KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament kicked off its 59th annual fishing competition with Opening Ceremonies on Sunday at Hale Halawai on Alii Drive.
Traditionally held at Kailua Pier, the Opening Ceremonies marks the official start of the week-long HIBT, with fishing running Monday through Friday, and an Awards Dinner on Saturday.
This year, 24 teams representing Africa, Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, as well as the United States, joined together at Hale Halawai for team introductions as well as food, drinks and entertainment that included a band and hula dancing.
The focus of the event was to introduce teams and boats crews.
Returning to this year’s event is a member of last year’s championship team was David Finkelstein, of Surfside Marina. Last year was also Finkelstein’s first time competing in the HIBT.
“It is exciting to come back for our second year,” Finkelstein said. “We came back to defend the title. We got a good draw and look forward to start fishing.”
Also returning this year is Buzz Colton, who rose to fame after catching a 486.6 pound blue marlin just 12 weeks after having triple bypass surgery, despite the wishes of his doctor and even his wife.
“I got chewed out by my wife when I got home and I talked to my thoracic surgeon and he wasn’t too happy about it,” Colton said. “Everything turned out pretty good in the end and it turned out for a good story.”
Colton is entering this year with a giving attitude, saying he is going to leave the big fish for one of his teammates.
“I wasn’t even going for it last year, I got stuck on it,” Colton said. “We will see, maybe I get stuck on another one this year.”
Colton is competing with Malibu Marlin Club, which actually has two teams in the HIBT this week. And you can bet, there will definitely be competition between the two teams.
“We are going to be arm wrestling at the bar,” Colton said. “We are at an advantage because they don’t have their best man and it is also two against four, but that also doesn’t really mean anything because two can catch twice as many as four.”
“I think we are pretty evenly matched,” Colton added.”I’m just happy to be here, another year older, another year wiser and hopefully another year luckier.”
HIBT is the second oldest big game sports fishing event in the world. After a slow fishing season last year, hopes are high that this year will produce bountiful numbers with excellent fishing currently happening off the shores of Kona.
During the recent Huggo’s Wahine Fishing Tournament, a 504-pound blue marlin was weighed and 16 marlin were tagged and released, as well as 13 ahi, which were boated and weighed. That all happened over just one day.
Teams will head out today to fish, leaving the pier at 8 a.m. They will return to the pier for weigh-ins from 4-6 p.m. each day except for Wednesday, when teams depart at 7 a.m. and come in for weigh-ins from 3-5 p.m.
Daily roundups will be available throughout the day at the pier at 10 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.
The HIBT follows strict International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rules for world record big game fishing.
Billfish points will be awarded on the basis of a point per pound for legally caught catches weighing over 300 pounds of the following species: Pacific blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin and broadbill swordfish. There are also points available for ahi catches over 100 pounds, as well as tag and released fish. Points vary depending on what pound-test line the fish is caught on.
Every boat will be looking to reel in the elusive grander, a fish weighing over 1,000 pounds. Only one grander has been caught in during the HIBT, which came in 1986.
So far, three granders have been caught in Hawaii waters this year, but none around the Big Island.