Kona Style Live Bait

[locknut]

There were six of them, they were weekend commercial fishermen and were fishing from 5.5m runabouts, two electric Penn 130's spooled with 200lb line on unlimited rods in the rod holders.  They were pulling line through the guides by hand because the electric motors on the reels couldn't cope with the strain.  The rods were bent over with the tips in the water.  When the fish broke the surface it was at least 85kg of beaten Yellow Fin Tuna.

It was mid September, peak season for Game Fishing on the Kona Coast.  It had been three years since we had fished at Kona from New Zealand.  We've had mixed results over the years, with some days producing   multiple landed or tagged fish and others nothing.  But you always get that serious fishy feeling when fishing at Kona and the possibility of a fish of a life  time is not to be discounted.  There is nothing like walking around the charter fleet and seeing all those 60kg outfits to get the blood going.

We were at C Buoy which is anchored in 1500m of water down the coast from Honokohau Harbour.  The boat we were watching had one Yellow Fin being prepared for the ice chest and another was being gaffed to bring on board.  Both in excess of 75kg @ $15/kg that was good money for a nights fishing.  They would probably also have had 30-40 Albacore (Tombo)on ice up to 30kg each.  These were getting $4/kg.

We were on board " La Hua Nani" fishing with Capt. Kenny Llanes, it was day two of four.  Day one had been spent on the grounds just north of the Harbour.  Today was going to be spent live bating at C Buoy.  I was keen to see how the Hawaiians did it.  Even though Kona is the birth  place of Marlin lures, the best skippers spend at least half of their time baiting. Or as they would say "Walking the Dog"

While we were watching the commercial guys the Yellow Fin started proposing around the boat as we slow trolled our baits.  Talk about get the blood going.  They were huge, up to 95kg and there was heaps of them.  Of course I got excited, it was hard not to.  Looking up at Kenny there was no sign of reaction.  He calmly said when they are porposing you never hook them, they aren't hungry.  If they start crashing the bait, then you better get ready.

C Buoy was an amazing place, surrounded by bait, commercial fisherman and game boats, oh and XXL Yellow Fin Tuna.  The water was that dark purpley colour that just screamed FISH.  The day before Kenny's son Bomboy Llanes had been busted off on 60kg gear, so there was a very big Yellow Fin scoffing Marlin here as well.

Then like someone had turned a switch, the bait went down and everything stopped.  We had Skippies out and spares in the tube so we continued to troll around waiting.  Kenny was confident, 30 years on the water does that.  Half an hour later the downrigger went off big time, it was always the deep bait that went off first.  Heather jumped in the chair and got strapped to the 60kg outfit.  This was no place for what the Hawaiians called light tackle (37kg) then the run stopped.  Heather wound in the line to find a very dead Skippy with typical YFT jaw marks on both sides of its body.  The size of the bite marks were impressive.  The Tuna had not been hooked, it was just holding the bait in its mouth.  It still pulled 300m of line off the reel in no time, out went another bait.  This was getting promising.

The 130 howled as the deep bait went off again.  No panic everything organised.  The surface bait was back in the tube and Heather got into the chair again, flying gaffs came out and onto the gunnels and all the gear was readied.  Ricky the deckie couldn't get the rod out of the holder, so two people tried, no go, Kenny had to put the boat in neutral to take some strain off.  Out it came and Heather was strapped in.  With a 1/3 of the spool out and the boat reversing Heather started to get some line back.  We were beginning to get a bit cocky when all of a sudden the rod went over hard and Heather came up out of the chair.  "Oh man I can't hold it."   The rod was now pulled down firmly onto the transom.  What a sight, the reel was fighting a loosing battle to slow the running line as the poor Skippy was dragged down into the inky depths.

At this stage things started to get really serious.  Kenny came down to the cockpit controls then he and Ricky lifted the rod up and I put a cushion under it to stop it getting chaffed on the transom.  The rod was a 7'2" Ian Miller Unlimited with Finnor guides and it was bent.  "That doesn't happen often" say Kenny.  With 45 kg's of drag over the tip it was hardly surprising.

Even with the boat roaring backwards we still couldn't seem to stop the spool going the wrong way round.  The fish had gone deep.  Heather's bum was off the chair, she couldn't lift the rod off the transom, we were in 1500m of water, half the spool was gone and this was a fish of a life time.

Well, that was until the 600lb Momoi extra hard trace broke 1200mm from the hook.

Was I gutted, hell yes, was Heather relieved, sort of, did her legs wobble for 30 minutes after, definitely!!!

After inspecting the leader Kenny theorised that a good YFT had taken the bait, which was why Heather was able to start retrieving some line.  Then a very large Blue Marlin 800-1000lbs ate the YFT.  That was why the rod was pulled down onto the transom.  The leader was worn through on the YFT's tail (which would have been sticking out of the Marlin's mouth) on the hinge of the Marlin's bill.  The 1200mm of missing trace would have been the length of Tuna down the Marlin's throat.  Still that's fishing.  We had a fantastic four days.

I learnt heaps about fishing, especially live baiting and that alone made the trip worth while.

So what are the basics of Hawaiian style live baiting.

•   Slow troll, as slow as the boat will go 1-2 knots is good
•   Two baits, one on surface 80m back, one on downrigger 40m back and 40m down
•   Use Skippies as they last well
•   Mustard J hooks open gape 773D. 10/0 -12/0 depending on bait size
•   Dacron loop 60kg through front of eyes
•   Hook snug not tight against nose
•   Drag 2/3 of strike to start with.
•   Surface line has drop back in the water.
•   Never use a bait that's bleeding or in any way injured. 
•   Loop up the traces and hang on reel handles with the Dacron loop on the hook and needle already threaded. 
•   Attach indicators (Floss half hitches) on the lines to show where baits should be set from the boat.

So did I bring a downrigger back from Honolulu?  Yes, mandatory

Tight lines

Jeremy Millichamp

[redsetta]

Epic story Jeremy - was almost like being there
Thanks for sharing (and really appreciate the 'how to' detail).
Cheers, Justin

[wallacewt]

ah locknut
good times

[Dominick]

Possibly a big shark took the YFT.  Dominick

[kamuwela]

recently while being hoisted at the scale a 600lb marlin spit out a spear fish in excess of 60 lb's  not uncommon for marlin here. during ahi season we worry more about pilot whales.

[locknut]

Thanks guys for the comments. It is hard to know what goes on in those deep fishy places, the leader had a long rough rats tail at the end raher than the usual jagged cut. I think the what ifs are what makes fishing so addictive.

Jeremy