KAILUA-KONA — Malibu Marlin Club played tag the best on Day 1 of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament on Monday, racking up points and gaining an early edge.
Fishing aboard Silky, the club tagged and released three Pacific blue marlin to jump to the top of the leaderboard with 900 points. Team captain Steve Spina scored two marlin and teammate Buzz Colton added an estimated 125-pound blue.
“In the morning, we got the first bite pretty early and they kept coming through the afternoon,” Spina said. “And we missed two more. If we would have got those, it could have been an all-time day.”
Spina is a HIBT veteran, with more than three decades of experience fishing in the tournament.
“Over the years, this has become like the Olympics of sport fishing. It is something people look forward to every year,” Spina said. “I fish in a lot of tournaments, but this is one of my favorites.”
The first points were on the scoreboard within an hour and a half of the opening horn, with angler Bobby Jenkins of Old South Marlin Club – International tagging and releasing an estimated 120-pound Pacific blue marlin aboard Northern Lights II. It was one of two tags for the team, which currently sits in second place with 600 points.
Australia’s Redcliffe Peninsula Game Fishing Club went for quality over quantity, with team captain David Trask landing the only qualifying fish to be weighed on Monday.
But it was close.
To preserve the thrill of big game fishing for future generations, HIBT teams do not receive points for any Pacific blue marlin under 300 pounds that are boated. As photos circulated on social media before the fish came in, there were certainly doubters saying the catch would not meet the requirement.
The Aussie team and throngs of fans in the packed bleachers at Kailua Pier anxiously watched the weigh-in. The scale flashed 302 pounds — just over the limit.
“We looked at the fish over the side and were tossing and turning on if we were going to bring it in and weigh it,” Trask said. “I had the final call when we put it on the deck. It had the right measurements to be a 350-pound fish, so we thought it was a pretty safe bet. I was surprised it was so close.”
The gamble paid off. Trask also received bonus points for his catch being the largest of the day and being caught on 50-pound-class tackle. Redcliffe Peninsula GFC is currently in third with 502.566 points.
A nice haul on the first day of the tournamement served as quite the welcome for Trask, who is fishing for the first time in the HIBT.
“We had heard a lot of stories and seen a lot of photos about the fishing here. It has been a long-time dream to come over to Kona,” Trask said.
According to an HIBT press release, the worldwide average of tournament teams who actually hook up is about 30 percent for an entire tournament.
That’s not the case at the HIBT. After just one day of fishing, 11 of 28 teams already have points on the board.
“As the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament welcomes anglers from around the world, we are reminded how great the fishing is here and how Kona’s reputation is well known around the world,” HIBT founder Peter Fithian said.
However, Trask knows that having success on the water is never a guarantee — not even in Kona.
“With fishing, just like any sport, there is skill involved but also a certain amount of luck to get you to where you need to be,” Trask said. “We will see what happens the rest of the week.”
Fishing continues through Friday, with weigh-ins daily at Kailua Pier.