Molokai Run 09-03

[Tightlines667]

Given the slower fishing reports, good weather, and fresh cold water intrusion, I decided to make a long day of it and fish Molokai's north shore.

I invited 2 friends, and left the dock at 0330hrs. Ran to Penguin, prerigged 24 ballyhoo, and set my Ono spread at 0545hrs. Trolled the 38fa up and around the point. We ran into some scattered debris, bait, and a pack of small Mahi. Made 3 passes, and managed to hook 1, while they tore through my ballyhoo rigs. Normally, I would have stuck around and tried to get the party started, but I had Ono on the mind, so we moved on.

We worked down past Kalaupapa and back and picked up 3 Ono (1@35,1@22,1@18), a 10lb Mahi, a 10lb White Ulua, a Barracuda, and a nice Rainbow Runner. When we arrived back at the point, the Mahi were still there, but we were short on time so we only made a single pass, picking up 1 fish. I ran heavy jets back to Pearl Harbor but no takers at speed. Back at the dock at 2030hrs.

Long day.

I ran a purple maurader on the shallow planer on the run back, and it got hit by an Ono right on the belly of the front hook, but didn't stick. The ono were all caught on ballyhoo/sea witch combos, 2 on the deep planer, 1 on the long rigger. We had 24 total bites on the day with 9 fish hooked and 9 fish landed. I think we only had 2 ono miss the hooks, and attribute the other 13 short bites to those small kine Mahi.

John

[Tightlines667]

Pics

[Dominick]

Wow!  Good work John.  Dominick

[54bullseye]

John I have heard they are great eating but have never tried them !!!  Great fish !! Must be nice to fish so close to shore !! Around here most big game fish are a two hours plus ride.  John Taylor

[Tightlines667]

John I have heard they are great eating but have never tried them !!!  Great fish !! Must be nice to fish so close to shore !! Around here most big game fish are a two hours plus ride.  John Taylor

They are great eating.  Fishing was close to shore, but a long ways from civilization... 5 hour run each way to get to the grounds, and I put on nearly 150 nauticle miles looking for fish.

Prices were not too good.. averaged $3.10/lb or around $350.00 in income with $320 in trip expenses (fuel/bait/ice).

John

[Jim Fujitani]

I agree that Ono (wahoo) are a very good eating fish.  Not very fishy flavored.  One of the only fish that my wife eats, the others being White Sea Bass (actually a large member of the croaker family), California Halibut, and occasionally Dover Sole.

My favorite Japanese market in Sacramento flies in Hawaiian caught Ono and charges about $25-30 a pound for sushi grade pieces of fillet (that my wife eats breaded and fried).  I have yet to boat my own on any of my San Diego trips, although I have had 3-4 ounce Mega baits cleanly bit off on 40# mono off of Isla Cedros (when it was open to SD LR boats).

Thank you John, for your write-ups.  I look forward to reading them.

[thorhammer]

John , great work and as usual, great, informative write-up: your narrative becomes a fishing story much more entertaining than just the pics (without which it didn't happen   that takes us folk stuck on the hill along.


What is the advantage of the Stubby rods? I would guess easier to move around with a fish on or fighting stand-up; do you have enough clearance to get into the chair on a big fish or leave in gunwhale? Not being critical in any way; I'm trying to learn something that may be deployed here in NC if the application suits. We are considering going for Bluefin this winter, which in NC can break 500lbs., but it will be gunwhale work as no chair and using my 80 Ints and 14 / 0 and 16/0....the latter two currently riding on full-size boat rods with straight butts which I would swap for bent if leaving in gunwhale.

[jurelometer]

Nice!  I agree with Thorhammer.  I like reading your informative reports of both epic and not-so-epic days.    It's the next best thing to riding along.   Keep 'em coming.

-J

[Tightlines667]

John , great work and as usual, great, informative write-up: your narrative becomes a fishing story much more entertaining than just the pics (without which it didn't happen   that takes us folk stuck on the hill along.


What is the advantage of the Stubby rods? I would guess easier to move around with a fish on or fighting stand-up; do you have enough clearance to get into the chair on a big fish or leave in gunwhale? Not being critical in any way; I'm trying to learn something that may be deployed here in NC if the application suits. We are considering going for Bluefin this winter, which in NC can break 500lbs., but it will be gunwhale work as no chair and using my 80 Ints and 14 / 0 and 16/0....the latter two currently riding on full-size boat rods with straight butts which I would swap for bent if leaving in gunwhale.

I like the stubbies on my boat for several reasons...

I use 45deg, shotguns with asjustable drag washers on the bases, which stick up above the gunnels.  Picture the bottom of the rod but resting on top of the gunnels.  This puts the reel at an ideal height to crank on when fighting a fish from the holder.  The shorter rods make it easier to grab the line from the rod tip with the rods in place, and are long enough to ensure the line clears the gunnel when mounted in the stern center/prefered fighting location.  If the angler choses to fight standup, the short rods give maximum leverage for lifting too.  The rods are too short to fight a fish from the fighting chair when he is straight down or tye line gers closer to the boat.  I plan to get rid of the chair in the near future since I could use the deck space for more fish storage capacity.  One of the drawbacks to 5 identicle stubbies, is the line on the rigger rods will not clear the stern rods when hooked up.  Its only a very brief problem that is quickly remidied by swiveling or pulling the offending rod, and moving the hooked up one to stern center holder.  I considered either going with rigger rods that are 6"longer, or going with 60 deg stern shotguns, but I like tye reel location best with 45deg holders, and its nice to have the same rods and reels so they csn be moved easily wherever is appropriate, especially useful on multiple hookups. 

I run short 9-10' leaders that allow the fish to swim just under the surface when the swivel is at the rod tip.  This allows for one guy to crank the fish in, leader one-handed (if needed), and gaff the fish solo.  I run shorter 1.5' leaders on wahoo baits, and 15-18' leaders on Marlin baits though.

The 130 reels are not really suited for standup, so most fish are caught from the shotguns.  I do have a set of 5'6" 80 class tuna stick standup rods for my 50s which can be used when wahoo trolling, or dead baiting mahi. 

Overall I have been really happy with the 130 lever drags, on Stub80s fighting fish from the shotguns.  Fight times have been cut in half, and it simplifies multiple hook ups.  Maybe not very sporting, but I can always run the 50s if someone wants to do a standup battle. 

We have big fish, and rough waters out here.  At any given time you could hook into a monster, and be outgunned on a 50.  Also, the 130s are easier to set the spread, and clear the lines with.  However, the 50s are nice for fishing live bait or being able to quickly drop back when fishing dead or dink baits.

John

[thorhammer]

an excellent response, thank you, i would expect no less, and my assumptions of seeing how your rod holders work were accurate. nobody wants to tote a 130 or 14/0 stand-up in a pitching boat with a 500lb fish on it lol.

John

[Shark Hunter]

I do!
Excellent work as always John.
I am in total envy of your adventures.
Your expertise is at the Pinnacle of your environment.
Well done my Man!