Capt. Tracy Epstien // Last Chance // 2100 pts.
- Lazy Marlin Hunt, 1st Place, 500 pts.
- Kona Kick Off, 1st Place, 500 pts.
- Marlin Magic Lure Tournament, 1st Place, 500 pts.
- Kona Throw Down, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
- Skins Marlin Derby, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
Capt. Teddy Hoogs // Bwana // 1100 pts.
- Rock n Reel Tournament, 1st Place 500 pts.
- Kona Kickoff, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
- Skins Marlin Derby, 1st Place, 500 pts.
Capt. Keith Robinson // Sea Genie II // 1500 pts.
- Lazy Marlin Hunt, Heaviest Marlin, 942.5 lbs., 500 pts.
- Fire Cracker Open, 1st Place, 500 pts.
- Kona Throw Down, 1st Place, 500 pts.
Capt. Chris Choy // Sapo // 800 pts.
- Fire Cracker Open, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
- Lure Maker Challenge, 1st Place Heaviest Marlin 688 lbs., 500 pts.
Capt. Shane O’Brien // Wild Hooker // 800 pts.
- Lure Maker Challenge, 1st Place, 500 pts.
- Lure Maker Challenge, 2nd Place Heaviest Marlin 544.5 lbs., 300 pts.
Capt. Carlton Taniyama // Five Star // 600 pts.
- Rock n Reel Tournament, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
- Marlin Magic Lure Tournament, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
Capt. Marlin Parker // Marlin Magic // 500 pts.
- Fire Cracker Open, 1st Place Heaviest Marlin 747 lbs., 500 pts.
Capt. Kai Hoover // Sea Baby III // 500 pts.
- Skins Marlin Derby, Heaviest Marlin 558.5 lbs., 500 pts.
Capt. Tony Clark // Mauna Kea // 300 pts.
- Lazy Marlin Hunter, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
Capt. Nate Figueroa // Kila Kila // 300 pts.
- Kona Kickoff, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
Capt. Jason Holtz // Pursuit // 300 pts.
- Fire Cracker Open, 2nd Place Heaviest Marlin 474 lbs., 300 pts.
Capt. Joe Thrasher // Mauna Loa // 300 pts.
- Lure Maker Challenge, 2nd Place, 300 pts.
Capt. Cyrus Widhalm // Apex // 200 pts.
- Fire Cracker Open, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
- Skins Marlin Derby, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
Capt. Mat Bowman // Sweet Sadie // 100 pts.
- Lazy Marlin Hunt, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
Capt. Chuck Wigzell // EZ Pickens // 100 pts.
- Rock n Reel Tournament, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
Capt. James Bach // Maverick // 100 pts.
- Marlin Magic Lure Tournament, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
Capt. Randy Parker // Legend // 100 pts.
- Kona Throw Down, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
Capt. Chris Donato // Benchmark // 100 pts.
- Lure Maker Challenge, 3rd Place, 100 pts.
2021 Hawaii Division Captain of the Year
CAPT. SHANE O’BRIEN
Wild Hooker/Strong Persuader // 3,500 pts.
Lazy Marlin Hunt
2nd Place – 300 pts.
Kona Kickoff
2nd Place – Heaviest Marlin 432.5 lbs. – 300 pts.
Marlin Magic Lure Tournament
3rd Place – 100 pts.
Kona Throw Down
1st Place – 500 pts.
Kona Throw Down
1st Place – Heaviest Marlin 600.5 lbs. – 500 pts.
Lure Maker Challenge
Heaviest Marlin – 522 lbs. – 500 pts.
Lure Maker Challenge
2nd Place – 300 pts.
Big Island Marlin Tournament
1st Place – 500 pts.
It’s a Wrap
1st Place – 500 pts.
Working on sportfishing boats since the age of 11, a captain at 18 and growing up fishing the Kona waters, it’s no wonder Capt. Shane O’Brien is well known for his Hawaii fishing tournament success.
