Nick, and Gene fished a buoy and caught some mahis. The keys to their success were getting to the buoy early and utilizing an 8 lb tuna as a teaser. Of course, a blue marlin or a shark could have eaten the teaser, which would have made the day even better.

Mike and Samantha Lee were joined by Jerzy Szulc in converting every opportunity into a fish. The anglers had a triple strike and then a single bite later.

In the process of searching for a big bite, Doug McCall was continually interrupted. Doug caught a couple of mahis and an ono while three more onos got away. At least Doug caught enough fish for his family to have a feast.

Greg McCloud was stoked with his bull mahi. Greg’s mahi was an aggressive fish that ate the biggest lure running closest to the boat.

Everyone was especially happy to catch this ono on a 2 hour trip. Going out and putting a smile on everyone’s face is what sport fishing is all about and to achieve that goal is very satisfying.

These local anglers went out and had a great day. They started by catching an ono and finished with a bang. A small group of porpoise was chasing flying fish in only 40 fathoms of water. One lure pass through the area produced a big bite. After a difficult fight on 50 lb class tackle, the 160 lb ahi was on ice. The anglers, their family, and their friends had an epic party that night. Of course, the main food item was extremely fresh ahi.

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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