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Fishing Report:   Enter a desMidweek update....11 pound bonefish on fly
Capt. Chris Asaro
November 19, 2009
Oahu - Saltwater Fishing Report

This morning, i awoke to rain and winds. Not exactly ideal conditions for a guide's day of fun fishing but just being out there with Capt. Terry Duffield [aka Coach Duff] is a blast and we rarely get to enjoy sharing a day on the water. We went to one of his favorite goliath bonefish flats that he has been gracious enough to show me. Coach only fishes for trophy size bonefish with his own hand-tied flies. So we set out with a 15 + lb. fish in our sights. Hey, if you're gonna go for a slob you may as well go all the way. With Oahu having some of the Hawaiian Islands nicest flats and Hawaii being one of the furthest north latitudes in the pacific bonefish will go, seeing world record size fish is not uncommon! Coming from the Islamorda area, i have seen my fair share of monster bonefish but not nearly as common as Oahu!

Anyway, away we go with visions of grandeur into the not so friendly conditions. Immediately, we start to see very large tails. Coach said the tide was perfect for this spot and he was very right as usual. The tide was getting lower and lower but the fish kept tailing ang finning. Coach decided to jump over and go after them on foot. Fish were literally everywhere and after spooking the first couple shots, Coach had a decent size bone tail up on his perfectly presented 1/0 'Duffer Crab'. He


ID: 4765
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Fishing Report:   The weather made for some tough conditions over the past week. High winds, rain and cloud cover made sight fishing for bonefish very difficult. We had all of that. The bonefish seem to love the adverse conditions. Monster tails were spotted on the proper tides but connecting was another story. With this, i can't stress more the importance of praticing in windy conditions.
The fish are far less spooking and casts aren't nearly as long. It can be very frustrating if you are not prepared for gusty, in your face, wind. I actually look forward to wind if i am out fun fishing. Slick calm days can be nearly impossible when you are stalking double digit bonefish. They need to eat the fly or jig on the first movement or will figure it out very quickly that it's not real.

If you have traveled to islands for bonefish, trade winds are a normal part of most days. Add in a high pressure system or front and you have what many think of as an unfishable scenerio. Seasoned anglers have learned to make the most of whatever mother nature deals out
knowing some of there best catches have been on less than prefect outings. I like to use the batting donut idea when practicing. Basically that means find a larger and heavier than normal fly and cut off the hook. With a jig you do the opposite. Try punching it directly into the wind. It will not go far but you will be able to get it out with some practice. Low side arm type casts work the best. Try to work on line


ID: 4760
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Fishing Report:   This past week, good friend Capt. Mike Makowski was passing through on his way back to florida from australia. We got to get out for a couple hours to chase after some bonefish. The tide was very high so we went to a spot that needs plenty of water for the fish to get in. With heavy cloud cover we started at the lightest part of the flat i could find. As soon as we got a few shots, a massive storm moved in and we decided to relocate. With the full moon just passing, the tide moved out very quickly and tails popped up everywhere. The action was nonstop and he did manage to stick one very large fish but the hook pulled at the first part of a blistering run. He's caught plenty of bonefish and was glad to fool one in the very tough conditions.

I am very excited to be able to get out of the boat and wade for bonefish. In the florida keys, nearly all the flats are very soft turtle grass making for impossible wading conditions. Here, the bottom is very hard and i have found perfect wading on all tides. It just amazes how close you can get to tailers and mudders and how long you can fish them without spooking!

This week i will be out with Capt. Terry Duffield [aka Coach Duff] doing a photo shoot for a top flyfishing magazine and will have much more to report. This is the slowest time of the year for Hawaii but the fish are there and ready!
We are coming into some of the best tides of the month the next few days with low water at first and last


ID: 4741
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Fishing Report:   Everyone loves tailng fish. Just the sight of a massive bonefish with it's dorsal and tail out of the water is a sight to behold. Experienced bonefisherman know that tailing fish are not always easy though. Especially if the bonefish are over eight pounds. I've always said they tail with one eye up and one eye down! The last time i was on tailers, my client hooked the first fish we saw and that fish was nearly ten pounds. So with that image in mind, on friday i pulled up to one of my favorite flats at first light with Jason Duke. Idling up, we could see dozens of fish tailing! We quickly anchored the boat and waded quietly in the direction of the flashing. The tide was very low and getting lower. He made some great presentations with the skimmer jig and had some very interested fish but we just were unable to connect. later in the day when the tide rose we threw at cruising fish that seemed to be everywhere but after a couple of follows the bonefish just were unwilling. We tried light and dark jigs luck was just not on our side. All the bones we saw were very large, not an easy proposition by any means. It was Jason's first time bonefish and he learned a lot in a very short period of time. I was impressed how positive he stayed the entire 10 hours we waded, a true sportsman! He'll get them next time.

Capt. Terry Duffield fished with James McClelland
for three days last week. James is an avid flyfisherman and seasoned world traveler with bonefish up to


ID: 4724
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4710
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4638
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4475
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4373
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4247
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Fishing Report:   Kona Hawaii fishing report – April wrap-up

Kona is the Pacific blue marlin capital of the world for more reasons than one. First, it a year round fishery. There’s usually at least one marlin brought in each day even in the off-season. Second, we can get a good blue marlin run any month of year and third, we beat every other destination with the size of our marlin. It’s size that I want to focus on in this months report. With any fish species there is a “magic number” to claim the big bragging right prize. With blue and black marlin alike, that number is 1000 lbs. also known as a “Grander”. The last grander marlin caught in Hawaii was a little over a year ago and was caught by Matt Prater while fishing with me on the Intrepid. We came close to loosing that “grander” status when three sharks attacked our fish while we were trying to get it in the boat and they ate over 150+ lbs. of meat off in less than a minute. It still came in with a little weight to spare at 1056 lbs. Most granders are closer to the ‘make it or break it’ weight. Last year in November the “Hooked up” caught a 975 pounder and followed it up in February this year with a 914 pounder. In April this year the “Marlin Magic” brought in a 940 pounder. Close but no cigar. Just last week another beast was brought in on the “Sundowner” and while being hoisted up on the scale the number hit 1005 lbs. but….. oooops… no one taped or tied the marlin’s mouth shut. Half digested fish, squid and liquid started


ID: 4117
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 4007
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Fishing Report:   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


ID: 3848
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