There are a lot of new people around here these days. Kona has always attracted new folks, but it seems like in the past people came looking to experience certain known aspects of Big Island life while those arriving these days are more concerned with getting away from certain aspects of life back where they came from. Understandable if coming from communities where COVID hit hard, but apparently many did not spend the plane ride boning up on issues of “Pidgin To Da Max.”
Locals can’t help but laugh when these malihini ask funny questions after it starts to sink in how different Hawaii is. Don’t worry though, I’m not going to bore readers now explaining why Kona is not a city, why our McDonalds sells spam with everything, or why mango trees, churches and or even certain horses are better landmarks to find your way than road names are.
Some new folks even seem surprised to find out that fishing is such a big a part of daily life – on an island. Flick through social media and you’ll see posts asking, “What’s with all the photos of guys with fish around here? Ewww!”
Others, however, go through the trouble and expense to ship their boats over, along with all the gear they used to catch salmon, trout and halibut, which the host of a Hawaii fishing TV show pronounced “haole-butt.” This may make little sense to new people who haven’t read “Pidgin To Da Max.”
Fishing in and of itself is an exercise of hope on a grand scale, and many of these hopeful souls might feel a bit dashed to discover that salmon and trout don’t swim here. Halibut? Nope. Haole-butt? Plenty, and no catch limit.
Anyway, once they adapt boats and tackle from mainland coastal to pacific islands open ocean, most new fishers ask the same question: “When is the best time to go fishing in Kona?”
To mainland sensibilities this is a fair question. As example, I once spent Thanksgiving in Pt. Townsend, Washington and after the holiday I drove the Olympic Peninsula “hoping” to find some salmon or trout. Everyone said I was too early, that fishing got good when the winter rains swelled the rivers. I put two and two together and ciphered that this meant fishing was best in the cold, drizzling rain, maybe even mixed with sleet or snow. In an instant I gave up on that idea and jumped a plane home.
Here in Kona, we tell people the best time to go fishing is, “Whenever you can.” Although based upon an indisputable fact (you can’t catch them if you don’t go) some hopeful souls think that they need reasons more dramatic before becoming believers. They often say, “No way can it be that simple.”
Many people who fish find that grandiose and complicated theories bolster their hope. Fish science, although plentiful, is often be passed over in favor of complex postulates. And it is not just here. CNN recently did a survey of all the folks waiting on those Dallas street corners for JFK and his son to drive by, and every single one of them listed “fishing” as their favorite pastime.
So, when malihini press for more complex reasons as to why one fishing day is better than any other, locals may oblige their hope with these postulates, “For Kona marlin, the best months are summer. You want to fish the new moon and maybe the week after. If the trade winds are blowing steady, better yet. The current should likewise be steady, which helps build up the bait schools in certain areas.. A current running north and in is best up on The Grounds. For the region from the Keauhou to Milolii, the best current is south and in.” That will be that, and best of all, it’s true.
Mostly.
When fishing for open ocean species (pelagic fish) it can be helpful to keep in mind that fish have tails, there are no fences and thus they can swim anywhere they want, except up the mountain. When humans make a rule about fish, it’s like the old saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
Rule 1: Don’t Make Rules.
Over the past week or so, marlin fishing has been off the charts. However, the moon has been building towards full, and November is obviously not a summer month. In addition, on the 17th Capt. James Bach on the charter boat “Maverick” found that the current in front of the harbor was dead, so he went hunting for good conditions.
Usually, the trade winds are blowing so hard that getting to the OTEC buoy is difficult because it is too rough, but last week the trades were down. So “Maverick” went up, only to find that the current at OTEC was slowly running out – away from the island toward the open ocean. This current is considered the worst. Current from offshore can bring fish inshore, but as mentioned, fish don’t swim on the mountain so a current coming from shore might bring you goats, but who wants goats?
Oblivious to postulates, the marlin were at OTEC. Refer to Rule 1.
James and his crewman Carlin Rinehart helped “Maverick” owner Dave Setniker and sister Carol tag and release an astounding 7 blue marlin, from a total of nine bites! The day before, they tagged three out of four – before noon. The day after, their luck waned and a pack 4 striped marlin attacked but they all made their escape good. Still yet, they got 4 marlin bites that day.
On the same day Capt. Chris Donato on “Benchmark” tagged and released a fish he called 650 pounds, so there have been some nice fish around too. On the 19th Capt. Brad Damasco on Kila Kila let one go that looked every ounce the 750 pounds he estimated it to be.
So if you are new to Kona and finding that things don’t make much sense here, take heart. Things don’t have to make sense to work out, in these parts. Just ask Kona’s charter skippers. To them, it’s just a part of day-to-day life.