That success not only trickled into 2020 when he won the Captain of the Year, Release Ruler Hawaii Division but again into the 2021 tournament season when O’Brien once again claimed the Captain of the Year title for Hawaii after he and the team on the 68’ Blackwell Wild Hooker earned 3,500 points from seven separate tournaments. And the team entered the year swinging with the first tournament in April when they earned 300 points at the Lazy Marlin Hunt.
“We had a big year planned, we wanted to fish every one of the tournaments that they have here,” O’Brien says. “Our guys come into town early and they’re here to fish, they’re not golfing, they’re not hanging out. We go fishing every day that they’re here so I think it helps that everybody is in a rhythm, everybody is on the same page and we work hard.”
Amid the multiple successes O’Brien and the team had, the tournament that stood out to him the most was the Kona Throwdown. Not only did the team sweep all three days but they weighed the largest marlin, a 600.5-pound beast.
“We had a flawless three days, which is not normal, especially in Kona,” O’Brien says. “You can have a lot of trouble with hookup ratio and there are so many good guys out there fishing that you consider yourself lucky to win one of the three days and we won all three days.”
And that half pound on the fish turned out to be a very big half pound. The tournament allots release points as well as points per pound for fish killed. Another boat had released four fish giving them 800 points putting them neck and neck with the Wild Hooker team.
“We had released a fish after we had gaffed the 600.5-pounder so we ended the day half a pound over, which allowed us to win that day,” O’Brien recalls. “A lot of luck plays into things and that was one of them.”
But O’Brien doesn’t consider it all luck when it comes to the team’s success. For him, much of this is due to the group of guys that fish on the boat and their consistency.
“Allen Stewart who owns the boats, we’ve been with him for 12 years now and all the guys that fish on the boat have been fishing for over 10 years,” O’Brien says. “I think our biggest advantage is that everybody has confidence in what the other person on the boat can do, nobody doubts anyone else.”
The captain also credits the team for knowing the different approaches for each tournament, whether release or kill fish. Additionally, he takes into account that they all fish tournaments year-round.
“I think it helps keep your mind in a competitive state rather than if you’re just fun fishing every day,” he says. “Everybody works hard.”
As a captain, O’Brien understands the pressure that comes with his position on the boat. Money is on the line and as the captain, decisions can come down to that last hour or trying to come back from being behind. It’s a job where “you’ve got to have broad shoulders,” O’Brien explains. So while certain things, like weather or currents, may be out of his hands, he works ensure that, mechanically, everything is sound.
“You can control the maintenance side of things,” O’Brien says. “That’s a big focus, especially as hard as we run the boats during the tournaments, you’ve really got to take care of them leading up to that.”
In the role of captain, O’Brien says he also tries to take each situation he has encountered and use that to improve for the future, especially when it comes to winning tournaments.
“You remember those situations and you kind of log them in your brain and five years down the road you run into the exact same situation that you were in prior and you have a better idea of what to do now. The more you fish, the more years you have under your belt. I think you have a larger log book to look back on. You’ve been in more situations than you were when you first started so you have an advantage.”
Past Winners
- 2021 Capt. Shane O’Brien // Wild Hooker // 3,500 pts.
- 2020 Capt. Shane O’Brien // Wild Hooker // 2,150 pts.
- 2019 Capt. Teddy Hoogs // Bwana, // 1,900 pts.
- 2018 Capt. Rob Ellyn // Lightspeed //1,250 pts.
- 2017 Capt. “Stymie” Epstein // Huntress // 1,000 pts.
- 2016 Capt. Kerwin Masunaga // Rod Bender // 1,850 pts.
- 2015 Capt. Kerwin Masunaga // Rod Bender // 1,100 pts.
- 2014 Capt. Rob Ellyn // Light Speed //1000 pts.
Sanctioned Events:
- Rock ‘n Reel Hawaiian Open
- Kona Kick Off
- Firecracker Open
- Skins Marlin Derby
- The Kona Throw Down
- Hawaii Luremaker Tournament
- Lazy Marlin Hunt
- Pelagic Marlin Magic Lure Tournament
- Big Island Marlin Tournament
- Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament
- It’s a Wrap Tourney
- Hawaiian Marlin Tournament Series
