The sportfishing world lost a good friend when Harold “Freddy” Rice passed away on Jan. 5 at Maui Memorial Hospital.
Rice was passionate about fishing and ranching and was a well-known, beloved captain in the local and international fishing community. He was also the manager of three different beautiful Hawaiian ranches — Kahuku, Pu’u wa’a wa’a on the Big Island and Princeville Ranch on Kauai.
An imaginative fisherman, Rice once tied a two-by-four to the bow of his 16-foot skiff so he could meet the Hawaii International Billfish Tournament’s (HIBT) minimum boat length of 18-feet so he could fish the prestigious tournament.
He will always be remembered for numerous tournament wins, amazing catches, perfecting high-speed trolling and his love of live bait fishing. His fishing career is rich in history and includes many incredible captains and notable charter boats.
Rice bought his first boat in 1968, the famous Malia, originally owned by renowned IGFA Hall of Fame captain and lure maker, Henry Chee. Chee and his boat Malia were one of the seven boats in Kona’s charter fleet in the mid-1950s, known as the “Magnificent Seven.” Rice bought the storied vessel from Henry’s son Butch.
When he bought the Malia, Rice was the manager of Kahuku Ranch in South Point. From 1968 to 1974, the famous charter boat was captained by some of the biggest names in the business, Jeff Fay, Wes Vanatta and Rusty Unger. Rice would fish tournaments and on the weekends.
In 1974, Rice bought a 31-foot Bertram and named it after his 16-foot skiff, the one he tied the two by four to so he could fish the HIBT with the bigger boats. The boat was aptly named Ihu Nui, meaning “big nose” in Hawaiin.
Capt. Robbie Engelhard, the welcoming and longstanding voice of Kona tournament radio and HIBT director, ran the Ihu Nui while Rice worked as a ranch manager.
In 1981, Hawaiian cattle ranching took a turn for the worse and Freddy Rice became the full-time captain of the Ihu Nui, running charters and fishing all the major tournaments.
In 1986, Freddy’s son McGrew started working full time crewing for his father. The duo made history and had a remarkable father-son experience when they caught a 1,062-pound blue marlin on 50-pound test during the HIBT. It was the first grander in the 28-year history of the HIBT.
Although Rice had fished the HIBT many times before, it was his first HIBT as a captain. The fight time for the enormous fish was 1 hour and 20 minutes and the catch became an IGFA world record for angler Gil Kraemer. Rice’s 1,062-pound blue marlin remains as the only grander blue marlin ever to be caught in the HIBT.
Ironically, Rice always preferred heavy over light tackle for blue marlin fishing. After catching the grander, his smiling son said, “Dad your first 1,000-pounder is on light tackle,” his father replied, “I know, God is punishing me, but I love the way He’s doing it!”
In 1991, Rice sold the 31-foot boat and increased the bow of his vessel once again, extending it four feet when he bought a 35-foot Bertram. Maintaining the name Ihu Nui, Freddy’s son McGrew started captaining the 35-foot charter boat and Freddy retired as a full-time captain and went back to ranching.
In 1993, Freddy was willing to sell the boat under the condition that the new owner kept McGrew on as the captain. The new owner agreed to the conditions, and the name from Freddy’s little 16-foot skiff still lives on today on the back of two of Kona’s finest charter boats, the Ihu Nui and the Ihu Nui II.
McGrew at the helm of the 45-foot Monterey Ihu Nui and Capt. Tony Clark behind the wheel on Ihu Nui II, a custom 40-foot Miller. Today, McGrew stills runs charter trips with many of Freddy’s former clients, who have become like family over the years.
“I learned a lot from my father that I can pass on to my children and grandchildren,” McGrew said. “Most people these days will never have the chance to learn the things that I was so fortunate to know because of him. Hawaiian fishing techniques, ranching, rodeo, polo, hunting and living life to the fullest and enjoying every day. Every day on the bridge of my boat I know he will be watching over me. I hope to make him proud.”
Although Freddy will no longer be fishing with us, his fishing legacy remains strong and continues to live on through his son McGrew, and grandson Oskie, two of Kona’s finest and distinguished captains.
The entire Kona fishing community would like me to send our sincerest condolences to Freddy’s family.
In other news
Overall fishing slowed down a little bit this past week, but that can change at any minute. There have been a few monster blue marlin hook-ups with the fish coming off, and once again we had another week with a 500-pound plus blue marlin, so there are big fish out there.
Hopefully, the mid-Pacific currents will cooperate with the new waxing phase of the moon and bring in new waves of fish. The only real way to find out if the fishing is good is to get out there.
Vince Lazzara, one of the pioneers of fiberglass boat construction once said: “God only gives you so many days, but the ones you spend at sea don’t count against you.”
Big Fish List
We have a new big fish list started, please contact us if you think you caught the biggest fish of an individual species. There are a lot of open positions right now, too.
