November was a very slow month for charter fishing as the uncertain economy and uncertain tax burden has many vacationers in a wait-n-see mode. The new TSA procedures aren’t helping either. And as I’ve said before, many of the vacationers that are coming to Hawaii are skipping the big ticket items like helicopter tours and fishing charters but on with how the bite was for November. The month started with a very low catch rate as the current direction and speed kept playing tricks on us but now the bite’s pretty good with mahi mahi leading as the most common catch of the day. The blue marlin bite is pretty good now also and it seems that the spearfish have started moving in already. A bit early in the season for the spears but hopefully the run will continue and not peter-out before the peak of their season hits.
There has been yellowfin tuna around the FAD’s up to about 30 lbs. but they’ve been very finicky about biting. The bigger yellowfin in the porpoise schools have been playing hard to get also. We’ve had some spurts of ono and otaru tuna but nothing that can be counted on.
The bottom bite as usual has been good and the method that almost guarantees a successful fishing trip. In last month’s report I talked about our new Hawaii shark fin law and since then, I’ve kept talking to people both in authority and people who are fishing rights advocates and as it stands right now, it’s in the hands of the States lawyers who now find it necessary to clarify if a shark, brought in with its fins still attached is a violation of the law. The law (as written) makes no distinction in the matter so it comes down to an issue of interpretation. I catch more sharks than any captain in Kona and I let them go but I would most likely keep a small thresher for the dinner table and others readily kill and land mako sharks. According to our local harbor police, landing a shark with its fins attached is a violation of the law and I don’t have the extra funds to get into a legal battle about the issue so for now, if I want some thresher, I’ll just fillet it out at sea. In many States it’s illegal to bring in only fillets of a fish but Hawaii hasn’t made a law against that yet. As I find out more on the shark fin issue, I’ll keep you informed.
