ITB Staff
While it has been years since most places in the world succumbed to the dink ballyhoo revolution, Hawaiian captains still proudly pull plastic. In some of places where lures still appear, their selection is haphazard…the old, “Grab that one over there and throw a hook in it” type thing. In Kona, lure fishing is equal parts science and applied engineering with a healthy dose of aesthetic appeal mixed in.
Hawaii-Guide.com recently provided a new update to requirements and changes in regards to Hawaii travel and the COVID vaccine parameters. Read the excerpt below or click here for the full article.
Presently, proof of vaccination is not a recognized exemption to the Hawaii travel quarantine. The state continues to evaluate the latest science and will inform travelers of any new exemptions as those decisions are made. Please see the Hawaii Travel Restrictions page for more information.
A potential Spring/Summer 2021 timeline has been proposed for Hawaii vaccination “passport” travel to begin. There is also a March-April timeline for Inter-Island Travel, potentially early May for trans-Pacific travel.
In mid-December 2020, word was received that Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, who is both a physician and is in charge of Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, had said that he would ask the governor to approve travel both trans-Pacific and interisland for anyone who has had a COVID vaccination without further requirements starting in early 2021. For travelers who choose not to get vaccinated, we believe the current restrictions, testing requirements, and quarantine policy are likely to remain in effect for most, if not all, of 2021 and potentially beyond.
Initially, it was proposed to start at the beginning of February 2021, but this has since been postponed until sometime in the Spring of 2021. After approaching the Governor about the update, the Lt. Governor has now indicated that Governor Ige is more inclined to make this change sometime in the Spring or early Summer, not in February as originally proposed. The latest news suggests, as of mid-February 2021, that vaccine/health passport travel will begin in three phases; which is outlined below.
Two-time Captain of the Year Kerwin Masunaga and his good luck dog, Ziggy.
Kona Tournaments — Fishing continues to hold steady along the Kona coast, in between cold fronts and bouts of north wind.
At least 15 blues over 500 pounds and 1 black estimated to have been 700+ were reported in January. February has generated back to back cold fronts which dropped heavy snow on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (down to the 9,000-foot level) but it made a few days “un-fishable”, which is a rarity here.
Except for a few days when the weather disrupted the current, the fish have been there in February too, but the final tally is not yet in. The largest reported so far this month was a 700 pounder on Kona Blue. There are lots of reports of multiple marlin days, with mixes of blues and stripeys.
Entries are already coming in for the “new” Lazy Marlin Hunt scheduled for March 27 – 29 and anyone interested is encouraged to book your favorite boat and crew sooner than later for availability.
For an entry form paying with check, click here
To enter online with a credit card, click here
To go directly to the online registration system, click here
All the dates for the 2020 tourneys and cash/check entry forms are on the home page: konatournaments.com
If you’ve been around fishing long enough to stay calm when a giant marlin materializes in your baits, one thing that strikes you is that they appear to be keeping up with your trolling speed with absolute ease – almost effortlessly. When you combine this visual with the astonishing bulk of the beast in your wake, it almost makes them look as if they are acting like a lazy old elephant, just out for a stroll.
Of course, if you hook that monster, all hell will break loose and any interpretation of laziness will go right out the window – along with your calm – but for a short while, that’s what it can look like. Even after you’ve seen lots and lots of big marlin, you may still wonder at this and the incredible transformation that can happen in the blink of an eye.
On another note, the “lazy” looking ones can be the hardest to get an aggressive bite out of, and hence, sometimes hard to hook. They are like the worlds largest mouse toying with a knot in the end of a piece of string. It’s always easier to hook a suicide fish than one just playing with the bait, but that doesn’t discount every single encounter with a BIG one from being awe inspiring, and a down right shock of adrenaline.
So, if you are wondering why anyone would call a tournament “The Lazy Marlin Hunt”, now you know! What you may not know is that “granders” (marlin 1,000 pounds or larger) have been caught in Hawaii during every month of the calendar year. In addition, more “grander” blue marlin have been caught in Hawaii than any other single fishing hole on Earth.
The month with the most graders caught is July, but in Kona, there are already tournaments on every single weekend in July. The month with the second most graders caught in it is March, which has no tournament scheduled, which is why the Lazy Marlin Hunt was put in March.
It is also interesting that more marlin 500 pounds or better are caught during March and April than any other two concurrent months of the year. More than 50 blues, 500 pounds or better have been caught in March and April – each year – during 2018 and again, in 2019.
As for Granders, 31 blues over 1,000 pounds were documented as caught in March and April. And two of the three largest blues ever caught were landed in March a 1,649 pounder caught off of Oahu in 1984 and and slightly more infamous 1,656 pound caught from Black Bart in 1991. March has also turned up six blues over 1,200 pounds.
Looking closer for trends, another pattern appeared: more granders were caught just before, just after or right on the New Moon – clearly more than during any other period. The New Moon of March 2020 is on the 25th, so it seemed logical to schedule the tournament to start fishing March 27, just after the new, and right before the page turns to April.
The two most popular (and richest) tourneys in Kona are the Kona Throw Down and the Skins Marlin Derby, which run back to back in July. Between them, they generated a total purse of over $1 Million dollars last summer. Anglers like to fish for Big Fish!
The Lazy Marlin Hunt combines a few of the most popular aspects of the two tourney formats into one – 500 pound minimum – winner take all, one prize from the Base Entry; 400 pound minimum for all optionals; and refunds for winner take all and biggest marlin categories if no qualifier is weighed in any particular category.
With all these points in mind, why would you not fish the Lazy Marlin Hunt? It’s not like you can fish a Big Blue Marlin tourney with these odds, anywhere else but Kona…one just doesn’t exist – except for the two in July. And, there have not been two marlin over 1,600 pounds caught in July…and you get more bites in July, but from more small fish….and….oh, well, you get the picture.
One more thing to consider; interest is strong and the best boats and crews are booking up already, so don’t miss “stacking the deck” and fielding your best team for this one. You’re gonna need every edge you can muster to win the Lazy Marlin Hunt. Enter now!
Go to konatournaments.com and download the entry form: https://konatournaments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2020-lazy-marlin-cash-1.pdf And for those detail minded, why not read the rules: https://konatournaments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2020-Lazy-Marlin-Hunt-Rules.pdf. For more information, call at 808.557.0908 or shoot me an email at jody@konatournaments.com.
See you in March, at the Lazy Marlin Hunt – Kona
InTheBite received a cooking-101 at Keoni’s Point of View in Kona, Hawaii and the restaurant delivered. The seafood hotspot, which sits on the west side of the island, is well-known for its fresh fish dishes—from Hawaiian-style poke to smoked marlin dip—that come out of the busy kitchen.
Owners and husband and wife team, Keoni and Kalina Llanes, have built the restaurant from the ground up making it a current favorite among locals and visitors alike. And the restaurant has also become a way to honor Keoni’s uncle, Capt. Randy Llanes, whose life was cut short when he was impaled by the bill of a swordfish while spearfishing. According to Keoni, his uncle dreamed about one day opening up a restaurant of his own.
Today, that dream has taken root on Honokohau Harbor. InTheBite brought a mahi-mahi that was cooked up at the restaurant and prepared for a meal that did not disappoint.
The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup, presented by Hatteras, is the championship of sportfishing. The Cup is the world’s only quantifiable way to recognize the tournament success of professional sportfishermen. Comprised of 90-sanctioned events that span the world, there is nothing else like it. Winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. From the winners to the Cup’s origin, it is an interesting tale.
Tranquilo crew COTY pic. Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor
InTheBite Magazine started in 2003. Since its conception, the magazine [Read more…]
Jack Leverone, Mate aboard the Sea Genie II, captained by Gene Vanderhoek, provides tips and tricks on how to set up a fighting chair and fight blue marlin on heavy tackle. Shot on location in Kona, Hawaii.
Fran O’Brien with his son, Shane O’Brien.
One of the best wiremen in the world, Captain Shane O’Brien knows what hard work, a lot of grit and more than a little determination can reel in while out on the water. The Kona, Hawaii resident shared one of his most memorable days fishing when Capt. Bart Miller hooked a 1,656-pound blue marlin in 1984. But Miller didn’t forge ahead alone, he called in O’Brien to wire the beast.
By Capt. Mark Johnston
Tournament angler Keith Hilton had an unreal day fishing onboard the Marlin Magic II with Capt. Marlin Parker when he landed a monster 1,035-pound blue marlin on the third and final day of Kona’s Big Island Marlin Tournament! The gigantic blue was the first grander caught off Kona since August 26, 2015, and the kind of fish that has made Kona famous and known as one of the world’s greatest blue marlin fishing destinations. [Read more…]
